It was someone I’d never seen before, but his overwhelming size drew my gaze involuntarily.
And then came another surprise.
His face was astonishingly youthful, completely mismatched with his bulk.
His fair cheeks still held traces of baby fat.
‘How old is he, anyway?’
Based on his face alone, he looked maybe three or four years older than me.
But his build was far larger than most adults.
If he’s already this big, how massive will he be when he’s fully grown?
Or is he already an adult, and it’s just his face that’s so babyish?
Either way, the disconnect between his face and body was staggering.
Next, his vibrant blond hair caught my eye.
I’d never seen such a radiant shade except on Luciano.
The man with green eyes was handsome in his own right.
If Luciano was the kind of beauty that captivated you at first glance, this man had the sort of allure that made you keep looking back.
Handsome men were always a win.
Yet there was something odd about his vibe.
It was steeped in melancholy, you could say.
‘A brooding handsome guy isn’t bad either.’
The sight of such a large, somber man carefully examining accessories felt strangely incongruous.
What could be so special about them that he’s scrutinizing like that?
Curious, I turned my eyes toward the accessories too.
At the end of his gaze was a knotted bracelet.
[Wish Bracelet—Make a wish and wear it; when the knot breaks, your wish comes true.]
It was a bracelet with a simple description attached.
‘Does he have some desperate wish?’
He was eyeing the bracelet so intently that the thought crossed my mind.
Stuff like this is just superstition anyway.
As I casually shifted my gaze, the bracelet’s design jumped out at me.
One was a knotted bracelet with sky-blue thread strung with a reddish-brown gemstone, and the other with golden thread and a red gemstone.
How perfectly the colors matched—like they were made for each other.
This was meant for me and Luciano.
I had to buy them.
But my inner instinct screamed at me.
It’s unnecessary spending.
I could hear the sound of money draining from my pocket.
Life wouldn’t get any harder without wearing a bracelet, so it was an unwise purchase.
I knew that, but desire won out.
“How much for these?”
“Five copper coins each. Those are wish bracelets. You make a wish, wear it, and when it breaks, the wish comes true.”
I hesitated one more time before deciding to buy.
“Wrap this one up for me, and I’ll wear this one now.”
Sometimes impulse buys are okay.
“You made a great choice. I hope your wish comes true.”
And so, the sky-blue bracelet ended up on my wrist, while the seller took the golden one to package.
“Ah…”
A soft sound reached me, and I glanced sideways to see the large man looking back and forth between me and the golden bracelet with startled eyes.
“Were you planning to buy that one?”
He hesitated, unable to answer right away.
The seller, picking up on the vibe, cautiously added, “What should we do? It’s handmade, so this is the only one left.”
At that, regret deepened on the man’s face.
I wanted to declare that the first buyer gets it, but it was hard to ignore those teary green eyes.
“Should I let you have it?”
My offer seemed unexpected, as his eyes widened a bit.
If that bracelet had been a gift meant as an apology, I wouldn’t have yielded.
It just happened that the designs suited me and Luciano perfectly, so I’d thought to split them—one each.
The one he wanted was the one I’d intended for Luciano.
Since it wasn’t for me anyway, giving it to someone who truly needed it didn’t seem like a bad idea.
That’s why I suggested it, but after a moment of apparent deliberation, he slowly shook his head.
“I’ll gratefully accept the sentiment.”
His polite demeanor still held a trace of reluctance.
He must be uncomfortable with the idea of taking it as a handout.
“Weren’t you preparing it as a gift of apology? If that’s the case, I’ll gladly yield it to you.”
I said it generously, trying to be kind.
But no sooner had the words left my mouth than the man’s expression crumbled in an instant.
He looked on the verge of tears, and I gaped in shock.
What did I do!
I didn’t insist it was mine—I offered to give it up!
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
“What’s nothing?”
“It’s something I couldn’t give anyway, so you should use it, miss.”
He said it with a poignant, sorrowful face.
‘What on earth is his story?’
His expression was so pitiful that anyone watching might think I’d stolen it from him.
A stranger would assume I’d made him cry!
This bear of a man, who looked like he could go toe-to-toe with a grizzly, apparently had a heart as fragile as glass.
“Then I’ll buy it?”
Just to be sure, I checked again.
“Yes. You go ahead and buy it, miss.”
He replied affirmatively.
The seller, still glancing nervously, wrapped the golden bracelet and handed it to me.
As I quickly accepted it, his mournful gaze clung to me.
‘What is this? Why is he like that…’
“Billy, I’m done shopping?”
I was about to tell Billy we should leave, feeling uneasy, when I noticed him staring at me in horror.
“…What’s with that look?”
“My lady, in the brief moment I looked away, what on earth… Now you’re making complete strangers cry too?”
Billy alternated his gaze between me and the man, as if demanding to know what mischief I’d wrought.
“No, it’s not like that!”
I jumped in denial.
I didn’t make him cry!
“I’m sorry. If our young lady has hurt your feelings, we truly apologize.”
But Billy, not believing me, apologized to the man on my behalf.
The man, suddenly on the receiving end of an apology, looked flustered.
“Ah, no, it’s fine.”
“I didn’t do anything, I swear!”
“How am I supposed to explain this to the master…”
In a typical romance fantasy, the people around you would cheer ‘Our lady is the best!’ no matter what!
Why do I get all the distrust!
Why do the people around me assume I’ve naturally caused trouble!
“I’m innocent, I tell you!”
“But that man has tears in his eyes?”
He was getting emotional on his own!
“You were right next to me. Didn’t you hear our conversation? I really didn’t do anything.”
“I was focused on picking out something to buy.”
I was speechless at Billy’s brazen reply.
Then, the man—who’d been awkwardly observing the absurd situation—stepped in.
“I wasn’t crying. The young lady did nothing wrong.”
He kindly told the truth.
“You’re saying it wasn’t because of our young lady?”
But Billy’s suspicion refused to fade.
This is so unfair!
“Yes. Absolutely not.”
The man wiped away his teary expression and answered calmly.
Billy, still incredulous, pressed a few more times.
“Really? You can tell the truth.”
“The young lady is truly blameless. In fact, she offered to yield the item to me.”
At least he had a conscience and spoke honestly.
“That’s right. The young lady only said she’d give it up.”
Finally, when even the seller, unable to stand by any longer, sided with me, relief spread across Billy’s face.
I watched their exchange with my arms crossed.
Billy didn’t seem to notice my glare.
“But then why that expression…”
“It’s a personal matter.”
“Ah, yes. Anyway, as long as it wasn’t because of the young lady, that’s a relief.”
“I’m sorry for causing a misunderstanding. I’ve been a bother. I’ll take my leave first.”
The man, uncomfortable with the drawn-out conversation, apologized first and departed.
Despite my rising irritation, his slumped shoulders as he walked away looked so pitiful.
‘What is with that guy…’
That aside.
I turned to Billy and shot him a glare.
“Billy, I’m disappointed.”
“I’m sorry, my lady. It was my mistake.”
He apologized readily, but my mood didn’t improve.
“How could you not believe me? I believe in you. I even entrusted my Tosuni to you!”
“I’m grateful for your trust, my lady. But you do have a history, don’t you?”
Billy’s gaze fixed on me steadily.
A history?
“Me?”
“Yes. You made Melody cry before, remember?”
Melody?
The incident involving her came to mind naturally.
“That was because Melody was bullying Ebi!”
Telling her off for harassing someone else wasn’t wrong.
“And didn’t you make Hawks cry too?”
As if waiting for it, another name popped from Billy’s lips.
Hawks?
I recalled that incident as well.
“That was because Hawks was spreading nasty rumors!”
I hated when people badmouthed those close to me.
Especially behind their backs.
It was unforgivable.
“Recently, Belle cried too.”
This one was truly unjust.
“I only gave Belle compliments!”
Billy’s expression remained impassive.
“And the conclusion?”
When he asked like that…
“…They all ended up crying.”
Billy snorted, his face saying, ‘See what I mean?’
But no.
Something about this felt off.
Did I really make that many people cry?
“You make both kids and adults cry without discrimination, don’t you?”
Hearing Billy say it made me feel like some kind of violent thug.
Under the seller’s appalled gaze, I grabbed Billy’s hand and pulled him away.
Thanks to that bear-like guy, I’d ended up in an awkward spot for no reason.
‘I won’t let this slide.’
If I ever met him again, I’d vowed to pay back this humiliation.
* * *
When I returned to May and Belle, they were sitting there with dazed expressions.
‘They’re in the middle of a busy market—what are they doing?’
Their vacant stares left me dumbfounded.
Then I realized why they were sitting there so blankly.
Not a single macaron remained on the display.
The baskets they’d prepared were empty too.
The market had only just opened, and everything had sold out already!
“May, Belle! Did you sell everything?”
I rushed over breathlessly and asked, and they nodded slowly.
“Yes. All sold out. Every last one, completely.”
“We heard so many compliments on how delicious they were. People came back for more.”
The two wore dreamy expressions.
“See! I told you they’d all sell!”
Even I hadn’t dreamed they’d sell out this fast.
“Some people said they came because they’d heard rumors about how good they are.”
“Others were disappointed they were late and asked if we’d be back next time.”
“I knew it. I guaranteed you’d succeed if you went into business!”
I boasted arrogantly since I’d won the bet, but the two didn’t seem to notice my smugness.
They just sat there in a stupor, their lips curled in silly grins.
“I never thought they’d sell this well…”
“It really sold way better than expected.”
They seemed overwhelmed with joy and ecstasy, at a loss for what to do.
I wanted to let them savor it more, but I had to confirm.
“You remember the bet, right?”
At my question, their bodies jolted.
Their eyes, which had been staring into space with smiles, refocused.
“You’ll keep your promise, won’t you?”
When I asked again, their expressions diverged.
Belle showed a subtle anticipation, while May revealed hesitation.
And mirroring those feelings, Belle glanced at May instead of answering.
‘This is unexpected…’
It was the opposite of how they’d been so far.
I’d assumed opening a shop was hard for Belle due to her trauma, but did May have issues too?
“Shall we head home first and talk there?”
May spoke with a serious expression.
Since they’d sold out anyway, there was no issue closing up shop.
We tidied the stall and headed straight to May’s house.
“Here, have some.”
She placed warm tea in front of me and Belle.
“Thank you.”
I didn’t rush her and waited for her to speak first.
An uncomfortable silence stretched on.
Belle kept glancing at May.
The tea had cooled from hot to lukewarm by the time May finally opened her mouth.
“Are you really planning to invest in us?”
The start of the conversation was milder than I’d expected.
“Yes, I am.”
“What if it fails?”
Worrying like this even after seeing the results.
“You saw how they sold today. Didn’t they fly off the shelves incredibly fast?”
Belle nodded enthusiastically, but May just fidgeted with her gripped teacup.
After dragging it out for a while, May spoke as if she’d made up her mind.
“I want to accept that investment.”
Wait, she dragged it out for this?
“Really? You’re finally taking my investment?”
“Yes. But before accepting, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Just as I was about to get carried away with emotion, May dropped a meaningful statement.
“What is it?”
Her grave atmosphere made me tense up involuntarily.
“The truth is, I’ve failed at running a business before.”
“!”
