Chapter 16
If the bouncing teddy bear had just missed hitting Pdea, things would have been better.
But instead of dancing around, the teddy bear flew straight into Pdea’s hat with a thunk!
From Jay’s point of view, all he could see was her hat, but he was sure it must have hit some part of her face.
<…Are you alright? I thought it was some kind of music box, but I was wrong. I’m sorry for not checking beforehand.>
Jay felt it wasn’t completely his fault, but still, he wanted to soothe Pdea’s mood.
She had been frozen still for a while, and he was nervous she might suddenly blow up in anger.
He had heard before that she sometimes threw tantrums.
Jay seriously debated whether he should evacuate the shopkeeper or try to persuade Pdea to leave with him.
After thinking hard for a brief moment, Jay chose the second option.
If only the shopkeeper left, the store’s decorations would probably be destroyed.
And Jay didn’t want to ruin a place that was said to be so beloved by the townsfolk.
Having made his choice, Jay cautiously reached toward Pdea’s hat.
His plan was to ask if she was badly hurt, then use that as an excuse to suggest treatment and get her out of there.
But before his hand could touch her, Pdea suddenly lifted her head.
Jay quickly pulled his hand back like someone caught doing something wrong.
At last, he got a look at the face that had been hidden.
<……>
Jay’s eyes wavered.
Pdea’s eyes were wide open, her lips slightly parted.
Her sparkling eyes staring straight at him seemed to ask, “Did you just see that?”
Jay suddenly thought she looked… pure.
Then he quickly shook his head, horrified that he had such a thought—not about Elena, but about Pdea of all people.
After shaking his head so hard it made him dizzy, he noticed Pdea fiddling with some trinkets around her.
Her hat once again hid her expression, but Jay felt sure she wasn’t angry.
Her hands playing with the trinkets were full of curiosity.
* * *
After carefully finishing her browsing, they headed to a restaurant.
Jay chose the menu for them, since Pdea seemed unsure of what to order.
He wondered if she avoided food that wasn’t prepared by the mansion’s chef.
But when the food came, she ate it just fine.
She even tried some street food when Jay offered it out of courtesy.
As they toured the territory together, the sun eventually set in shades of red.
“Didn’t you say you’d help her find something she likes…”
Jay muttered inwardly as he watched Pdea still busy looking around.
He thought she must have enjoyed today the most.
After all, he had stayed by her side, guiding and explaining everything to her.
And he hadn’t come away empty-handed either.
Even if she hadn’t found what she liked, he had discovered her unexpected sides.
She liked cute things more than he thought, and she preferred strong flavors over plain ones.
Jay had never imagined he’d spend a day like this with Pdea, but if he had to rate it—it wasn’t a bad day at all.
Guiding the awkward Pdea around had even kept away the troubling thoughts that usually haunted him.
Of course, the moment he remembered those thoughts existed, he wondered if spending the day like this had really been the right choice.
“…Lady Pdea?”
Just as he felt uneasy, Pdea suddenly jumped up from the bench.
She walked briskly toward something, and Jay hurried after her.
It was almost time to head back, so was there something else she wanted to see?
Jay thought it was getting far too late and he needed to send her back soon.
Focused on that thought, words he normally wouldn’t say nearly slipped from his mouth.
Something like, “Let’s come again next time.”
“My lady, shall we…”
“Give me some flowers.”
Jay froze mid-step at her sudden words.
Flowers? What did she mean?
Only then did Jay notice what was in front of her.
He had been watching only her, so he hadn’t realized—she had stopped at a flower stand.
But many of the flowers had wheel tracks running over them, as if a carriage had crushed them.
Even the flimsy wooden boxes holding them were broken.
“I’d love to give you some, but these are all damaged… A carriage ran over them this morning and just left… Over there’s a much better flower shop.”
The flower sellers were a young girl and her little brother.
They looked upset, their noses red from crying.
They must have spent the whole day cleaning up the wreckage instead of actually selling flowers.
Jay frowned, pitying them.
He thought of buying all the remaining flowers to ease his heavy heart.
But then he realized—someone had already acted before him.
The Grand Duke’s daughter, Pdea.
Did she feel the same sympathy he did? Is that why she asked for the flowers?
Jay had seen her unexpected sides earlier today, but this—this really made him think.
The same Pdea who used to bully Elena was now helping strangers? It didn’t make sense.
It would have been easier to believe she just wanted to mock them by asking for flowers.
But she clearly didn’t.
“It’s fine, you can just give them to me. My legs hurt, I can’t walk all the way to that shop.”
Pdea crouched down to meet the children’s eyes. She looked genuinely kind.
She didn’t even care that her dress was dragging on the dirty ground.
“But… the flowers left are all crushed, they don’t look nice…”
The girl, though happy at first, hesitated.
She was touched by Pdea’s kindness, but didn’t want to sell ruined flowers to someone so kind.
“Right now, I have no flowers at all. To me, these look beautiful enough. Please.”
Pdea smiled gently and asked again.
Finally, the siblings began carefully arranging a bouquet.
Their skill was surprisingly neat.
Piece by piece, they gathered what was left, and soon a bouquet was ready.
“…Here. But we’ll give it to you for free. It’s too damaged to sell… Still, still… we raised these with all our heart.”
The children handed her the bouquet, their voices trembling with emotion.
Pdea’s eyes widened at their sincerity.
They had hesitated because they wanted money, but in the end, their conscience won.
“I can see that. Even with these flaws, the love you gave them shines through.”
Pdea hugged the bouquet to her chest as she spoke.
The siblings were moved to tears, comforted by her words.
Even though a carriage had ruined part of their hard work, her kindness healed them a little.
And Pdea didn’t stop with just words—she planned to help more directly.
“So you must take payment too. It’s the price for loving these flowers.”
She placed her entire purse of coins into the girl’s hand.
Then, before they could open it and refuse, she quickly stood up and ran off.
She probably guessed they would try to decline.
Jay, who had been silently watching everything, felt something break inside him.
This wasn’t just another “unexpected side” of her—it was something deeper.
He was shocked.
Pdea had not only comforted them but also paid them before running away.
As she disappeared into the distance, Jay hurriedly searched inside his jacket.
“…I’ll also find the one who ruined your flowers. I swear it on the name of the Retherga family.”
Jay pressed a pouch of coins into the boy’s hand, speaking with urgency and dignity.
He had already planned to give them money, but now he was also eager—he wanted to ask Pdea something.
The siblings were stunned into silence by the two nobles who suddenly vanished.
The pouch they held was heavy.
They guessed the two must be of high status, but they never imagined one of them was their lord.
The girl stood there, dazed, staring at the spot where they had disappeared.
Meanwhile, her brother, curious, opened the pouch—and gasped.
It was money they could never earn even in a lifetime.
“S-sis, let’s just go home. Quickly, quickly!”
He stuffed the pouch into his clothes and pulled his sister away, afraid someone might see.
The girl let herself be dragged along, still in a daze, her eyes fixed on the distance.
Almost like in a trance, she whispered softly:
“…I hope our Count ends up with that lady.”
Good character, beautiful face, and even I—self-proclaimed love expert—approve.
