Nina opened the window before the sound of knocking could be even heard.
She made eye contact with Adrian, who had his hand raised to knock. Nina opened her eyes wide, after looking at the sky once, Adrian said.
“Shouldn’t you be sleeping at this hour?”
“I can’t sleep because Adrian is going out alone.”
“So you were monitoring my movements?”
“I’m sorry.”
Nina dropped her head and he faintly smiled when she pretended to open the window. He stopped Nina from quickly releasing the latch and straightly coming out.
Adrian politely pointed out her outfit, and Nina quickly headed to the closet.
Adrian slipped through the window and asked.
“Can I tie your hair for you?”
“Then, give me a pretty jeweler’s daughter hair-do.”
Nina quickly put on a bright tunic and said, tying her belt.
As she quickly sat down on the stool and handed her ribbon, Adrian held one in his hand and one on the wrist.
He split her hair finely and began to braid delicately.
“Where did Adrian learn this?”
“When I was young.”
The words stopped for a while. Their eyes crossed with each other in the murky mirror. It had a black mushroom-like stain and a hazy overall color.
Even through the mirror, the two could read each other’s faces without any difficulty.
Nina’s face suddenly showed concern.
Adrian smiled faintly and continued.
“I saw my mother and other people do their hair when I was young.”
She used to curl up her gorgeous hair that was waved richly in golden brown and sprinkle it with pearl or gold powder.
His beautiful mother, standing up with delicate decorations, was his pride.
Although he had never called her out loud.
Sometimes he was even confused that she wasn’t his mother.
Fancy stage decorations.
Bright Illumination.
Noisy people.
Heavy velvet curtains that open and close.
Singing and acting that attracted people.
A shower of confetti and cheers.
He was always lonely in all that light.
Always, always, always.
The people in the waiting room were so lovely and kind that they showed affectionate kindness even to other people’s pets.
Cute words, petting hands, sometimes freezing hands.
At first, he thought it was affection, and he thought he could hang on to it.
However, they unanimously removed their suspended hands and walked away with cold and troubled faces. Their affection was for the person they loved, not for him.
Behind the dark stage, where the lights were off and there was no sign of people, he had to remain alone.
All he had was a cast shadow.
Until Nina found him.
Adrian tied a ribbon to finish her hair and stepped back to appreciate his work. Nina groped her hair with her fingertips and made a satisfying face.
“I can never do this. So······.”
As she sat on the stool, she turned her back and turned her head.
“Where are we going?”
“I’ll say it on the way. I’m telling you, I didn’t pick you up as an escort.”
“All right.”
Nina sprang up from her seat. Adrian went out the window first. There was hardly any place to step outside the townhouse window.
Adrian was standing on a piece of a gargoyle-shaped drain, and he helped Nina get out. With only her toes on it, Nina chuckled as she was actually held tight by Adrian.
“I think we’re doing something bad. I’m excited.”
It was somehow exciting that the two of them would leave the mansion without anyone knowing.
Adrian smirked.
“Then let’s fall.”
“Yahoo!”
She buried her face in his arms and cheered quietly.
Riding in the shadows, the two quickly fell down. The darkness at the bottom of the bush gently embraced them.
This strange feeling that the shock is absorbed under your feet and disappears.
“I always think it’s amazing. Shadows do a lot of different things.”
“The same goes for your spirit.”
He said, “Let’s go.” Reaching out, Nina grabbed his hand.
In the darkness of the middle of the night, the two walked in an alley that resembled a deep shadow forest. How intimate it was to walk together.
Nina stood close enough to feel his temperature, taking strides and moving at the same speed, she smiled at his leading figure.
‘I was always the one standing in front of you.’
It was not that long after she came to Luverne as a maid to the duke. Nina also sneaked into Adrian’s bedroom in the middle of the night when she had the chance.
In fact, it wasn’t that hard to hide. It was because the last room he was in was always deserted.
She thought she had to wake him up, but he was awake.
He said, “Did you come to kill me?” with eyes as if he had resigned to his life. Nina only said, “Adrian, the moon is so pretty. Let’s go for a picnic.” And reached out her hand.
‘Now that I think about it, I don’t know why he followed me.’
It was amazing that Adrian came out to the garden holding her hand.
In a corner of the garden, there was a dinner she had made by collecting healthy foods in the kitchen.
The crust of white bread with a lot of white parts soaked in brown butter.
The ham, which was cut into small pieces, was scraped from the big bones thrown away by the chef.
She carved beautiful fruits and collected leftover vegetables and made salad.
It was the best dinner she could make.
Adrian ate it gently and played with her all night in the garden.
From that day on, Nina knocked on Adrian’s window every time the chance was right, and Adrian always followed her. She was the only one who made him act like a kid their age.
Nina smiled and said what came to her mind.
“Walking like this, do you remember when we went out to the garden?”
It wasn’t only once or twice they went to the garden, so Adrian quickly realized what she was saying.
“Sure.”
“I still don’t know why Adrian followed me. You asked me if I came to kill you as soon as we met, and yet quietly followed me.”
“I’ve never been to a picnic, so I was attracted to that word.”
“Really?”
Nina looked back at him in surprise, and Adrian nodded lightly. She sighed deeply.
“But what I prepared was a little bit······.”
“No.”
Adrian said, giving strength to his hand.
“It’s abundant for me.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“That was the best I could do. It was good that it was delicious though.”
Nina quickly recovered and nodded, and Adrian also affirmed. She gave him the best she could give.
No one did that to him. What he received was always the last thing left, even if it was a good thing.
She was the only one who prepared the best for him.
Isn’t that enough, or even enough to overflow?
Nina looked up at him and asked.
“So what’s going on today? Where are we going to investigate?”
“How did you know?”
“If it’s Adrian’s thoughts, I know it all. If you don’t need an escort, you’ve brought me as a partner, so you have something to do together with me, right? Plus, something suspicious has been going on in the capital.”
Nina explained at length because she was happy that he was taking the partner position for granted.
“There’s a Gathering of Sages around here.”
Adrian said and stopped. It felt strange to move through the Shadow Spirit.
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It seems to get a glimpse of the colorful world in black and white.
When Adrian made the spirit retreat, the world changed in an instant.
“Come to think of it, I think I saw Randell today.”
Briefly explaining what happened in the square, she looked at the narrow alley.
“But, a gathering in this place like this? At this hour?