“The wind is cold. It would be best to be careful until you fully recover.”

This time, the tone was somewhat softened.

Helena slowly brought her body, which had been leaning out the window, back to its original position. She hadn’t even thought of such a thing in the first place.

As he said, it was only the second floor, and she just wanted to smell the street.

However, she couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed. She turned her body and faced the man with cold eyes.

“Is there any reason to listen to a stranger?”

“……”

“……”

Thirty seconds passed without a word.

He acted as if he had something to say, but then reached out his hand. Helena’s body flinched involuntarily.

At that, the outstretched arm stopped midway. He slightly contorted his face with a bitter expression.

His bony hand clenched into a fist and then relaxed right next to her face. After repeating this action a few times, he finally extended his arm and closed the window.

Helena followed all of these movements with her eyes. The bitter expression that had been on his face washed away with the sigh he exhaled.

“Though we’ve just met, wouldn’t it be appropriate to add the explanation that I’m the person who saved your life?”

With the window closed, a support formed behind her back. Helena leaned against the windowsill with her arms crossed.

“Whatever you want, I have nothing to give. I have nothing.”

“You can give something.”

Helena tilted her head back. To see him properly at this distance, she had to exert considerable effort.

He seemed to be a bit taller than Eugene. She had rarely seen anyone as tall as Eugene in her life. Her neck hurt a little more than when looking up at Eugene.

Disliking even this height, she frowned slightly and asked.

“Do you want to sleep with me?”

Right now, she had nothing. Yet if there was something she could give, this was the only thing she could think of.

She just asked, but Helena admitted that this question wasn’t too bad.

For the first time, she read a hint of bewilderment from him. His purple pupils contracted and dilated for a moment.

Soon, the bitter expression that reappeared covered everything.

“I told you. What I want is.”

Ian’s hand traveled up her arm to her shoulder. Maintaining a precarious distance as if brushing her body hair, he caught the disheveled fabric with his fingertips.

“For you to live.”

The clothing that had slipped down below her shoulder was now back in its original place.

Was it because her underwear was showing? The skin where his hand touched tingled, and Helena averted her eyes.

They fell silent again.

After a moment, Helena leisurely raised her body that had been leaning against the windowsill. In sync with her movement, Ian took a step back.

Thanks to that, she no longer had to crane her neck. Instead, she nodded slightly up and down.

“……What are you doing?”

“Expressing gratitude. I realized I could squeeze out this much after all.”

Helena passed by him and looked around. She saw a leather strap stretching long under the side table. It was her bag, now almost empty.

Helena strode over and snatched up the bag, slinging it over her shoulder.

“Don’t feel too disappointed that I only expressed as much gratitude as I feel. I hope you also learned a lesson from this opportunity not to meddle in others’ affairs needlessly in the future.”

“I didn’t meddle in someone else’s affairs.”

He approached with a rather resolute expression. Anticipating another endless argument about to start, Helena simply turned her head away.

The door was locked, and she needed to escape this room.

Unfortunately, the only escape route visible was through the window.

At worst, what more could break besides arms and legs? Helena passed by him to go back to the window.

Ian didn’t miss that moment and grabbed her. The strength gripping her wrist was firm but not enough to cause pressure.

Helena raised her eyes.

“You won’t let go, will you?”

“You know well.”

“Why can’t you understand? I told you not to meddle in others’ affairs.”

“I meddled because it’s you, Helen.”

“Don’t act like you know everything about me. How did you even know my name-”

Gurgle gurgle.

“……”

“……”

This can’t be happening. Why, why now of all times.

Helena’s face flushed hot. The verbal sparring easily crumbled in the face of this primal instinct that knew no boundaries.

It was truly an embarrassment she hadn’t felt in a long time. She thought she had long since developed immunity to most insults. Even when mocked at every social gathering she attended, she felt little emotion.

How could this one simple sound dredge up forgotten feelings?

As if those emotions were settling on top of her head, Helena couldn’t bring herself to look up. In the meantime, her captured wrist was released, but she didn’t move.

Facing her like this, Ian calmly suggested as if nothing had happened.

“Let’s go out and eat something.”

“……I’m not hungry.”

“You’re still not good at lying, I see.”

He was smiling. Helena could tell without needing to confirm that handsome face of his.

She could feel the laughter in his voice. Even if he wasn’t laughing out loud, it was certain he wore at least a faint smile.

Not wanting to look at him, Helena stubbornly maintained her silence with her head bowed. At that moment, something enveloped her body.

“……?”

It was a cape made of light and warm blue mouse fur. Soon, a hand also slipped into her nape.

“It’s cold outside.”

Ian tied the cape’s knot with a natural motion. Helena finally slowly raised her head.

Ian, meeting her eyes, smiled slightly as she had expected. With his eyes irritatingly crinkled, he asked.

“Fortunately, I happen to have both the time to dine with you and the money to meddle in your stomach’s affairs. Ah, is it alright to meddle in this?”

Helena exhaled through her nose with her lips tightly pressed. He was truly such a bothersome man. He clung on out of nowhere and wouldn’t let go.

She pointed to the door with a resigned air.

“How are we supposed to leave when the doorknob is twisted because of someone?”

“Well, I think we could just break it down completely.”

He reached the door in just a few steps and grasped the doorknob. Soon, with the sound of wood splintering, the entire door fell off.

“That was simple.”

He stepped aside after opening the door in a way she had never seen before. It seemed he was going to act the gentleman with this ridiculous display of “ladies first” even in this situation.

Helena took a step, wearing the clothes he bought, wrapped in the cape he tied, and carrying the bag he had retrieved.

Without realizing it, everything was now tinged with traces of this man.

“Indeed. Unlike relationships that can’t be simply broken.”

She emphasized the word ‘relationships’ particularly. She didn’t forget to glare at Ian, as if indicating the subject, as she stepped out the door.

Ian set the tattered door up in a corner and then walked matching her pace.

“Even if it’s not simple, it will break someday.”

At his words, for a moment, a man with black hair flashed through Helena’s mind.

Another person who had clung on terribly and wouldn’t let go. A person she couldn’t let go of.

Imprinted time was truly a pitiful thing. Helena shook her head to clear away the afterimage.

Then Ian, walking beside her, stopped for a moment. When she raised a questioning gaze, he said with an inscrutable expression.

“Still, I hope it won’t break for now.”

Then he went down the stairs. His fine silver hair became disheveled in his grip.

Helena had to try hard not to think anymore as she followed him to the restaurant.

Is it you now, or that person?

Deng- deng- deng-.

The clear bell sound rang ten times from the clock tower in the square.

Ten o’clock in the morning. Too late to be called breakfast, and a bit early to be lunch.

Helena sat facing Ian, each with a plate of food in front of them.

Perhaps because it was a fairly bustling area, there were quite a few people in the shop despite the ambiguous time. The busy clamor floated in the air like dust.

‘What am I doing right now?’

Everything felt awkward. The noisy commotion, her own hand mechanically mashing potatoes, the man calmly eating in front of her.

Helena glanced at him cautiously. His fingers, of moderate thickness with joints stretching out straight, moved back and forth over the plate.

Looking closely, small scars occasionally appeared on the back of his hand every time he used the knife.

‘Come to think of it, there were some on his forearm too. I wonder if there are more elsewhere.’

She was curious what kind of work he did to bear all sorts of scars. But she didn’t ask. Lest she appear interested.

“Your gaze is quite hot. The potatoes might burn.”

Right, this is why.

His gaze, in fact, was fixed on his plate. Helena retorted while putting more force into the fork mashing the potatoes.

“If only I could, I’d like to do that.”

“I like burnt potatoes too, so that works out well. Feel free to keep staring.”

“I’m not interested.”

He laughed softly. It was as pleasant a resonance as Eugene’s.

Helena reluctantly put the mashed potatoes in her mouth. Chew, swallow, chew, swallow. Still, the awkward atmosphere didn’t dissipate.

The table was narrow, and unless she kept her head buried in her plate, Ian was bound to be visible.

She glanced again while rolling grilled bean sprouts with her fork. The knife between his long fingers looked different in size from hers, but his neat movements masked that disparity.

Where did he learn such etiquette?

Judging by his clothes alone, he seemed like a commoner with some wealth, but it was hard to take that at face value.

He was far from ordinary. It was obvious at a glance.

His voice, gait, even the smallest gestures were imbued with a rough yet refined dignity. When he wasn’t smiling, the intimidating aura given by his build became even more palpable.

He also used the angular pronunciation often heard from upper-class people. It was especially similar to Eugene’s. However, Helena was inwardly surprised that it gave more of a gentle impression rather than a cynical one.

‘I thought it was a pronunciation that could only sound cold.’

“You said you weren’t interested, so why do you keep looking?”