The sunset, reminiscent of autumn light, seeped through the window.

Blair listened to the faint sound of the crowd in the distance outside the window as she braided her hair into two plaits.

‘Even though it’s just a wig…’

After finishing her grooming, Blair picked up a straw hat and stood in front of the mirror. As she put on the straw hat as a final touch, it exuded a strong autumn atmosphere.

Now she was ready to enjoy the Harvest Festival Eve.

After finishing her preparations and coming down to the first floor, Anna, who had been waiting, exclaimed in admiration upon seeing Blair.

“Oh my, if I didn’t know you were with child, I’d believe you were just a young girl.”

“Hmm, isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?”

“I’m always sincere. Ask Lord Mikhail when you meet him later. I’m sure he’ll agree with me.”

It was surely just flattery, but it still felt good.

Blair laughed off Anna’s fuss and headed to the town square together. They were supposed to meet Mikhail at the fountain in the square to enjoy the festival.

But despite her excitement at the thought of enjoying the festival, a part of her heart felt heavy.

It was because of the confession she had heard from Mikhail a few days ago, which lingered in her mind.

‘I don’t mean for you to accept my feelings right away. Of course, you can reject me anytime you feel it’s not right.’

‘…’

‘Just give me a chance.’

‘…’

‘A chance to approach you not as a client and guild master, but as a man.’

At this rate, she would be attending the masquerade ball in the square tonight with Mikhail.

And if he found her, they would officially start courting as he had requested.

‘But…’

She had never thought that another love would come into her life. If love was so painful and agonizing, she had decided to end it with Herdin.

The rest of her life was supposed to be only for Asiel.

‘Can someone like me love another person?’

Without finding an answer to that thought, she arrived at the fountain in the square. The two of them found Mikhail at a glance, without needing to look around.

Blair hadn’t noticed because the men she had grown up seeing were Ivan and Herdin, but Mikhail was also taller than average people.

With his gentle features and handsome appearance, he naturally stood out among the crowd.

It was quite different from the scary image that usually comes to mind when thinking of a guild master. To strangers, he might look like a well-bred young nobleman.

As Blair and Anna spotted him and were about to approach, Mikhail saw them first and strode over.

“As expected, there are many people. It would be best to avoid crowded areas and be careful.”

Mikhail, who had arrived earlier and surveyed the surroundings, asked Anna.

“Anna, can you protect the lady by her side?”

“Of course. That was my intention.”

Blair found herself sandwiched between these two reliable people as she toured the festival.

As the sun had completely set and darkness fell, shops began to light their lamps one by one. The soft glow of the lamps in the darkness enhanced the festival atmosphere.

The shops displayed various items such as masks for tonight’s masquerade ball and children’s toys, while street vendors mainly sold street food. It was abundant, befitting an autumn festival.

‘It’s similar to the cherry blossom festival, yet subtly different.’

Blair, unconsciously reminiscing about the festival she had first experienced half a year ago, naturally recalled a face and paused. The warmth of the large hand that had held hers tightly to prevent her from getting lost also came to mind.

As she tried to erase the memories that had surfaced unintentionally, a familiar scent from her memories stimulated her nose.

‘This smell…’

Following the scent, she turned her gaze to see a street vendor selling cream puffs.

At the same time, the memory of the sweet cream puffs she had eaten under the cherry blossoms resurfaced, making her heart sink.

Memories are truly frightening.

Once etched, they can’t be erased at will, bursting forth at the slightest opportunity.

As Blair wore a bitter smile at the sudden memory, Mikhail, who had noticed where her gaze had landed, immediately stepped forward.

“I’ll go buy some. Please wait here.”

He seemed to have misunderstood that she wanted to eat cream puffs.

“No, it’s alright—”

Blair tried to stop Mikhail, but he had already moved towards the street vendor. It was a consideration to prevent the pregnant Blair from being jostled by people in front of the vendor.

Anna, who had been watching, whispered.

“At times like this, he seems like such a caring and attentive person.”

“Isn’t he usually?”

“Well, he’s always a good person, but caring and attentive… I’m not so sure…”

As the two were chatting, Blair felt a gaze upon her. It was the street vendor who had noticed her.

He looked back and forth between Blair and Mikhail, and as he put an extra pastry into the bag of cream puffs, he said cheerfully.

“Here, this one’s for the baby in the belly. And this one’s for the dad, to eat well and take good care of the baby’s mom.”

While Blair was flustered by the misunderstanding, Mikhail seemed used to it, smiling as he accepted the bag from the vendor.

Returning to Blair and Anna with the bag of cream puffs, Mikhail first offered one to Blair.

“Please, eat.”

“Thank you. It must have been troublesome.”

“Not at all. I like sweet things too.”

As if to prove his words weren’t a lie, Mikhail quickly devoured one cream puff.

Blair, after handing one cream puff to Anna, took a big bite of her own. The sweetness naturally made her cheeks puff out.

Seeing this, Mikhail chuckled.

“It’s nice to see you enjoying it.”

His fingertip lightly brushed off some crumbs that had stuck to Blair’s cheek.

Embarrassed by his touch, Blair held out the bag, and Mikhail didn’t refuse, taking another cream puff.

Whether he truly liked cream puffs or not was unclear, but one thing was certain: he was someone who could share and enjoy the things she liked.

Unlike Herdin, who would just quietly watch her eat.

“Oh, look, there’s a play over there. Shall we go watch it together?”

Anna, who had been looking around, suggested.

Watching a play on the street rather than in a theater was a first for Blair, piquing her curiosity.

As Blair nodded readily to Anna’s suggestion, Mikhail’s reaction was strange.

“Mikhail?”

“…Ah.”

Mikhail, who had been staring at the far end of the street with unusually cold eyes, finally looked at Blair.

“I’m sorry. With so many people around, I’ve become sensitive.”

Mikhail said this as he headed towards where the play was in full swing with the two women. However, his eyes remained sharp as he surveyed the surroundings.

‘Was that feeling of being watched earlier… just my imagination?’

But given the recent attempted kidnapping incident, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.

The play was based on the legend of Nerha and Roen, which was the origin of tonight’s masquerade ball.

Blair couldn’t take her eyes off the street play. When funny scenes came up, she would turn to Mikhail and Anna, laughing brightly.

Seeing her like this, Mikhail also relaxed his guard and laughed along.

She had seemed to find him awkward after his confession, but now she was enjoying herself, forgetting about it, which looked utterly adorable to him.

Finally, the play came to a successful end.

Just then, a bell rang in the distance. It was the signal that there were 30 minutes left before the masquerade ball would begin.

Hearing this, Anna looked at Blair and Mikhail and exclaimed in an exaggerated voice.

“Oh my, look at me. I think I heard it was going to rain tonight, but I left the laundry out to dry!”

“It’s going to rain? The sky looks clear though…”

“I’ll head back first. Please take your time and enjoy the sights.”

By the time Blair belatedly realized Anna’s intention to leave them alone, she had already disappeared into the crowd.

Blair hesitated, suddenly realizing she had been left alone with Mikhail.

She thought she had come to the festival without reaching a decision, but in truth, the answer had been set long ago.

She had merely been putting it off, feeling sorry about rejecting his kindness that he had shown her all this time.

The moment she bit into the cream puff that held memories of that spring day, she faced her own feelings that she could no longer avoid.

In this situation, she couldn’t give Mikhail any hope. If she didn’t reject him properly, that would truly be deceitful.

“Mikhail.”

Blair, having finally made up her mind, raised her head.

But Mikhail’s gaze was not on her, but towards the far end of the square. With cold eyes she had never seen before.

“…My lady. I apologize, but something has come up that I need to check on.”

“What?”

“I’ll be back before the masquerade ball starts. Would you mind waiting here for a moment?”

At his serious tone, Blair nodded reflexively. Having obtained her permission, Mikhail immediately disappeared towards the far end of the square.

Left alone by the fountain, Blair sat on a nearby bench and quietly waited for Mikhail.

But ten minutes passed, then twenty minutes…

Even as the bell signaling the start of the masquerade ball rang, Mikhail had not returned.

The masquerade ball began during this wait.

Among the masked people, only Blair stood there without a mask.

‘Should I wear one too?’

As Blair hesitated, noticing people looking at her strangely, masked children scampered over.

“Elder sister, aren’t you wearing a mask?”

“You have to wear a mask. If you don’t wear one, the sea god might find you right away and take you!”

“…Is that so? Thank you for telling me.”

Unable to resist the children’s urging, Blair put on the mask she had bought earlier while browsing the shops. She didn’t want to spoil the festival atmosphere.

“Don’t get taken by the sea god!”

Having completed their mission, the children finally flashed satisfied smiles and waved goodbye as they left.

Behind the departing children, she could see couples finding each other and laughing happily. They embraced each other without hesitation and even shared kisses freely.

The sight of lovers gazing at each other with love-filled eyes was so beautiful that it made Blair feel envious.

As Blair unknowingly wore a wistful smile while watching this scene, suddenly a shadow fell over her.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I’m probably not the person you’re looking for—”

Thinking it was someone else who had mistaken her for their lover, Blair began to take off her mask as she looked up.

At that moment, she caught her breath as she met blue eyes behind a mask looking down at her.

“Ah…”

On a night that seemed frozen in time, the man’s red lips moved as he gazed at her silently with eyes as cold as an icy lake.

“I think I’ve found the person I was looking for.”

Along with a languid baritone voice, the man’s hand cupped Blair’s cheek, meeting her gaze.

“I’ve been looking for you for a long time, my lady.”

The familiar warmth of the fingertips touching her cheek was chilling.