Viloti sat on a bench, watching the crowds pass through the streets of Holmholt. She was a little tired.
Each streetlamp cast its own hue of light, weaving a dreamlike tapestry of color in the night.
Holmholt’s nights were always this beautiful—like an endless celebration that never faded.
In her arms was the ugly caterpillar plushie that Felyn had picked out a few days ago.
Though she’d rejected his gift the first time, Viloti couldn’t help herself—she secretly wanted to take it home.
She’d forgotten where that toy shop was, and wandered around alone for nearly two hours before finally finding it.
Viloti rubbed her feet, which were clad in light pink leather shoes paired with white lace-trimmed stockings.
When would she get to go shopping with Felyn again?
Maybe after tomorrow’s dungeon expedition, Felyn would be grateful to her and reward her with a shopping date.
A faint smile surfaced on the girl’s otherwise expressionless face.
The Holmholt commercial district was vast—it was hard to run into anyone you knew.
But fate was a funny thing. Who could say what might happen?
Elsewhere in the Holmholt shopping district, two eye-catching figures were drawing everyone's attention.
Both were strikingly good-looking, instantly becoming the center of focus in the store.
But once people noticed the strange, tense vibe between the two, they all silently concluded: Those two must’ve had a fight, huh?
“Felyn, why aren’t you picking a more seductive couple’s outfit?”
Felyn stared blankly at a set of pajamas printed with teddy bears, black lines practically dripping from his face.
Her dark green eyes held a faint divine glow, but the words coming from Daiyi’s mouth were anything but holy.
Her long black hair was pinned into an elegant updo, secured with a silver hairpin.
Today, Daiyi wore a silky black blouse, its collar slightly open to reveal a sliver of her pale collarbone.
To prepare for the upcoming couple verification, Daiyi had insisted they at least make the room look like a shared living space. Something believable—something lived-in.
So the two of them had come to the Holmholt shopping district to pick out bedroom decor.
“How seductive can pajama sets even get?!”
Was this noble lady out of her mind? Has she been reading too many adult novels?
“Aren’t there those designs that make it easier to ‘get things done’?”
Easier to do what, exactly?
Felyn didn’t turn to look at Daiyi. His body stood stiffly in place as he desperately counted in his head—one, two, three.
If he so much as let slip a single daydreaming expression, this lady would 100% tease him to death.
Damn it!
“Felyn, there’s a set right here that’s designed for easy movement. I’ll try it on—wonder if you’ll like it.”
What?
Felyn blinked rapidly.
Just imagining Daiyi’s flawless, cold face paired with some scandalously revealing outfit—he couldn’t help swallowing hard.
He turned his head ever so slightly.
Just one glance. One peek! That’s all I’ll take!
In her hands, Daiyi held a form-fitting silk pajama set. It wasn’t nearly as revealing as he’d thought.
“Hm? You look kind of disappointed. Is it because I picked something convenient for house chores instead of... the kind you were fantasizing about? That face—so cute.”
Seeing Daiyi stifle a laugh behind her hand, Felyn clenched his fists.
This wicked woman!
“Do you want to go to the bathroom and... cool off a bit?”
“I do not!!”
Before he knew it, Felyn was carrying quite a few bags.
So this was the noble lady’s purchasing power, huh?
Daiyi had deemed Felyn’s bedding and decorations far too shabby and spent 10,000 crown upgrading everything from the sheets to the pillows.
“If I lived in a room like yours, no one would believe us either,” Daiyi had said.
Felyn wasn’t too bothered by her mockery. Just from the look of the sheets alone, he could tell they were high-end.
Once the inspection was over, all this stuff would belong to him.
Free loot. Score.
“By the way, is the person inspecting us close to you, Lady Daiyi?”
“Not particularly. We’ve only met a few times. She’s probably strict.”
“Does she like anything in particular?”
“Are you planning to bribe her? Honestly, she’s probably richer than the both of us combined.”
Daiyi saw right through Felyn’s little scheme.
“And do you really have so little faith in our ability to act like a couple? I think we’re pretty convincing.”
Convincing? I look like the lapdog who tags along while his boss shops.
“Huh? You don’t think so?” Daiyi tilted her head when she noticed the subtle twitch at the corner of Felyn’s mouth.
She glanced at her reflection in a nearby mirror. Even though she stood beside Felyn, their expressions and body language didn’t really scream couple.
So then...
Felyn suddenly felt his arm being tugged. Daiyi reached out and hooked her arm around his.
“How about now?”
Though her expression and posture were still a little stiff, it was more or less passable.
If only the inspector were blind, that’d be even better.
Noticing the critique in Felyn’s eyes, Daiyi simply closed her eyes and leaned her whole body against him.
“Ow ow ow—Lady Daiyi, don’t grab my arm so hard.”
“Sorry, sorry!”
What else could she do?
It was her first time getting this close to a man, and under the pretense of being lovers, no less.
“Couples come in all kinds, you know. Some like being clingy, others prefer space. We don’t have to be all touchy-feely. As long as we’re emotionally in love, that’s enough.”
Daiyi nodded thoughtfully, pondering what it meant to be emotionally in love.
Did it mean actually treating the other person as your partner in your heart?
She took a deep breath and looked at Felyn, who was seriously comparing matching pajama sets for the two of them.
Crap. This is starting to feel a little too real.
“Lady Daiyi, I’ll go get you something to drink.”
Felyn had noticed Daiyi licking her lips and figured she must be thirsty, so he left the store after leaving their items behind to buy her some water.
Holmholt’s breeze carried with it a mixture of all sorts of scents.
Felyn bought two bottles of water from a nearby shop—one of them peach-flavored, Daiyi’s favorite.
Looking at the bottles in his hands, Felyn thought: If we were a real couple, one bottle would be enough.
But Lady Daiyi definitely wouldn’t like that.
He also wondered who the inspector would be, and whether they were sharp.
If they saw through the fake relationship with Daiyi, would they do something terrible to him?
Just as Felyn was about to return, he caught a familiar scent.
A floral fragrance like cherry blossoms—the signature scent of Viloti’s custom perfume.
“Felyn, good evening.”
Viloti hid the caterpillar plushie behind her back, greeting Felyn with a blank expression.
“Viloti, you’re here?”
Felyn looked slightly embarrassed, scratching his head awkwardly.
Was I just incompatible with Holmholt? Maybe I should stop coming to this cursed place.
(End of Chapter)