“It’s delicious, right?”
Karina chewed and swallowed diligently.
“...That’s right.”
Mikhail smiled with satisfaction at Karina’s answer.
Fortunately, the donut shop he had chosen as his next destination was open for business.
“Is this your first time trying this?”
“Yeah.”
“Really?”
“I said so.”
Karina’s words were true.
When she first saw a donut, she didn’t have high expectations.
It had a rough appearance that looked like a thick rope twisted together, and there was nothing special about it other than the fact that the bread was fried in oil.
She unraveled the donut and tore it open.
As expected, it was just a piece of bread with nothing inside.
However, Karina’s eyes widened after taking a bite of the donut.
The outside of the freshly fried bread was crispy, and the inside was smooth and chewy, stimulating her salivary glands.
Karina quickly ate one donut and grabbed another.
'Is this strange? I could eat this much food?'
Karina usually couldn't eat much food because her stomach would feel bloated or nauseous even if she ate just a little. Even if she forced herself to eat, she would often vomit it out in her room.
'Why is this okay to eat?'
She was surprised at her own body condition which was fine even after eating.
Karina chewed and swallowed the donut in her mouth diligently.
"I guess street food suits my constitution better than I thought."
Karina muttered with a serious expression.
"Yes?"
"What's this called?"
Karina's eyes sparkled lively.
Seeing her like that, Mikhail held back a laugh and answered.
"It's a donut. Among donuts, it's a twisted donut."
"Twisted donut. Twisted donut."
Karina repeated the name of the donut.
She vowed to herself that she would definitely buy it again later as she memorized the name twisted donut.
Mikhail couldn't hold back a laugh as he watched Karina diligently eat the twisted donut in her hand.
"Why... Why are you laughing? What’s on my mouth?”
Karina felt embarrassed, thinking she had eaten too hastily.
“No, it’s not. It’s just that I like seeing you eating so deliciously. I thought I should take you around here and there and let you eat lots of delicious things.”
Mikhail smiled brightly at Karina.
“...”
Karina stared blankly at him.
Something felt strange, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“Your Highness.”
Karina came to her senses at Mikhail’s call.
“Hmm...?”
“Would you like to try something else?”
“What else?”
Karina’s voice faintly showed anticipation that she couldn’t hide.
“Jelly.”
“Jelly? What’s that?”
“It’s jam mixed with flower water, then a stick is stuck in it and frozen.”
“Is that good too?”
“Yes, it’s good. There are many different flavors.”
Karina answered without hesitation at his reply that it was good.
“Let’s go eat.”
Mikhail chuckled at the sight of Karina, who was playing like a child who had just received a new toy.
“You can go slowly.”
Karina was unconsciously urging Mikhail, pulling him along.
“Ah.”
Karina, perhaps embarrassed, glanced at Mikhail and continued.
“By any chance, when the night market opens, can we go back to the chicken skewer place we went to earlier?”
Mikhail smiled brightly and answered.
“Of course.”
While Karina and Mikhail were on their way to buy some jelly.
“Huh?”
On one side, a stall selling unusual sundries caught their eye.
“Come and take a look. We have a lot of new products that we just brought in!”
Above the stall of the merchant who shouted that there were unusual items that Karina had never seen before on display. Accessories made of multi-layered colorful threads, hair ornaments with flower and butterfly shapes, animal sculptures carved from wood, and mother-of-pearl that changed color depending on the direction of the light.
“Wow.”
Karina looked at the stall as if she was possessed.
“I think they sell things imported from abroad.”
Mikhail said, following Karina’s gaze and scanning the stall.
“Do you see anything you like?”
Mikhail asked.
“No, I’m just looking.”
As soon as Karina answered that, something caught her eye.
It was a hand-length stick with a delicate emerald flower decoration.
At first glance, it looked like a huge needle, but the tip of the stick was too blunt to be a needle.
“This isn’t a needle... is it?”
“Do you like it?”
Mikhail asked again as if he was reading Karina’s mind.
Karina snickered and answered again.
“Yeah. I’m interested because it’s unique.”
Upon hearing Karina’s answer, Mikhail pointed to the hairpin with his finger and said to the merchant,
“Give me this.”
“Yes?”
As Karina looked back at him in surprise, the merchant answered cheerfully.
“Yes! Please wait a moment. I’ll pack it for you right away.”
While the merchant was looking for a cloth bag to put the hairpin in, Karina whispered,
“I didn’t mean to buy it.”
“I wanted to buy it for you. I thought it would look good on the Grand Duchess.”
“Then I’ll buy it.”
Mikhail was a poor wandering magician.
She thought she shouldn't be taken away because he couldn't pay more.
Mikhail stopped Karina from taking out her purse.
“I said I wanted to buy it for you. If you really care, think of it as a thank you for the donuts you bought me earlier. And the Grand Duchess will buy me the jamhard we’re going to eat now, right?”
“That’s that, and this is this.”
“And we’re going to eat chicken skewers, too. We’re going to eat a lot of those chicken skewers.”
Mikhail said coquettishly.
Just then, the merchant found a cloth bag, put the hairpin in it, and handed it to them.
“Here it is.”
“Thank you.”
Clank.
Mikhail paid for the goods as soon as he received them from the merchant.
He shrugged his shoulders as if he was done.
“Thank you! Use it nicely.”
The merchant next to him also nodded after receiving the money.
It was as if it had been planned in advance.
Karina blinked a few times and then snickered.
“Yeah. Yes. Since you already gave it to me, I’ll accept it gratefully.”
Karina’s eyes curved gently.
Mikhail also smiled brightly at that sight.
“Try it right now.”
Karina nodded and asked the merchant how to use the hairpin.
“Oh, for that, divide your hair in half like this...”
Having learned how to use the hairpin from the merchant, Karina tied up her red hair in a half-bun and put the hairpin in.
“How is it? Is it okay?”
Feeling awkward about using something for the first time, Karina asked while fiddling with her hair.
Mikhail’s expression, which had been staring at Karina, softened.
“Oh, as expected.”
“Yes?”
As he said that, Mikhail reached out and tucked the side hair that was sticking out behind her ear.
“It suits you really well.”
The look in Mikhail’s eyes as he looked at her was incredibly warm.
‘Ah...’
As she met his gaze, Karina realized the reason for the strange feeling she had been feeling since earlier.
It had been a really long time since someone had taken care of her.
To the point where her heart fluttered at such a small favor and attention.
For some reason, her heart felt even more touched than before.
‘I’m really happy right now.’
The moment she realized that fact, his hair, shining brightly in the sunlight, sparkled like silver.
Beneath it, she could see smooth skin that looked like it had been coated with honey and straight facial features. His mouth was wide open with a happy expression, his eyes were gently curved, and his teeth were neat. His shiny lips and eyes were red and clear, like biting into a red fruit.
All of it came together to highlight his handsome face.
Karina couldn’t take her eyes off his face.
‘It’s new, but he’s really handsome.’
It was something she had felt when she first saw Mikhail, but Karina felt it again.
But Karina’s thoughts didn’t last long.
“Gyaaaaaaah!”
“...!?”
Suddenly, people screamed nearby.
Karina and Mikhail, startled, looked in the direction where the screams came from.
People started to run away in a hurry from that direction.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
Mikhail grabbed a man passing by and asked him.
“A monster! A monster!”
“A monster?”
“Run away quickly!”
The man shook off Mikhail’s hand and ran away in a hurry.
“Your Highness, you should run away quickly.”
Mikhail turned his head to look at Karina, but she was nowhere to be found.
“Your Highness?!”
Mikhail, startled, quickly looked around.
He saw Karina, pushed far away by the people running away.
“Oh no!”
Mikhail made a troubled expression and pushed his way through the crowd toward Karina.
“Ah!”
Karina was pushed by the people and separated from Mikhail.
Karina looked around to find Mikhail, but he was nowhere to be found.
She retreated to a corner to avoid bumping into more people.
She didn’t know what was happening, but it seemed like chaos had broken out.
She thought it would be bad if there were eyewitness accounts of the Grand Duchess being around the scene of the commotion.
'If it's Mikhail, he'll probably come back to the Grand Duke's house even if he can't find me.'
Karina decided to hide in a place where there weren't many people for now.
She came out to the outskirts of a quiet village bordering the northern forest.
"Whew."
Karina sighed as she thought she had escaped the commotion.
"Kkiingiiiiiiiik."
At that moment, a strange sound was heard from the forest behind her.
'What is that?'
It was the sound of a wild animal dying after being caught in a hunter's trap.
Along with that, there was a small, creepy sound like something scraping iron, but Karina didn't notice it. Karina carefully approached the source of the groan.
Something seemed to be moving inside, writhing.
'Is it a deer?'
However, her vision was blocked by large rocks and bushes, so she couldn't see it well.
Karina raised her hand and cleared the bushes that were blocking her view.
When she cleared the bushes, she saw the back of a huge black beast.
"...!"
Karina’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What is that?”
Karina backed away in confusion at the beast’s size, which was as big as a house.
Crunch.
The sound came from the tree branch that had fallen to the ground.
The beast as big as a house perked up its ears at the sound and turned its head to look at Karina.
“Huh...!”
Karina froze in place as her eyes met the beasts.
It wasn’t a beast.
It was a monster. Its long snout was covered in dark red blood.
Drops of blood flowed from between its sharp teeth and dripped onto the floor.
The sight of its pitch-black eyes flashing and glowing with a blood-red madness was horrifying.
“Ah...!”
Karina couldn’t even scream and swallowed her breath.
The beast turned toward Karina.
Karina stood frozen in place, unable to move due to fear and terror.
“Kururururung.”
The monster let out a threatening sound as it came closer and closer to Karina.
A chill ran down her spine at the eerie howling sound right in front of her.
‘It’s scary...!’
Karina’s entire body trembled.
In that split second, someone unconsciously came to mind.
But he wasn’t there.
Hoping for him to appear was in vain.
A faint resignation settled over Karina’s face.
Before she could even realize it, the monster opened its snout threateningly.
She could see sharp teeth densely packed inside like saw blades.
‘...!’
Karina shut her eyes tightly.
She thought it was over.
At that moment.
“Karina!!”
She heard someone urgently calling her name.
Karina chewed and swallowed diligently.
“...That’s right.”
Mikhail smiled with satisfaction at Karina’s answer.
Fortunately, the donut shop he had chosen as his next destination was open for business.
“Is this your first time trying this?”
“Yeah.”
“Really?”
“I said so.”
Karina’s words were true.
When she first saw a donut, she didn’t have high expectations.
It had a rough appearance that looked like a thick rope twisted together, and there was nothing special about it other than the fact that the bread was fried in oil.
She unraveled the donut and tore it open.
As expected, it was just a piece of bread with nothing inside.
However, Karina’s eyes widened after taking a bite of the donut.
The outside of the freshly fried bread was crispy, and the inside was smooth and chewy, stimulating her salivary glands.
Karina quickly ate one donut and grabbed another.
'Is this strange? I could eat this much food?'
Karina usually couldn't eat much food because her stomach would feel bloated or nauseous even if she ate just a little. Even if she forced herself to eat, she would often vomit it out in her room.
'Why is this okay to eat?'
She was surprised at her own body condition which was fine even after eating.
Karina chewed and swallowed the donut in her mouth diligently.
"I guess street food suits my constitution better than I thought."
Karina muttered with a serious expression.
"Yes?"
"What's this called?"
Karina's eyes sparkled lively.
Seeing her like that, Mikhail held back a laugh and answered.
"It's a donut. Among donuts, it's a twisted donut."
"Twisted donut. Twisted donut."
Karina repeated the name of the donut.
She vowed to herself that she would definitely buy it again later as she memorized the name twisted donut.
Mikhail couldn't hold back a laugh as he watched Karina diligently eat the twisted donut in her hand.
"Why... Why are you laughing? What’s on my mouth?”
Karina felt embarrassed, thinking she had eaten too hastily.
“No, it’s not. It’s just that I like seeing you eating so deliciously. I thought I should take you around here and there and let you eat lots of delicious things.”
Mikhail smiled brightly at Karina.
“...”
Karina stared blankly at him.
Something felt strange, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“Your Highness.”
Karina came to her senses at Mikhail’s call.
“Hmm...?”
“Would you like to try something else?”
“What else?”
Karina’s voice faintly showed anticipation that she couldn’t hide.
“Jelly.”
“Jelly? What’s that?”
“It’s jam mixed with flower water, then a stick is stuck in it and frozen.”
“Is that good too?”
“Yes, it’s good. There are many different flavors.”
Karina answered without hesitation at his reply that it was good.
“Let’s go eat.”
Mikhail chuckled at the sight of Karina, who was playing like a child who had just received a new toy.
“You can go slowly.”
Karina was unconsciously urging Mikhail, pulling him along.
“Ah.”
Karina, perhaps embarrassed, glanced at Mikhail and continued.
“By any chance, when the night market opens, can we go back to the chicken skewer place we went to earlier?”
Mikhail smiled brightly and answered.
“Of course.”
While Karina and Mikhail were on their way to buy some jelly.
“Huh?”
On one side, a stall selling unusual sundries caught their eye.
“Come and take a look. We have a lot of new products that we just brought in!”
Above the stall of the merchant who shouted that there were unusual items that Karina had never seen before on display. Accessories made of multi-layered colorful threads, hair ornaments with flower and butterfly shapes, animal sculptures carved from wood, and mother-of-pearl that changed color depending on the direction of the light.
“Wow.”
Karina looked at the stall as if she was possessed.
“I think they sell things imported from abroad.”
Mikhail said, following Karina’s gaze and scanning the stall.
“Do you see anything you like?”
Mikhail asked.
“No, I’m just looking.”
As soon as Karina answered that, something caught her eye.
It was a hand-length stick with a delicate emerald flower decoration.
At first glance, it looked like a huge needle, but the tip of the stick was too blunt to be a needle.
“This isn’t a needle... is it?”
As Karina showed interest and opened her mouth, the merchant quickly explained.
“Oh, that’s a hairpin. It’s an object that women in the East use to tie up their long hair and hold it in place.”
“Oh, that’s a hairpin. It’s an object that women in the East use to tie up their long hair and hold it in place.”
She liked it because it was cool and not too splattered, and it was gentle and pretty.
“Do you like it?”
Mikhail asked again as if he was reading Karina’s mind.
Karina snickered and answered again.
“Yeah. I’m interested because it’s unique.”
Upon hearing Karina’s answer, Mikhail pointed to the hairpin with his finger and said to the merchant,
“Give me this.”
“Yes?”
As Karina looked back at him in surprise, the merchant answered cheerfully.
“Yes! Please wait a moment. I’ll pack it for you right away.”
While the merchant was looking for a cloth bag to put the hairpin in, Karina whispered,
“I didn’t mean to buy it.”
“I wanted to buy it for you. I thought it would look good on the Grand Duchess.”
“Then I’ll buy it.”
Mikhail was a poor wandering magician.
She thought she shouldn't be taken away because he couldn't pay more.
Mikhail stopped Karina from taking out her purse.
“I said I wanted to buy it for you. If you really care, think of it as a thank you for the donuts you bought me earlier. And the Grand Duchess will buy me the jamhard we’re going to eat now, right?”
“That’s that, and this is this.”
“And we’re going to eat chicken skewers, too. We’re going to eat a lot of those chicken skewers.”
Mikhail said coquettishly.
Just then, the merchant found a cloth bag, put the hairpin in it, and handed it to them.
“Here it is.”
“Thank you.”
Clank.
Mikhail paid for the goods as soon as he received them from the merchant.
He shrugged his shoulders as if he was done.
“Thank you! Use it nicely.”
The merchant next to him also nodded after receiving the money.
It was as if it had been planned in advance.
Karina blinked a few times and then snickered.
“Yeah. Yes. Since you already gave it to me, I’ll accept it gratefully.”
Karina’s eyes curved gently.
Mikhail also smiled brightly at that sight.
“Try it right now.”
Karina nodded and asked the merchant how to use the hairpin.
“Oh, for that, divide your hair in half like this...”
Having learned how to use the hairpin from the merchant, Karina tied up her red hair in a half-bun and put the hairpin in.
“How is it? Is it okay?”
Feeling awkward about using something for the first time, Karina asked while fiddling with her hair.
Mikhail’s expression, which had been staring at Karina, softened.
“Oh, as expected.”
“Yes?”
As he said that, Mikhail reached out and tucked the side hair that was sticking out behind her ear.
“It suits you really well.”
The look in Mikhail’s eyes as he looked at her was incredibly warm.
‘Ah...’
As she met his gaze, Karina realized the reason for the strange feeling she had been feeling since earlier.
It had been a really long time since someone had taken care of her.
To the point where her heart fluttered at such a small favor and attention.
For some reason, her heart felt even more touched than before.
‘I’m really happy right now.’
The moment she realized that fact, his hair, shining brightly in the sunlight, sparkled like silver.
Beneath it, she could see smooth skin that looked like it had been coated with honey and straight facial features. His mouth was wide open with a happy expression, his eyes were gently curved, and his teeth were neat. His shiny lips and eyes were red and clear, like biting into a red fruit.
All of it came together to highlight his handsome face.
Karina couldn’t take her eyes off his face.
‘It’s new, but he’s really handsome.’
It was something she had felt when she first saw Mikhail, but Karina felt it again.
But Karina’s thoughts didn’t last long.
“Gyaaaaaaah!”
“...!?”
Suddenly, people screamed nearby.
Karina and Mikhail, startled, looked in the direction where the screams came from.
People started to run away in a hurry from that direction.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
Mikhail grabbed a man passing by and asked him.
“A monster! A monster!”
“A monster?”
“Run away quickly!”
The man shook off Mikhail’s hand and ran away in a hurry.
“Your Highness, you should run away quickly.”
Mikhail turned his head to look at Karina, but she was nowhere to be found.
“Your Highness?!”
Mikhail, startled, quickly looked around.
He saw Karina, pushed far away by the people running away.
“Oh no!”
Mikhail made a troubled expression and pushed his way through the crowd toward Karina.
***
“Ah!”
Karina was pushed by the people and separated from Mikhail.
Karina looked around to find Mikhail, but he was nowhere to be found.
She retreated to a corner to avoid bumping into more people.
She didn’t know what was happening, but it seemed like chaos had broken out.
She thought it would be bad if there were eyewitness accounts of the Grand Duchess being around the scene of the commotion.
'If it's Mikhail, he'll probably come back to the Grand Duke's house even if he can't find me.'
Karina decided to hide in a place where there weren't many people for now.
She came out to the outskirts of a quiet village bordering the northern forest.
"Whew."
Karina sighed as she thought she had escaped the commotion.
"Kkiingiiiiiiiik."
At that moment, a strange sound was heard from the forest behind her.
'What is that?'
It was the sound of a wild animal dying after being caught in a hunter's trap.
Along with that, there was a small, creepy sound like something scraping iron, but Karina didn't notice it. Karina carefully approached the source of the groan.
Something seemed to be moving inside, writhing.
'Is it a deer?'
However, her vision was blocked by large rocks and bushes, so she couldn't see it well.
Karina raised her hand and cleared the bushes that were blocking her view.
When she cleared the bushes, she saw the back of a huge black beast.
"...!"
Karina’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What is that?”
Karina backed away in confusion at the beast’s size, which was as big as a house.
Crunch.
The sound came from the tree branch that had fallen to the ground.
The beast as big as a house perked up its ears at the sound and turned its head to look at Karina.
“Huh...!”
Karina froze in place as her eyes met the beasts.
It wasn’t a beast.
It was a monster. Its long snout was covered in dark red blood.
Drops of blood flowed from between its sharp teeth and dripped onto the floor.
The sight of its pitch-black eyes flashing and glowing with a blood-red madness was horrifying.
“Ah...!”
Karina couldn’t even scream and swallowed her breath.
The beast turned toward Karina.
Karina stood frozen in place, unable to move due to fear and terror.
“Kururururung.”
The monster let out a threatening sound as it came closer and closer to Karina.
A chill ran down her spine at the eerie howling sound right in front of her.
‘It’s scary...!’
Karina’s entire body trembled.
In that split second, someone unconsciously came to mind.
But he wasn’t there.
Hoping for him to appear was in vain.
A faint resignation settled over Karina’s face.
Before she could even realize it, the monster opened its snout threateningly.
She could see sharp teeth densely packed inside like saw blades.
‘...!’
Karina shut her eyes tightly.
She thought it was over.
At that moment.
“Karina!!”
She heard someone urgently calling her name.
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