TTOSS 13

Chapter 13

At those words, Liriope’s face, already flushed red, blazed even hotter.

Theo stared fixedly at her with a strange look.

She wanted to escape the heated gaze entwined with hers, but for some reason her body wouldn’t move. Frozen like ice, she could only look up at him.

How long had they stared at each other like that?

Just when the corners of Theo’s eyes seemed about to crease in a faint smile, he turned away and started walking ahead.

Liriope, dazed as she watched his back, snapped out of it only when he told her to hurry up. She quickly followed and shouted:

“I’m telling you, I really do like you! Why don’t you believe me?!”

She absolutely couldn’t let him find out that she’d used him just to escape her engagement to the crown prince, so she insisted as if her life depended on it.

Theo, as if amused by her, or simply to say “Fine, I get it, enough now,” gave a nod.

But Liriope kept insisting, following right on his heels.

“I really like you, okay?! I’m telling you the truth, I really like you!”

And so it was that, right in the middle of a bustling downtown street—an heiress whose engagement had already made the front page of the newspaper—shouted a love confession at the top of her lungs to her fiancé, the Duke of the North.

“Ah, look!”

As they were walking toward the street of combat gear, Liriope spotted a vendor selling a snack almost identical to cotton candy from her original world.

Here, though, it wasn’t called cotton candy, but “cloud candy,” and unlike the usual round shape she knew, this one really did look like fluffy clouds.

“Oh, that looks good.”

Before she knew it, Liriope had run over and was peering at the colorful array of cloud candy on display.

She hadn’t particularly wanted to eat it—just felt a sudden fondness at the sight—but when she came to her senses, Theo was already handing her one he’d bought.

“Ah, thank you.”

At her gratitude, Theo simply lifted the corner of his lips in silence.

Then he quietly watched as she began happily nibbling away at the candy.

Thinking his gaze meant he wanted some too, Liriope pinched off a piece and offered it.

“You should try it too, Lord Theo.”

Theo stared at the bit of candy she held out… then, without warning, bent down and bit directly into the cloud candy still in her hand.

Liriope’s eyes flew wide in shock, and Theo, realizing what he had just done, looked equally startled.

Never before had he taken food directly from someone’s hand. Accepting it was one thing, but eating it straight like that? Never.

Seeing her face go crimson, Theo cleared his throat awkwardly.

His lips tingled with the lingering heat of where her fingertips had brushed.

Trying to erase the sensation of her touch from his mind, he asked the flustered Liriope, who was now pretending to focus solely on eating:

“Is it good?”

“Yes.”

Her face bright red, Liriope nodded quickly.

Theo smacked his lips, trying to rid himself of the lingering sweetness, and studied her.

On the bridge of her nose was a tiny tuft of cloud candy.

For some reason, it looked so adorable that he chuckled softly and reached out.

“Eating so messy—like a little child.”

His hand and mouth moved before his head had caught up.

He brushed the bit of candy from her nose… and then popped it into his mouth.

“Tch, still tastes bad.”

He scrunched up one eye in mock distaste like a sulky child.

Liriope was so stunned she forgot to breathe, but Theo didn’t notice.

Nor did he realize that his own ears and neck had turned just as red as her face.

Something’s definitely off about the original male lead…

Walking on, Liriope furrowed and unfurrowed her brows, trying to sort out the absurd situation.

Before she knew it, they had arrived at the combat gear street.

Recalling that in the original novel Rosarin had stumbled across a certain shop here, Liriope quickly scanned her surroundings.

A general store with a blue lantern.

Opposite it, a large potion shop, just as she remembered.

And next to the general store, a small jewelry shop that also sold tea leaves.

As she kept searching around, Theo, watching her, said:

“Tell me what you remember. I’ll find it for you.”

She repeated the details aloud. Theo gave a single nod and glanced around.

Moments later, he tilted his chin toward a direction.

“Over there.”

She quickened her pace to follow, doubting for a second whether he really knew what he was doing.

But when he stopped, she realized he’d pinpointed it exactly.

To the left: the general store with the blue lantern. Opposite: the big potion shop.

Wow, what is he, clairvoyant or something?

Liriope gave him a look of disbelief before pointing to the little jewelry shop beside the general store.

“It’s that one.”

Thanks to Theo, she had found it quickly. She went inside and at once asked the shopkeeper for tea leaves.

“You have tea leaves, right? The kind imported from across the sea.”

The shopkeeper blinked at her in surprise, then, upon noticing Theo behind her, nodded frantically.

“Yes, yes indeed!”

He hurried into a back room and soon returned with a square wooden box.

Opening it before her, he gestured proudly at the neatly packed tea leaves.

“These are very rare, extremely difficult to obtain.”

They looked rather ordinary—just green leaves.

“I happened to steep some just now. Would you like a taste?”

Not even waiting for her answer, he brought over a pot and teacups.

Clearly recognizing Theo as the Duke of the North, he was eager to ingratiate himself. Proof enough: he offered the tea to Theo first, not to her.

Theo brought the cup to his nose, inhaled… then, letting out a faint current of wind from his hand, made the liquid swirl briefly before calming again.

Then he held the cup out to Liriope.

“It’s fine.”

She stared at him, puzzled, as she took the cup.

“What do you mean?”

Theo only let his mouth quirk slightly, not answering.

Suspicious but curious, she sniffed the tea—and her eyes widened.

Wait… this smell…

She took a sip.

“Yes! It smells like buckwheat.”

The fragrance was exactly like buckwheat tea—one of her favorites back in her world.

Of course, buckwheat tea there was made from whole roasted buckwheat, not tea leaves, so it wasn’t the same thing.

But still, to find such a similar taste here thrilled her almost as much as discovering coffee existed in this world.

“Try it. It’s really nutty and good.”

She held the cup out to Theo.

He gazed at it for a moment, then leaned down and drank straight from the cup she held.

His sculpted nose and sharp, beautiful eyes came so close that she tensed up without realizing.

Seriously? Can’t he just take the cup in his own hand like a normal person…?

It seemed that whenever something was offered, his instinct was always to bring his mouth directly to it.

What a strange man, she thought, carefully tipping the cup so he wouldn’t burn his lips.

After a sip, Theo straightened and gave a nod.

“Not bad.”

“Right?!”

“This tea is so rare that I only offer it to certain patrons who hear of it through word of mouth,” the shopkeeper chimed in eagerly. “The latest batch is truly the finest quality—clearly destined to belong to Your Grace the Duke. Haha!”

Excited by Theo’s approval, the shopkeeper began throwing out sales pitches nonstop.

Evidently, Theo was a familiar figure even here in the commoners’ district.

“How much do you have?”

Theo asked while watching Liriope, who was happily sipping her tea.

Ten boxes in total.

“Ten boxes in total,” the shopkeeper confirmed.

Exactly what Liriope had recalled from the novel.

She slurped another mouthful and decided to buy just two boxes. One would make a nice gift for Rosarin.

“I’ll take them all.”

Theo’s sudden declaration made both Liriope’s and the shopkeeper’s eyes bulge.

“B-but, Your Grace, since these came from across the sea, the price is rather…”

“The price doesn’t matter. Bring them all.”