Chapter 30

I never lost sight of the man because he was so big.

He was trudging along and looking intently at the stand.

Thoughtfully choosing an item was like looking for a gift of apology.

‘I think you picked something last time, too. Have you not apologized yet?’

The man’s lifeless footsteps were like a dog that had lost its owner.

He’s a big bear, though.

The man’s back looked pitiful, but I felt wronged too.

I just couldn’t let you go.

I slowly closed the distance with the man.

“Hey…”

I called him and reached out to the man.

Suddenly, the man turned around and grabbed my hand.

“Ouch!“

Tears welled up in my eyes by the tremendous grip.

The man who found me was startled and released his hand.

“Oh! I’m sorry. I was surprised when you suddenly approached me from behind….”

The man hastily apologized, but I checked my wrist first.

In that short time, it turned red.

There was a reason why he was big.

His power was no joke.

“D-does it hurt a lot?”

Of course, it hurts. Won’t it hurt?

“Ah, hey ouch, ouch!”

I grabbed my slender wrist and made a loud noise on purpose.

The man was even more embarrassed when I did the blackmail Aesvin after a long time.

“A physician, no, let’s go to the priest.”

This wasn’t it.

I wanted a man that looked after me, but not to this extent.

“N-not to that extent.”

“No, you may have been seriously injured. If you feel uncomfortable with the priest, you should go to the physician.”

I was about to take a step back before things got too big, but the man was unexpectedly determined.

“Come on. Let’s go.”

I followed the man to a nearby clinic as he forced me to move.

“There is no problem with bones or muscles. But you’ll get a little bruise. I’ll fix it with a bandage just in case today. If you’re sick, apply cold compresses.”

I got a simple diagnosis and had my wrist fixed with a bandage.

‘My parents are going to go crazy if they see this.’

Oh my!

Come to think of it, Billy wasn’t there.

I guess I moved between his eyes.

I would get in trouble for walking around alone again.

In the meantime, I even got hurt.

I’m dead.

I was already exhausted from worrying about being nagged by my parents.

The man apologized again as we left the clinic.

“I’m so sorry.”

The man looked as if he was genuinely sorry and didn’t know what to do.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

When I didn’t answer, the man kept apologizing like a doll.

Many people were passing by today because it was a market day.

When a big man apologized to me continuously, their eyes were drawn to me.

The people who were glancing at me tried to stop, so I thought I couldn’t do it like this.

“Let’s move first.”

The man meekly followed me.

We moved to a bench outside the central square.

“Are you sorry to me?”

“Yes, I’m so sorry. You reached out to my waist and thought you were a pickpocket, so I reflexively stopped….”

“I was going to touch your arm!”

Following a scammer, people have now misunderstood me as a pickpocket.

“Anyway, it’s my fault that I couldn’t control my strength, so I’m really sorry.”

The man has apologized again.

‘But I can’t just forgive you.’

“I’d like juice.”

You must have noticed the meaning of my out-of-the-blue words.

“Is that all?”

The man asked back without a sign of displeasure.

I felt a familiar scent from the man with sincerity as if he would do anything.

Just like a scent of a pushover.

“That’s it for now.”

“I see. Do you have any drink in mind?”

“Raspberry juice, please. They sold ones they made by themselves over there.”

I purposely chose an expensive juice.

“Yes, I’ll be right back. Please wait a moment.”

The man left to buy a drink without a word.

As expected, the feeling of a real pushover came.

As if he was in a hurry, the man immediately appeared with raspberry juice in one hand.

“Here is raspberry juice.”

“Thank you. Did you buy only mine?”

I asked because it bothered me that he only brought one glass.

“I’m fine. Do you need anything else?”

The man only showed an attitude of asking him to do anything.

The man’s eyes were gloomy yet dazzling.

It almost felt like I would throw a ball right now and ask, ‘Come on!’

No matter how shameless I was, it was now worrying.

“I called you because I had something to say earlier.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

The man listened and put his hands together politely.

I was sitting comfortably and the man was standing in front of me in that position, it felt like I was punishing him.

“Sit down, please.”

I glanced to a place next to me, and the man shook his head.

“No, I’m comfortable with this.”

An attitude of willingness to be punished.

He was an upright man.

I hesitated to say the words I had initially intended to bring out.

“Don’t you remember me?”

“… Do we know each other?”

For a moment, the man looked troubled.

I waved my uninjured wrist.

The gold wish bracelet rattled.

The man’s eyes widened.

“That bracelet….”

He seemed to have recognized the bracelet which he had lingered feelings for.

‘I feel strange.’

I burned in revenge and he didn’t remember me.

This made my pettiness feel bigger.

‘But I have to say something.’

“Did you know you didn’t apologize to me back then?”

“Pardon?”

The man didn’t understand and reacted foolishly.

“At that time, you were crying and my person misunderstood me strangely.”

“Ah, yes. I remember.”

“I had an unpleasant experience, but you apologized only to my person.”

“M-me?”

The man’s pupils began to shake violently.

“Yes, you. I want an apology.”

That was why I chased the man.

In fact, even when I found the man, I was thinking of a little revenge.

The more I went through, the more I thought the man was too nice, so I decided to accept the apology.

“I-I did. I’m so sorry. I guess I didn’t apologize because I was embarrassed at that time. I’m sorry.”

When he came to his senses, he immediately apologized.

“I’m sorry for hurting you today.”

He did it again.

“Combining with the last time, it just keeps causing trouble. I’m sorry.”

He did it again and again.

“Please stop it.”

I had to stop it because he was about to dig into the ground.

“No. It’s my fault. No matter how many times I ask for forgiveness, it’s not enough. I’m so sorry.”

The man’s attitude was firm.

Sincerity was exhausting.

“You have sincerely apologized. Or was it a forced apology?”

The man paused.

And he hurried on to prove that he didn’t force himself to apologize.

“Oh, no. I sincerely apologize. But I–”

It’s getting long again.

“Then, that’s enough. I accept your apology.”

When I stopped saying it was okay, the man flinched and looked at me.

Then he looked at me for a while and asked slowly.

“… Are you serious?”

“I received a sincere apology. There’s no reason not to forgive you when you sincerely apologized.”

I wouldn’t have done this if the man’s attitude was pretentious.

The man reflected in my eyes was an upright and kind man to the point of being a fool.

I didn’t show my grudging personality to such a person.

I have a conscience, too.

That was why I received the apology.

“T-thank you.”

Tears welled up in the man’s eyes.

And he shed tears as if his emotions suddenly got intense.

You did it last time, so why did you do it again?

“Why are you crying? I forgive you.”

I was bewildered and rummaged through Tosuni.

Fortunately, there was a handkerchief in the inner pocket that my nanny gave me.

“Here you go. Quickly wipe away your tears.”

The man shed tears without even thinking of receiving the handkerchief.

He bit his lower lip and wept bitterly, holding back the sound.

Was it because he has pretty blonde hair?

I thought of Luciano for no reason.

When he had a lump in his mind, he also bit his lower lip like that and held it in.

Of course, Luciano didn’t shed tears like that.

The only time Luciano cried in front of me was when he cut the garlic and onions.

Eventually, I had no choice but to reach out and wipe the man’s tears.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Thank you for the handkerchief.”

When the handkerchief touched his cheek, the man took the handkerchief and said that as if he had finally come to his senses.

But then what did you do?

“Please, stop crying.”

His tears kept pouring.

What made him so sad that he burst into tears.

It was fortunate that this place was a deserted outskirt.

Because it would look like I made him cry.

I must have gotten a strange look again.

‘More than that, why does it feel like people cry when they see me these days?’

No matter what Billy says, I have nothing to say.

* * *

“Are you calmed down now?”

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize to me. Here, drink this.”

After receiving it, I gave out the raspberry juice I hadn’t been able to drink.

“That’s all right. I bought it for the lady.”

The man tried to say no, but I clasped it in his hand.

“You might get dehydrated because you cried so much. Drink it.”

“Thank you. Thank you for the drink.”

At my repeated urging, the man drank the raspberry juice.

The man emptied the juice at once, perhaps because he was thirsty.

The man’s ears turned red as if he felt my gaze.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll buy it again.”

The man said that and ran away again.

I’m telling you.

He has a distracted character that doesn’t suit his serious size.

“Here you go.”

After a while, the man bought the juice again and handed it over.

The calm-looking man’s eyes were still red.

Well, I’d be tired if I got more involved.

“Thank you for the drink. Well, since I’ve heard an apology,  I’ll leave.”

I got up after receiving the new raspberry juice.

“Are you just going to go?”

So what if I just go?

The man asked a strange question.

“Yes, I’ve already heard an apology.”

It was time to bow my head and go to Billy, who was waiting for me.

“Are all your anger really gone?”

The man’s gaze was sad.

It was the expression of a person who desperately wanted to be forgiven.

And I realized that wasn’t me.

I thought about it for a while.

“Yes. Of course.”

It bothered me, so I just answered yes.

He wasn’t even close to me, so I didn’t want to listen to his concerns seriously.

But did he really want to be heard that much?

The man’s expression turned into tears again.

He looked as if he could hardly contain his emotions.

I was afraid the second sob would start.

Fortunately, the man held back his tears.

Although he had a strange look on his face.

“Even if I’ve made a big mistake. If I sincerely apologize, will the other person really forgive me?”

“That’s right.”

Hearing my answer, the man’s expression softened.

Seeing his relieved expression as if his opponent had forgiven him, I headed my way.

I shouldn’t have answered so simply then.