New face 03

Ed's POV

He kept staring at me like I was some kind of strange creature, inching closer with every second.

"Well, what do we have here?" His voice carried an unsettling tone.

The bakery owner noticed my discomfort but seemed to misunderstand, thinking I was just nervous about talking to a noble.

"He's the son of our top adventurer," he said proudly.

"Is that so?" The noble replied, his eyes narrowing. Then he knelt down to my level, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Blond hair and blue eyes... Radiating warmth, almost celestial. Could be elven, though the blue eyes lean more toward winged folk. But this hair... the texture... and that shyness... Could it be mermaid? A hybrid, perhaps. How fascinating..."

His hand reached out toward my hair. Instinctively, I stepped back.

"You can't just touch any kid you see, or you'll be called a pedophile," I said, staring him down.

The noble looked shocked, and so did the bakery owner. The man was terrified of getting involved with nobles—everyone knew how arrogant they could be toward commoners.

But instead of getting angry, the noble's lips curled into a small smile. "Didn't your parents teach you not to speak to your elders like that?"

"They taught me to respect those who respect me and to ignore the rest."

His smile faded slightly, and his voice took on a more serious tone. "Fine, but didn't they also say—" He paused briefly, his expression hardening as he pointed to his hair— "never talk back to a noble?"

"Nope, they didn't," I replied firmly. Sorry, Mom, but I can't back down now.

"Is that so?" His voice dripped with curiosity, then he added, "In that case, I must meet them—so I can correct their parenting methods."

Just then, the bakery door swung open, and in walked my dad.

"Why are you taking so long? Are you buying the whole bakery? Your mom and I—" He stopped mid-sentence when his eyes landed on the noble, his expression shifting to shock. I barely heard him murmur, "James..."

I glanced at the noble, and for a brief second, his face mirrored the same surprise. Then, as quickly as it came, it vanished, replaced by what my dad would call a weasel's smile.

"Interesting..." he said, his voice almost amused.

James' POV

It all started a few months ago, when I turned 35. As the third and youngest son of the Verdell family—my father being a count—I never had to worry about inheritance or the family's finances. Those matters fell to my older siblings, both deeply involved in the family business.

But as the youngest, I noticed a shift. My parents, having watched my brothers focus solely on the family and business, began to fixate on something else. I can't say exactly when it began, but their desire for grandchildren started to grow. At first, I didn't catch on. After all, neither of my older siblings were married yet, so I assumed they were the targets of these conversations.

It began with subtle hints—mentioning how adorable their friends' grandchildren were, how cute it was hearing them call their grandparents. Then, my parents escalated, buying baby clothes and toys, even though no grandchild was in sight. I brushed it all off.

That is, until one day after sword training. I was heading to the library, my usual retreat, when the butler approached with a message: my father wanted to have a talk with me.

As I walked down the long hallway, my mind raced. What could he possibly want to discuss with me? The butler's demeanor had been... odd, almost filled with sympathy. What was going on?

By the time I reached my father's office, I still hadn't figured it out. After a firm knock on the door, I heard my father's stern voice from inside: "Come in."

When I opened the door, I was shocked to find my entire family gathered inside. My mother and siblings were quietly sipping tea, the atmosphere heavy and solemn. For a moment, I was completely thrown. Had we gone bankrupt? Had we committed some serious crime and now needed to flee? Was someone sick? Dying? A thousand scenarios ran through my mind in those few seconds.

I took the only available seat, directly facing all of them. As I sat down, their eyes fixed on me, and a new thought hit me: Did I do something wrong?

The silence stretched for a moment before my father finally began to speak.

"Son, we only live once, and life is too precious to live alone. As you get older, you'll realize that having a family when you're young is far better than waiting until you're old. Watching your children grow up... that's one of life's greatest joys," my father began, his voice steady but soft with nostalgia. "You see, I met your mother 60 years ago. It was an amazing sunny day. The moment I saw her, it was love at first sight. Though... she thought I was a stalker at first." He chuckled, but before he could continue, my mother chimed in.

"That's because you were following me around everywhere," she said, smiling warmly. "But, it worked out in the end, didn't it?"he said.

"I want grandchildren!" my mother suddenly declared, her voice sharp with frustration. "All my friends have already married off their children and are enjoying their time with their grandchildren's laughter filling their mansions. But me? I've got three blocks of stone at home—so unyielding!"

She waved her hand dramatically. "Your eldest brother is 45 and doesn't even talk to women. And as for your sister, all the eligible men in the capital have been terrified of her since her academy days. Every time your father even mentions marriage on her behalf, they all back down."

Then her gaze locked onto me. "And you? All you do is swing that sword around,get lost in some novel in the library, sleep, or waste time with that useless friend of yours. Your eldest will inherit the title, and your sister's already helping him with family affairs. Meanwhile, you're still being utterly useless. You need to get married. At least then you'll be useful when you bring us some grandchildren," she added, her voice laced with urgency. The weight of her words hung heavily in the air, leaving me grappling for a response.

"What? Are you kidding me?" I exclaimed, incredulous. "I'm the youngest one here! Shouldn't you be more insistent on them?" I pointed at my siblings, Joey and Jennifer, who were casually sipping their tea as if they were at a picnic.

Green hair was a hallmark of the Verdell family, a testament to our connection to nature. Our ancestors had mostly been herbalists and doctors, but now only my sister practiced as a herbalist, while all the men were trained swordfighters. I couldn't help but feel that the pressure was unfairly placed on me.

"I'm not going to marry just because you want me to," I insisted, trying to sound firm.

Yet here I was the next day, sitting in a café, waiting for my next  blind date.My expenses had already been cut, the training center was closed, and even the library was locked, leaving me with nowhere to go. It felt like every door was shutting in my face, and I was just stuck in this café, waiting for a date I didn't even want. Maybe it was time to find a way to break free from all this

if I don't  meet this girl, my mom had already prepared another thirteen candidates. I had met four of them already, and she was gearing up for the next batch. I'll just drink some tea and leave, I thought.

Just then, I overheard someone at the table next to me talking about a library in need of a librarian, but no one wanted to take the position. Curiosity piqued, I turned to them and asked, "Do they have any conditions for hiring?"

They looked a bit surprised by my question but replied, "No, just that the person needs to be noble, can read, has a sense of organization, loves books, and doesn't mind the place."

Perfect! I was a noble, I could read, and I needed a place to hide right now. Plus, there would be a salary—surely, I could manage the other conditions.

As I mulled this over, I heard them mention, "It's at the border of the Forbidden Forest."

Shit. Now that was a problem. But I figured I could stay there for a couple of months until they forgot about the marriage issue and then return.

"Do you know where I can register?" I asked, eager to move forward.

After they directed me to the registration spot, I wrote my name down. They informed me I had two weeks to prepare. Since I was so eager to escape, I left a letter in my room saying I'd be back, then found some adventurers willing to take me there.

Yup, I was definitely escaping.

It took us a few days to reach the town. After bidding the adventurers farewell, I started to explore. This was my first time being so close to the Forbidden Forest.

After a while, I decided to head to the Adventurer's Guild to register my name as the new librarian. Just then, I caught sight of a flash of blond hair disappearing into the bakery next to the guild.

Blond hair, here? Curiosity piqued, I hurried after the kid, my heart racing at the unexpected sight.

As I was chatting with the  intrigued  blond-haired kid, a voice interrupted us—a voice I hadn't heard in years. When I turned around, my eyes widened in disbelief. That unmistakable red hair... It couldn't be.

"Theodore?" I murmured, barely audible, my mind racing.

From the way he spoke, it seemed he was the father of this child. My thoughts scrambled to process this revelation.

"Interesting," I muttered aloud, unable to contain my surprise at this unexpected discovery.

Especially since I heard him call out my name, "James."

It was surreal and funny  to find another person who had eloped, just like me.

Hello, sunshines!

Here's another chapter for you all. I hope you enjoy it! It's a bit longer this time because I didn't want to split it into two short parts.

As always, a huge thank you to my precious readers—those who read, comment, vote, and add to their library. This week, I want to give a special shoutout to Maya, Arpita, Krystal, Red, and Juntae. Thank you!