In the afternoon, Colin stood anxiously on the street, waiting for Liamie to arrive.
Today was the day they had agreed to take a walk together. Instead of waiting inside the mansion, he had come out to the street first to meet her. He thought this might make the occasion feel a bit more special.
Colin wasn’t wearing armor today; instead, he had put on a simple, casual outfit. Unsure of what to wear, he decided to keep it plain. Even so, his handsome face and strong physique still drew the attention of many passersby.
Seeing this, Colin’s heart grew even more uneasy. He didn’t understand why the passersby were staring like that. Was there something wrong with his clothes? Or was he not supposed to be here?
No one answered his silent questions. Colin forced himself to keep waiting. Amid the occasional glances from others, he had never been more eager for Liamie to arrive.
After a short while, Colin heard Liamie’s voice from behind him.
“Um, I’m here. Can you turn around?”
Hearing this, Colin finally breathed a sigh of relief—Liamie had arrived, and he no longer had to endure the strange looks from others.
But then, he noticed that the gazes from the crowd didn’t lessen; they actually intensified, and they were no longer just on him—they were mostly focused on the person behind him.
Seeing this, Colin’s heart, which had just settled, leapt back up. If he didn’t know Liamie was standing behind him, he might have thought a demon had suddenly appeared.
But since it was Liamie behind him, why were the passersby staring at her? Was there something wrong with her?
“Colin?”
Liamie’s puzzled voice came from behind, as if wondering why he hadn’t turned around yet. Realizing he couldn’t hesitate any longer, Colin braced himself and slowly turned to face Liamie.
At a glance, Colin understood why the passersby kept looking at Liamie. Not only them—he was stunned as well, even more than the others.
Behind him stood Liamie, nervously clasping her hands together, looking a bit shy. Her outfit wasn’t anything extraordinary—just a simple short-sleeved top and skirt, looking like an ordinary young girl.
But her ample chest and delicate features starkly contrasted with the plain clothing, giving her the aura of a hidden witch from some bard’s ballad, radiating a captivating charm.
Colin felt as if something had struck his heart. Besides this beautiful presence before him, he could feel nothing else.
“Colin? Are you okay?”
Liamie’s question snapped Colin back to reality. He had accidentally been staring blankly, which was hardly fitting for a holy knight. He should treat Liamie normally.
“N-no, it’s nothing. I just didn’t expect you’d actually wear… this kind of outfit. I thought you didn’t like it.”
Hearing this, Liamie’s cheeks flushed slightly as she whispered, “I-I just wanted to try it out. What do you think?”
Liamie had originally wanted to wear something fancier, but she was afraid Colin wouldn’t accept it at first. Add to that her own shyness, she settled on a simple dress.
After all, she just needed Colin to gradually get used to how she looked now; there was no need to rush.
When Liamie asked for his opinion on her appearance, Colin felt his mind freeze. He couldn’t find the words to describe her beauty. In that brief moment, he had never hated his limited vocabulary more.
After a few seconds of frantic mental searching, he simply said what he felt.
“Uh, I think… it’s really nice! It suits you! You’re really beautiful right now!”
After speaking, Colin nervously watched Liamie, afraid she would think he was being insincere. But Liamie lowered her head, her ears flushing a rosy shade.
She knew Colin’s limited vocabulary wouldn’t produce flowery compliments, so hearing him speak as if he was voicing his exact thoughts made her both happy and shy.
Unlike Liamie, Colin started sweating as he saw her look down. He couldn’t understand what it meant—was she upset by his answer? Or was she embarrassed and didn’t want him to see?
Unable to grasp Liamie’s feelings, Colin silently waited for her next reaction.
At that moment, Liamie steadied herself and lifted her face again. After looking at Colin’s handsome face for a moment, she smiled and said, “Since we’re both ready, let’s start our walk. Where do you want to go first?”
Though she wasn’t sure why Liamie had stared at him earlier, Colin noticed she didn’t seem angry. Only then did he share his plan.
“Uh, let’s go to the theater first. I’ve already reserved seats. But there’s still some time before the show starts, so we can take a leisurely walk there. We can chat about whatever on the way. How does that sound?”
A very ordinary plan, Liamie commented, but she wasn’t disappointed. Instead, she felt reassured—it was exactly something Colin would think of.
Seeing Liamie silent, Colin began to worry. Did she dislike his plan? Or should he let her decide the walking route?
But Liamie didn’t keep him waiting long. She smiled and parted her red lips.
“Alright! Let’s do it your way!”
With that, Liamie took the lead, heading toward the theater Colin had mentioned. Colin paused briefly before following her, walking side by side.
Along the way, Colin glanced at Liamie from time to time, finding it hard to look away. Today’s Liamie touched his heart deeply, making it difficult to remain calm beside her.
At one such glance, Colin noticed Liamie using a “presence reduction” technique on herself to prevent passersby from staring at her so much.
Seeing this, Colin suddenly remembered something. Liamie wasn’t really a sunny, cheerful girl—she was a male assassin who lived in darkness. Or at least, that was who she used to be.
But no matter what, Liamie wasn’t her original self anymore. How could he harbor those kinds of thoughts about her? She was his good brother!
…Or at least, she should still be a brother, right?