‘Luca was so tiny that even I thought that he was 9 years old…’

Then again, if he was starved like that, it would’ve been even perplexing if he was any taller.

‘I should’ve known. It was a weird coincidence that Luca got sick only on May Day. This time around, even the year after…’

A completely unexpected turn of even this was, I just wanted to rip out my hair.

What am I going to do?
I still have a lot to do for Luca, not to mention that I didn’t even have a chance to be emotionally prepared…

Lea, oblivious of my internal struggles and concerns, was only curious about how I captured his attention.
She subtly pressed on for an answer.

“So, how did you charm him? Truthfully if you only look at his face, it looks like he’s hard to get. He looked rather difficult.”

But I wasn’t in the mood to reply to Lea.
The thought of ‘him,’ Rüdiger Winterwald, standing in front of my house made my blood boil over.

“Uhh… Sorry, Lea. Let’s chat later. I gotta go for now.”

“What? Hey, J-Judith!”

As I abruptly ended my conversation with Lea, I rushed home with these goods in my hands.
She screeched at the top of her lungs towards my direction.

“Hey, is that guy more important than your friend? You’re the absolute worst, Judith!”

***

Regardless of Lea’s screaming, I ran back home, panting relentlessly.
The house seemed so far away, it felt as if the trek would never end.

While I was running, I was hoping that all of this was just Lea’s misunderstanding.
Maybe he’s looking for someone other than me…

Despite my wishful thinking, when I arrived closer to my house, a man with a large build presumed to be Rüdiger was surely standing in front of my house.
I guess Luca was so sick that he couldn’t afford to drag himself down and open the door.
I tried to stop gulping for air as I slowed myself to a steady walk.

After knocking several times on the door, he must’ve thought that no one was home, and turned away with a small sigh.

At that moment, our eyes met.

I gasped.

Hold on, Mx Author. There was no mention of this man being this handsome…!

Underneath his military cap, his slicked-back black hair resembled a kingfisher’s plumage glistening in the mist, radiating a vibrant blue aura.
Like his straight hair, his eyebrows and eyelashes were thick.
His slate-blue eyes that directly looked at me were mesmerizing, like the sky after rainfall.
His sharp, prominent nose continued down to his closed lips and his chiseled chin displayed his strong will.
It was hard to argue that he was attractive.

In addition, the dignified look of his raised collar revealed his long, straight neck and square, broad shoulder, the result of a properly-fitted military uniform.
With his long arm and legs and well-defined muscles, he resembled a majestic stallion.

I gulped.
Without my knowing, my feet halted to a stop.

Snap out of it, snap out of it. 

If no one were around, I almost wanted to slap myself for letting him sweep me off my feet.
And to think Luca’s angelic appearance took away my breath too…
In any case, Rüdiger’s looks were far better suited to my tastes, which violently took me by storm.

My heart was already pounding in my throat.

Then again, it was obvious that my heart would race after seeing such a pristine, polished apple on the pedestal that was Rüdiger after only seeing the dirty potatoes from the field that were the villagers.

How could Lea describe this kind of man as ‘stone-cold and scary’?
Was he so tall that she couldn’t get a proper look at him?
That couldn’t be it either.
Lea was only a hand’s width shorter than me.
I clicked my tongue in disbelief, unable to believe Lea at all.

Meanwhile, the man assumed to be Rüdiger walked towards me.
To think that he looked tall even from afar, but while he was approaching…

Oh, wait a sec. Of course, since he was so big, it made me feel uncomfortable.
Unknowingly, I began to shuffle backward.