Chapter 161
Macy hesitated, and Eren urged her to continue, as if waiting for her to say more. Their faces were close, and she could feel the staff glancing at them out of the corner of their eyes as they wrapped up the items.
“It feels a little overwhelming… I’d be just as happy with a single flower from the street.”
After all, isn’t it the affectionate gestures that matter? Macy wanted to say that there was no need to spend so much money.
“That’s too modest. I didn’t live my life just to buy you something like that…”
But then, Eren muttered something that seemed unclear. Macy quickly wondered if he thought she was belittling the value of his spending, and was about to speak when Eren interrupted her.
“No, that’s not what I meant—”
“Let me do what I want, for now.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Eren folded the newspaper in his hand, stood up, and instructed that the clothes she had just worn be altered and put back on her.
“Flowers. You said you prefer flowers to jewelry.”
“…?”
“I’ll adjust to your level and make it work.”
Macy was once again led toward the changing room by the staff.
* * *
“Let’s walk a bit.”
Eren lifted his arm as if asking her to link her with his. Macy, confused, placed her hand on his arm.
They walked down Senew Street on the east side. Their guards and attendants followed at a distance behind them.
They passed by ladies and gentlemen leisurely sitting on the terrace of a coffee house, sipping their drinks. The well-tailored dresses and sharp suits exuded elegance.
The difference in the cost of living between the east and west was evident, as there seemed to be few commoners at the coffee house or restaurant in this area.
They had been walking for a while when Macy started to notice the attention from others. People whispered among themselves as they saw her walking beside Eren.
‘So this is why he wanted to walk.’
With each step, she felt the weight of the tension. It was as if she had unwittingly stepped into the middle of some undesirable gossip.
At that moment, Eren suddenly gestured toward a child selling flowers on the street.
“One flower, please.”
“That’ll be 3 grand.”
He pulled out his wallet, but it only had 1000-grand bills in it. As he handed the child a bill, the child hesitated.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have change for such a large amount, sir.”
“Keep the change.”
“Huh?”
“Take it. It’s just pocket change to me.”
Eren pressed the bill into the stunned child’s hand, who remained frozen in surprise.
He then picked a single light purple hydrangea from the basket and continued walking.
“Thank you, Duke Krygen! Thank you! Thank you so much!”
The child repeatedly thanked him while watching his retreating figure. Although Eren never turned back, a faint smile lingered on his lips.
“Do you like children?”
Macy found the scene unfamiliar. Eren’s expression was usually cold, and she had assumed he wouldn’t particularly care for children.
“No.”
“But you looked like you liked it. You smiled.”
“Did I?”
“It didn’t seem like just a polite smile…”
“You’re unnecessarily observant.”
Eren handed the light purple hydrangea to Macy. As soon as she took it, she noticed a faint stir among the people around them. Some were openly pointing fingers in their direction.
It wasn’t the first time Macy had received flowers from a man, yet her heart raced.
Taking a deep breath in, she noticed that the hydrangea had no scent, only a faint smell of grass. The pastel-colored petals were gathered in a small, delicate cluster.
“It’s probably because of my past. I wasn’t much different from that child.”
“What do you mean?”
Macy’s eyes widened at the next words that Eren spoke.
“You’ve asked me before how I became the heir of the Krygen family, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m in the mood to tell you.”
He ordered his guards to create a clear space around them, ensuring no one could get too close. Then, he began to reveal the story Macy had always wondered about—how he came to be in this position.
Orphans who were left on the streets when the poorhouse faced hardship, Lettern village in the southern part of the empire, the death of a friend he had grown up with, the hand of salvation that reached out to him, and then revenge…
Eren’s path to where he stood now was far from ordinary, and it was more tragic than Macy had imagined.
Macy couldn’t even nod in response as she listened to his story.
“Since then, I’ve been living someone else’s life.”
“…”
“Are you disappointed?”
When he finished his tale and she remained silent, Eren looked at her and asked.
“You wouldn’t be happy knowing that the man you like is from the streets and is a swindler, would you?”
His face still held a trace of a smile, but the question itself felt bitter.
What did he think of Macy, really?
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