I took Nonna by the hand, and the three of us went to a restaurant. Mr. Asher made sure to walk a bit more slowly so we could keep up with him. He was a very attentive man.

Nonna had a spring in her step. I was looking forward to the dinner, too.

***

Mr. Asher took us to a restaurant called Ivy, and as its name suggested, the outer walls were covered in climbing ivy.

Everyone here knew him as well; clearly, the captain of the knights was respected and adored by the people of the capital. There was one thing that bothered me, though. Both the man showing us inside and a woman who appeared to be the dining-room supervisor gave looks of momentary surprise when they saw he had Nonna and me in tow.

“Everyone knows you at this restaurant, don’t they? Are you sure it’s okay to bring us here?” I asked Mr. Asher.

“Hmm? There’s no problem at all. I’m an easygoing bachelor. I don’t mind who sees us out together.”

“Oh, I see. That’s a relief. If there’s anyone sweet on you, I certainly don’t want to be the subject of their ire.”

“No, there’s no one like that.”

Oh, there definitely is. A lot of them, I’m sure.

Mr. Asher’s tone of voice was casual, but I wondered if he was telling the truth. I couldn’t help but notice the mature allure he gave off, with his black dress shirt slightly disheveled.

A man who appeared to be the head waiter came over to take our order. I let Mr. Asher decide for both Nonna and me. After a while, our appetizers came out with some white wine and a glass of fruit water for Nonna, and the three of us toasted. Nonna was so adorable as she gulped down her beverage.

The appetizers included grilled scampi on metal skewers brushed with olive oil, and small canapés made with thinly sliced bread and spread with herb butter, topped with premium ham and chopped herbs.

The scampi was sweet and delicious. Nonna must’ve liked it, too, because she gobbled it up. As I watched her, I realized that Mr. Asher was staring at me.

“Is something the matter?” I asked.

“No, I was just thinking you seem to really adore children.”

“I’m not sure about that. I just really adore her.”

Everything Mr. Asher did was polished, from his posture down to the way he ate. He must’ve had a good upbringing.

“I had to wait to take you to dinner until after work. I hope Nonna’s not too sleepy.”

“I took a nap,” Nonna told him. “After this, we’re going to look for a place to live.”

Uh-oh, I forgot to warn her not to tell! Just as I expected, Mr. Asher raised an eyebrow.

“You mean, you’re looking for a place to rent? After dinner? It’s not safe to bring a child out at night.”

“I know, but if I sign the contract without checking the place out at night, I might regret it.”

“Then let me go with you. It’s too dangerous for a woman and child to be walking around so late.”

I figured he’d say that. He was the captain of the Second Order of the knights, after all. If he tagged along, however, I wouldn’t be able to put my ear to the walls and door of my potential new place and listen to what was happening on the other side.

“I know it might be a nuisance, but please let me escort you. As your guarantor, it’s my responsibility to ensure your safety.”

“It’s not a nuisance at all. It’s reassuring,” I answered with a friendly smile.

Dinner went smoothly. Nonna didn’t know how to eat meat off the bone, so I cut it off and into pieces for her, then wiped the soup from her mouth. It was quite heartwarming, actually.

“What kind of meat is this?” she asked.

“Grilled lamb chop with herbs.”

“Hmm.”

She seemed to like the lamb. I’d have to make some for her once we moved into our new place.

Once our bellies were full, we left the restaurant and strolled around for a bit. The clock struck nine as we made our way to the first rental option. When we arrived at the building, Mr. Asher looked around to check the surroundings.

“Which one is it?” he asked me.

“The corner apartment on the second floor.” I pointed to the window, which was dark.

I was hesitant to share where I would be living with a stranger so easily, but honestly, I didn’t know how cautious the average woman was. Regardless, I determined it was very unlikely that Mr. Asher would force his way into our room and kill us—not that he could have, since I was a former spy.

It would be foolish to scrutinize every single behavior of Mr. Asher’s. He wasn’t an agent or an assassin, and considering how few of those people there were in comparison to the total population, it was a miracle that I’d come across any of them at all.

Come to think of it, the organization’s psychologist had once told me with a chuckle, “Chloe, I think you’ve only been able to go nineteen years without self-destructing thanks to that boldness of yours.”

I inspected both locations.

At the first place, I stood in front of the door and gracefully listened to check out the state of the neighborhood. A woman on the floor below us was hysterically screaming at somebody, which scared Nonna. I crossed that one off the list.

The second apartment had trash lying all over the stairs and was clearly run-down, so I had to cross that one off the list as well.

“Thank you so much for tonight. Dinner was delicious. I really appreciate you taking us out to eat,” I told Mr. Asher.

“I can’t recommend either of those rooms to you.”

“I agree. I’ll have to keep looking.”

Nonna was a little tired, so Mr. Asher carried her as he walked. It seemed he intended on escorting us all the way back to the hotel.

“Captain, I can carry her from her and take her home. You treated us to dinner, and you visited the rentals with me. I couldn’t possibly impose on you anymore. Thank you so much for everything you did for us today,” I said firmly, but Mr. Asher glanced down at me with a look on his face that seemed to say, “You can’t be serious,” and proceeded to ignore me.

Huh? Right then, he spoke, his face still facing forward.

“You just came here from Randall. I don’t know how things are there, but in this kingdom, it’s dangerous for a woman with a child to walk around by herself at night. Let me take you home.”

I see.

“All right then, if you insist. I appreciate it.”

“You’re so stuffy.”

“Am I?”

“Yes, although I have to compliment you on how well you speak Ashburian.”

“I like to study different languages in my free time.”

“I hope this doesn’t sound like I’m prying, but what sort of work did you do in Randall?”

I gave him a candid smile. “All sorts of things. Perhaps if we meet again, I can tell you more.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“All right, then.”

We arrived at the hotel, and Mr. Asher carried Nonna up to my room for me like before. This time, however, I took her from him at the door and said good-bye there.

“I had a lovely night with you, Captain.”

“I did, too. Good night.”

“Good night.”

He turned and walked away, waving as he went. I took Nonna inside and placed her on the bed, changed her into pajamas, and pulled the covers over her.

After that, I got down on the floor and checked for footprints. As was my habit, I’d sprinkled a very thin coating of baby powder over the floors before I left earlier.

There were no footprints. There were no signs that anyone had opened any of the drawers. That was normal, of course.

I hurried down to the first floor and took a bath to wash myself off. I decided I would look for a job the next day. Once I found employment, I could take my time searching for somewhere nearby to rent.

I ran back upstairs and saw that Nonna was still fast asleep.

“I think we’ll have a wonderful life together,” I said to her quietly. The corners of her mouth curved up slightly in her sleep. I wanted her to have sweet dreams, and I wanted her to have a happy childhood.

My younger sister, Emily, had just been a toddler when I left home. As I took care of Nonna, I found myself wondering if I would’ve taken care of my sister like this had I stayed with my family.

And if I’d stayed at home instead of leaving at eight years old, would my parents have taken care of me like this? Looking after Nonna almost made me feel like I was regaining the childhood I’d lost out on.

In just two days, I had gotten completely attached to Nonna.

“First thing’s first—I need to find a job.”

I had enough money to last me for a while without working, but I wanted an income. Ideally, I’d pick up some translation work I could do from home. It would be easier for people to trust me if I was an upstanding citizen who was diligent at my job. I slipped into bed beside Nonna and closed my eyes.

***

Jeffrey Asher enjoyed a drink as he basked in the afterglow of a wonderful evening. The spacious living room was clean and furnished entirely with antiques made by master craftsmen.

He was at his family’s capital residence, which was overseen by his brother, Earl Asher, the head of the household.

While his usual abode was the dormitory reserved for the captain of the knights, he visited his family once a week out of concern for his sickly mother’s well-being.

“Oh, you’re back?” said Edward, Jeffrey’s older brother.

“Yes. Are you still working?”

Edward had silver hair, just like him—both siblings had inherited it from their late father. Edward was forty, eight years Jeffrey’s senior, and prone to fussing over his younger brother, which annoyed Jeffrey to no end. No matter how many times Jeffrey told Edward that he was thirty-two years old and didn’t need to be taken care of, Edward just wouldn’t listen.

“I heard you went out on the town all dressed up,” Edward commented. “That’s pretty unusual. You were with a girl, weren’t you?”

“Did you come all the way in here just so you could ask me that?”

“Aw, don’t pout. I’m happy for you. How long has it been since you’ve been on a date anyway?”

Jeffrey sighed, wondering how many times he would have to repeat himself. “Brother, could you please stop treating me like I’m some kind of tragic victim?”

“All right, all right. I’ll drop it.” Edward held up both hands in surrender. “So? Was it fun?”

“It was. I had a wonderful dinner with a foreign woman who just came to the kingdom and the six-year-old girl she’s taken in.”