The person I had asked was only staring at me in silence. Frowning, I wondered if he truly liked me. It didn't seem so at times. I checked the mirror to see if it wasn't suited to me as his response seemed to show, but I was already captivated by the sparkly item. Contemplating whether to pick this item, I looked at the price tag. I was left with no choice but to put it back in its place quietly.

Why was a hairpin so costly? Sixty silver coins for a measly ornament was a ripoff. To be precise, I could afford it. But it was obvious that it would be unreasonable to ask for such a gift from a commoner like Max. In any case, I decided to look for something cheap and pretty. A gift shouldn't burden the buyer, after all.

After much deliberation, I settled on a blue cloth headband. It was only five silver coins, which wouldn't be too much for him. Looking at Max, I declared, "I'll get this!"

He nodded with a satisfied smile. "Sure."

"Thank you."

In response, he called the clerk. "Price?"

Grinning ear to ear, the clerk replied, "Ten gold coins in total, sir."

I doubted my ears and started, "Isn't one headband five silver…" Just as I was about to argue, I saw Max take 10 gold coins out from his seemingly heavy pocket and hand them to the clerk. Was he not well-versed in currency? But he knew how to write! Terrified, I tried to stop him. "Wait a minute. Max, I think you're giving the wrong amount."

As soon as I finished speaking, the clerk opened a wide, flat storage box and showed it to me. There were more than 10 ornaments in the container dazzling under the lights. I looked closely and realized they were the ones I had tried on.

"His calculations are correct, ma'am. He has bought all of the accessories in this box."

I tried to understand what had happened but couldn't figure it out. Just then, Max muttered, "You're the same as back then, aren't you?"

What did he mean? Unable to comprehend his words, I looked at him blankly. He showed a handsome smile in response, and I could feel my face grow hot.

Laughing, he reached out his hand. "Let's go."

Leaving the accessory shop, we took a stroll around the square. I continued to mull over what had happened, but everything about it was illogical. He looked calm despite having spent a huge sum of money. Observing him, I wondered if he could secretly be the young master of some wealthy noble family. My speculation wasn't out of the blue since Yuri stated earlier that she was his vassal. Wanting to confirm my suspicions, I decided to speak to him in a quiet area.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask…" I said when we were alone.

"What is it?"

"Is this okay? You just spent 10 gold coins…"

He furrowed his brows. "It's only a small sum. Don't worry about it."

Small sum? I was rich, but I didn't spend money like him!

Just then, he pulled something out of his pocket and showed it to me. "Here."

It was the first hairpin I had tried on, which hadn't been in the box. I reached out my hand to take it. That was when he closed his palm.

'What is he doing? I thought he wanted to give it to me.' Perhaps it was another one of his annoying pranks. Crumpling my face, I looked up at him then widened my eyes. For some reason, his head was slightly bowed toward me, and he was growing closer to me. I stood frozen in place then realized what was happening.

'Is he trying to kiss me?'

I could avoid him if I wanted to. But the moment I met his crimson eyes, I couldn't move. My heart began to pound harder and harder.

That was when he whispered, "Close your eyes."

Feeling his hand hold the back of my head and hearing the sound of his breaths grow closer, I slowly closed my eyes.