Chapter 77: Face mismatch.
The afternoon bustle of the village carried on as though nothing unusual had happened.
Merchants continued calling cheerful greetings from behind rows of colorful stalls while children darted between them with sticky fingers clutching freshly baked pastries. Somewhere farther along the square, a blacksmith’s hammer struck glowing iron in an unhurried rhythm that blended naturally with the distant melodies of a travelling musician.
The frightened thug had disappeared into the crowd so quickly that only a handful of curious onlookers spared the incident more than a passing glance before returning to their own affairs.
Life, it seemed, had already forgotten him.
Saline, however, had not.
She remained standing exactly where she was, the carefully wrapped wooden carving resting securely within her arms while her emerald eyes stayed fixed upon the man who had appeared for the second time under circumstances that made very little sense.
Grey eyes.
Dark hair.
That impossibly relaxed smile.
For someone who had insisted their first meeting had been nothing more than coincidence...
He certainly had a remarkable talent for appearing wherever she happened to be.
"...You."
The single word escaped before she had properly decided to speak.
It earned her exactly the response she expected.
One dark eyebrow rose ever so slightly before amusement softened his features.
"I was beginning to think," he said lightly, placing a hand against his chest in exaggerated relief, "that you’d forgotten me already."
Saline frowned almost immediately.
"I’ve only met you once."
"Exactly."His agreement came far too quickly.
"Which makes it rather flattering that you recognized me so easily."
She stared at him for a long moment before folding her arms.
"That’s because you’re difficult to forget."
"Oh?"
"You talk too much."
"I’ve been told worse."
"And you keep appearing where you shouldn’t."
"A tragic character flaw."
"It really is."Beside her, Lilian bit down on her lower lip.
She recognized this.
Far too well.
She had watched Commander Kaelion and Florence exchange countless conversations that began exactly like this....one calmly provoking while the other argued despite knowing perfectly well they were walking directly into the trap.... though it stopped when commander Kaelion had confessed his love for her.
The only difference was that Aunt Florence had taken seven years before realizing she enjoyed those conversations.
Saline, thankfully...
Was nowhere near that stage.
Hopefully.
Xandros inclined his head slightly, his expression softening into something unexpectedly sincere.
"Regardless," he said, his gaze drifting briefly toward the direction the thug had fled, "I’m glad neither of you was hurt."
The words caught Saline slightly off guard.
She had expected another teasing remark.
Instead...
There was simple concern.
"...Thank you."
The gratitude escaped more quietly than she intended.
Something unreadable flickered briefly through his grey eyes before another smile settled comfortably across his face.
"My pleasure."
Before the conversation could continue, another voice drifted toward them through the crowd.
"My goodness..."
It belonged to a woman somewhere behind them.
The three turned together.
A middle-aged woman stood several paces away, two overflowing baskets hanging from either arm. Fresh vegetables peeked over their woven edges, though she no longer seemed aware of their weight.
Her entire attention rested upon Lilian.
She stared at her for a while.Her expression slowly changed and confusion became disbelief.
Disbelief became something dangerously close to certainty.
"...Lena?"
The name fell softly from her lips.
Lilian blinked.
"I’m sorry?"
The woman took another hesitant step forward.
Her eyes searched Lilian’s face carefully, lingering over every familiar feature as though trying desperately to convince herself she wasn’t imagining what she saw.
"Lena..."
Her voice trembled.
"It really is you..."
A faint crease appeared between Lilian’s brows.
"I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else."The woman didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, she continued studying her.
The shape of her face.
The dark hair.
Those striking dull yellow eyes.
Then, almost reluctantly, uncertainty began replacing conviction.
"...No..."
She frowned.
"...Wait."
Another long silence followed before she finally exhaled.
"I’m terribly sorry."Embarrassment spread gently across her features.
"You look exactly like my neighbour’s daughter."
A sadness entered her smile that seemed genuine enough to lower the tension around them.
"She disappeared several years ago."
Saline instinctively softened.
"I’m sorry."
"So are all of us."
The woman adjusted the baskets resting against her arms before offering one final apologetic smile.
"It must simply be a coincidence."
She nodded politely.
"My mistake."
Then she continued walking.
Three steps.
Four.
Five.
Before disappearing completely into the moving crowd...
She glanced back.
Only for a heartbeat.
Most people would never have noticed.
Xandros did.
The apologetic warmth vanished entirely.
In its place lingered something altogether different.
A tiny smile,Sharp and a knowing almost...then,
Satisfied.
Then it disappeared as quickly as it had come.
Interesting.
Silence settled naturally after her departure.
Saline continued staring toward the street long after the woman had vanished from sight.
Something about the encounter refused to sit comfortably inside her mind.
It wasn’t being mistaken for someone else.
That happened.
People resembled one another every day.
No...
Saline noticed the same thing.
When their eyes met, neither spoke.
Neither needed to.
The brief glance they exchanged carried enough unspoken questions to fill an entire conversation.
Xandros noticed that as well.
He noticed everything.
Yet his expression remained pleasantly curious as he turned toward them.
"Is everything alright?"
Both girls looked at him almost immediately.
Lilian answered first.
"It’s nothing."
Saline nodded a little too quickly.
"Just... a misunderstanding."
"Is that so?"
His tone remained light.
Almost casual.
When neither elaborated, he simply smiled again.
"If you’re certain."
He didn’t press further.
Not because he lacked curiosity.
Quite the opposite.
Whatever had just happened clearly mattered.
Not because of the stranger herself...
But because of the silent understanding that had passed between the two girls afterward.
He filed the observation away carefully.
There would be time later.
Plenty of it.
Eventually Saline let out a quiet breath.
"We should probably head back."
Lilian nodded immediately.
"If we’re gone much longer, someone is definitely going to notice."
The three began walking together toward the market entrance.
The afternoon sun stretched long shadows across the cobbled street while merchants gradually began preparing for the evening crowds.
For several minutes, none of them spoke.
Until Xandros suddenly slowed.
His gaze drifted toward the direction the mysterious woman had disappeared.
"I might be able to find out who she was."
Both girls looked at him.
"What?"
He shrugged as though suggesting nothing particularly important.
"I know a few people around the village."
His smile remained easy.
"If someone disappeared from here..."
"...someone will remember."
Saline looked genuinely surprised.
"You’d do that?"
"Why wouldn’t I?"
She couldn’t answer.
Why would he?
They barely knew each other.
He stepped a little closer.
Not enough to invade her space.
Just enough that his voice became quieter.
"If you’re curious..."
"I’ll ask."
He lifted one hand, pointing casually toward the large stone arch marking the entrance to the marketplace.
"Meet me there tomorrow."
"Midday."
"If I learn anything..."
"I’ll tell you."
Before Saline found an answer...
A gentle breeze lifted several loose strands of dark hair across her face.
Without thinking...or perhaps thinking far too carefully...Xandros reached out.
His fingers brushed softly against the escaped strands before tucking them behind her ear with surprising care.
The gesture lasted only a second.
Simple.
Natural.
Almost absent-minded.
Yet before withdrawing completely...
His hand rested lightly upon the top of her head.
One soft pat.
"There."
His smile returned.
"Much better."
Saline froze.
Every thought disappeared.
Her emerald eyes widened in silent disbelief.
No one...
Absolutely no one...
Had ever done something so unexpectedly familiar.
Heat rushed instantly into her cheeks.
Words refused to cooperate.
Beside her, Lilian looked equally stunned.
Xandros, meanwhile, behaved as though nothing unusual had happened.
"I’ll see you tomorrow."
He stepped backward.
"If you decide not to come..."
He smiled.
"I’ll understand."
Saline glanced toward the street where the strange woman had disappeared.
Questions churned restlessly inside her mind.
Then she looked back at him.
"...I’ll come."
"I thought you might."
He offered both girls one final polite nod before turning away.
His lazy wave remained raised until the crowd gradually swallowed him from sight.
Only then...
Did the smile disappear.
Instantly.
His expression became unreadable.
Cold.
Measured.
Calculating.
The woman interested him.
Her final glance interested him even more.
But neither occupied his thoughts for very long.
Instead...
His mind returned to the girl standing somewhere behind him.
She would come tomorrow.
Not because she trusted him.
She didn’t.
Not yet.
She would come because unanswered questions refused to leave her alone.
Because curiosity always demanded satisfaction.
He had already begun understanding the rhythm of her heart.
A slow smile returned to his lips.
Smaller this time.
Private.
There was no need to rush.
Curiosity became conversation.
Conversation became familiarity.
Familiarity became habit.
And habits...
Were remarkably difficult to break.
One day, she would search for him without realizing she was doing it.
One day...
He would become the first person she thought of whenever something troubled her.
He lifted his gaze toward the fading afternoon sky.
"...Little by little," he murmured to himself.
"I’ll make sure there’s no room left for anyone else."
And for the first time since meeting the green-eyed girl...
His obsession finally had a plan.
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