My sunshine

New face 03

Ed's POV

He kept staring at me like I was some kind of strange creature, inching closer with every second.

"Well, what do we have here?" His voice carried an unsettling tone.

The bakery owner noticed my discomfort but seemed to misunderstand, thinking I was just nervous about talking to a noble.

"He's the son of our top adventurer," he said proudly.

"Is that so?" The noble replied, his eyes narrowing. Then he knelt down to my level, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Blond hair and blue eyes... Radiating warmth, almost celestial. Could be elven, though the blue eyes lean more toward winged folk. But this hair... the texture... and that shyness... Could it be mermaid? A hybrid, perhaps. How fascinating..."

His hand reached out toward my hair. Instinctively, I stepped back.

"You can't just touch any kid you see, or you'll be called a pedophile," I said, staring him down.

The noble looked shocked, and so did the bakery owner. The man was terrified of getting involved with nobles—everyone knew how arrogant they could be toward commoners.

But instead of getting angry, the noble's lips curled into a small smile. "Didn't your parents teach you not to speak to your elders like that?"

"They taught me to respect those who respect me and to ignore the rest."

His smile faded slightly, and his voice took on a more serious tone. "Fine, but didn't they also say—" He paused briefly, his expression hardening as he pointed to his hair— "never talk back to a noble?"

"Nope, they didn't," I replied firmly. Sorry, Mom, but I can't back down now.

"Is that so?" His voice dripped with curiosity, then he added, "In that case, I must meet them—so I can correct their parenting methods."

Just then, the bakery door swung open, and in walked my dad.

"Why are you taking so long? Are you buying the whole bakery? Your mom and I—" He stopped mid-sentence when his eyes landed on the noble, his expression shifting to shock. I barely heard him murmur, "James..."

I glanced at the noble, and for a brief second, his face mirrored the same surprise. Then, as quickly as it came, it vanished, replaced by what my dad would call a weasel's smile.

"Interesting..." he said, his voice almost amused.

James' POV

It all started a few months ago, when I turned 35. As the third and youngest son of the Verdell family—my father being a count—I never had to worry about inheritance or the family's finances. Those matters fell to my older siblings, both deeply involved in the family business.

But as the youngest, I noticed a shift. My parents, having watched my brothers focus solely on the family and business, began to fixate on something else. I can't say exactly when it began, but their desire for grandchildren started to grow. At first, I didn't catch on. After all, neither of my older siblings were married yet, so I assumed they were the targets of these conversations.

It began with subtle hints—mentioning how adorable their friends' grandchildren were, how cute it was hearing them call their grandparents. Then, my parents escalated, buying baby clothes and toys, even though no grandchild was in sight. I brushed it all off.

That is, until one day after sword training. I was heading to the library, my usual retreat, when the butler approached with a message: my father wanted to have a talk with me.