I instinctively took a step back when I felt danger but I didn't want to reveal myself to Estelle, so the direction of my feet only brought me towards the wall, which is a dead freaking end. Naturally, it meant that I can't avoid him if he ever did something funny.

Is he going to touch me again?! In broad daylight, nonetheless?! How shameless can he get?

"H-hey! Y-you! What are you trying to do?!" I blurted, watching him warily.

Lukas didn't even consider that I was literally panicking and shying away from him and just continued approaching me.

His finger, which strangely felt a little hot, then tapped on my forehead as I leaned behind me, looking like a cornered animal. It was just a simple touch but for some odd reasons, that skin contact sent a jolt towards the rest of my body. And for other bizarre reasons, I felt something stirring within my body. It reacted to the touch and had seemed to go crazy over it.

My eyes widened when I noticed that peculiar feeling that came over me. It wasn't uncomfortable, nor was it painful or anything but it sure creeped the fvck out of me. Much so that I quickly avoided him, stepping away to the side where he won't corner me on a wall.

What the hell was that?! What was that just now?

I then stared at him accusingly as if telling him that he was the culprit of that strange phenomenon. It was all because he touched me that I felt like my soul was leaving me or something. Something was really present inside me but I have no freaking idea what it was.

Lukas straightened his back once more as he rubbed his mouth, looking thoughtful.

"Ohh... So that was it..." He muttered as he observed me with narrowed eyes. He seemed to appear interested in whatever crap he just thought of.

I looked at him defensively.

"What did you do?"

Why did it feel like a part of me was awakened or something?

Lukas shrugged his broad shoulders, "Nothing much. I just expended a little magic to test it out..." was his retort.

"M-magic? Y-you–!"

'I knew he did something strange just now!'

He then defended himself when he saw the accusation in my face.

"I didn't do anything to you so stop glaring at me."

I didn't buy it and had gazed at him more suspiciously instead.

"B-but... why did I... why did I feel something weird just now?"

I mean, it's surely not just my imagination, right? On the grounds that I definitely felt it and my mind wasn't playing tricks on me.

Lukas looked down at me with a crease on his forehead.

"Hmm? You didn't know?"

"What?" His reply made me blink.

What should I know?

"Heh." He sneered, crossing his arm in front of him but never really answering my question at all and resorted to changing the topic– "You shouldn't go around like this if I were you. You would end up attracting the wrong people," was what he said.

It was a clear warning but it didn't make sense to me who is still hung up on his earlier words and actions.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" I inquired. Lukas merely looked away but I wasn't having it– "Hey!"

How dare he confuse me?

"It's dangerous for you to run around during these times. If those people found you, even your secret guards won't be able to save you," he sighed as he shook his head.

"Ah? What do you mean by that– Wait... You know about them?"

He knows that I have secret guards following me? But how?

I turned around to look at our surroundings and tried to spot the people that were supposedly hiding.

I can't even feel their presence at all yet Lukas knows?

"They are so easy to detect. One of them is nearby and is looking at me with murder in their eyes right now," Lukas then chuckled as if he found it amusing.

If the idea of someone thirsting for his blood was funny to him, I don't even know what goes on in his head anymore.

'Was he talking about Uno?'

Out of all my guards, Uno was the most protective. He is diligent in his duties and will lay his life on the line just for me so he must be pertaining to him.

I bet he would immediately jump between Lukas and me if this dude will try something weird again.

Lukas glanced up for a second and hummed in a low voice.

"So that was the reason why these things are flocking here..."

My brows furrowed and looked up as well.

"What are you saying– ??? Eh?"

I was greeted with the sight of dozens of birds, resting on top of posts and above the roofs. I didn't notice them earlier, nor would I ever do until he pointed it out but there really was an insane amount of them, and a variety too. They are mostly normal birds though...

Turning to the crowd, I saw some of them gazing at the birds as well in curiosity, wondering why they were there.

"Are you saying that I attracted these birds? Me?" I voiced out in confusion, pointing to myself as I did.

Lukas's brows raised, "Can't you see that they are surrounding you?"

"Ehh? But why?"

Why is he so sure that these birds are onto me? Well, they do perch on the posts and roofs nearby me but wasn't this just a coincidence? Who knows that they might only be resting there. But it's really rare to see such a large number of them at once though...

"That's what I'm curious about too. Why are they following you?" Lukas remarked while staring at me.

It was too intense for my liking that I suddenly felt intimidated. Being subjected to those sharp purple eyes felt like I am being thoroughly judged and examined. As if my privacy is being violated or something along those lines.

"I... I don't know..." I muttered, avoiding having eye contact with him.

I then warily glanced at the birds as I bit my lower lip in thought.

These birds won't do anything weird right? Like pooping on me because I somehow offended their species or whatever...

Or a more probable result would be them biting/pecking me in groups.

"Ah!" I exclaimed when I suddenly remembered why I was here again in the first place.

I was going to follow Estelle around!

My head instantly snapped back at the fruit stand which had almost given me whiplash but I didn't see her there anymore.

'Oh no... She already left!'

"Ahk! She's gone!" I gasped in surprise.

I turned towards Lukas who was now trying to touch me again but I swiftly swatted his hand away as I gave him the fiercest glare I've ever given to someone before.

"This is your fault! You distracted me and now she's gone!" I exclaimed, voicing out my complaints straight to his face.

One of his thick sculpted brows lifted, "Ohh?"

"Yes! It's all your fault!" My frown got deeper as I grumbled away, scanning the crowd from left and right while hoping that I would see Estelle among them.

When did she leave? How long ago was it? Did she proceed forward or had changed directions? Tsk!

This damn shady excuse of a pervert!

Lukas studied my annoyed expression for a bit and smirked afterward. That only raised an alarm in me, an alarm dedicated just for him.

He's thinking of something shady again! That smirk says it all!

"Then let me compensate you for that," he countered and grabbed my right hand.

He started walking away, pulling me along behind him, and had not given me any room to reject him.

"Huh? Wait! Where are you taking me?" I asked as I tried to snatch the hand he was holding back.

Grabbing one's hand out of the blue... How sly!

"There's this interesting shop I passed by earlier and I wanted to check it out," was his response.

"Then why are you dragging me along?"

Lukas tilted his head slightly to look back at me.

"You lost your target, right? So you have nothing to do now," and tugged on my hand so I can walk beside him.

"Ehh? Hey! Stop pulling my hand! You can't just pull a lady's hand, you know!" I protested with all my might but damn it, he's too strong.

"Who was the first to grab who, huh?" Lukas fired back.

"That was your arm and it's because you're– Ugh! Whatever!"

I give up already. Tch. I won't ever be going to win anyway so never mind.

Lukas is doing as he pleases right now yet Uno still hasn't shown himself. I wonder why?

I was mulling over that yet I wouldn't ever get to know that Uno was actually being suppressed by Lukas's aura, that's why he can't get close to us. He's now biting his fingers in a corner, feeling aggrieved while Dos is trying to console him.

If I did, I wonder what I would have done?