Volume 3 Chapter 10 Part 1 (2/2)

However, I didn’t enjoy this kind of situation right now. Not in the slightest. The women’s gazes were penetrating me, and as beads of cold sweat started to flow down my neck, I unconsciously moved my hand towards the bracelet, slowly but surely, so that they wouldn’t catch on to what I was doing.

If I use this, that man will come here immediately and all of my troubles will be over. But if I don’t use it and he somehow finds out about this incident, he is going to be all like “Why didn’t you call for me?” kind of mad. However, I felt that calling him here would be a bad idea, since he was the object of obsession for those women.

In the next moment one of the women grabbed my wrist and took the bracelet off my hand, thus ending my dilemma.

「Take a look at this bracelet!」

「Ahh!」

They caught me off guard. I tried to snatch it back, but the woman withdrew her arm quickly and upon seeing my desperation to retrieve it she smiled maliciously at me and in the next moment she raised her hand and intended to smash the bracelet against the ground. It was easy to imagine that the bracelet would be destroyed beyond recovery if that was to happen.

I couldn’t bear the thought that not only the flowers, but also the bracelet that man gave to me would be destroyed.

「Stop…………!」

I tried to reach out my hand, but it was too late. The bracelet got smashed against the cobblestone and shattered into pieces. Then, the other women began to stomp on the remaining pieces, making sure the bracelet was beyond recovery.

Tears must have dripped down my cheeks upon seeing that, for the women looked at my reaction and began to laugh at me.

「See, that’s what you get for being such an overconfident bitch!」

「Out of my way!」

「Kyah!?」

I knock the woman who was stomping on the remains of the bracelet out of my way. Her scream was worrying me just a little bit, but at that time my mind was all fuzzy and the bracelet was the only thing I could really think of. I tried to pick up the shattered pieces of the bracelet while the woman shakes on the spot, having problems with maintaining her balance. Then the other women restrain me by holding onto my hands.

「Let go of me, please!」

「That’s so you don’t think about doing anything cheeky ever again!」

「Yeah, know your place, you little whore!」

One of the women raised her hand, wanting to hit me to the cheek, so I reflexively closed my eyes expecting the impact of the hit to reach me. Alas, nothing like that happened.

「–––– I think that’s about enough of that.」

Instead, I heard a gentle voice speaking. Opening my eyes, I can see a person wearing a deep hood, holding the woman’s hand from behind.

「What the hell do you think you’re doing!?」

Another woman, the one who snatched the bracelet from me, rushed to help her companion and tried to shake the person’s hand off of her. But then she gazed inside of the hood of that person and her face immediately turns red. She then lets go, clasping her hands in front of her chest, mumbling something as she backs away.

「E-everyone, let’s pull back!」

「Eh? What the hell are you talking about, Shinderia-san!?」

「Please wait for us!」

The women run away from the alleyway while looking upset. They were like a storm, coming unexpectedly and then just like that they were gone. While I was still at a loss for words, the person picked up the pieces of the broken bracelet and brought them to me.

「Here. Filmina, are you alright? The flowers are done for, but I think the bracelet can be repaired. Well, an amateur might think it’s done for as well, but trust me on that.」

「Oh, yes, umm, thank you very much.」

I received the pieces with both hands and see if they are indeed broken. The metal fitting inside of the bracelet was more or less intact, but the ornament in the shape of a lotus flower which housed the magic gem was crooked and bent. It was always blooming beautifully while I was wearing it, so now the differences were all too obvious. The person who was in front of me said “don’t sweat it” to my thanks.

「Umm, how did you know my name……?」

When I asked the person that question, he only mumbled “Oh, that’s right!” and then put his hands on his deep hood.

「It’s me, don’t you recognize me?」

「Y-Yuli-sama!?」

What came out under the hood was hair as bright and golden as the sun, it almost seem to shine. His looks were pleasant to the eyes and the only real way in which I could describe his features would be “Prince-like”. His face was really drawing attention.