Chapter 655 A Random Choice

The blacksmith’s shop was gettingh closer with every step, though Liam had to admit that after seeing the state of the place yesterday, he wasn’t exactly excited about going back inside. The sight of that filthy workshop was still fresh in his mind, as was the memory of being launched into an abandoned cauldron and emerging from it looking like he had spent the last three years living underneath a bridge.

His clothes had been ruined, his dignity had suffered considerable damage, and the dwarf had somehow managed to insult him every few seconds while making it look effortless. Yet despite all of that, Liam knew they had come to the right place. The seer had sent them there, and the dwarf clearly possessed skills far beyond what his ridiculous appearance suggested. If the old drunk really could forge weapons capable of helping them fight the battles waiting for them back home, then Liam was willing to tolerate his personality.

For now, however, his attention was elsewhere.

Liam walked beside Tatiana through the busy street, casually finishing the sun roll he had bought earlier. The golden-brown pastry was still surprisingly good, and he had already decided that he would probably buy more before they left the city. There was something comforting about eating while walking through a strange world, especially when the streets were filled with people speaking unfamiliar languages, magical lamps floated above their heads, and creatures of different races moved among one another as though this impossible place were completely normal.

Tatiana, on the other hand, seemed distracted.

She had been looking at him.

Not constantly.

Just often enough for Liam to notice.

Every few moments, he would catch her eyes moving toward him before she quickly looked away again. The first time, Liam ignored it. The second time, he assumed she was simply observing the people around them. By the third or fourth time, however, he knew she was thinking about something.

He let her continue for a while.

Then, without even looking at her, he said, "Just ask it already."

Tatiana’s head turned toward him almost immediately. "Ask what?"

Liam finally looked at her, his expression carrying a hint of amusement. "Whatever question you’ve been trying to ask me for the last five minutes."

"I haven’t been trying to ask you anything."

"You’ve looked at me about six times."

"Maybe I wanted to look at you."

"That doesn’t sound like you."

Tatiana’s lips twitched slightly, but she quickly suppressed the smile. She remained silent for another few steps before finally deciding there was no point pretending anymore. "Fine. Why did you choose that girl?"

Liam’s eyebrows rose. "What girl?"

"The girl selling the sun rolls."

"Oh."

Tatiana watched him carefully as he continued walking. "We passed several people selling the same thing. Some of them had better stalls, some had more attractive displays, and some were selling things that looked even better than hers. Yet you walked straight toward her. Why?"

Liam furrowed his brows as though he genuinely couldn’t understand why she was making such a big deal out of it. "What makes you think I chose her?"

Tatiana stared at him.

"For all I care, I just picked a random person," Liam added casually.

Tatiana’s eyes narrowed.

She turned her head toward the street ahead, squinting into the distance. The blacksmith’s workshop was finally visible, and she could make out the figures of the others still standing outside. Her werewolf senses were considerably sharper than those of ordinary people, but the sheer amount of activity in the city made it difficult to isolate specific details from so far away.

Liam didn’t have that problem.

He could see the others perfectly.

Leonid was leaning against the wall outside the workshop, looking as though he had already grown tired of waiting. Gregor was speaking with Mary while Agatha stood nearby with her arms folded. Irina was also there, occasionally looking down the street in their direction.

Tatiana’s eyes remained narrowed as she watched them.

Liam glanced at her. "You don’t need to squint."

"I can see them."

"I know."

"Then stop talking."

Liam smiled and took another bite of his sun roll.

Tatiana finally stopped squinting and looked back at him. "Random my ass. I knew there was a reason. You even gave her gold coins."

That made Liam’s eyes lift slightly.

He did it almost discreetly, trying to make it look as though her accusation hadn’t caught him. Unfortunately, Tatiana wasn’t exactly an ordinary woman. Her senses were frighteningly sharp, and after spending so much time with Liam, she had also become particularly good at noticing the smallest changes in his behavior.

Her eyes immediately narrowed.

"There," she said.

Liam looked at her innocently. "There what?"

"You did that thing with your eyes."

"What thing?"

"You looked away."

"I was looking at the road."

"You were looking at nothing."

"Maybe the road was interesting."

Tatiana gave him a flat look.

Liam sighed.

"Fine." He swallowed the last bite of his sun roll and wiped his fingers together. "There was actually a reason I did it."

Tatiana immediately nodded with a satisfied expression. "I knew it."

Liam glanced at her, amused by how quickly she had reacted. "You didn’t even know what the reason was."

"I knew there was a reason."

"That isn’t the same thing."

"It’s close enough."

Liam shook his head, but a small smile appeared on his face. Tatiana noticed the smile but didn’t comment on it. Instead, she waited for him to explain himself. The teasing had disappeared from her expression now, replaced by genuine curiosity. She really wanted to know what had made him choose that particular girl when there had been so many other vendors around them.

Liam was quiet for a moment.

Then his expression became slightly more thoughtful.

"While everybody was looking at us, most of them were doing it for the same reasons," he said. "Some were looking at us with lust. Some were jealous. Some were curious. A few were probably wondering what kind of people we were. But she was different."

Tatiana tilted her head slightly. "Different how?"

"She looked at you with appreciation," Liam explained. "And she looked at me the same way."

Tatiana’s expression softened.

Liam continued walking, his hands slipping casually into the pockets of his robe. "She wasn’t staring at us like we were some kind of prize. She wasn’t looking at you because she wanted something from you. She wasn’t looking at me because she wanted to get close to someone like me. She just seemed genuinely happy to see us."

He paused briefly before adding, "She had a genuine heart."

Tatiana snorted.

Liam looked at her.

"Meh."

"What?"

"She was clearly blushing when you were speaking to her."

"So?"

"So you were obviously making her nervous."

"She was nervous because a handsome young man suddenly approached her and made her the center of attention."

Tatiana gave him an incredulous look.

Liam shrugged as though this was an obvious fact. "That’s all it was."

"Of course."

"It was."

Tatiana’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Liam chuckled. "You’re getting it wrong. She wasn’t thinking about how she was going to pin me against a wall and take my clothes off."

Tatiana’s lips immediately twitched.

She tried to hold back her laughter, but Liam could see the amusement spreading across her face.

"Rest," she finally said, shaking her head. "Nobody thinks that about you."

Liam placed a hand over his chest in mock offense. "That’s incredibly disrespectful."

Tatiana laughed softly.

"You’re telling me that a woman sees me and doesn’t immediately think about how handsome I am?"

"I didn’t say that."

"Then what are you saying?"

"I’m saying you’re too full of yourself."

"I prefer confident."

"Arrogant."

"Confident."

"Annoying."

"Charming."

Tatiana shook her head.

"Handsome?"

She glanced at him.

"Unfortunately."

Liam grinned.

Tatiana immediately regretted giving him that answer.

"Don’t smile like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you just won something."

"I did."

"You didn’t."

"I absolutely did."

Tatiana was about to respond when three young women passed them from the opposite direction.

They were all fairly young and pretty, dressed in fashionable clothing that made it obvious they belonged to the city. The moment they noticed Liam, their conversation changed. One of them looked at him twice, another whispered something to her friend, and the third covered her mouth as she giggled.

Liam noticed the attention immediately.

Tatiana did too.

The three women continued walking, but their eyes kept returning to Liam.

One of them whispered something.

Tatiana’s enhanced hearing caught it instantly.

"That man is ridiculously handsome."

Another woman giggled before answering, "If I ever caught him alone, I’d probably drag him somewhere private and make sure he remembered my name."

The third woman laughed softly. "I’d settle for getting him to look at me like that."

Tatiana’s expression changed.

Only slightly.

Her brows furrowed, and a brief flash of anger appeared in her eyes.

She didn’t stop walking.

She didn’t say anything.

But for a moment, something cold and dangerous passed through her.

They were lucky.

Very lucky.

If Liam hadn’t been beside her, Tatiana wasn’t entirely certain she would have been able to simply ignore someone speaking about her man that way.

Liam, however, seemed completely unaffected.

In fact, the corner of his mouth slowly lifted.

Tatiana noticed.

Her eyes moved toward him.

Liam’s smile became more obvious.

He looked incredibly pleased with himself.

Tatiana stared at him for several seconds.

"Don’t."

Liam kept walking.

"I didn’t say anything."

"You’re smiling."

"Am I?"

"Yes."

"Maybe I’m happy."

"Why?"

Liam glanced toward the three women disappearing into the crowd.

Then he looked at Tatiana again.

"People seem to like me."

Tatiana rolled her eyes.

"You’re enjoying this way too much."

"I’m simply appreciating the attention."

"You’re insufferable."

"You’re just jealous."

"I am not jealous."

"Possessive, then."

"No."

"Protective?"

"No."

"Both?"

Tatiana gave him a dangerous look.

Liam laughed.

They continued toward the workshop, and despite Tatiana’s efforts, Liam’s smug expression remained firmly planted on his face.

After a few moments, Tatiana sighed.

"Alright. You’re right."

Liam turned toward her with immediate interest. "About what?"

She pointed directly at his face.

"Take the smile off."

Liam’s grin widened.

"No."

Tatiana frowned. "It’s ridiculous."

"No."

"It’s cringe."

Liam shook his head.

"Now you’re just lying."