Chapter 16: First woman to stalk

Chapter 16: First woman to stalk

He went to school, enduring the class once again, and at last became a judge for the final PE session.

As he watched the five girls with blue eyes preparing to perform. In the first group, he called out, "Excuse me, you two. May I ask your names?" He gestured toward the first pair.

The first girl was Katarin, a foreign student from Cambodia. She had short black hair and striking blue eyes.

Beside her stood Clara, who came from Greenland. She also had bright blue eyes and stood at only 5 feet 3 inches tall. Petite in stature, she wore her blonde hair in twin pigtails. Her small, cat-like canine teeth gave her an adorable smile, though they contrasted sharply with her extremely bratty personality.

They exchanged a glance before one of them replied, "I am Katarin, of course. And this is Clara. Do you find it necessary to interrupt our display with such trivialities?"

Clara arched an eyebrow, her tone deliberately slow. "We are in the midst of a performance, dear sir, and it would be most inappropriate—nay, quite offensive—for someone of your… pedestrian status to presume familiarity or attempt any form of… attention upon us. Surely even you must understand the boundaries of propriety."

Eliza nodded ever so slightly beside Cain, a faint smirk barely touching her lips. "Indeed. One would hope manners are not entirely absent from your upbringing. Interruptions such as these are better reserved for those of equal standing, and I dare say, you are… hardly so."

The performance continued, and he awarded perfect points, just as he had before, to Group 4. Cain turned to the second group and asked, "What is your name, Miss?"

"Amelia," one of them replied.

He moved on to the last two in groups three and one.

"My name is Matilda," said the first.

"And I am Rosalin," added the other.

Eliza sighed, fanning herself delicately, her voice is dripping with disdain. "That is… truly low, even for a commoner, to approach ladies unbidden and ask their names with familiarity. Such audacity would scarcely be tolerated in any proper court—or under my watch," she said, directing her words pointedly at Cain.

After the performance. Cain decided followed them one by one. First was Clara. She walked through the mall, her steps slow, her eyes scanning the bright displays. Cain ducked behind a large car advertisement near the entrance, his gaze locked on her.

"What is she doing here? Is she shoping to this shop this shop with ridiculous price ?" he thought, frowning.

"What is she doing here at IMPERIA? Is she really shopping in a place with prices this ridiculous?" he thought, a slight frown forming on his face. his eyes lingered on the lavish displays of jewelry behind the glass cases.

Silver Luxury Chain — $4,500

Diamond Money Clip — $21,000

Ruby Brooch — $26,000

Gold Heart Pendant — $9,500

Diamond Cross Necklace — $27,000

Gold Charm Bracelet — $17,500

Platinum Wedding Band — $11,000

Clara entered the jewelry store. 30 feet away from Cain, one of IMPERIA's guards noticed Cain standing outside, his gaze fixed on the glittering displays and the woman inside breathing heavily. A faint frown crossed the guard's face.

"Why is he staring at the jewelry like that? Is he planning to rob the store?" the guard thought, watching him closely.

His eyes then shifted toward Clara. "And now he's staring at the lady... Oh it's lady Clara, is he a pervert? Wait... why is he wearing the same uniform as her?" The guard narrowed his eyes.

"Is he, lady Clara's classmate or a rich stalker? No... he doesn't look wealthy at all. He looks like an ordinary civilian maybe a pervert."

His hand drifted toward the radio at his belt.

"Should I detain him before he causes trouble? But what if he's actually the son of some wealthy family? If I make a mistake, I'll be the one getting into trouble..."

The guard hesitated, his fingers hovering over the radio before slowly pulling away.

"No. I'll just keep an eye on him. As long as he doesn't do anything suspicious, there's no reason to act."

His gaze remained fixed on Cain. "I'll watch him until Lady Clara gets home safely."

In the end, Clara decided to buy the bracelet, the pendant, and the chain, paying for them without the slightest hesitation.

She came out moments later with several shopping bags hanging from her arms. Cain's lips curled into a faint, dark smirk. "What an evil woman… buying all those jewels. Must be nothing to her. Just spare change. Those bags are worth 10 years of my food or even more"

Then she turned toward the perfume store, browsing the bottles carefully, sniffing each one before putting it back. Cain's eyebrows shot up. "And why is she here too? How long will this go on? Just how spoiled is this woman to spend and spend!!?"

He muttered under his breath, keeping his eyes glued to her movements. "What is wrong this woman… shopping until seven at night? Just go home already!"

Cain shifted slightly behind the advertisement, careful not to be seen. The mall lights reflected off Clara's hair and the shiny surfaces of the stores. Each bag in her hands seemed heavier than it looked, filled with things Cain couldn't even imagine. "Finally... is she going home?"

Instead of going home she continued walking through the busy streets with Cain quietly following several meters behind, careful not to be noticed.

She suddenly stopped. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" she snapped as a man nearly brushed against her shoulder.

The startled man quickly apologized. "S-Sorry, Miss. I wasn't looking."

"Hmph. Then look next time. People who walk without paying attention are a public hazard."

The man scratched his head awkwardly before hurrying away.

Cain stared at her back.

"This woman doesn't have any manners toward anyone..."

A few minutes later, Clara entered a nearby bakery.

She picked up a loaf of bread from the display and took a tiny bite. Her eyebrows immediately furrowed.

"No." She took another bite before placing it back on the tray.

"Baker! This is already not fresh!"

The baker hurried over in panic. "Ma'am, we baked those only this morning!"

She folded her arms. "And? Morning was hours ago."

"..."

"I came here because my nannies always said this bakery sells the freshest bread in the city. If I wanted ordinary bread, I would've gone somewhere else."

The baker let out an awkward laugh.

"I'll have a fresh batch prepared immediately."

"Good."

She casually pointed at the shelves.

"And throw away the stale ones before someone buys them."

"...They're not stale, ma'am."

"They're stale enough for me."

Without another word, Clara took the freshly baked loaf the baker had prepared for her and walked out. In one hand, she carried the warm paper bag containing the bread; in the other, she held the luxury shopping bags with jewelry and perfume.

Cain could only sigh as he watched the bakery staff remove the freshly baked bread from the shelves just because Clara said it's already stale.

"She's unbelievably picky..."

As she passed the nearby park, she suddenly stopped again. An elderly man was scattering pieces of bread for a flock of pigeons.

"Hey old man."

The old man looked up.

"Yes?"

"Stop feeding that."

"...Excuse me?"

"You're throwing spoiled stale bread everywhere."

The old man frowned.

"They're just pigeons they won't know the difference between fresh and spoiled bread."

"And?"

"They eat bread all the time."

Clara sighed dramatically.

"That's exactly why people shouldn't keep feeding them bread."

She pointed toward the birds.

"You'll leave crumbs everywhere, attract more pigeons and rats that will make the park filthy, and stale bread isn't even good for them."

The old man looked embarrassed.

"I... I didn't know."

"Hmph. Obviously."

She turned away.

"If you're going to feed birds, at least bring something suitable like bird seed or millet."

Cain watched the old man quietly pack the remaining bread. "She could've said that more nicely..."

Not long afterward, Clara stopped beside a wooden fence.

On the other side, a mother cat slept peacefully beneath the shade while three tiny kittens clumsily tumbled over one another.

For several silent moments...

Clara simply stood there.

She didn't smile. She didn't call for them. She didn't reach out. She only watched.

One curious kitten waddled toward the fence before its mother lazily pulled it back with a paw.

"Hmph..."

Clara quietly turned around and continued walking as if nothing had happened.

Cain remained standing there for another moment. "She... didn't even try to pet them."

Most girls would've rushed over immediately. She simply watched... then left. "What a strange woman..."

Then she noticed an elderly woman struggling to cross the street.

To Cain's surprise, Clara walked over, gently took the old woman's arm, and guided her across the pedestrian lane.

The old woman smiled warmly. "Thank you for helping me, dear."

Clara let out a small huff and folded her arms.

"Don't misunderstand. I only helped because watching you struggle was slowing everyone down. Next time, be more careful, okay? And if you need help again, just ask someone instead of pretending you're fine."

The old woman simply chuckled. "Even so, thank you."

"Hmph. Of course you should thank me, after all I help you."

Clara glanced at the old woman for a brief moment, then quietly held out a bag of freshly baked bread to her. "Here. You can have this."

The old lady blinked in surprise before accepting the bag with both hands. "Oh, my... thank you very much, dear."

Clara slowly turned away, waving a hand dismissively over her shoulder.

"It's too stale for me anyway."

She paused for a brief moment before adding in a quieter voice, "...Have a good day. And be careful on your way home, Granny." Without waiting for a reply, she continued walking.

The old lady smiled warmly as she hugged the warm bag of bread to her chest.

Cain blinked in disbelief.

Her words were as bratty and arrogant as ever, yet... she had still stopped to help a complete stranger and give some bread. "...Rich people really is impossible to understand."

Clara glanced back for a brief moment in Cain's direction, but he had already hidden himself from sight. She continued walking without a second thought.

Cain quietly followed behind, careful not to make a sound. "She doesn't know I'm here right...? I think..."

Cain finally spotted Clara's apartment building, it was a luxury hotel. "Yes… finally… just a few more steps…"

He inched forward carefully, searching for a good spot to watch her that wouldn't draw attention... Then, without warning, a pair of hands slammed onto his shoulders and drove him to the ground. Cain's face struck the pavement.

"Ouch! That hurts! Who the hell was that?!" Two officers pinned him flat, their combined weight pressing him against the stone pavement.

Officer One shouted, "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Standing off to the side, the store's security guard pointed at Cain and yelled, "You've been following Lady Clara since earlier!"

Officer One leaned in until he was only inches from Cain, his voice calm. He glanced at Officer Two before saying. "Sir… should we handcuff him and take him to the station for interrogation/questioning ?"

Cain swallowed hard, his mind racing. "I-I'm just… lost, officers," I stammered, hoping that sounded believable.

"Lost?" Officer One's tone dripped in disbelief. "And you think following a lady around is how you find your way?"