As Reaghan happily licked his candied hawthorn, he suddenly froze mid-bite. His gaze fixed on a child nearby, who was holding a bamboo dragonfly in their hand.
“Dad, that looks like mine,” he murmured, his voice filled with curiosity.
Raiden glanced down at the fountain pen in the father’s hand and a wave of recognition washed over him. The sleek, silver pen was too familiar to be a coincidence.
Raiden quickly pulled Reaghan back, making his way toward Astrella’s stall. A crowd had already begun to gather around it. He shoved his way through the onlookers, only to spot her handing over a small glass horse to a man in exchange for two dollars.
"You’re not selling that!"
"Why not? I paid for it. It's mine now," the burly man said, slipping the glass horse into his pocket with a smug smile, radiating arrogance.
Raiden’s frustration bubbled to the surface. "Because it’s mine!"
The man chuckled. "Yours? Will it answer to your call?"
Laughter rippled through the crowd at the remark and a few eyes turned to Raiden, making snide comments.
"Got a family, yet still spouting nonsense!"
Astrella remained silent, simply tucking the two dollars into her wallet, unbothered by their ridicule.