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A child, about five years old and clutching a tanghulu candy, witnessed his actions. Instead of being alarmed, Evelyn winked and put a finger to his lips, silently urging the child to stay quiet.

Seeing the young child nod, he unworriedly melted back into the crowd, smiling with satisfaction at his successful 'borrowing' of someone else's money.

"How much for the two meat buns?" He asked, now standing at the stall selling fresh, hot meat buns.

The owner looked him up and down, assessing his ability to pay, before replying, 

"It's two-for-one silver coins."

The vendor extended his right hand, expecting payment upfront, and Evelyn peacefully complied, not minding his rude behavior.

The elder quickly snatched the money from his hand and hurriedly wrapped the order, handing it to him in a flash. 

"Now, shoo! Shoo! You smell; I won't get any customers if you linger," he complained. 

Instead of being offended, Evelyn, already with the food he wanted, happily strode away, paying no heed to the elder's words as he munched on one of the two meat buns he had purchased.

Engrossed in his food, he didn't notice someone running over into his path until they collided, causing the bun he was eating to fall to the ground, leaving him with only one to savor.

"My bun..." he muttered, eyes mournfully fixed on the half-eaten meat bun lying on the dirty ground before glaring at the person who had bumped into him.

He was ready to rant and ask for compensation, but he paused, seeing as the person who bumped into him was a woman who looked exactly like his younger sister, Kayla.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I was in a hurry, and I'm sorry," the young woman, who appeared to be 20 years old, repeated anxiously. 

Evelyn remained still, staring intently at the woman. Her mannerisms and repeated apologies are just like Kayla's. The only difference is their hair and eye color; my sister's hair is black, not red-orange, and her eyes are dark brown, not hazel.

He remained silent, his gaze unwavering at the woman he suspected to be his younger sister until something caught his attention.

Why does she keep glancing around with such a panicked expression?

Evelyn observed her appearance further and found it unsettling. His brows furrowed in displeasure.

"Why are you in such a mess? What happened? Why aren't you wearing any sandals or shoes?" he questioned, genuine concern lining his voice.

"Is someone chasing you?" he added, pulling the young woman's focus into him. 

They locked eyes, and the woman nodded briefly, her expression tense. But, it quickly turned to disgust, as if she had smelled something unpleasant. Suddenly, she backed away, pinching her nose in obvious discomfort.

"What's wrong?" Evelyn asked, perplexed by her sudden behavior. He approached her, but again, she stepped back, tightly pinching her nose.

Then it dawned on him.

"Ahh... so that's why," He chuckled and forcefully yanked the woman's hand away from her nose.

"Ouch! Why did you do that?" the twenty-year-old woman exclaimed, angrily staring at him.

"Ask yourself," He replied, face unamused, which only fueled the young woman's anger.

The twenty-year-old woman was about to retort when, ten steps behind her, another woman's anxious and worried voice shouted.

"Young miss! Oh, thank God, I finally found you. Stay there, we're coming. Don't run away again, or you'll hurt yourself. You're not even wearing shoes. What if your feet got bruised? Stay there."

Evelyn looked ahead and saw one woman dressed like a noble servant, flanked by two sturdy men who appeared to be imperial guards from an ancient Chinese drama. He couldn't help but glance back at the young woman standing beside him.

He hadn't noticed at first, but upon closer inspection, he saw that she wore an extravagant pink hanfu adorned with hairpins usually reserved for royalty, reminiscent of those he had seen in the historical Chinese dramas Kayla had once recommended he finally figured something.

"Ahh... now I understand," Evelyn muttered, catching the young woman's attention.

"So, you're some kind of princess?" he asked.

"What?" the young woman replied, face distracted and looking impatient.

Evelyn smiled warmly, extended his right hand, and said, 

"Want to run? I'm quite good at i..." Before he could finish his words, the twenty-year-old woman seized his rough hand and bolted away, dragging him along.

"My lady!" The servant's frantic cries immediately echoed, weighing with urgency and concern.

"Hurry up, follow the miss. We must not lose her again!"

"Young miss, please come back with us. The Western Emperor, your father, will arrive soon from the court!" she continued, her voice tinged with fear of repercussions.

"If he discovers you're not in your residence, we will be held accountable. Please, have mercy."

"I don't care!" shouted the twenty-year-old woman defiantly as she continued running away.

Beside her, the young man couldn't help but laugh, which caused her to glare at him, prompting an immediate apology.

"Sorry. You are truly like my sister, so aggressive and straightforward."

The young woman, clearly frustrated and uninterested in understanding his words, rolled her eyes dismissively.

"You know, back then, my younger sister and I were also fleeing like this, desperately escaping from those who attacked our country, the Philippines. Our nation was at war then," Evelyn chuckled softly at a thought, though a hint of sadness lingered in his eyes.

"I can't believe I'm running again, but this time it's not from missiles—it's from people who condescendingly call you 'young miss," he said, his voice tinged with weariness. 

The twenty-year-old woman beside him suddenly stopped running and looked at him with disbelief, her eyes wide.

Seeing such a reaction from her, Evelyn, too, came to a halt and asked.

"What? What's wrong? Why did you stop? We're not far from them yet. Does your feet hurt? Let me see," 

"How do you know such a thing?" The young woman, who so closely resembled his sister, asked. Her voice trembled as she struggled to contain her emotions. This expression of vulnerability finally confirmed his suspicion. Evelyn could not help but exhale, saying.

"You're finally listening, ha? How did it sound? Familiar? How do you think I know such a thing, hm? What do you think, Kayla?" He smiled.

Upon hearing her name, the twenty-year-old woman finally understood all the words he had said earlier. The emotions she had been suppressing burst out at last.

"Want me to describe what you look like right now?" Evelyn teased, grinning mischievously.

"Shut up!" Kayla retorted between her restrained sobs and immediately dashed at him, hugging him tightly.

"Ugh... Just earlier, you looked at me in disgust because of my smell, and now you're hugging me," he reminded her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," the twenty-year-old woman apologized, burying her face in her sister's—or should I say, elder brother's—chest. 

Evelyn embraced her back and caressed the back of her head, saying.

"I know, I was just kidding," 

"It's so good to know that I am right that you're truly my adorable younger sister." he exhaled in relief. 

"If it wasn't me, then who am I?" Kayla sarcastically replied, making him chuckle.

"Right, were you scared?" He asked, and the others nodded. 

"So much, but wait," Kayla wiped her tears and gently pulled away from him. 

"What happened to you? Why are you like this? The last time I saw my elder sister, she was still a woman," she asked in wonder.

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