Episode 92

Chapter 92. Only One Rule

Ding-ling. The door closed with the soft chime of a bell.

Karssen and I stood outside the shop, both of us with our hands full of pie boxes.

I looked down at the white box in my hands.

In truth, the sight of the children through the window still lingered in my mind.

— I’ve heard there are kids like that these days. Pretending to be poor so they can beg.

— Apparently, their parents make them do it, too.

Maybe the pie shop couple was right — maybe those kids were just pretending to be poor.

Then why…

I couldn’t bring myself to walk away.

If I just turned around now, I knew I’d regret it later.

“So, where shall we go next?”

“Wait a minute.”

In the end, I grabbed Karssen’s arm.

Then I walked over to where the kids were.

I spoke to them gently.

“Hey…”

“Huh? Us?”

The girl, who had been stuck right up against the window, jumped back in surprise.

“What is it?”

The boy quickly stepped in front of her protectively, glaring at me.

They must be brother and sister.

I shook the box lightly and smiled.

“Want some pie? The ones from here are really good.”

“Are you sure it’s okay…?”

The girl peeked out from behind her brother’s shoulder.

“I actually bought too many. I’d be grateful if you helped me out.”

“I’ll help! I can do it really well!”

The girl even raised her hand as she eagerly walked over.

“Thank you.”

“You can count on me!”

She beamed as she took the box.

Her reaction was so cute, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Want to eat it now? I can open it for you.”

The girl shook her head.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“I am… but I want to wait and eat it later.”

She twisted her body shyly as she spoke.

“Because yummy food is best when you share it with your family.”

Oh, my god. What a precious little angel.

Feeling moved by her pure answer, I handed her another pie box.

“Here. Take this one, too.”

“Oh, no! One is more than enough!”

She looked flustered.

“I really bought a lot. Look over there.”

I pointed toward Karssen.

He was holding five large pie boxes.

Karssen, picking up on the mood, added smoothly,

“Yeah. If this lady tries to eat all those pies by herself, she’s gonna end up with a stomachache.”

Hey! I didn’t buy them all for me, okay?!

Even if it was misleading, it worked well.

“Ah! Th-that’s not good. I’ll help you then!”

The girl quickly accepted the second box.

“Pretty lady can’t get sick…”

She added sweetly, full of concern.

Looking into her innocent eyes, all my irritation with Karssen melted away.

Well… I guess I can deal with a little misunderstanding.

I thanked the girl for her concern.

But then a different thought struck me — wasn’t it dangerous for two kids to be wandering around such a busy city alone?

“Where are your parents? Did you get separated from them?”

I asked with concern.

“Nope! We’re really good at finding our way. Our house is—”

“Hey! Don’t say anything!”

The boy quickly clamped a hand over his sister’s mouth.

She blinked her big round eyes, then gently pushed his hand down and tilted her head.

“Why not?”

“Mom said not to tell strangers stuff like that.”

He scolded her firmly.

I was momentarily taken aback.

Oh. Ohhh. Well, he’s not wrong.

Looks like their parents taught them well.

“But this lady…”

The girl lifted her pie box.

The boy hesitated.

“Th-that’s…”

Maybe it was because they’d accepted something — he looked conflicted.

“Big brother?”

The girl urged him for an answer. Finally, he squeezed his eyes shut and declared:

“That’s that, and this is this! We can’t let our guard down!”

“I knew it! Big brother, you’re so smart! You’re the best!”

“Yup. Just trust me, okay?”

“Okay!”

She nodded with gusto.

What is this?

Why did I feel so proud… and yet a little heartbroken?

Kids… I swear, I’m not a bad person…

As if worried I might snatch the box back, the boy told his sister to hold on tight, then tucked her behind his back.

“Haha.”

Watching them, I gave an awkward laugh.

And from behind me, I heard Karssen’s annoyingly amused chuckle.

At that moment, having lost track of Helena’s group, Conrad was in utter despair.

“Haah. Where are you…?”

Conrad glanced around. The street was bustling with noise and movement. It was no easy task to search for someone in the middle of such a crowd.

“Have you seen a young lady about this tall, with brown hair and blue eyes?”

“Hmm… Brown hair is pretty common.”

“She might’ve been with a man who had silver hair.”

“Sorry. I’m not sure.”

He asked around diligently, but each time ended in failure. Conrad stamped his feet in frustration.

“You haven’t found her either, have you?”

Just then, Felix returned from checking the opposite direction.

“Didn’t anyone say they saw someone who looked like her?”

At Felix’s question, Conrad shook his head.

“Not at all. There are just too many people on the streets; I don’t think anyone really noticed. What about you?”

“Same here.”

“Ugh, this is bad. If the commander ever finds out about this…”

Conrad shuddered at the mere thought of it, as if imagining something horrific. Most likely, Leonard already knew. That they had been following him.

‘There’s no way the commander would have left Her Majesty the Empress behind otherwise.’

Leonard, who would normally never stray from Helena’s side. The only reason he could’ve stepped away briefly with Moritz must’ve been because he trusted them enough to entrust Helena’s safety to them. Felix gave Conrad’s shoulder a few solid pats.

“Let’s go back to the restaurant for now. We should tell the ladies-in-waiting to return to the palace.”

“Yeah, that’s probably best.”

At Felix’s suggestion, Conrad nodded. The two quickly made their way back. And finally, when they reached the front of the restaurant—

“You really should’ve seen it with your own eyes earlier. I’m telling you, the young lady was dragged out like this!”

“Yes! She practically walked right out, like someone had been waiting for her.”

Helena’s ladies-in-waiting were in the middle of a conversation with someone.
…? Who are they talking to?

Conrad stepped in closer to see the other person’s face—but the man noticed them first.

“Ah, perfect timing.”

“…!”

That familiar, low voice. Conrad’s face went rigid. Like he’d just seen the grim reaper. Even Felix, who rarely showed emotion, looked much the same. Conrad barely managed to hold onto his slipping consciousness.

“C-Commander…”

The person speaking with Helena’s ladies-in-waiting was none other than Leonard himself. Perhaps because the ladies were present, Leonard wore his usual mask-like smile. But to Conrad and Felix, who knew him well, that smile was even more terrifying. They both thought the same thing at once:

“So, where exactly is the young lady, if you two are the only ones who’ve come back?”

The commander was angry.

Karssen and I chatted casually with the children. The boy still eyed us cautiously, but it wasn’t with outright dislike.

“Really? You’re good at fighting?”

“Of course. Just recently, I scolded all the kids who were bullying my sister.”

“Oh, impressive.”

He even seemed to communicate well with Karssen. I watched the two of them with a satisfied smile. Then, suddenly, I noticed something strange.

‘Why is she staring over there?’

The girl’s gaze had fixed on one spot for a while. Following her eyes, I saw a street vendor’s stand. Colorful dolls of various sizes lined the shelves. A crossbow was set up on the stall, so it looked like a game where you shoot arrows to knock down the dolls.

I knelt down to meet the girl’s eyes.

“Do you want one of those dolls?”

“…No.”

Honestly, I was surprised by the answer. The girl looked about eight or nine years old — an age where it would be normal to stubbornly demand a toy if she wanted one. But she showed restraint, maturity… No, not maturity exactly. Something about it stirred a lump in my chest. On closer look, her body was unusually thin, and her clothes were worn from many repairs.

I smiled gently and asked again.

“Really? You don’t want one?”

“…”

She couldn’t deny it twice, so she stayed silent, clutching the hem of her skirt. How cute.

“Have you ever heard the saying ‘honest kids get an extra rice cake’?”

“No, I don’t know what that means.”

Ah, maybe I phrased it too oddly.

“It means something good will happen.”

“…Something good?”

“Yes. Something good.”

The girl hesitated for a long moment. Then, as if deciding, she spoke carefully.

“Actually…”

“Yeah?”

“I really want a doll…”

“Good girl.”

I gently stroked her hair. Karssen, watching me, asked,

“Are you thinking of buying her a doll separately?”

“No.”

“Then how are you going to give her one?”

“How? Like this.”

I motioned toward the crossbow.

“You just have to hit the dolls according to the rules.”

The street vendor’s eyes lit up as if sensing an opportunity.

“Welcome!”

“How much per try?”

The vendor held up one finger. A reasonable price.

I took out a silver coin from my pocket and placed it on the stall. The vendor shook his head.

“No, miss. Not a silver coin, a silver coin.”

“…?”

“Not a silver coin from a fairy tale, but a silver coin of currency. One silver coin.”

“You need a whole silver coin for a doll game like this?”

“Look, I’m running a business here.”

The vendor clicked his tongue. Since the seller said so, I had no choice. I swapped the coin for a silver one and put it down.

“Give me the arrows.”

“Good. The kid’s going to love this.”

The vendor smiled broadly, clearly satisfied.

“What are the rules?”

“There’s only one rule, miss.”

He handed me the crossbow.

“You just have to knock the doll down.”

“Sounds good.”

I took the crossbow naturally in my hand. It had a decent weight.

Hmm, so I’m supposed to aim here.

I examined the crossbow slowly. Karssen watched and shook his head, as if resigned. He reached out his hand to me and said,

“Can’t help it. Give it here—”

Click! Clack!

“What? What did you say?”