Chapter 87

Winnie, who was waiting for me outside the Gatman Merchant Group, widened her eyes when she saw the sack of sugar I was lugging.

 

“My Lady, what is this…?”

 

“Sugar!”

 

“Well, I can see that clearly written on the bag…”

 

Ugh—

 

The heavy sack was a bit much for me to carry. As I tried to readjust my grip to a more comfortable position, Winnie hurriedly took the bag from me.

 

“Give it to me.”

 

With a word of thanks, I offered a proud smile and added, “I’m thinking of creating a new product for the merchant group.”

 

“Are you planning to open a dessert shop?”

 

“You can make more than just desserts with sugar.”

 

Winnie tilted her head in confusion, wondering what else it could be. It might seem random for a merchant group primarily focused on fabrics to buy up sugar, but I had an idea the moment I saw that brown sugar.

 

“I’ll show you what it is soon!”

 

I gave a faint smile and followed Winnie as she led the way.

 

Dong— Dong—

 

The clock tower standing tall in the plaza rang loudly, announcing exactly six o’clock. I was supposed to meet Freyer at the temporary base at the top of the hour, but our conversation had run long, and the time had already passed.

 

The festival was reaching its peak, and the streets were bustling everywhere—a literal sea of people.

 

‘I have to hurry.’

 

I turned my head to catch up with Winnie, but she, who had been walking ahead of me, had vanished.

 

“Eh…?”

 

“My Lady!”

 

I turned toward the voice and saw Winnie being swept away, pushed by the crowd.

 

“Winnie!”

 

I hurriedly reached out for her, but I, too, was pushed forward by the mass of people, and the distance between us grew further. Before I knew it, Winnie’s brown hair was nowhere to be found among the countless heads.

 

 

***

 

 

After contacting Ricardo, Freyer checked the documents sent by Silvertone, a deep furrow forming between his brows.

 

[The Idarand Ducal House is deeply involved in the expiration of the Gatman Merchant Group’s passage permit.]

 

It was the family of Nazlee Idarand, who had maintained a close friendship with Lilithia.

 

[Furthermore, Nazlee Idarand is the primary culprit behind the rumors about the Baimery Merchant Group spreading among the young ladies.]

 

“It was all hypocrisy.”

 

Nazlee had been pretending to worry about Lilithia on the surface while acting with such duplicity behind her back.

 

“What on earth was she trying to gain by spreading such rumors?”

 

The suspicious story Bilion had mentioned in the past flickered through his mind.

 

“Rumors are spreading that Lady Nazlee Idarand is in love with Prince Freyer.”

 

It was a story he hadn’t paid any attention to. He had been far too busy searching for Lilithia and working tirelessly to protect her.

 

Surely not.

 

An improbable thought crossed his mind—that she was trying to drive Lilithia away from him.

 

‘Impossible.’

 

Just then, with the sound of heavy panting, the door to the merchant base burst open.

 

“M-My Lady!”

 

It was Winnie, sweat beading on her forehead, dragging a massive sack. Since she had left with Lilithia for the meeting with the Gatman group, she should have returned with her.

 

“Where is Lilithia?”

 

“O-Oh no.”

 

At Freyer’s question, Winnie collapsed onto the floor, her face turning pale as she cried out.

 

“I-I think My Lady got lost! What should we do…!”

 

The paper in Freyer’s hand crumpled instantly. Nazlee Idarand’s schemes—none of that mattered right now. Even if she held ill will toward Lilithia, he had already resolved to protect her, and so he would. As the danger grew, Freyer’s heart toward Lilithia only became firmer.

 

“Where was the last place you were together?”

 

“…My Lady has a terrible sense of direction.”

 

When Freyer’s words didn’t seem to reach Winnie, who was consumed by worry and confusion, he raised his voice.

 

“I am asking again, where did you get separated?”

 

“With My Lady… the plaza! The plaza was the last place!”

 

Freyer buckled the longsword he had left on the table to his waist and kicked the door open.

 

 

***

 

 

After being tossed around by the crowd like I was on a water slide at an amusement park, I finally washed up in a quiet back alley.

 

“Phew.”

 

I caught my breath from the suffocating crowd and hurriedly looked around.

 

“Where am I…?”

 

Not knowing the geography of the Pearching capital, I had no idea how I had even ended up here.

 

“Heh… You look like you’re from out of town.”

 

At the low, indifferent voice, I turned my head to see a woman with deep red hair leaning against a wall, holding a cigar that sent up white puffy clouds of smoke.

 

Is there someone else here? I looked left and right, but the quiet alley held only her and me.

 

“I’m talking to the pretty lady.”

 

“Me…?”

 

Starting to feel intimidated by this person exhaling white smoke and exuding a gloomy aura in a dark alley, I shrank back. Wearing heavy makeup, she gave a smirk, put the cigar back in her mouth, and asked me:

 

“I’m Scarlet. What’s your name, My Lady?”

 

As Scarlet exhaled a deep breath, the scent of the cigar filled the entire alley.

 

“I’m Lilithia Baimery…”

 

“Lilithia Baimery? Even your name is pretty.”

 

Scarlet’s speech became more casual, and I began to watch her warily.

 

“Lilithia. You’re a noble, right?”

 

‘Is she going to shake me down for money?’

 

I should have avoided dark alleys at all costs.

 

“Give me an answer. It’s embarrassing for me when you stay silent.”

 

“……I-I am a noble, but…?”

 

Terrified, I reflexively reverted to polite speech.

 

“I thought so.”

 

With my heart feeling the size of a pea, I began to babble—that I wasn’t a noble of this kingdom but of the empire, that I was only the daughter of a baron so I didn’t have much money, and that I ran a very small merchant group.

 

‘I’ve told you everything, so please just let me go…’

 

“I just met you, but you’re cute.”

 

“Thank you…?”

 

While I was desperately rolling my eyes, trying to think of how to escape this moment, Scarlet crushed her cigar with her foot, walked toward me, and spoke.

 

“You’re probably the only noble who would end up in an alley like this at this hour, Lilithia.”

 

“It’s not like I came here because I wanted to…”

 

I muttered under my breath, taking a hesitant step back. I had simply found myself here after being pushed by the crowd.

 

Thump, thump—

 

The sound of Scarlet’s boots echoed in the alley.

 

“If this had been the alley next door instead of this one, you would’ve ended up with a big wound in your stomach, Lilithia.”

 

That is a fact I definitely did not want to know. It was then that I noticed the folding knife hanging from her belt. As I stepped back, I froze, the fear spreading to my fingertips and toes. The smile that never left her face only amplified my anxiety.

 

“Surely you’re not misunderstanding and thinking I’m going to do that right now, are you?”

 

A pitch-black alley. A person with a knife I’d never met before. A foreigner who didn’t know the way even if I tried to run. It was the perfect setup for something terrible to happen.

 

Scarlet took a large stride toward me, brushed a strand of my hair back, and whispered in my ear.

 

“You really are quite cute.”

 

The scent of the cigar drifted to my nose—a scent that felt like the incense burned in a columbarium.

 

‘I’m actually terrified…’

 

Thud—

 

I trembled as a hand grabbed my shoulder. Scarlet, holding my stiff shoulder, patted it twice.

 

“I’m joking.”

 

“Eh…?”

 

At Scarlet’s words, I let out a strange sound like a deflating balloon.

 

“You don’t know what a joke is? A joke?”

 

A mischievous, prankster-like smile blossomed on her face. She looked like she would burst into laughter at the slightest poke.

 

“W-What kind of joke is that scary!?”

 

Feeling like I had just come back from the afterlife, I barked out a shout despite it being our first meeting.

 

“Sorry. I just thought it would be fun to tease you a bit.”

 

Starting with a small chuckle, Scarlet began to laugh out loud. I tried to force an awkward laugh to get through the situation.

 

“Hahaha…”

 

The laughter showed no sign of stopping. After what felt like five minutes, she wiped away a tear and pointed toward the end of the alley.

 

“See this alley? If you go straight, it’s a shortcut to the plaza.”

 

“Pardon…?”

 

Scarlet grabbed both of my shoulders as I stood there blankly and pushed me toward the path.

 

“Go straight this way.”

 

“But why this way…?”

 

The alley was lit only by light leaking from inside the buildings. It looked even gloomier than the one I was currently in.

 

“You got pushed all the way here because of the crowds. If you go back that way, you’ll just get swept away and end up in the same mess, wouldn’t you?”

 

Scarlet waved both hands, telling me to get going.

 

“It’s dark and a mouse might pop out occasionally, but it’s not dangerous at all, so don’t worry.”

 

I wanted to add that the dark and the mice were exactly why I wanted to go somewhere bright, but Scarlet didn’t seem to have any ill intent.

 

“…Thank you.”

 

“I hope the next time we meet, you still won’t have any wounds on your stomach!”

 

Leaving behind the encounter with Scarlet, whose sense of humor remained a mystery, I started walking toward the merchant base again.

 

 

***

 

 

I managed to reach the plaza with Scarlet’s help, but once in the vast square, I got lost again.

 

“Everything looks exactly the same…”

 

My lack of direction was proving to be a serious obstacle. The buildings in the capital of Pearching all looked like mirror images of one another. The flamboyant wind lanterns decorating the buildings only made the path more confusing.

 

“I can’t even make sense of the map.”

 

Even though I had picked up a map while passing through the strange alleys, it lacked geographical landmarks, making it difficult to use.

 

“No. I can find it.”

 

I told myself that overcoming a crisis was a skill in itself.

 

“How do I get to this place?”

 

“Turn right and go straight, then left… and then right again!”

 

“Ah…! Thank you.”

 

I was beginning to realize just how difficult an alley our base was located in. Holding the map with both hands, I tried to remember the passerby’s words and walked carefully.

 

Right here. Then straight… and then what?

 

“They definitely said this way…”

 

Why on earth do I have no sense of direction or orientation? I spread the map wide again. At that moment—

 

Oof!

 

I had been so absorbed in the map that I didn’t see what was in front of me. I collided with something solid and dropped the map in surprise.

 

“Ack.”

 

Realizing the solid object was a person’s chest, I quickly bowed my head.

 

“I-I’m so sorry!”

 

Whoosh—

 

The map on the ground caught the wind and flew up into the sky.

 

“Oh! The map?”

 

To make matters worse, this was turning out to be a truly unlucky day. It was then—

 

With a hand warmly wrapping around my shoulder, Freyer’s voice came from above.

 

“You really… have a knack for giving people a scare.”