Chapter 7

At the mention of a relaxed dinner, Seniel broke again. I looked at him with a shameless expression.

I could explain Kid’s threats to him. It would certainly clear up some of his confusion. But I had no intention of going that far. I couldn’t just say in front of him, “I need to seduce you, so play along convincingly, will you?” That would be weird.

‘And I don’t want to cause trouble or get too deeply involved by saying too much.’

“Let’s change how we address each other. You can just call me ‘Vivi.’ I’ll call you ‘Seniel,’ too.”

Seniel froze once more, and I nodded to myself in satisfaction.

‘If I tell Kid that Seniel called me by my first name, ate dinner with me, and even held my hand, maybe he’ll let me off for today.’

I didn’t know when Kid might show up to check in on me, or when I could sneak out, so I had to lay the groundwork early.

Of course, I could always lie about it, but when standing in front of Kid, I was the type whose heart shrank to the size of a bean and couldn’t even speak the truth, let alone a lie. This was the best option for someone like me.

“This is all I’m asking from you, Seniel. You’ll do it, right?”

He looked at me like he wasn’t sure what good it would do. But since he had no other choice, he had to nod.

Still hesitant, he bit his lip and shook his head.

“…The more I think about it, the more it doesn’t seem like a good idea…”

“You need to answer properly.”

“…Okay. I’ll do it.”

“Great. Then I’ll see you at dinner, Seniel.”

Seniel looked utterly deflated.

I waved to him like I was shooing away a lamb who couldn’t hide his unease. The little lamb hesitated awkwardly and eventually left the room.

Once he was gone, I sat on the bed and let out a long sigh.

‘If I just keep doing this, I’ll survive until the day I flee. …Though Kid said he might show up unexpectedly, so sneaking out at night is probably not an option.’

Why had the original Vivi died? Was it because she never even considered escape? Or maybe because she didn’t seduce Seniel convincingly enough to satisfy Kid?

‘Judging from Vivi’s memories, she seemed to be the shy type. She probably never managed a real conversation with Seniel, which could’ve been what got her killed.’

Seniel, too, would’ve just left again like yesterday if I hadn’t stopped him.

‘Is now really the time to be shy?’

Unlike Vivi, I wasn’t afraid of this stuff. I always bulldozed forward instead of weighing pros and cons. Maybe doing the same here would help buy me even a little more time.

After confirming that Seniel had gone to the temple, I called for a maid and started preparing to go out. I told them I’d broken the glass by accident in my sleep, so it was cleaned up without question.

Before leaving, I grabbed a few small pieces of jewelry from the room.

* * *

It was annoyingly beautiful outside. Typical spring weather. If I could escape by ship today, everything would be perfect.

But even if I could escape today, there was still a problem.

The harbor was at least a four hour carriage ride from here.

‘It’d be great if I could get there without being caught during that time…’

But I also had to consider the possibility that I wouldn’t be so lucky.

If Kid woke up and realized I was gone before I reached the harbor, things would get complicated.

That man never let go of prey once he’d locked on.

There was no teleportation here, but there were things like “image spheres” that transmitted visual messages across distances instantly.

If Kid, pretending to be Seniel, sent word to the harbor, I could be captured as soon as I arrived. Or maybe he could use his authority as High Priest to shut down the port for a day.

This might be the first and last chance I had to escape. I couldn’t afford to waste it.

To make the most of this moment, I needed a distraction to pull Kid’s attention away from me on the day of the escape.

The carriage stopped at Lordwald Street. I nodded to the driver and stepped out. Once the carriage left, I pulled up the hood of my robe and tugged the brim of my hat down low.

‘To distract Kid, I either need to give him information about someone he wants dead, or create a situation where his identity is at risk of being exposed.’

I knew exactly who Kid most wanted to kill: Joel. The main force behind the experiment. He was older and held a high position in the temple.

But I didn’t know much else about him. Even in the original novel, Kid never managed to find him.

‘It’s not enough. Everything I know, he probably already knows.’

The only option left was to force Kid into a situation where he couldn’t focus on me at all.

‘I know how to gather evidence that Seniel is actually Kid. But who do I give it to?’

Giving it to someone weak willed or convinced Seniel couldn’t possibly be a criminal would be pointless. I also couldn’t hand it to gossip mongering journalists or loose lipped fools.

Kid would suspect me first and track me down, so I had to pick someone who would keep it secret.

‘The best option is still the female lead. Give her the evidence, move the plot along, and get out of here.’

Just as I was thinking that—

“Excuse me!”

Someone bumped into me hard and ran past.

A loud voice rang out. I was still processing it when a bad feeling gripped me.

“My jewels!”

I hadn’t brought an escort, since I was sneaking out, but to get pickpocketed? I had read that the female lead often patrolled this area disguised as a holy knight because it was unsafe. Still, I didn’t expect it to happen to me.

Cursing loudly, I chased after the thief.

They quickly disappeared into the crowd. Before I could even react, I’d lost them.

It wasn’t even my jewelry. It was from Seniel’s estate. I’d taken it as fair payment for enduring a murder threat. So it didn’t sting too badly… but I needed it for my escape.

Why was my luck so terrible today?

As I angrily tousled my hair and debated going home, I heard a scream.

“Aaaah!”

What the…? I looked up. The sound had come from the same direction the thief had vanished into, but I couldn’t see what had happened through the crowd.

I was about to ignore it when someone suddenly stepped up beside me.

They were so big and broad that I saw their chest before I saw their face.

“Are you the owner of this item?”

My jewels! I looked up quickly to thank them.

Milky white hair, clear sky blue eyes. A broad, muscular build. Lips set in a firm line, with steady, serious eyes that betrayed no frivolity.

“Ah, yes! Thank you so—…”

My eyes widened.

‘It’s her. The female lead, disguised as her brother!’

Not her real brother but, Ezette, the heroine, who had disguised herself as a holy knight named Ronan.

She handed me the jewel pouch. Her large hands, hardened with calluses, proved years of sword training.

Ezette stared closely at my hooded face.

“…You’re the High Priest’s wife, aren’t you? Apologies for the late introduction. I’m Ronan Philaxis, the holy knight who guarded your wedding yesterday.”

So she had been there. And remembered me with just that brief glimpse?

I almost denied it, but changed my mind. I needed her.

There was no reason to pretend not to know her.

This was a golden opportunity.

“Nice to meet you, Sir Philaxis. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve lost this completely. Thank you.”

Perfect. All I had to do now was say I’d repay the favor, and I could hand her the evidence. That was my way to dump the whole Kid mess onto her.

“I was just doing my duty. But this isn’t a safe place to be out alone. If your errand isn’t urgent, allow me to escort you somewhere safer.”

‘Escort me away?’

I quickly shook my head.

I hadn’t planned to speak with her for long, but I had hoped to size up her situation while talking. Still, I now had more than enough reason to give her the evidence.

“No, I actually have something important to take care of, so I can’t. But thank you for the offer. I’ll definitely repay you later. Goodbye!”

I prepared to dash off.

If Ezette escorted me away, that’d be a problem. I didn’t need her concern. I needed her to take the evidence later and make a huge public scandal out of it.

“While Ezette causes chaos, I’ll slip out of the country.”

I clutched the jewel pouch tightly and started walking away.

But I hadn’t gone far before she blocked my path.

She caught up quickly and said in a low voice,

“I will escort you.”

“…Pardon? You don’t need to trouble yourself…”

“Leaving a noble unguarded isn’t right. Please allow me to escort you.”

I hesitated, inwardly rolling my eyes.

As a holy knight, if something happened to me, she’d be held accountable.

‘Can I bring her to the broker? She does get info there too in the novel, but still…’

In the story, Ezette disguised as Ronan didn’t care much for divine prophecy or gods. She even mocked them sometimes, furious about how unfair the world was.

If I gave her hush money and explained my escape, she might just play along.

“Maybe taking her with me is the better option.”

After all, my flight would make people suspect something was up. Stirring suspicion about the High Priest this way might not be a bad move.

And if Ezette figured out that Seniel was Kid before my escape… I still wouldn’t worry.

She was tight lipped and not the type to act rashly. I trusted she wouldn’t approach Kid directly while I was around.

“…Alright. Please do. I’ll make sure to repay you for this.”

Ezette nodded calmly, showing no real interest in the reward.

* * *

We stepped into Bay’s teahouse where a subtle aroma of tea filled the air.

From the outside and inside, nothing seemed suspicious. There were no shady types, just people sipping tea and chatting pleasantly.

I approached the staff at the counter and repeated a line I’d read in the novel:

“One lemon tea, made by Bay, please.”

A brief silence fell over the room. Lots of eyes turned toward me. What are you all staring at?

“…A lemon tea made by Bay, you said? I’m afraid we’re out. Could I ask you to wait over here?”

The staff smiled, reaching for the gate behind the counter and then paused, eyeing me and Ezette.

Ezette looked surprised, like she hadn’t expected me to come to a place like this. But she quickly composed herself.

“I can’t let you go in alone. It’s dangerous.”

“She says I shouldn’t go alone. Then two teas, please.”

“…Understood. Right this way.”

We went behind the counter. At the end of a narrow hallway, stairs led down into a basement.

* * *

As we followed the staff, I wondered if I should’ve left Ezette behind.

But having someone like her at my back made me feel surprisingly secure.

What a shame someone that great would die young. I wanted to meet the real Ronan too, not just Ezette disguised as him.

One floor down, there was a door. Behind it was a large room. The staff knocked three times, then bowed.

“Have a pleasant meeting.”

He turned and left. I returned the bow absentmindedly and opened the door.