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Chapter 27
“We lost them.”
The hand stroking the blade came to a stop. A cold gaze seemed to pierce straight through his body.
Bearing the emperor’s fury head-on, Jin Blasque added,
“We are in pursuit.”
“An escaped hostage who even managed to wound the King of the Sea… Do you really think you can catch them on land?”
“We will catch them. No matter what.”
“Really?”
“A pirate never forgets someone they’ve lost to, not even once.”
Captain Blasque answered while brushing a hand over his bandages.
“That makes us alike. I also never forget anyone who has disappointed me even once.”
The emperor slowly ran his fingers along the blade.
“And disposing of two corpses in one night is hardly pleasant.”
The servant sacrificed as part of the welcoming ceremony was staring at the captain with his neck twisted at an unnatural angle.
As if to say, You’re next.
The captain bent his knees and lowered his head to the floor.
“I will catch them without fail.”
It was the first act of submission in his life.
“I thought you were just a brat, but perhaps not.”
The pirate captain failed to realize that the “brat” the emperor referred to was not him.
When he woke up, Angelina was gone.
She wasn’t in the room either.
Alexei got out of bed.
Not in the bathroom, either.
Judging by how the imprint on the bed had already faded, she had left quite a while ago.
Alexei hurried outside.
Surely someone hadn’t broken in and taken her away.
Impossible.
No matter how exhausted he had been, he wouldn’t have been careless enough for that.
Unless she had recklessly wandered off on her own.
Though… if it was her, that was entirely possible. She might have gotten obsessed with some idea and charged ahead without thinking.
With growing anxiety, Alexei crossed the hallway and stopped at the landing.
“Oh, Alex.”
At the sound of Angelina’s voice, his head turned automatically. She was standing at the bottom of the stairs, smiling brightly up at him.
“Good morning.”
Her greeting rang out cheerfully. She scampered up the stairs toward him, wearing an apron and a headscarf.
Alexei stared at her in disbelief.
“What are you doing?”
“Cleaning.”
With the white apron tied tightly around her waist and her long hair neatly tucked beneath the scarf, she looked exactly like a maid.
Not even a maid worn down by labor, but one who genuinely loved the job.
Holding cleaning tools in both hands, Angelina chattered excitedly.
“After trying it yesterday, I realized I’ve got talent for cleaning. So I got a job here.”
“A job?”
If the inn was so understaffed that it couldn’t even manage basic cleaning, they wouldn’t turn away extra hands.
The moment she opened her eyes that morning, the idea had come to her.
Angelina had acted immediately. The owner hadn’t exactly welcomed the idea, but accepted her anyway.
“We need money, don’t we? The daily wage is sixty barts. So in a month that’s eighteen hundred barts, and if we subtract the long-term lodging fee of five hundred…”
“Thirteen hundred barts.”
“Exactly. Thirteen hundred barts. With that we can buy a fine carriage— …I mean, a good horse.”
“But…”
“Do you have a better idea?”
Leaning closer to the silent Alexei, Angelina whispered,
“It’s fine. Nobody suspects a thing. It’s like the country of Latria doesn’t even exist in their heads.”
Alexei had felt the same thing while walking around the harbor.
“So leave the fine horse to me.”
“Even so…”
“If you’re that bothered, then help out too. They seemed like they’d appreciate having a male worker around. If we both work, we can leave this place in two weeks.”
“How am I supposed to do that kind of work…?”
Angelina lightly smacked his head with the feather duster she was holding.
“Get a grip. You’re not a crown prince anymore.”
She brushed past him and stopped in front of the first room in the hallway.
As she stepped inside, she glanced back at him.
“How long are you going to stand there?”
“I’m moving. I said I’m moving.”
Muttering complaints rarely heard from him, Alexei started down the stairs.
Nancy, owner of the Red Moon Inn, had been very happy these past few days.
Business had increased.
A lot.
And she could no longer deny that the reason was the two workers she had hired a few days earlier.
At first, they had looked like people who had never touched water in their lives, so she had been suspicious. But appearances really were deceiving.
She had originally intended to fire them as soon as the long-overdue cleaning was done, but now she hoped they would stay as long as possible.
If they complained about the wages, she was even willing to raise them by five barts.
Was five too stingy?
Then ten.
Their presence had definitely boosted profits, but it also brought side effects.
“The inn’s become so clean. Breathing feels easy now. If it used to be hell, now it’s heaven.”
“At least it won’t top the list of inns travelers should never visit anymore. I thought that spot would never change.”
“They say if a person changes suddenly, they die soon. You’re not sick, are you?”
Nancy had never expected such enthusiastic reactions from guests and nearby shopkeepers.
Thinking of stacks of money, she steadied herself.
“I just hired workers, that’s all.”
“I’m amazed anyone would work at that inn!”
“They’re only working temporarily because they’re short on travel funds. They’ll probably leave once they save enough.”
“Oh dear. Why not cut off their legs and keep them here?”
“Then they wouldn’t be able to work.”
“Oh my, you’re right. Hohoho. Still, you’re lucky.”
Nancy agreed with that much.
The innkeeper across the street, Maron, showed particular interest in the new workers. She had rushed over the moment she heard the rumors.
“So that’s them? Not two women after all, but a couple? Siblings?”
“They said they’re something like siblings.”
Unable to decipher what “something like siblings” meant, Nancy simply repeated what she had heard.
“Something like siblings? Half-siblings?”
“Who knows. Otherwise they could’ve just said they were siblings.”
“Maybe they’re siblings who don’t acknowledge each other.”
“Well, they do fight every day.”
Right then, the two came downstairs.
Growling at each other like cats fighting over territory.
“They seem close.”
“Close? Even though they fight every day?”
Nancy’s eyes widened.
“That’s exactly why. The fact they can fight like that means they’re close.”
As an only child, the world of siblings was far too difficult for Nancy. She decisively gave up trying to understand it.
“The guy is really handsome. The girl’s pretty too.”
“They are.”
“They don’t look like people who should be working in a place like this. Maybe…”
“Maybe?”
Tilting her head dramatically, Maron whispered,
“They’re probably illegitimate children of some noble family.”
It was a surprisingly logical guess.
“They still look young. Poor things. Coming all the way to another country and working at an inn… their story must be tragic.”
While the two innkeepers clicked their tongues sympathetically, the pair being observed like zoo animals were having their own conversation.
“They’ve been whispering about us for a while. Do you think we’ve been found out?”
“Maybe not. It reminds me of noblewomen gossiping at a ballroom.”
Except instead of fluttering fans, it was their expressions and lip movements that were identical.
“This won’t do. Time to use my trump card.”
Angelina pulled a bundle of cloth from her apron pocket and unfolded it. It was a white apron matching her own.
“Put it on.”
Her sparkling eyes had never looked more terrifying.
“Don’t come near me.”
Alexei recoiled in horror.
“Just close your eyes and put it on. Then we’ll be safe.”
“No. Absolutely not.”
Nancy and Maron watched their bizarre standoff.
“They really are close.”
“They really are.”
“Oh, have you heard the news? Pirates have been tearing through the town.”
“When are pirates not causing trouble?”
“This time feels different. Apparently they’re searching for someone. Anyway, be careful. You never know where the sparks might fly.”
After warning her once more, Maron left.
It should be fine.
Pirates had their own regular inns they stayed at, and since Nancy spent all day inside hers, there was no reason she’d ever cross paths with them.
Telling herself she worried too much, she tried to shake off her growing unease.
“Wine delivery!”
Of the three barrels delivered, two were for the inn, while one would be resold to the Black Lion Inn. It was an annoying arrangement caused by a cheap contract she’d agreed to long ago.
But today, she didn’t mind.
Thinking of Alexei, Nancy smiled triumphantly.
