TERMS 29

Chapter 29

A large basket had tipped over, and seashells were rolling out. An elderly woman was picking them up and putting them back into the basket.

I spoke to her.

“Hello.”

The woman looked up. She was the same lady who had come to buy shells when I first saw Ben trying to lower their price.

“Is something wrong? Where’s Mr. Ben?”

I asked while helping her pick up the shells. Baron set down the container he was carrying and started picking up the shells as well. The woman looked troubled as she spoke.

“Oh… well…”

I was surprised by her explanation.

“What? You mean Mr. Ben’s son might have been kidnapped?”

“Someone saw a suspicious situation. They saw a man in old suspenders talking to Peter. Mr. Ben got a call from his wife, panicked, and ran off, knocking everything over.”

After putting all the shells back in the basket, the woman sighed and dusted off her clothes.

“I’ve collected everything, but the place is empty… I have to go back to my shop, so I can’t just watch over it forever… I’m worried someone might steal it since there’s no owner.”

She looked at the container Baron had put down and shook her head.

“You must have carried these shells and clams all this way to sell them, and now it’s all ruined.”

“It’s okay.”

I divided the shells and clams we had brought between two empty baskets from Ben’s stall.

I put the toppled wooden box back in place and sat down, placing our container next to me as a makeshift chair for Baron.

“Since Mr. Ben is in trouble, let’s watch over the stall.”

Baron nodded without a word and sat on the container.

“There’s no rush. I can watch the stall and sell with you.”

The worried expression on the woman’s face eased.

“Oh, really? You’ll do that?”

“Yes. We’ve seen you before, and since something serious has happened, we should help. Thank you for telling us.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it. I’ve known you for a while, and I didn’t want to ignore it.”

The woman thanked me and left.

Once the situation calmed, people who had been watching scattered, clicking their tongues in disapproval.

“Why are they like that?” I muttered.

Baron chuckled beside me.

“They probably wanted to steal everything while the place was empty.”

“That’s awful,” I said, shaking my head. But I also admired them.

“Did they hear that? Good ears.”

Baron laughed.

“Earlier, when you were busy talking to the lady, I overheard them plotting.”

“I see. Good thing we stayed.”

It hadn’t been long since the rain stopped, so there weren’t any customers yet.

I rested my chin on my hand and watched drops of water drip from the edge of the canopy.

How did the kidnapping in the original story happen again?

In the original story, Nelloa and Bloden, the two main characters, became involved from the very start. Nelloa, visiting the imperial capital, had been captivated by Bloden’s presence while sightseeing. She followed him into a quiet alley and got grabbed by the wrist.

Bloden was described as a tall, strong man with black hair like the night sky and red eyes that stared sharply. Nelloa, trapped between his arms and the wall, remembered feeling her heart race like never before. She realized he was her destined prince.

I remembered this from when I read the story, but I wasn’t sure about every detail. Ages of the characters were clear, though—Bloden had just become an adult, and Nelloa was three years older.

Later, Nelloa noticed the large handprint Bloden left on her wrist and felt her heart flutter. She eventually discovered that he was Bloden and the emperor and went to the port city of Snoril.

There, she found a secret passage in a restaurant and followed it to the place where the kidnapped children were held. The kidnappers had carefully planned everything, and the mastermind was Baron Aer from a neighboring territory, with the regent covering for him.

If someone like me, a simple extra, tried to interfere, it would be too dangerous.

The kidnapping was meant to be solved by the main characters, so I hadn’t planned to do anything. But I realized something important: the main characters in the story were twenty-three and twenty years old. If Bloden was already an adult, the kidnapping would soon be resolved, and Ben’s son would safely return.

But if Bloden wasn’t yet an adult… and if “a long time” meant years, not months…

I shivered.

What am I thinking? I’m crazy!

I didn’t know when the main characters would arrive or what would happen to the kidnapped children. Providing hints to the kidnappers could be dangerous.

I reminded myself: This is just a story, and I’m Extra 1. I shouldn’t interfere with the main characters’ plot.

It would be suspicious if an extra knew too much. Maybe I could send an anonymous note to the lord.

Just then, Baron spoke.

“Someone’s coming, sister.”

A customer had arrived and was looking at the clams we brought.

I realized I’d been lost in thought and quickly greeted them.

“Welcome! Take a look at our clams. The water is very good, and they’re fully cleaned. The price is low too.”

The customer haggled a bit but bought all the clams. Soon after, another customer bought some seashells.

Oh? Business is going better than I thought.

One chatty customer gave us some extra advice.

“Miss, don’t you know? If you turn that corner, you can see this spot clearly. It’s a good location for a stall.”

By late afternoon, all the seafood—ours and the original stock—was sold.

So that’s why they were willing to buy as long as the quality was good.

Baron pointed out someone approaching.

“Look, here he comes.”

Ben walked over, shoulders slumped, looking exhausted.

When he finally looked at us and the stall, his eyes widened in surprise.

“Uh? You guys?”

His eyes were red—he must have been crying while looking for his son.