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Chapter 8
What was this pathetic situation?
I had practically cried blood to earn that money. Then I used it to order food. Out of frustration, I even ordered a beer.
One glass of beer cost 15 Pelio. More expensive than my hat.
And yet some man I had never seen before casually picked up my precious beer, took a sip, and winked at me.
“Miss. Are you here alone? I haven’t seen you around before.”
While delivering the greasiest pickup line imaginable.
What made me even angrier was his face. I really try not to judge people’s looks, but at the very least, couldn’t he brush his teeth before approaching someone?
Holding my nose against the stench, I glared at him.
“Fifteen Pelio for the beer.”
“Huh? What was that, pretty lady?”
Just how long had it been since he’d brushed his teeth?
The foul smell pushed through my fingers and made me nauseous.
“Get that disgusting mouth away from me!”
As I gagged while covering my nose, the people who had been watching with interest began snickering.
The ugly man’s face turned bright red.
“Ha! I was trying to be nice and spend some time with a pretty girl, and this is how you act?”
He slammed the beer mug onto the table and stood up.
Beer splashed onto the food on the table.
And something snapped inside me.
“If you’re going to open your mouth, at least speak properly. It’s true that I’m pretty, but when did I ever ask you to entertain me?”
As I stood up, my chair crashed backward.
The events from the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet to my ordeal at the pawn shop flashed through my mind.
I already felt unfairly treated, and now I had to deal with this idiot too.
Suddenly, I remembered a huge argument my mother and father once had. Father had come home drunk, and Mother had said something to him.
Just one sentence.
Father had been utterly devastated.
After that, he didn’t touch alcohol for quite a while.
When I asked Mia what it meant, she told me I didn’t need to know and that it was an extremely terrible insult.
And suddenly, that phrase came back to me.
“You look like a Trituto!”
I shouted it while clenching my fists.
The restaurant instantly fell silent.
The man who had been flirting with me turned red, then blue. Veins bulged on his forehead.
“Y-you crazy woman!”
In an instant, he raised his thick arm.
I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself for the pain.
But it never came.
After waiting a moment, I cautiously opened my eyes.
And froze in shock.
“W-why are you here…?”
The last person I ever wanted to see again.
Kaillen Liveliden was standing there, gripping the man’s arm.
The largest hotel in Totulo was only three stories tall.
It was the most expensive room in the best inn around, but it was still the sort of place nobles from the capital would never set foot in.
“…The room is very… clean. Haha. Ha.”
Kaillen sat in a chair with one leg crossed over the other.
He said nothing.
“What a coincidence, though. Meeting here of all places… Haha.”
He was the person I least wanted to meet.
Afraid something might happen, I kept forcing conversation in an overly polite tone.
The room was filled only with my awkward laughter when one of the men accompanying Kaillen entered after knocking.
Ah. He’s one of Kaillen’s aides…
What was his name again?
Damn it.
The man with glasses shook his head.
Kaillen uncrossed his legs and leaned forward.
“Why did you run away?”
“Pardon? What are you talking about? Run away? I simply came here to travel.”
I had to deny it.
Every instinct in my body was blaring like a siren.
“I-I mean, why would I run away?”
“A noble lady leaving before dawn with a single bag and no servants?”
“Ah, Your Highness wouldn’t know. It’s a popular travel style among noble ladies these days.”
It was a ridiculous lie.
Even I knew that.
The most important thing when lying was confidence.
And at this point, I decided to be shameless.
“By the way… do you happen to have some money?”
One of Kaillen’s perfectly shaped eyebrows twitched.
“You see, my luggage was stolen on the train. So I had to pawn some valuable belongings, and I’d like to get them back. I’ll definitely repay you!”
The man with glasses looked at me as though wondering what kind of strange woman I was.
Wait.
He’s not going to lend it to me?
The atmosphere wasn’t good.
“…Should I write another oath?”
I still had my left thumb available.
Kaillen let out a disbelieving laugh.
Slowly, I covered my left hand with my right and smiled as brightly as possible.
After all, they say you can’t spit on a smiling face.
“Dylan. Go.”
Dylan clearly didn’t like the order, but he simply bowed and left the room.
Perhaps because this was the countryside, it was only a little past eight in the evening, yet it was already dark and quiet outside.
Unable to bear the awkward silence, I hurriedly spoke.
“Thank you. I’ll definitely pay you back.”
What kind of glory could I possibly gain from cheating the male protagonist out of money?
I’d even pay interest.
But wasn’t he staring a little too intensely?
Kaillen rested his elbow on the chair’s armrest and his chin on his hand as he watched me silently.
His bright blond hair fell naturally over his forehead.
Perhaps because he wasn’t in the capital, he was dressed more casually than usual.
Honestly, he’s exactly my type…
I smacked my lips regretfully and turned away.
The silence was broken by Kaillen.
“That night.”
I flinched.
It was the question he hadn’t asked when he visited my house yesterday.
“I-I didn’t tell anyone, okay?”
Why was I stuttering?
I wanted to slap my own mouth.
Kaillen’s expression didn’t change.
As always, it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
‘Does he think I’m connected to the Crown Prince or the Empress?’
Kaillen Liveliden wasn’t a curious seven-year-old boy.
The flawless male protagonist wouldn’t set a fire simply because he was bored.
There had to be a reason.
I was never going to tell anyone anyway.
Who would be stupid enough to stand against the protagonist?
Kaillen would eventually drag down the Crown Prince and avenge his mother.
Before long, he would meet a beautiful woman, fall in love, and live happily ever after with her.
Though he probably wouldn’t believe me if I said that.
“What is that look?”
“W-what look? The look of innocence.”
Kaillen eyed me suspiciously before standing up.
Picking up the cloak draped over the chair, he said,
“You’d be wise not to do anything foolish. I don’t trust a word you say, my lady. You clearly have something to hide. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have left a letter behind and fled your home before dawn.”
His words struck directly at my conscience.
“For now, we’ll return to the capital tomorrow. After that, I’ll take my time deciding what to do with you.”
After putting on his cloak and pulling up the hood, Kaillen left the room without hesitation.
I stared at the closed door before staggering over to the bed.
Collapsing onto it, I glared at the door.
“Then why did I even write that oath?”
Just looking at the bandaged thumb made my head ache.
Everything seemed to be getting tangled up.
I had no idea where to begin fixing it.
Should I run away again?
I quickly discarded the idea.
One of the original novel’s keywords was “obsessive male lead,” and Kaillen Liveliden had shown terrifying obsession toward the heroine when she tried to run away.
It seemed I’d have to return to the capital and rethink my plans from the beginning.
The bed was softer than it looked, and sleepiness gradually washed over me.
At least I got a free hotel stay out of this.
I wonder if Dylan managed to retrieve my belongings from the pawn shop…
I’ll check first thing tomorrow morning.
With that thought, I drifted off to sleep.
It had been a long day.
Dylan lost at rock-paper-scissors.
He had never once beaten Kaillen or Caspian.
To decide who would share the first-class compartment with Eliana Rudd on the trip back to the capital, they played rock-paper-scissors.
As usual, Dylan lost.
As punishment, Dylan had to use the same compartment as Lady Eliana Rudd.
Pretending to review documents, Dylan secretly observed the young lady sitting across from him.
At first glance, there was nothing remarkable about her.
She seemed like an ordinary noblewoman.
Perhaps just over 160 centimeters tall.
A small woman.
A small face.
Small hands.
Probably small feet too.
Yet the two eyes set in her strikingly pale face were large and vivid.
Whenever her honey-brown eyes rolled about, they looked so clear and expressive that it felt as though anyone could read her thoughts.
Could she really be connected to the Crown Prince or the Empress?
At Kaillen’s order, Dylan had investigated her background.
There were a few suspicious points, but no connection whatsoever between her and the Crown Prince.
Why had His Highness become so concerned about this harmless-looking young lady?
While peeking at her over the papers, Dylan noticed Eliana suddenly turn away from the window as if she had remembered something.
“By the way… what exactly is a Trituto, and why does everyone hate being compared to one?”
Dylan’s mouth slowly fell open.
