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Chapter 36
Who exactly was supposed to be apologizing here?
Angelina was dumbfounded, but she followed Franz into the inn anyway.
The inside was a complete mess. Whether it was the pirates’ doing or the terrified guests’, no one knew, but the furniture and belongings had been overturned and scattered everywhere.
Franz picked up a sheet lying on the floor and spread it across a long table. When he returned after briefly stepping away, he had a pen and ink in hand.
“What are you trying to do?”
The painter ignored the question and simply continued drawing.
And he did so with astonishing seriousness.
An untouchable aura seemed to surround him.
The other two silently watched as Franz Boyle moved his pen across the white cloth.
To their surprise, it was a map.
“How did you memorize all this…?”
Aleksei couldn’t close his mouth. The map taking shape beneath Franz’s fingertips was nothing short of miraculous.
In less than thirty minutes, a copy of the treasure map was complete.
“What? What is it?”
“It’s the map we lost.”
Aleksei examined the cloth map, then looked at Franz.
Only then did all the things from his background investigation that hadn’t made sense finally click into place.
How he had been able to describe Angelina Agert with such precision. Why the security bureau coveted him. Why even the imperial family had commissioned him to paint wedding portraits.
It wasn’t simply because of his artistic skill.
It was because of his unmatched memory and the speed with which he could reproduce what he saw.
“You were a genius?”
Angelina looked equally shocked. The way she looked at Franz now was completely different from before.
For some reason, that irritated Aleksei.
“So it wasn’t a lie after all. And obviously not magic either… I can’t believe I’m meeting a genius I’d only ever heard about. This is incredible.”
“Angel, you may not know this, but people call me a genius too—”
“How can someone even have a talent like this? Seriously, that’s amazing.”
She’s completely captivated.
Aleksei frowned as he watched Angelina bounce excitedly while staring at the cloth map.
It was fortunate Franz had kept his promise to the duke, but somehow Aleksei’s mood had worsened.
He quickly folded the copied map and shoved it into his pocket.
“We don’t have time for this. We need to get out of here.”
“You’re just leaving it like this?”
“If people find out the pirates are chasing us, nothing good will come of it. The rumors may already be spreading.”
“Still, we should at least apologize. This place ended up like this because of us.”
Angelina looked around at the devastated inn.
“The owner probably won’t be coming back anytime soon.”
Franz spoke.
After seeing the pirates outside through the back entrance, the owner had panicked and fled.
“…I still need to collect my wages.”
“You apologized a moment ago, and now you still want to get paid?”
Franz lightly mocked her.
“I’m desperate for every coin.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
Aleksei thumped his chest.
“The duke even gave us travel funds. Let’s go.”
He was carrying enough money to buy several fine horses and still have plenty left over.
Angelina finally realized there was no more reason to hesitate.
The innkeeper had hired complete foreigners without suspicion and treated them kindly.
And they had turned the den-like inn into a place fit for people to live in. There was no reason to feel guilty. In the end, they hadn’t even collected wages, so it was basically volunteer work.
The owner might feel disappointed they left without saying goodbye, though.
“Angel?”
“I’m going. I’m going.”
Shaking away her thoughts, Angelina started walking.
But Franz didn’t move.
“I’ll stay here.”
“You’re staying here? Seriously?”
“We just got tangled up together by chance. I never intended to join your journey.”
It was the answer he hadn’t been able to give back at Duke Lyon’s estate. The duke’s appearance had merely postponed it, but his decision had already been made.
Franz repeatedly regretted involving himself in their affairs at all.
He couldn’t keep repeating the same mistake.
The wisest course was to avoid sticking his hands and feet into matters that weren’t his own. Experience had taught him that truth too many times for him to ignore it now.
“You think you’ll be safe alone? The pirates are targeting you too.”
“I’ll handle that myself.”
“I don’t intend to drag along someone who won’t stand on my side.”
Suppressing his disappointment, Aleksei answered coldly. He knew Franz had been an enormous help so far, but he had no real reason to stop him.
“Franz Boyle.”
Suddenly Angelina stepped directly in front of him. Franz looked momentarily flustered by the eyes staring straight up at him.
“Isn’t there even a tiny part of you that wants to come along? Even if you act reluctant?”
“….”
“You’re hesitating.”
“No. Not at all.”
Ignoring his denial, Angelina continued.
“If even a little part of you feels differently, then leave it to fate once. If we meet again within a day, then you join us—no questions asked. How about it?”
“…Fine.”
Thinking it was an amusing proposal, Franz smiled lightly.
“Then have a pleasant journey.”
“I’ll skip the goodbye.”
“Confident, are we?”
Angelina shrugged.
The three parted ways in front of the inn.
Watching Franz disappear between the alleyways, Angelina asked,
“Why didn’t you stop him?”
“This isn’t a journey for someone who can’t make up his mind.”
“But he would’ve been useful.”
“He’s already done enough for us.”
Angelina nodded at that and turned away without lingering regrets. It was time to focus on what lay ahead.
“So where are we going now?”
Aleksei unfolded the map.
“There’s a mountain path that way. Once we cross it, there’s another village. Let’s head there first.”
“A mountain?”
“It’s just a hill behind the village.”
A back hill or a front hill—it was still a mountain.
Angelina felt like she was dying.
After days of hard labor and inadequate meals, her stamina was completely drained.
And she had never liked hiking in the first place.
As long as it got her on screen, she would accept almost any script, but she had flatly rejected even the offer of a Himalayan climbing film.
Why climb a mountain you were just going to come back down from anyway?
Of course, she understood that they needed to avoid people and reach the neighboring village unseen.
But understanding that didn’t magically make it easier.
Angelina sat down on a rock.
“Let’s rest a bit.”
Aleksei sat beside her on the same rock.
“You can climb trees just fine, but not mountains?”
“And you’re not exactly good at either, are you?”
Quit pretending. You look exhausted too.
“There aren’t many rough mountains in Latria.”
Instead of denying it, Aleksei made excuses.
“You called this a hill.”
“Well, a hill by Latrian standards. Turns out there’s quite a difference.”
Angelina snickered at the weak excuse.
“We should hurry. The sun’s about to set.”
The sun hung precariously between the branches, as if it could fall at any moment.
“Here.”
Aleksei held out his hand. Once she took it, he gently pulled her up and tucked her against his side.
“We just need to get over that ridge. After that, it’s downhill all the way.”
The two energetically headed toward the last stretch of high ground.
The sun dropped below the mountain as quickly as a boulder rolling downhill. By the time they crossed the ridge and started descending, darkness had swallowed them whole.
“Do you have a lantern?”
“In the bag.”
“Wait, I’ll get it.”
Aleksei reached into the darkness.
Smack.
Angelina slapped the back of his hand.
“That’s not the bag, that’s my chest—”
“I-I can’t really see…”
Flustered, Aleksei changed direction.
Smack.
Another slap landed.
“That’s my leg.”
“Ah…”
“Stay still.”
Angelina grabbed his stiff hand and guided it somewhere else.
Something brushed against his fingertips.
The bag.
Aleksei opened the clasp and immediately started fumbling around again.
Rustle, rustle.
The jumble of items inside only confused him more.
In the darkness, the sound of swallowing seemed strangely loud.
With a sigh, Angelina reached into the bag herself. The lantern was shoved into the left corner, while Aleksei kept searching the right side.
“It’s right here. I should’ve just grabbed it from the start.”
Angelina switched on the lantern. The sudden light made Aleksei squint.
“You know, I just realized something else was missing from our wedding.”
Angelina smiled softly in the warm orange glow.
“Besides exchanging rings?”
“Yeah.”
“Wedding vows?”
“That too, but…”
Aleksei tilted his head.
Then an unexpected word slipped from Angelina’s rounded lips.
“A kiss.”
