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Chapter 37
“Suddenly, that came to mind. Funny, isn’t it?”
Angelina’s laughter cut through the night air. It was a bright, pleasant laugh. And yet, Alexei did not laugh.
“Why are you making such a serious face again? You’re thinking, What nonsense is she talking about at a time like this? Fine, I’ll stop. I know it sounds weird too.”
“Give me that.”
Pouting slightly, Angelina held out the lantern. Alexei silently took it from her hand.
“Good thing we brought it from the inn. Otherwise we’d be completely stuck here—”
Angelina turned around again, startled by the darkness surrounding them.
“Did the lantern break?”
“……”
“Did it run out of oi—”
Long fingers brushed against Angelina’s chin, and then—
Alexei’s lips covered hers.
Darkness flowed softly between their lips.
Why did it feel as though there was light, even though everything around them was pitch black?
As though a candle had been lit in place of the broken lantern.
Strange.
Her heart pounding like this was strange too.
Just as Angelina tried to stretch out her stiffened fingers, their lips parted.
Click.
The lantern flickered back on, illuminating the surroundings.
The first thing she saw was Alexei standing before her.
“Shall we head back down now?”
His tone was so casual that what had just happened almost felt like a dream.
As always, his expression was dry and rigid—nothing like the softness of his lips.
“Y-Yeah. Let’s go.”
Alexei, with that same indifferent face, even took her bag and strode ahead as if nothing had happened.
So Angelina decided to pretend nothing had happened too.
Don’t act like some naïve girl because it was your first kiss. Don’t ask why your heart is racing or what it all means.
I’m the one who started throwing stones first, Angelina thought, remembering how she had teased him about weddings and kisses.
So Alexei had thrown one back.
…Though it wasn’t really a stone. More like a ball of cotton.
Still, she didn’t regret it.
It wasn’t a kiss born from love, but somehow, it was reassuring.
As though, in a land where no one could be trusted, he was swearing that he alone would stand firmly on her side.
“What are you doing? We need to hurry.”
Alexei returned and grabbed her arm tightly.
Their relationship was nothing like Naomi and Franz’s unstable one.
He was the only person who would never betray her.
Feeling that certainty in the arm holding her securely, Angelina descended the mountain with him.
Franz returned to where he had been before. The easel and painting supplies were gone. The streets were strangely quiet.
After becoming a pirate target, there was no way business could continue in a place with no customers.
Franz returned to the art shop and paid off his tab. There wasn’t much money left.
Maybe I should just leave this place for now.
Having made up his mind, Franz hailed a carriage.
“How much to Is?”
“To go all the way to Is, it’ll cost you 100 baht.”
“That’s too expensive.”
“Then try another carriage. Though you’ll probably waste your time.”
The driver replied indifferently.
“Why?”
“With pirates stirring up trouble everywhere, the streets are empty. Most drivers already packed up and went home. I was heading back too.”
Franz held out the remaining coins he had.
“Then please take me as far as this fare will allow.”
“With this? You’ll barely make it to the next village… Fine.”
The driver accepted the money with mixed reluctance and resignation.
Twenty minutes after the carriage began moving—
The pace wasn’t fast, as though the driver had no intention of going far. Naturally. He wouldn’t want to stray too far from home for such little pay, especially if he’d have to return with an empty carriage.
But Franz’s real concern was his own situation.
What was he supposed to do after getting off?
He had no money left. His only options were sleeping on the streets or walking.
While Franz was deep in thought, the driver’s window slid open.
“I’ll stop up ahead.”
“Understood.”
“Looks like there’s another customer too. Guess I’m not getting home early after all.”
The driver hummed cheerfully at the sight of a new passenger.
So I ended up handing over my carriage seat to someone else. Whoever they are, they must’ve been desperate without a carriage.
Franz glanced listlessly out the window.
“Ah…”
Franz despised words like fate and destiny.
He always dismissed them as nothing more than pretty packaging for self-justification and self-defense.
But at this moment, those contemptible words were the only ones that came to mind.
“Try leaving it to fate.”
So that’s why she said that.
The corners of his parted lips slowly curved upward. Then he let out a dry little laugh.
The carriage rolled slightly past the waiting passengers before stopping.
“Aren’t you getting off?”
The driver looked baffled at his unmoving passenger. Franz stretched out an arm and opened the carriage door.
“Huh?”
It was the Crown Prince and Princess. They looked just as shocked.
The driver, unaware of the situation, clicked his tongue in irritation.
“I said the next passengers need to get on.”
“There’s no need for me to get off anymore.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means we’re sharing the ride.”
Angelina climbed into the carriage and answered for him.
“You’re traveling together? Then what about the fare?”
“The people getting on now will pay.”
As the two chuckled quietly, the driver glanced at Alexei before starting the carriage again.
“To Is.”
Alexei stated the destination and shut the driver’s window.
Silence lingered for a moment before Franz spoke first.
“I suppose I lost.”
“You should thank me. Because I said that, you were able to get into this carriage without begging.”
Angelina deliberately puffed herself up proudly.
“Begging?”
“There’s nothing around here. The inns and restaurants all closed early. Looks like the pirates made it this far inland too. They should’ve stayed busy terrorizing the sea.”
“If they catch us, death is probably the minimum punishment.”
It was a joke, but it didn’t sound like one.
If they were rampaging this wildly, it meant they were furious. The three of them desperately hoped the pirates’ target was the monkey that had run off with the map.
“I was heading to Is anyway. We would’ve met again eventually. Maybe just a day later.”
“Anyway, congratulations. I hope it becomes an adventure you won’t regret.”
Angelina held out her hand. Just as Franz reached for it, Alexei slapped his hand away.
“So you’re joining us now?”
“Do I really have a choice?”
“At least for now, no.”
Franz nodded in resignation and extended his hand again.
“Please forgive this level of rudeness.”
“Of course. Looking forward to working with you.”
Alexei clasped the hand that Franz had dared to offer first.
“Then let’s hold a meeting while we travel.”
“A meeting?”
Angelina frowned.
“If we’re preparing for a long adventure, we need a plan.”
“There’s something we need to do before that.”
Franz’s expression turned unexpectedly serious.
“What is it?”
“We need to match our stories.”
“What?”
Both of their faces instantly turned as red as tomatoes. Realizing his slip of the tongue, Franz waved his hands frantically.
“I have absolutely no intention of that, so don’t worry. I mean we need to get our story straight so we won’t be suspected.”
“Our story?”
“Where we came from, why we’re traveling, what sort of relationship we have. Things like that.”
“Can’t we just tell the truth?”
“You mean say you’re a married couple and I’m your servant?”
Alexei fell silent.
And silence meant agreement.
“You two don’t look like a married couple, and I have no desire to play servant.”
That was true.
Franz had joined them as an ally, after all.
Angelina nodded in agreement.
“If a man and woman are traveling together despite not being married, siblings would make the most sense. Two older brothers and a younger sister. What do you think?”
“Alexei and I are the same age.”
“Then fraternal twins.”
“An older brother and older sister who are twins.”
Angelina shot back immediately.
“You said you only recently came of age. So—”
“Then how old is Franz?”
Why doesn’t this country have ID cards?
For the first time, Angelina deeply mourned that fact.
“Don’t tell me you’re over thirty.”
“How could this face possibly belong to someone in his thirties? I’m only one year older.”
“It’s strange imagining you and Angel as siblings.”
Alexei crossed his arms and muttered.
“You told the innkeeper we were siblings.”
“I said something like siblings.”
If they were siblings, then they were siblings. What exactly did something like siblings mean?
Angelina suddenly became very curious what the innkeeper had assumed.
“More importantly, you don’t look alike.”
“If resemblance is the issue, half-siblings exist too.”
“Right. Then you two can be real brothers, and I’ll be the half-sister.”
“Would three half-siblings really travel together?”
Silence fell again.
Angelina recalled dramas from her previous life. Half-siblings in wealthy families were always scheming against one another over inheritance. There was never any affection involved.
“We could say we’re searching for our father’s inheritance.”
“That sounds perfect for attracting robbers.”
“Then what should we do?”
“How about we ignore the fact that I’m technically the oldest and just say we’re friends?”
Franz’s tone was more serious than ever before.
