Chapter 71
‘You say that, but you always end up helping anyway.’
I gulped down the blue potion in my hand.
“Do you even know what you’re drinking? You have to drink it and imagine the appearance you want.”
At Heraise’s words, I pictured hair like the duke’s and Noah’s—silver, not curly, but long and straight.
A moment later—
“Oh my gosh, my hair’s swaying so smoothly…!”
Seeing my hair transformed into silver, I excitedly flicked it back and forth.
Rina and Ban’s mouths fell open.
“My lady, you really do look just like the young lord like this.”
“Right?! You’re practically his twin. The girl version of Noah.”
“That much…?”
That won’t do. I changed my appearance so Noah wouldn’t recognize me, but if it’s obvious at a glance, this is useless.
“Hmm… I wanted to try it, but I guess not.”
In the end, I washed away the silver and covered my hair with the empire’s most common brown. I even changed my eye color while I was at it.
‘Hmm. What color should I pick?’
As I was thinking, my eyes met Heraise’s.
When I saw his sea-like blue eyes, an impulse struck me.
“I’ve decided.”
I gazed straight into Heraise’s eyes, fixing that color in my mind.
When I opened them again, I asked him,
“How is it? Did it change?”
“…Why that color, of all things?”
“Because your eyes are pretty.”
“…”
“Is it… not good?”
I asked carefully. Heraise slowly raised his hand and brushed the corner of my eye.
“No, it’s pretty. Too pretty.”
“Really? Then big brother definitely won’t recognize me now, right?”
With brown hair and blue eyes, I had transformed into a commoner. Feeling confident, I declared proudly.
“Well… If it’s the young lord, he might still notice.”
“But I look this different!”
“He’s your brother.”
Tch. Still, there’s no way he’ll really notice…
A fine drizzle fell.
It had rained heavily for days—the ground was soggy, the air damp.
At the entrance of the village, I brushed the damp hood of my robe off my cheek and tilted my head.
“They said it was contaminated, but it looks fine?”
“Yeah. At a glance, it’s just an ordinary village.”
Heraise, now with black-dyed hair, stroked his chin. Something about this bothered him, but he couldn’t pin it down. His expression was uneasy.
“Let’s go in first?”
I tugged at Heraise’s arm.
“We can’t just stand around—”
The moment I stepped into Mendel, my skin prickled like I’d been doused in cold water.
An eerie chill crawled over me, and I rubbed the back of my neck.
“My lady? Are you cold?”
As expected, Rina’s now dark-brown hair—thanks to the potion—fell into my vision.
“It’s nothing. Anyway, Ban…”
“These floppy ears are so annoying!”
Ban, who had changed from a white tiger into a black rabbit plushie, kept tugging at his long ears in irritation.
“Ban, we’re in a village now. Behave.”
“Tch.”
Pouting, Ban drooped his body like a proper stuffed toy.
Once we reached the square, I looked around.
It was just an ordinary village—
If you ignored the ominous forest surrounding it.
‘Scratch that—it’s not fine at all.’
The closer we got to the forest, the stickier the air became.
“Heren, that must be the contaminated forest.”
“If you’re thinking of entering now, absolutely not.”
Heraise lifted his head toward the sky.
Seeing the sun dipping lower, he shook his head.
“Going in now would be asking to get lost.”
“Then should we find an inn first?”
At Rina’s question, Heraise nodded and turned.
Just as we started to follow him, glancing at the forest—
“Civilians aren’t allowed in here.”
“Oh, sorry.”
I bowed, but when I saw the man I’d bumped into, my mouth fell open.
‘Of all people…’
I quickly lowered my head, avoiding his gaze.
“Well then, we’ll just—”
“Wait… Sienna?”
Flinch. My shoulders jerked obviously as Ethan blocked my path.
His uncertain eyes widened as realization struck.
“Your hair and eye color… No, more importantly—what are you doing here?! Do you even know where this is?”
“…Ethan.”
Startled, Ethan grabbed my shoulders.
“This is a contaminated zone! You just barely recovered, and now you’re stepping into danger again? Are you out of your mind?!”
He shook my shoulders, shouting in panic—but I didn’t hear a word.
“Why?! Why was I recognized immediately?!”
Changing appearance was pointless if I was caught right away!
“Your voice alone gives you away, idiot.”
“Who are you calling an idiot?!”
And why’s he yelling at me?!
We were both raising our voices when—
“Enough.”
Heraise appeared and pulled me into his arms, pushing Ethan back.
“Don’t grab her shoulders so rudely. That’s disrespectful.”
“…And wrapping your arm around her isn’t rude?”
“It’s fine between us. Right, Sienna?”
His arm tightened subtly. Reluctantly, I nodded.
“Y-Yeah…”
“Tch.”
Ethan let out a dry laugh, his expression unreadable.
Ignoring him, Heraise pulled my hood up over my head.
“Sis, don’t take off your hood again, okay?”
“Okay. I didn’t think I’d be recognized this fast.”
Worried I’d run into more acquaintances, I pulled the hood down to cover my nose.
“So why are you here? Looking for the duke too?”
“You too…? Ethan, you met my brother?”
“Of course. How could anyone miss someone that important?”
He explained how, the moment Noah set foot in Mendel, everyone had recognized him.
“You were going to head into that forest at this hour too?”
The way he said it, if I admitted it, he’d drag me to Noah immediately.
Trapped in Heraise’s arms, I shook my head.
“No, we were just on our way to find lodging.”
“Lodging?”
“It’ll be night soon, and we haven’t secured a place to stay.”
“At this rate, we might end up sleeping on the streets.”
Rina quickly jumped in, pointing at the darkening sky.
“Priest Ethan, unless it’s urgent, could you let us go first? We need to find a place right away. At least for our lady, sleeping outside is not an option.”
Begging him to let us go, Rina pressed the point—but Ethan grabbed us again.
“If it’s lodging you need, just stay where I’m staying. Come along.”
“And where’s that?”
“There.”
Ethan pointed—
At the lord’s castle.
The lord of Mendel had opened his castle to the priests of the Grand Temple as thanks for coming to purify the contaminated forest.
But only for priests.
“We’re not priests. Is it really okay?”
“It’s just three of you, not a whole group. It’ll be fine.”
Thanks to Ethan, we were getting free lodging. I trailed after him obediently.
Heraise didn’t look thrilled, but no place could top a castle.
“Besides, priests aren’t the only ones staying there.”
“Oh? Then who else—”
“The young lord—”
“Eek!”
At Ethan’s words, I spotted a familiar back ahead and instantly dove behind a pillar.
Heraise and Rina followed suit.
Seeing our ridiculous sneaking, Ethan frowned.
“Sienna. What are you doing?”
“Shh! Don’t say my name!”
Yanking him close by the collar, I shook him once Noah was gone.
“You—you! Why didn’t you tell me my brother was here?!”
“Where else would he stay but here? Do I really have to spell that out? Besides, you’d be safer near him.”
So he’d brought me here with good intentions.
Ethan arched a brow at my guilty fidgeting.
“Wait. Did you sneak out? And change your hair and eyes as a disguise?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake…”
Ethan sighed and rubbed his forehead.
I ignored his exasperated look and poked his side.
“Hey, what floor is my brother on?”
“Third.”
“And us?”
“Second.”
“Whew, thank goodness.”
I clutched my chest in relief.
‘Tomorrow, first thing, we’re changing inns.’
I just needed to get through tonight without being caught.
I hurried up the stairs—
never noticing the gaze that followed me.
“This will be your room.”
Ethan handed me a key to a room at the end of the second floor.
Taking it, I glanced around.
The room wasn’t too big: two beds, a small sofa, a table.
“You know we can’t split rooms.”
I knew. Even if the lord provided free rooms, we were still just guests in disguise.
And with our identities hidden, they couldn’t exactly assign extra rooms to fit our group size.
“But men and women can’t share a room. So you’ll stay with me and—”
Before he could finish, Heraise slipped inside with a bright smile.
“That’s enough guiding. You can go now.”
Thud. The door shut.
Silence fell at his high-handed behavior.
