33.
The whole place was thick with cigarette smoke.
It was so hazy I could barely see people’s faces.
Zaka glanced back at me and raised an eyebrow, surprised.
“You alright?”
I just shrugged, but his narrowed eyes told me he wanted an answer.
“Rohwinas used to smoke,” I said casually.
“…”
“Oh, he quit later, but the thing is—”
“I didn’t ask,” Zaka cut me off flatly.
I hadn’t planned to say much anyway.
I grinned teasingly. “Zaka, you should learn to take responsibility for your own curiosity. That’s what adults do.”
“Mind your own business.”
Muttering under his breath, Zaka took my arm and led me deeper inside.
Soon, a stage came into view.
A performance was underway, though it was hard to see clearly through all the smoke and the flashing lights.
The music was loud—too loud—and oddly sultry. It made me feel awkward just listening.
Then a boy who looked like a waiter ran over, glancing between the two of us before asking Zaka,
“Where would you like to sit?”
What?
It was obvious that I—
“—look like it’s your first time here,” Zaka whispered near my ear.
“And you don’t?” I shot back.
He ignored me smoothly and spoke to the boy.
“We’d like somewhere private. As you can see, this lady’s new to this kind of place.”
“Ah, if that’s the case, I know just the right spot.”
We followed the boy, and I leaned in close to Zaka, whispering fast.
“This feels like the kind of place I shouldn’t be. The kind where Julie wouldn’t just scold me—she’d kill me.”
“Just think of it as a bar with live performances,” he said calmly.
“You’re saying that like it’s not actually that simple.”
I tugged at his sleeve. Zaka clicked his tongue and turned around.
“Walk properly. People will stare. What do you think they’ll assume we are?”
“What else? Lovers.”
He bent down to meet my eyes, smirking like he was talking to a child.
“How old are you, Baroness?”
“Old enough, thank you very much.”
I jabbed my elbow into his side. “And don’t call me that here. Someone might recognize my title.”
“Then should I call you by your name?”
“No, absolutely not.”
“Oh, absolutely not?” He raised a brow, amused.
Then he started listing options. “Then what? My lady? Mistress? Or maybe—”
“Actually, forget it. Just call me by my name,” I said quickly.
He tilted his head in mock surprise but nodded.
We were led to a small private room with a window overlooking the stage.
I’d been bracing myself for something sleazy, but it was surprisingly clean and elegant—perfect for tea or light refreshments.
Well, except for the bed behind the curtain. I firmly decided to ignore that.
Zaka ordered a few dishes and flicked a gold coin to the boy. The boy grinned widely and left.
(My precious gold coin…)
Outside the window, the performance reached its peak, the singer’s high notes echoing through the room.
Zaka leaned by the window and whistled softly.
“She’s good.”
“Then go watch from the floor,” I said dryly.
He turned toward me. “We might not find any clues tonight, so get used to the place first.”
“I hope you’re not saying we’ll have to come back here again.”
While we were exchanging pointless banter, the food arrived.
As Zaka served me a bit of everything, my eyes fell on the wine bottle.
Suddenly, I felt thirsty.
I glanced at him.
Without even looking my way, Zaka said firmly, “No.”
“Then why’d you order it?”
“Do you think anyone comes here just to eat? It’s for appearances.”
“Then can I at least smell it?”
“Why would you smell it if you’re not drinking it?”
“To at least feel like I’m drinking something.”
As soon as I reached for the bottle, he grabbed it.
“No.”
“If we don’t pour it, they’ll get suspicious. We have to fill the glasses, at least,” I said, motioning toward the faint shadows moving outside the door.
He clearly knew what I meant, because he sighed irritably and let go.
I sank back into my chair. “And it’s so loud and stuffy in here. I’m getting dizzy.”
When I felt the grip on the bottle loosen, I happily popped the cork.
I poured wine into both glasses and slid one toward him.
After eating a few bites, I leaned closer and whispered, “They gone?”
“Yeah. Gone.”
“That’s strange. Do they usually keep an eye on guests like that?”
“Who knows? Maybe there’s a reason.”
“What kind of reason?”
He shrugged, avoiding the question.
I clicked my tongue. “Maybe… they thought we didn’t look enough like lovers.”
“Are you picking a fight?”
“It’s just a logical guess.”
I tilted my glass and “accidentally” spilled a little over my dress.
Luckily, it was white wine, so it didn’t show much.
Then I flicked a few drops onto Zaka’s clothes too.
He glared at me. “What are you doing?”
“If we’re going to snoop around later, we’d better look the part.”
“And that means what, exactly?”
“If someone catches us, we’ll just pretend we’re drunk.”
When I poured wine onto my palm and rubbed it on my skin, he raised an eyebrow.
“Try actually drinking that, and see what happens,” he warned.
“I’m not that shameless.”
“Are you sure?”
“You’re getting cocky tonight.”
“Well, tonight I’m your lover, remember?”
“If you’re my lover, maybe act like it instead of being so annoying.”
Grumbling, I stood up and looked around the room seriously.
“Hm. Yeah, I can see it. It doesn’t really feel like a lovers’ room. Too tidy.”
“It feels more like a drunkard’s mess,” Zaka muttered.
Ignoring him, I strode toward the curtain, yanked it open, and went straight to the bed.
I threw myself on it, wrinkling the sheets completely, then sat up and tossed a pillow at him.
The pillow landed by his feet. Zaka stared at it, bewildered.
“What’s next? Breaking things?”
“When lovers drink together in a place like this, there’s usually only one thing that happens next.”
“…”
I sat on the edge of the bed, fixing my skirt. “Are you going to stand there all night?”
“…You’re serious?”
“Completely.”
He sighed deeply and rubbed his face before moving.
He knocked over a chair, tipped a plate so food scattered onto the floor, and then crushed a piece of dessert under his boot.
His expression was unreadable.
When we accidentally bumped backs while moving the table, he stepped away quickly with another sigh.
“I’m not sure this… even makes sense. You’re the only person who’d actually believe this kind of act. If we were really pretending—”
“Stop overthinking! This is perfect. It looks like two people drank too much and got bored.”
As I tossed one of my earrings onto the bed, Zaka silently grabbed his glass and downed the wine in one go.
“Hey! You told me not to drink!” I protested.
But before the wine even went down his throat—
He suddenly spat it out.
“Pwah—!”
“You didn’t have to spit it on the floor,” I muttered, frowning.
He pushed his messy hair back. “That’s not it…”
I stepped closer.
“They put something in the wine.”
“What?”
While I lifted my glass to my nose, Zaka rinsed his mouth several times with water.
I smelled a faint, strange scent—barely noticeable, but there.
“How did you notice?” I asked.
“I just know when I taste it.”
I knew he was sharp, but I hadn’t realized how sensitive his senses were.
Most people wouldn’t have noticed something that subtle.
Then, a strange familiarity hit me.
I let a few drops of wine fall onto my hand and tasted it.
Zaka grabbed my shoulder. “Why would you do that? I just said it was tainted!”
“…”
He stared at my face, searching my expression, until I finally spoke.
“I’ve smelled this before. And tasted it too.”
I reached into my coat and pulled out a small leather pouch.
Untying the cord, I took out a tiny glass vial and handed it to him.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“A clue—something that might link this place to the heretics.”
Zaka’s expression hardened immediately, then went blank.
“It belonged to one of the heretics,” I added.
He leaned in and sniffed the vial. His face told me he smelled the same thing.
I had come here looking for leads on the elixir.
I hadn’t expected to stumble upon this.
“Still,” he said quietly, “you shouldn’t have taken such a risk.”
“I needed to be sure.”
“Sure of what?”
I met his eyes.
“Let’s not go back tonight.”
He was silent.
“I need to know what’s really happening here,” I said.
“Stay with me until morning.”
