ISMLT 4

Episode 4

“Then I’ll take it.”

Without hesitation, I bent down and picked up the ribbon from the floor.

“Looks good on you. Take care, Luchi.”

Arpina smiled brightly, satisfied with my answer. I smiled back, waved goodbye, and practically fled from her room.

The moment the door shut behind me, the smile vanished from my face.

Ugh. Exhausting.

Arpina, my childhood friend and fellow purifier trainee, lived in a completely different world than I did.

While countless people scrambled to recruit Arpina, the first-ranked trainee, I barely held on as a fourth-rank mercenary — better than nothing, but still practically invisible.

“Personal physician, my foot…”

Who knew what kind of trouble I’d get into if I went to see Arpina’s private doctor, the one the temple had especially assigned to her.

I knew she meant well, but her kindness rarely turned out to be truly helpful.

Still, I didn’t hate her. On a temple trainee’s salary, even paying rent was a struggle — so her occasional errands were my only chance at a little extra income.

Jealous purifiers constantly hovered around her, and her dresses and belongings often went missing or got damaged.
After several such incidents, Arpina stopped trusting even her own attendants — and that’s how I became her exclusive errand girl.

“Should I take a carriage?”

I looked at the passing hired carriage. From the Audrianne estate to the temple was about a fifty-minute walk.

Normally, I would’ve walked without hesitation, but between being late this morning, running into Jerred, and getting dragged into a temporary cell — my energy was completely drained.

The weight of my slightly fuller coin purse tempted me, but then I remembered the overdue rent, my worn-out shoes, and the broken lamp I hadn’t fixed in months.
Just like that, the thought of the carriage evaporated.

“It’s not like I’ll die walking.”

I trudged toward the temple, one heavy step at a time.

I stared into the small mirror attached to the cabinet.

“You’re gorgeous already, no need to check.”

Turner, wearing his black apron, spoke as he tied the straps.

“Turner, do you think this scar will last long?”

He blinked in surprise as I leaned forward and pointed to my cheekbone. His big, calloused hand grabbed my face without warning.

“Who did this to a lady’s face?!”

“Ow— Turner, you’re crushing my jaw!”

He released me at once, and I rubbed my sore chin with the back of my hand.

“It just happened, that’s all.”

“You should be more careful. Don’t touch it until the scab falls off. And avoid sunlight.”

“Yes, sir.”

I’d acted fine in front of Arpina, but truthfully, the wound on my face bothered me more than I wanted to admit.

Maybe I should have gone to that doctor.

I’d scraped my cheek against the stone wall during that scuffle with the guards, and when I checked at home, the wound was worse than I thought.

“You using ointment?”

“The best kind.”

“And you can afford that?”

“Someone donated it.”

“Lady Audrianne?”

“Ding ding.”

“Then it’s reliable.”

After tying on the same apron as Turner, I stepped out of the break room.

I worked part-time at the pub three times a week. Temple rules strictly forbade purifiers from taking part-time jobs.

If I got caught, they’d kick me out for “tarnishing the temple’s dignity.”
But nobody cared what a low-ranked trainee like me did after class — whether I fried potatoes or my own shoes.

Arpina’s errands were the only “legal” income source I had, and even that only counted because they were personal requests, not formal work.

I was wiping glasses behind the bar when the bell above the door jingled.

“Welcome.”

I finished drying the glass and looked up — and almost dropped it.

“You don’t even look at your customers when you greet them?”

Jerred Castion.

My heart nearly exploded.
What the hell was he doing here?

…Don’t tell me he remembered something.

Sure, I’d seen him in passing, but apart from yesterday, we’d never even exchanged proper greetings.

I forced myself to breathe and spoke carefully.

“This doesn’t seem like the kind of pub Lord Castion would visit.”

Jerred smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth. Never a good sign.

“So now you’re kicking me out? Maybe I should talk to your manager about your customer service.”

“N-no! Wait! Please, have a seat!”

The memory of him handing me over to his guards flashed in my mind, and panic took over.

Without thinking, I reached out to lower his raised arm — and shoved the empty glass I’d been polishing into his hand.
Why? No idea.

He looked down at the empty glass, then chuckled under his breath.

“You’re the first person to think an empty cup could calm me down.”

He actually sat down, pulling out a chair like he planned to drink here.
I’d told him to sit just to stop him from causing trouble — not to stay.

At least he didn’t seem to have regained his memories.

Should I ask Turner to switch with me?
Before I could decide, Jerred tapped the wooden table with his knuckles, demanding attention.

“Would you like a menu?”

“Bring me your most expensive drink.”

“Even the best here will probably taste cheap to you.”

“My palate isn’t that noble.”

He stuck his tongue out playfully — unnervingly red even under the dim pub light.

“Put that away.”

“As you wish.”

I snapped the menu shut, turned, and fetched a decent bottle of cognac with some fruit on the side.

I poured him a glass and handed it over. He didn’t even glance at the drink — just leaned on his elbow, eyes fixed on me.

Those unnaturally bright eyes made my skin crawl.
The longer he stared, the more dizzy I felt.

Why was he looking at me like that?
Serving drinks didn’t mean I had to entertain him. I started to edge away when—

“You’re a purifier, aren’t you, Miss Luiche Harper?”

And just like that, I understood why a noble like him had come all the way to a shabby pub.

‘I’ll go to Lord Castion myself and make him apologize to you.’

Ah, Arpina.
I pressed my forehead and sighed.

I’d told her I was fine. Of course she ignored me and went straight to him.

“Did Arpina tell you?”

“Would I be here otherwise?”

Wait — Arpina didn’t even know I worked here.

She was a stickler for rules, the kind of person who’d report me in a heartbeat if she found out.

She’d say something infuriating like:

‘I’m doing this for you, Luchi. We’re purifiers, not barmaids. You understand, don’t you?’

“Don’t tell me… Arpina knows I work here?”

“Our princess? No.”

I exhaled in relief.

Jerred’s feelings for Arpina were famous — intense enough for him to personally track me down just because she mentioned me.

“Then let’s just say I’ve accepted your apology. But please, keep my job a secret.”

“You’ve got a scar on your face.”

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sharp.

“…”

“When do you get off work?”

“Excuse me, are you hearing me?”

“I insist on buying you dinner. Looking at that scar, no ordinary restaurant will do. Got any preferences?”

Unbelievable. It was already uncomfortable enough running into him — dinner was the last thing I wanted.
I’d rather scrape the other cheek against a stone wall.

“The wound will heal soon. I don’t have time to dine with anyone. And you don’t need to feel guilty, really. Alright?”

“So… what time do you finish?”

He was impossible.

Even as my discomfort became obvious, Jerred leaned back, draping an arm across the chair beside him — like some thug collecting protection money.

I slammed both hands on the table.

“I’ll gladly accept your apology.
But I get indigestion if I eat with strangers.
If you truly want to make amends, drink your wine, and go home peacefully.
Tell Arpina you bought me dinner — I’ll pretend I ate.”

For the first time, Jerred’s expression froze.
He looked up at me, eyes locked on my face.

I expected a casual “Fine then.”
Instead, he just stared — silent, unreadable.