Chapter 2
How long had it been since she’d been kidnapped like a sack of cargo, her head covered with a rough cloth bag? Suddenly — hiiing — with a whinny, the horse came to an abrupt stop.
She heard her kidnapper dismount. And then—
“Eek! Why are you doing this to me? Let me go!”
Her body tipped again as she was carried off like a piece of luggage. She struggled desperately, but all it did was wear her out.
Crunch, crunch, crunch—
The man walked a few steps and then dropped her somewhere with a thud. With a rough shove, he pressed down on Blair’s shoulder and forced her into a chair.
“Ow, ow! That hurts! Mom—hic…”
I’m so scared.
All this for overcharging just a little? She really was cursed with rotten luck.
Fear and helpless sorrow surged over her like a tidal wave. Just then—
Rustle—
The cloth bag covering her face was yanked away roughly.
Blair’s eyes widened at the sight that came into view.
Right in front of her was a man with hair as black as the night sky, staring at her with an indifferent expression.
A man so breathtakingly handsome it made her forget she’d just been kidnapped.
Wow.
For a moment, Blair Marie forgot her entire dire situation and let out a silent gasp in her mind.
Large, well-shaped eyes, a straight, sharp nose, striking blue irises — he was outrageously handsome. If she’d been standing, her knees would have buckled for sure. One glance at his face would haunt her dreams forever.
So this is what ‘captivating’ really means…
If a perfectly carved obsidian statue came to life, it might look like this. Admiring his face made her mind drift for a moment — but not for long.
“What is this about?”
A deep, cavernous voice snapped her back to her senses. What do you mean, ‘what is this about’?
“…What do you mean?”
Blair blinked and echoed the question. Clearly, he was the kidnapper — so why was he asking her?
“…The kidnapped one?”
At her clueless answer, the man’s brow twitched slightly.
“Right, I’m the one who got kidnapped. So, are you the one who kidnapped me?”
Digging a little deeper for courage, Blair met his piercing blue eyes with her own, her voice clear and steady this time.
“….”
The man didn’t answer. Instead, he gestured to someone standing outside. It was the knight — her supposed VIP customer turned kidnapper.
The man beckoned, and the knight obediently stepped forward, bowing his head like a lamb in front of his master.
They exchanged a few hushed words. As the knight whispered his report, the man’s expression subtly changed. And then—
“…Hah.”
He let out a small sigh and shut his eyes tightly. He looked like he had a headache the size of the world.
Looks like someone on his side messed up big time.
A heavy silence settled between the three of them, long enough to finish a cup of tea, before the man finally opened his eyes and spoke.
“…My apologies.”
“…Huh?”
“It seems there was… a miscommunication with my subordinate. A mistake was made.”
I knew it! Blair clenched her fist out of sight. There was no way her medicine had failed, and she’d never done anything to deserve getting kidnapped.
Relief washed over her. Now, she had the upper hand.
“So you’re admitting you’re the kidnapper, then?”
“….”
The man pressed his lips together, clearly unwilling to say it outright, and shot a cold glare at the knight beside him.
Meanwhile, the man who hadn’t meant to order a kidnapping but ended up the leader of kidnappers anyway — Cassel Hermann — felt the pain he’d just recovered from threatening to return.
The trouble had started on the day he’d been performing his duties as usual when a stabbing pain tore through his body. He’d made one careless comment.
“Get me another of that painkiller you brought last time.”
“The purple painkiller from before, sir?”
“Yes. Of everything I’ve tried, that one worked best.”
He’d meant, go buy another bottle. That was all.
“Since you said it worked so well for the first time, I brought the pharmacist herself. Wouldn’t it be better to keep her close so she can make your medicine whenever you need it?”
His knight, Toba, had taken his loyalty too far — way too far. He’d gone miles beyond what was necessary.
Cassel rarely ever praised anything as good or bad. So the moment his master complimented something, this reckless, simple-minded knight had gone all in without thinking it through — and caused this mess.
Cassel couldn’t decide whether to commend his loyalty or punish him. But first, he had to clean this up.
“Apologize.”
Cassel turned away from Blair’s piercing stare, which practically screamed So you admit you’re the kidnapper? Toba immediately bowed his head.
“I’m sorry.”
“Just words?”
“…Pardon?”
The knight blinked in confusion.
“So, what you’re saying is — I, who did absolutely nothing wrong, had to go through all this because of your mistake?”
Blair let out a deep sigh.
“Whatever that mistake was…”
Her words trailed off, a heavy silence hanging in the air. Sensing her unspoken demand for an explanation, Toba fumbled to answer.
“Well, you see, he just told me to get more medicine—”
“My knight.”
Cassel cut him off. At Cassel’s cold stare, Toba quickly shut his mouth.
“He misunderstood my order. I apologize.”
“Ah.”
Blair narrowed her eyes and looked between them. Her rare light-green eyes glinted sharply.
“But do you know how frightened I was? My heart’s still pounding — and that knight came at me so threateningly—”
She clutched her chest as if it actually hurt and went on dramatically.
“I kept wondering — did my medicine have some horrible side effect? Was my life over just like that? Were they going to traffic me somewhere? I mean, the thoughts that ran through my head—”
What a talkative woman, Cassel thought.
She chattered like a sparrow, relentless and noisy. Cassel listened with one ear and let it slip out the other, quietly observing her the whole time.
She dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her sleeve when she couldn’t find a handkerchief — so theatrically pitiful that it was almost impressive.
She claimed she’d been terrified, yet she didn’t seem scared at all… or so he thought, until he noticed her small hands trembling ever so slightly.
So she really was scared, then.
Cassel’s eyes narrowed a fraction.
“At this rate, I’m so traumatized I probably can’t run my pharmacy for days…”
Listening to her rambling excuses made his head pound more. He’d been exhausted enough lately from grueling missions — he had no patience left to hear more whining.
It was time to end this.
“It may not fix everything, but I’ll compensate you generously for the distress this has caused.”
“What? No, it’s not like I’m—”
Cassel tilted his head slightly. Toba quickly pulled out a bundle from inside his coat and placed it on the table with a heavy thud. It looked like at least 2,000 peek. Blair’s eyes went wide.
Finally, some peace and quiet.
Cassel thought this would finally put an end to the mess. But then—
Tap—
Blair pressed her forehead with the back of her hand, shaking her head like a tragic heroine.
“Come to think of it, my shop rent is overdue, and I still have to care for my ailing master… I just don’t know how I’ll manage all this…”
“….”
So this wasn’t over so easily, then.
Cassel’s sharp glare fell on Toba, who lowered his eyes instantly.
Cassel let out a silent sigh, unfastened a cufflink, and placed it on the table. It was a platinum leaf, finely crafted and set with three genuine diamonds.
Blair snapped her mouth shut.
“Again — I apologize. I’m sorry.”
“…Mm. Since you’re being so sincere.”
And with that, she quickly scooped up both the bundle and the cufflink. What a strange… and shameless woman.
“Escort her back.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And keep an eye on her for a while.”
Cassel murmured in a voice too low for Blair to hear.
Toba meekly stepped forward to lead her out. Blair gave a polite little bow to Cassel — the head kidnapper — and followed Toba out the door.
At last, it seemed like the matter was truly settled this time.
But then—
“By the way, how about we sign a long-term contract while we’re at it?”
Blair turned around just as she reached the door.
Blair turned around just as she reached the door.
Cassel’s brows twitched faintly.
“…What?”
“A long-term contract.” Blair spoke brightly, ignoring the dagger-like stares from Toba. “Since you seem to need my medicine so much, wouldn’t it be better to make me your exclusive pharmacist? I could come when you call and prepare anything you need on the spot.”
Toba’s expression said How dare you?, but Blair ignored him completely. Her eyes were fixed only on Cassel.
“Of course, I’d need a stable place to work, and I’d need my living expenses covered. My master is ill too — so you’ll need to support him, naturally. If you provide the ingredients and protection, I’ll provide the best medicine money can buy. It’s a win-win, don’t you think?”
Cassel stared at her in disbelief.
This woman — she’d just been kidnapped by mistake, been terrified out of her mind (supposedly), and yet she was negotiating her business terms as if she were the one in charge.
He almost let out a laugh.
“…You’re bold.”
Blair didn’t miss the faint upward tug at the corner of his mouth. She pressed her advantage immediately.
“You know I’m good. That purple painkiller? You said yourself it worked best, right? Not everyone can make that, you know.”
She puffed out her small chest a little as she spoke. Toba looked scandalized, but didn’t dare interrupt.
Cassel’s eyes narrowed. “So you’re saying you want to make a deal — right after all this?”
Blair’s eyes curved like crescent moons.
“I’m saying I’m willing to overlook what happened today if we make this official.”
“….”
She wasn’t wrong. If he rejected her now, she’d go back to town and blabber about the kidnapping — even if it was a mistake. It wouldn’t be hard for her to twist the truth a little, and a scandal like that could reach the ears of people Cassel didn’t want it to reach.
He was already exhausted. The last thing he needed was a new headache.
Besides, he really did need more of her medicine.
“Fine.” He shut his eyes and exhaled slowly. “Let’s hear your conditions in detail.”
Blair’s eyes sparkled.
“Well then! First, I’d like a proper laboratory — clean, spacious, well-stocked. I’ll also need an assistant. And I want all expenses for my master’s treatment covered. Plus an upfront payment to relocate and set up—”
“Enough. We’ll discuss the details tomorrow.” Cassel cut her off, waving a hand tiredly. “For tonight, go back and rest. Toba.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Take her home — properly this time. And send someone to check on her master.”
“Yes.”
Blair beamed, as if she hadn’t just been manhandled and dragged away like baggage.
“Thank you for your generous understanding, Sir Kidnapper— I mean, Lord Cassel.”
Cassel’s temples throbbed. He really might need another dose of that painkiller.
Blair practically skipped out, hugging her bundle of money and the precious cufflink like trophies.
Toba followed her out, throwing Cassel a final glance — half apology, half terror that he’d be the next thing to get “disposed of.”
When the door finally closed behind them, Cassel let out a long, exhausted sigh.
He muttered to himself as he rubbed his temple.
“…What a handful.”
