Chapter #34:
“Where do you think you’re running off to? Stay still!”
“You’ll regret doing this to me,” Isabel shot back, her eyes sharp as she glared at the man.
The man, however, snorted dismissively, as if her words were laughable.
“Hah, so you’re not a thief but the child of some noble, huh? Otherwise, why would I have any reason to regret it?”
“Then don’t regret it after learning the truth later! Let go of my hand while you still can!”
“How dare you talk back to an adult like that!”
The man grunted and raised his hand high. Isabel tried to break free and run, but her frail body was no match for his strength.
Just as his rough hand was about to strike her cheek, the tip of a long staff blocked him.
“Who’s there?!”
The man turned, face full of anger—but the moment his eyes met the newcomer, his face went pale as white as a sheet. Then, as if nothing had happened, he released Isabel and bowed politely.
“My lord… what brings you here?”
“…My lord?”
Isabel touched her reddened wrist, scrutinizing the mysterious man.
Even at a glance, he had a straight, solid posture, and there was something about him that didn’t seem ordinary.
His large double-lidded eyes framed by long lashes, slightly dark red irises, and a black eyepatch over his right eye, whether from injury or naturally, hinted at something he didn’t want others to see. Golden hair fell naturally over the eyepatch, almost covering it entirely, suggesting it was either an unfortunate accident or a vulnerability he wished to hide.
His skin was pale, as if untouched by sunlight, and under his slightly aquiline nose were soft, curled lips and deep dimples that left a strong impression.
‘Whatever house he belongs to, he’s certainly a noble. They call him “my lord,” so he must reside in this village. Nobles in such a small village…?’
The man then turned his gaze to Isabel and smiled. Startled at their eyes meeting, Isabel quickly looked away. She felt a presence approaching beside her.
“You must have been very startled. Are you alright?”
“Yes… thanks to you. I’m fine.”
“No need to thank me. Helping a lady in danger is only natural. But what caused all this commotion?”
The man’s gaze swept over the crowd. His smile remained, but there was an unspoken pressure in the air. Others seemed to feel it too, whispering to each other as they hesitated.
After the small chaos, the man who had attempted to strike Isabel stepped forward and spoke with difficulty.
“It’s nothing serious, but strange things have been happening in the village for the past few days. Then an outsider arrived in town, and we thought it best to ask them to leave.”
“Your method seems a bit extreme for a simple request.”
The flustered man suddenly had a realization and handed over a wanted notice.
“Th-This lady is a thief! Look here—doesn’t she look exactly like the thief from Jaden’s house?”
“……”
Isabel waved her hand slightly at the mysterious man comparing her to the paper. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he handed it back.
“It seems Jaden may have lied. I’ve heard no reports of theft recently. If you doubt me, you may visit the security office to confirm it yourself.”
“No… that won’t be necessary. If you say so, my lord, I’ll believe it.”
The crowd that had doubted Isabel lowered their heads, submissive as lambs.
After watching the villagers disperse, Isabel turned to the mysterious man to thank him.
“Thank you so much. You’ve helped me twice already.”
“No, I haven’t said anything wrong. But you didn’t come here just for sightseeing. Are you a private detective?”
Isabel’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes… that’s right. Have you heard rumors?”
“Not really. I rarely leave my house, so I haven’t heard anything.”
“So you just figured it out by looking?”
A hint of suspicion flickered in his gray eyes, yet he smiled cheerfully and moved closer. Isabel leaned back, uncomfortable, and he pointed at the dirt-stained hem of her robe and gloves.
“Plain white gloves and a dirty robe aren’t something a typical lady would wear. Probably to hide your identity and leave no fingerprints, right?”
“……”
“Need more explanation?”
“No… that should be enough. But could you step back a little? You’re too close.”
Isabel leaned back, putting some distance between them, feeling his breath. The man straightened up, smiling.
“I’m Pedro.”
“……Isabel.”
“Isabel… the name sounds familiar, but I can’t recall where.”
Isabel quickly covered, worried he might guess her identity.
“It’s a common name. Even a private detective in the outskirts could use it.”
“Is that so? I thought it was a beautiful name.”
Pedro’s flirtatious remark made Isabel’s face twitch slightly; she had no immunity to such comments.
‘What a strange person. I should get going.’
Isabel awkwardly smiled and pulled out a business card from her small leather bag, handing it to him.
“Anyway, thank you so much for your help. I wish I could offer a proper reward, but I’m busy right now. If you’d like, you can come by later.”
Pedro placed the card in his jacket pocket and said meaningfully,
“I don’t think I’ll have to visit. I feel we’ll meet again soon enough.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“No special meaning. As you can see, this village is small. Fate may just bring us together again.”
“Hmm… that’s rather abstract. Sorry, I don’t plan to stay long here. I’ll leave once my investigation is done.”
“Judging by what you said, you’ve already been here a while. Is the case not going well?”
Isabel forced a polite smile and drew a line under the conversation.
“I don’t think I need to tell you that.”
“Oh, don’t misunderstand. I didn’t mean to offend you. I only want to help if you need it.”
“……?”
Isabel stared at him, silently asking, ‘Why would you?’
“As you might have guessed, I’m not originally from this village. My health isn’t great, so I came to stay at this villa for three years. That’s why I know more about this village than anyone else.”
“I don’t understand… why help me?”
“As you saw earlier, the villagers are uncomfortable with me. Maybe I just needed someone I could talk to honestly.”
