BSS 121

chapter 121

As soon as I laid Aini down on the bed, she hugged the pillow and fell into an even deeper sleep.

She must have been very tired. Even though she came from the jungle, sleeping outside would have been tough for a young child.

Still, I couldn’t forgive her for throwing such absurd tantrums.

“Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I’d have had a hard time.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

The room felt a little too dark for two strangers to be alone in.

The only light came from a single candle on the table, and the man seemed awkward, barely moving at all.

But I could sense that his eyes were on me.

Dark brown eyes. That wasn’t the eye color I remembered for Eshe, but I couldn’t help wondering if this man was someone I knew.

So I stepped closer and asked outright, leaning into the candlelight to see his face clearly.

“Do you know a blonde?”

“If it’s a blonde, I know plenty…”

“Of course, they’re common. But does my face look familiar to you…? Because your face looks familiar to me.”

“There aren’t many people who would find this face new.”

“That’s true.”

It was a face designed to look completely ordinary.

The Second Prince, Ephiros, had rare black hair and golden eyes—a distinctive combination, easy to recognize, with plenty of reason to hide it deliberately.

I didn’t know all the details of how the prince’s trials were conducted, but it seemed entirely plausible that he might use a disguise or transformation magic to hide his royal traits.

With the royal family’s resources, it would be entirely possible…

“Hmm… you really do look… incredibly ordinary.”

“Is that so unusual?”

Once suspicion takes root, everything starts to seem strange.

I wanted to touch his face to see if magic had been used, but that would have been too strange—especially for a man and woman who had just met.

Perhaps I’d gone too close, or maybe it was because my gaze was so intense, but Eshe stepped back and cleared his throat.

It was obvious he was deliberately keeping his distance.

“Excuse me, but what is your relationship with the child?”

“Aini? She’s the daughter of an acquaintance.”

“I see. I thought you weren’t sisters.”

“Well, our skin tones are different. We’ve only known each other for two weeks, and we’re not close. And she dislikes me a bit—maybe because she thinks I separated her from her mother…? Well, that’s true, so I can’t blame her.”

If it weren’t for the deal involving the spirit stone, I would never have done this.

Traveling with a child is emotionally taxing. This harsh world was tiring enough just to survive in.

“By the way, you said you were hungry, right? Let’s go downstairs.”

I glared at Eshe’s back as he averted his gaze and headed toward the door.

It seemed uncomfortable for him to stay in the same space with me for too long.

Strange. Maybe he really isn’t Eshe. If he were the real Eshe, he would have recognized me.

No, even Ratshamu and Robenin didn’t recognize me. Men are just… oblivious. Though I admit, I didn’t recognize Ratshamu either.

Robenin did recognize me, though. Maybe it’s a matter of interest.

“Eshe.”

At my brief call, he quietly turned around.

We weren’t close, but I had to call him by name—because that was all I knew.

“Come to think of it, we never properly introduced ourselves.”

Most commoners only have a first name. Some have an empty or meaningless surname, but it’s generally hidden.

If someone mistook you for a noble, you could become a target for thieves or kidnappers—or be attacked for no reason at all. It would be suicide.

That’s why nobles always travel with attendants.

“Nice to meet you.”

When I offered my hand, I felt a scar through his palm.

“Late, but nice to meet you.”

“My name is Jin, or Jini.”

It was a common name, but combined with my blonde hair, “Jini” was uncommon.

I smiled as I watched Eshe’s eyes flicker.

Through our grasped hands, I could feel the tension in his body.

“Jini…”

“Meal’s ready. Enjoy.”

The table was overflowing with the food Chad had ordered in advance. It was obvious he had splurged on things we wouldn’t normally eat, but money was no issue for me.

I thought we’d just get turkey, but along with the lamb leg came steamed fish and a thick beef steak. The server even stacked our dishes in three layers using utensils.

It wasn’t a fancy restaurant, so the food wasn’t particularly elaborate, but the portions were plentiful, which was perfect.

Most importantly, I was hungry, so I immediately picked up a fork and started taking generous portions of meat onto my plate.

Bread could wait—it was a dessert to eat if there was room after the main course.

“Is it really… okay for me to eat all this… Chad! When did you order so much?”

“She said it was fine!”

“Still! This doesn’t even look like a meal for four people!”

Rocks glared at Chad in dismay, but the food was already served, and I was already putting meat into my mouth.

Chad was the muscle-type I didn’t usually like, but judging from his order, he had good taste.

Ordering the meat this way! He knows how to eat.

“Um… I’ll enjoy the meal. Come to think of it, we haven’t even properly introduced ourselves.”

“I know. Eshe, Chad, and Rocks, right?”

I pointed at each of them in turn with the turkey leg while eating.

Rocks seemed to eat lightly; he adjusted his glasses more than he cut his food.

“You have a good memory.”

“Normal, I guess? And my name is Jini. I’m on my way back home.”

“Where’s home?”

“Dmitri.”

“Oh, Dmitri? That’s the same as Chad. What a coincidence, in this faraway land of Koran…”

Ugh, of all people, with that guy?

“Huh? With that unreasonable woman?”

“Who said that?”

“What! You wanna fight? I don’t go easy on women!”

“A duel challenge?!”

“Yes!”

“You do realize you’re eating food I bought with my money, right?!”

“Oh… right. Sorry.”

How silly.

Chad had almost overturned the table in indignation, but after my fact-based remark, he quietly sat down and continued eating.

Rocks hated fights; just that alone made him fidget.

“Um, please don’t fight. I can’t tell if you’re serious or joking. Why do people from Dmitri like dueling so much?”

“Maybe because they value honor. It’s a country of knights.”

“Chad always challenges people over trivial things.”

“Please don’t assume all Dmitrians are like that. I’m not. I know about a dozen like that, though.”

How elegant of me.

I look noble, as if I could only hold a single fork—but I’m holding a turkey leg almost the size of my face.

“Ha, Korans are aggressive, Dmitrians have too much pride…”

“Beylans are so full of themselves.”

I chuckled lightly, a playful banter about national traits. Even though we all spoke the common language, unique characteristics didn’t change easily.

Many travelers could tell a person’s origin from speech, eating habits, or ideology.

“That’s right! Beylans are really arrogant. Jini, you agree with me, right?”

“Rocks, where are you from? I’ll guess… Elan?”

“How did you know? I didn’t think it was that obvious.”

Until then, the atmosphere was friendly. I sipped fruit wine with my meat, speaking casually.

“Your accent is exactly that of Elan nobles. Intellectual and a little slow, but numbers are pronounced strongly. For example, saying ‘four servings’ is markedly different.”

“Uh… I’m not a noble.”

Rocks panicked at that direct observation, checking Chad’s reaction.

Chad looked like a typical commoner who disliked nobles. He was too busy eating to notice our conversation.

“Haha… thank you for thinking so highly of me, but my name is Rocks, and I’m just a humble traveler. I act as the guide for our group. People often say I speak politely.”

“Oh, you must be good with maps?”

“Yes, I’d say so.”

“To guide someone, you must have received some serious training.”

Rocks’ eyes twitched uncontrollably. I hadn’t even hit a blind spot.

“Oh, no. Eshe and I are long-time friends. We’re from the same hometown… commoners, right, Eshe?”

His voice was trembling too. He couldn’t handle espionage.

I hadn’t figured everything out yet, so I was probing all suspicious areas.

I wondered if Rocks was the prince’s attendant.

When I had learned about the Prince’s Trials at the academy, the princes always had attendants.

They assisted and guarded the prince while secretly monitoring to ensure the prince participated sincerely.

Apparently, many princes had cheated in the past—bribing allies or scouting for talented individuals to recruit.

‘Nothing is impossible for someone aiming to become emperor.’

Becoming crown prince meant eventually ascending to the throne. Everyone knew that, and Elan’s unique “Path of Trials” was well-known enough to appear in textbooks.

For nobles, it was common knowledge; even most commoners knew about it.

So secrecy was critical when the trials began.

“Eshe? Say something. Why so quiet?”

Rocks, seeing this, hurriedly pulled Eshe into the conversation.

Since coming down from the room, Eshe had been strangely silent, only picking at a piece of bread without eating it.

“Yes, I’ve known Rocks a long time.”

“Yes! Our hometown is Tokalam, a small mountain village. We grew up there. It’s so remote you probably haven’t heard of it. I was lucky to receive some education; the village chief was very learned and shared knowledge freely with all the children.”

Is that the backstory? The more Rocks elaborated, the more I became convinced.

“Hmm, that chief must have been skilled in swordsmanship too?”

“What do you mean?”

“Looking at Eshe… he’s trained. Well-built muscles, compact, a springy and quiet walk, quick reflexes, thick wrists, calluses typical of a swordsman… clearly systematically trained.”

“……”

“You’re stronger than Chad, right? Am I correct?”

Rocks, who probably thought I was joking earlier, was now shocked.

If he knew I suspected Eshe might be Elan’s Second Prince Ephiros, he’d be even more surprised.

I observed Eshe with narrow eyes.