We weren’t far from the central plaza, so we arrived at the puppet show in no time.
We pushed through the crowd and took our seats. A quick glance behind showed our escorts not too far away, though the plaza was so packed that we could barely make out their faces.
“When should we make our move?”
“When the escorts get too caught up watching the show?”
“Would they even like something like this?”
Erisen sounded skeptical, and understandably so. The escorts didn’t exactly give off the vibe of people who’d enjoy puppet shows.
But that’s just a stereotype! You’d be surprised how obsessed they are with tiny, cute things.
“They actually love stuff like this.”
I mean, just look at how they act around me. That’s all the proof you need.
“Well, that’s good to know.”
“When I give the signal, just run quietly.”
Erisen nodded and turned his attention to the stage.
The story seemed to be about a demon king and a princess or something like that—not really my genre. So instead, I glanced around, letting my gaze wander. That’s when I locked eyes with Rizley.
I gave him a friendly smile, and he immediately averted his eyes.
That wasn’t the first time either. Was it something I did? Did I say something to upset him?
No matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t recall anything. Why does he keep avoiding my gaze? Is he afraid of me?
“Rizley.”
“Y-yeah?”
“Are you scared of me?”
“What? W-why would you say that?”
“You keep looking away whenever we make eye contact. Is it because you’re scared?”
“N-no, it’s not that…”
His words trailed off.
Then what is it? If it’s not fear, then what?
“Then what is it?”
I narrowed my eyes and gave him a quick once-over and then I saw it—his cheeks tinged with peachy pink, his ears flushed red.
Wait… does Rizley… like me?
It was something I’d never even considered but as soon as the thought crossed my mind, a few puzzle pieces started clicking into place.
…Was that why Erisen randomly brought up his name earlier?
“Rizley, do you—”
“Now’s the time.”
Just as I was about to ask if he liked me, Shirea grabbed my hand.
I turned around and saw our four escorts completely absorbed in the puppet show, eyes sparkling with interest.
Looks like asking Rizley will have to wait. Who knows when we’ll get another chance to escape?
Shirea took the lead, while the rest of us ducked and slipped quietly through the crowd, weaving our way out of the plaza.
“Ugh, this is exhausting.”
Once we escaped the plaza, we kept running. For someone who didn’t exercise at all back at the estate, this was pure torture.
I hadn’t even run that far, but it already felt like I could taste blood in my throat. I let go of Shirea’s hand and slumped against a wall, sliding down to sit.
The twins sat beside me, and only Shirea remained standing. She didn’t seem tired at all, unlike the rest of us.
“Shireia, aren’t you tired?”
“If you’re winded from this much, how are you going to survive later?”
What I meant as concern came back as a scolding. It stung a little, but I knew this was just how Shirea expressed care, so I kept quiet.
Sitting down helped me recover a bit. I wasn’t up for running again, but I could probably manage a brisk walk.
“Should we head out again?”
“Wait.”
Just as I stood up and brushed dirt off my skirt, Shirea and Erisen suddenly blocked my right side.
I peeked around them—and froze.
“Hey, these kids are definitely from noble families, right?”
“Just the clothes alone would sell for a fortune.”
Five rough-looking men stood not far from us, their appearances practically screaming thugs.
To be honest, I wasn’t all that scared. They looked intimidating, sure, but there were way scarier faces back at the estate.
“Who are you?”
“Who cares whose brats they are? They sure are cute.”
They ignored Shirea’s question and snickered among themselves, stepping closer.
As I shrank back, Rizley moved beside me and gently wrapped his arm around my shoulder, shielding me. That left me surrounded on all sides.
I never expected them to go this far to protect me…
“Why are you so on guard? We’re not bad people.”
“Yeah, why don’t you come with us to someplace fun?”
Seriously? Who would ever fall for that? It might as well say “villain” across their foreheads.
Even without that, every child knows not to go anywhere with strangers.
“How dare you! Do you know who we are?!”
Erisen shouted boldly, but the thugs just laughed it off.
To them, a child’s angry outburst probably seemed more amusing than threatening.
They had no idea they were playing with fire.
A faint golden glow sparked from Erisen’s hand—it was pheromones. I grabbed his wrist in alarm.
“No!”
“But—”
“We can’t use pheromones on regular people.”
The glow dimmed a bit but still lingered.
He can’t do this now…!
I spoke quickly, trying to talk him down.
“Think about it. If you mess this up, your family’s going to be in trouble. It could turn into an international incident!”
Erisen gritted his teeth, but the light eventually disappeared. Shirea glanced at the two of us, then turned her attention back to the thugs.
“Are you kids done chatting?”
The thugs had no idea how close they were to getting wrecked. For a moment, I regretted stopping Erisen.
No, I did the right thing. This is about more than just us.
“Guys like this deserve to be taught a lesson—with a sword.”
Shirea had picked up a long wooden stick.
When did she even grab that?
“I’m with you.”
Erisen had taken it even further—he was holding an iron club now.
This was going to get out of hand if I didn’t stop them.
“Rizley, shouldn’t we stop them?”
“It’s better than using pheromones.”
“Still…”
“They’re both excellent with weapons.”
I know that! I’m not worried about them but I’m worried about the thugs! What if they die from a blow like that?!
Look at their eyes—they’re practically ready to kill!
Just as I was about to stop them again, something caught my eye beyond the five thugs—a shadowy group approaching.
I squinted and looked carefully. It wasn’t hard to figure out what they were.
“…Looks like we’re seriously outnumbered.”
“…”
“…”
Neither of them answered, which meant they agreed with me.
There were at least a dozen more thugs approaching—bigger and rougher than the five in front.
Even if Shirea and Erisen were skilled, we were just kids, and the numbers were too overwhelming.
We couldn’t use pheromones either, so our only option was…
“Run!”
In an instant, we all bolted, faster than we had when leaving the plaza.
As I ran, a terrible feeling settled in.
My skirt was in the way, and I could already tell it would trip me up soon.
I clutched it and kept running, but my foot caught the hem and then the ground gave out slightly under me.
No…!
I pitched forward, twisting midair so my face wouldn’t scrape the ground.
Any second now, they’d catch me—
“Are you okay?”
—Or so I thought, until something thick wrapped around my waist, and I was lifted into the air.
“Rizley…?”
“Are you hurt?”
Before I hit the ground, Rizley had swooped in and caught me.
“I-I’m fine.”
After checking that I was okay, he slung me under one arm and kept running.
What was amazing was that despite carrying me, he didn’t slow down at all.
Honestly, this was faster than me running by myself, so I decided to stay still and not weigh him down.
I looked up but Shirea and Erisen were nowhere to be seen.
Even when I glanced around, I couldn’t spot them.
Did we get split up while running?
Just then, Rizley darted into a narrow alleyway. I was sure he didn’t know these streets, but somehow he navigated them with ease.
Eventually, we stopped in a quiet corner and crouched behind a stack of cardboard boxes.
“Looks like they didn’t follow us.”
“Yeah, looks like it.”
Even if I was light enough to carry, he must be exhausted after running for so long while holding me.
His labored breathing and sweat dripping down said it all.
There wasn’t much I could do, so I fanned him with my hands, hoping it would help a little.
“…Are you okay?”
“I’m more worried about you.”
At this point, he was beyond just a loyal friend—he was practically a martyr.
Why was he worrying about me? He was the one who saved me.
I sighed lightly, grabbed his sleeve, and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead. Rizley jolted like I had shocked him, nearly tumbling backward.
