Chapter 76
As the sun sank low and the whole world was bathed in orange, I headed to the meeting place with Loel.
Lizley and Erisen were very wary of Loel. To be precise, it was mostly Erisen. Lizley had only paid attention the first time we met, but now seemed indifferent.
Loel only managed to escape Erisen’s sharp gaze after I explained that he was my attendant.
I had no choice but to bring Loel along, as leaving him alone outside the mansion felt too risky.
“Erisen, can you relax a bit? You’re not a child.”
“……”
Everything would have been perfect if it weren’t for Erisen sulking as if the three of us were going alone.
And there was no way it could just be the three of us. We couldn’t see them, but a fair number of guards were accompanying us.
Erisen rode in the carriage with a pout throughout the trip to the bustling street. Even as an adult, he retained a childlike side.
I could ignore it without problem, but Lizley seemed to struggle a bit beside him.
“Erisen, if you’re going to act like that, you can go back.”
“No, I don’t want to.”
“Then should I go?”
“……”
“Hmm? If you don’t answer, I’ll leave.”
“……Ah, I don’t know. Either go together or not.”
I guessed he didn’t want me to go because, in my opinion, Erisen had another motive.
Just by looking at Lizley’s worried expression as she kept an eye on Erisen, I could tell something was brewing.
Meanwhile, we arrived at the bustling street. It wasn’t a market or festival day, but true to its name, it was full of dazzling lights and people.
“I reserved a decent restaurant.”
“Oh, you’ve got taste.”
Lizley scratched the back of her head shyly at my compliment.
“But is that kid coming to eat with us?”
Erisen, who had stayed silent after getting scolded by me, spoke up again.
What he meant was that he couldn’t imagine dining at the same table as a servant.
It wasn’t like there was no social hierarchy at all, but the trend was fading. It was surprising he still brought it up.
‘Ah, maybe our family and society here are very different.’
Still… judging people by social rank seemed wrong. After all, one didn’t choose their birth status.
And come to think of it, Loel’s rank was higher. What would happen if Loel’s true identity was revealed later?
“Isn’t it obvious? If you wanted to eat separately, why even come along?”
“No, I mean—”
“You’re just a servant, but he’s my friend. My friend, which makes him your friend too, right?”
“……Yeah.”
Erisen gave a reluctant answer. Watching him check Lizley’s expression, the outline of his thoughts became clear.
It was obvious he followed us hoping Lizley and I would get closer. That’s why he kept trying to link us together the entire outing.
‘Well, the effort is admirable, but… Erisen, you’re really irritating.’
I suppressed my annoyance and gave him a sharp glance.
Then Lizley quickly came up beside me.
“Ah, I’m hungry. Where’s the place you reserved? Let’s go.”
“This way.”
Thankfully, the restaurant Lizley had reserved was quite nice, with attention to both taste and atmosphere.
If I ever had a reason to visit the Hwangryong family again, I wouldn’t mind coming back.
Honestly, if the food had been bad, I might have scrapped this whole outing, especially after Erisen annoyed me so much.
At least after filling our stomachs, our mood improved.
“Lizley, can we do some sightseeing while we’re out?”
“Of course.”
For the first time since coming to the Hwangryong family, Lizley smiled brightly.
It felt refreshingly unusual, and I paused mid-step.
“What’s wrong, Senica?”
“Huh? Nothing, let’s go!”
Lizley, trusting me completely, took the lead as we headed toward the heart of the bustling street.
Since we were in a different region, there were many new sights, plenty to catch our attention.
The most unique aspect was that famous salons and weapon shops were mixed in with ordinary stores.
‘Experts usually keep to their own kind, so seeing this is quite enlightening.’
With a full stomach, my attention shifted from food to accessories, and we stopped in front of a gemstone shop.
I couldn’t buy everything, so I just observed. One crimson gem reminded me of someone.
“Rosta, what do you think of this?”
Wanting an objective opinion, I pointed at the gem and asked Loel, who was standing nearby.
But he didn’t answer. Puzzled, I turned to see Loel a little apart from me, staring sharply at something.
I straightened my bent posture to see what he was looking at.
“Hmm… there’s nothing here.”
Then Loel wrapped his arms around my waist and lightly leapt upward, quietly landing on the rooftop.
I was too shocked to speak and just stared.
Loel put a finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet, as if he didn’t want me to ask anything.
I didn’t feel any danger, so I had no idea why we needed to hide.
Loel crouched low, and I had to almost cling to the roof, my back aching terribly.
“……They’re gone.”
I straightened, hearing my bones crack.
“Who were you hiding from? I don’t sense any murderous intent.”
“Agents sent by the palace.”
“The palace? Why would they—”
I recalled Loel earlier that day, a prince of an empire, sitting in tattered clothes on the street.
“Did you… get kicked out for causing trouble?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then why are they after you?”
“I left secretly without telling anyone.”
That was reason enough—they were chasing him because he ran away.
Our parents would not be pleased if we left without a word.
If it had been my father, he might have noticed the moment I left the mansion.
“I didn’t expect them to chase you this far.”
But somehow I sensed there was more to it than just that. My instincts said so.
Loel wouldn’t tell me the full reason anyway.
More importantly, I wondered how he had managed to reach the roof so lightly. I should have wondered sooner, but surprise made the question come late.
“By the way, how did you get up here? Magic?”
“Ah…”
He wouldn’t answer. Typical. Why are you so secretive?
I shook my head and changed the topic.
“You’re not answering again, huh? Fine. But why drag me along if you’re hiding alone?”
“Because you’re beside me.”
Was that really the reason? Every action of his seemed suspicious.
“……You—”
“Senica!”
Before I could press him, I heard Lizley’s voice calling from below.
Our eyes met, and I signaled downward. Loel carefully lowered us to the ground.
Erisen let out a snicker seeing us descend together.
“What’s with you two?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you coming down from up there together?”
It felt like being interrogated—and it was.
Annoyed, I snapped back, “What I do and where I go is none of your business!”
“Why wouldn’t it be—!”
“Enough, Erisen.”
Lizley was firm, her voice commanding, and Erisen fell silent.
“I’ll apologize instead. Sorry, Senica.”
“You didn’t need to apologize for him.”
Lizley glanced briefly at Loel, her golden eyes briefly clouded with disapproval, but I ignored it. Unlike Erisen, she didn’t show it openly.
Her eyes returned to me, their brightness restored.
“But next time, let me know if you’re going somewhere. You know it’s dangerous if you get hurt in our territory.”
“That was careless of me. I’m sorry.”
Technically, I had been ‘kidnapped’ suddenly myself, so I couldn’t really complain. Explaining everything would mean revealing Loel’s identity.
“I’ll make sure Rosta doesn’t get into trouble again. This is the first time I’ve been out in a foreign area with him.”
This time, Loel bowed his head, perhaps sensing the gravity of the situation.
Lizley nodded, looking tired, likely wanting to return to the mansion soon.
“Shall we head back?”
Ah, a woman’s intuition is like science.
“Before we go back, there’s one place I want to stop by.”
“Where?”
Lizley’s expression was full of question marks.
“Miss.”
Joshua appeared just then, indicating that he had finished scouting the location I requested.
“I’ll guide you.”
I grabbed Lizley’s sleeve and followed Joshua.
“Both of you, this way.”
From behind, Rita’s voice could be heard—her role was to take Erisen and Loel elsewhere.
Joshua stopped in front of a store painted a dark red.
It was certainly not the dessert shop I had imagined. No pastel-colored items, no fragrant baked goods.
“……What kind of place is this?”
“You’ll see once you go in.”
Seeing Joshua so proud, unease welled up.
I might have… assigned him the wrong task.
‘I’ll have to change plans. It doesn’t have to be today; I could refuse another day.’
Just as I was about to speak,
“Senica, did you want to see this place? I’ve never been here either, so I’m curious.”
Curious Lizley had already opened the door, halfway inside. It was too late to turn back.
I subtly made a fist toward Joshua, signaling a ‘we’ll talk later’ vibe, and followed Lizley into the store.
