Chapter 49
“I gladly give my permission, Sir Drak.”
Elysia clasped the hand Theus offered and played along with his grandiose tone, responding in kind.
When their eyes met, Theus let out a soft chuckle, and Elysia couldn’t help but laugh with him.
“Out shopping today?”
“Just browsing for now.”
“Where’s your carriage?”
“I sent Mervel on an errand. It hasn’t come back yet.”
There was still no sign of the carriage.
Knowing it would take a long time at the Zekin Trading Company, she had placed orders at several shops along Farman Street. She had deliberately chosen stores far apart from each other, so the travel time wouldn’t be short. And since these were extremely popular shops, picking up the items would take quite a while too.
“I happen to have some free time. Want to explore the market together?”
“Let’s do that.”
With nothing else to do while waiting for Mervel, Elysia welcomed his suggestion.
A market stroll, as Theus meant it, was on a completely different level than simply looking through shops. Theus always knew where the most entertaining spots were, and he had never once disappointed her.
“Shall we go, my lady?”
He politely bent his arm to offer an escort, and Elysia smiled as she placed her hand on his arm.
“My expectations are high, Sir Drak.”
“You won’t be disappointed.”
Speaking with confidence, Theus led her down a path she rarely took.
After leaving behind the neat rows of boutiques, they emerged into an open-air market. In the middle of the square, people had formed a circle around something.
“Looks like there’s some kind of performance over there?”
They couldn’t see the center because of the crowd, but the sound of a lute and a sweet singing voice drifted over the human wall.
Street performances like this were one of the great attractions of the open-air market.
“Come on. Let’s get a closer look.”
Taking Elysia’s hand, Theus guided her through the throng.
At the center sat a bard, singing while playing his lute. A hat was placed upside down in front of him.
When the final verse ended, the bard rose and bowed to the crowd. People clapped and went forward to toss coins into the hat.
“That was a fine performance. I should pay my share for watching.”
“I thought you’d say that, so I came prepared.”
Theus handed her a coin he had been holding.
Elysia took the coin and stepped forward, as others had done, to drop it into the bard’s hat. With a clear clink, the coin landed inside and settled among the others.
She turned back with a satisfied smile—then froze when she spotted a familiar figure.
‘Isn’t that Varus?’
Varus, Gustav’s friend and right-hand man, had always handled the dirtiest work for him.
Elysia quickly flipped up the hood attached to her cloak. She had only met him after marrying Gustav, so there was no way he would recognize her—but the reaction was instinctive.
Varus had been the one in charge of Gustav’s secret ledger.
Elysia had seen the ledger only once, and it was written in code, so she couldn’t decipher it.
‘If he’s here on Gustav’s business, I might learn something. I have to follow him.’
There was even a chance Varus was connected to the Zekin Trading Company. More importantly, he had likely been involved in Gustav’s illegal dealings. Following him wouldn’t be a waste of effort.
As anxiety spiked at the thought of losing him, Theus’s voice broke through her focus.
“…Sia.”
Startled, Elysia remembered she wasn’t alone.
“Is something wrong? Do you know someone here?”
While Theus scanned the area curiously, Varus had already slipped out of the crowd. Elysia, too impatient to explain, ignored Theus’s worried gaze.
“I just remembered someone I need to meet. I’ll see you later, Theus.”
“Elysia!”
Theus reached out desperately to catch her, but his hand only blocked the path of a passing man.
Clatter!
A jar hit the ground and shattered, its contents spilling everywhere.
“You think you can just walk away after breaking my things?”
Theus glanced down to see the broken jar and spilled goods.
He quickly pulled a gold coin from his pouch and held it out.
“My apologies. Will this do?”
Even as he paid, his eyes scanned the crowd, searching for Elysia.
“Well… I suppose that’s fine.”
The man released his grip on Theus’s arm, and Theus dashed into the throng. Elysia was already far ahead, nearly across the street.
“Elysia!”
He called out loudly, but she didn’t look back. She seemed entranced, moving with alarming determination. He knew he couldn’t let her out of his sight.
By the time he reached the end of the street, she had already crossed.
He hurried after her—but suddenly, someone slammed into him from the side, sending him sprawling. A sharp pain shot through his elbow as he hit the ground.
“Ugh…”
A groan escaped as the pain became unbearable.
“Trying to get yourself killed?”
“If you want to die so badly, jump off a cliff! Why run in front of a carriage?”
“The driver didn’t do anything wrong. Tsk.”
The voices of bystanders reached his ears, and Theus realized what had happened.
People were gathered around him, and behind them stood a carriage. The driver looked pale as a sheet.
Unaware of the commotion behind her, Elysia continued trailing Varus.
At first, his steps seemed purposeful, but then he began to slow. He peeked into shops without buying anything and even stopped to greet acquaintances and chat casually.
‘Was this pointless? Maybe Gustav’s business is stalled, so Varus isn’t needed yet. Did I rush into this?’
She was about to give up and turn back when Varus glanced over his shoulder.
The move set off alarms in her mind.
‘Did he notice me? Is he trying to shake me off—or hide where he’s going? Where could he be heading that he needs to do this?’
Elysia hesitated, then steeled herself and continued following carefully. It had turned into a subtle battle of nerves.
Varus was used to shady dealings, and getting cursed out was nothing new for him. He never pulled big scams, just petty cons, so while he wasn’t hated enough to get killed, he occasionally took a beating.
So his instincts were sharp. The faintest sense of being followed put him on edge.
If the person tailing him had been a big, burly man, he would have ditched them and bolted. But it was a woman.
‘Is she here because some worker I hired caused trouble? No… a noble lady wouldn’t come herself.’
To confirm whether she was alone, Varus deliberately strolled around, checking shop windows.
Once sure she had no companion, he began planning his next move.
If she was interested in him, he could have some fun. If she had another motive, he could squeeze some money out of her. Nobles never hesitated to pay up when their reputation was at stake.
Knowing the market streets well, Varus carefully led her into a quieter lane, making it seem natural.
Elysia soon realized something was off.
‘Why is he going deeper into alleys?’
She quickened her pace to keep up, though unease prickled at her.
He had started on the main street, stopping at shops here and there, but now he was leading her farther into a deserted area. She wondered if he was heading to the Zekin Company—but no, these backstreets were far from it.
‘Is he meeting someone in secret? Could I be about to witness an illegal deal?’
She followed, determined not to waste this rare chance, even as the streets grew emptier.
When Varus turned a corner, she hurried to catch up.
But as she rounded the bend—he was gone.
‘Where did he go?’
Scanning the area, she realized how eerily quiet it was. The street was empty, lined only with what looked like storage buildings.
The ominous silence screamed danger.
‘He lured me here on purpose.’
She spun to leave—but a chill ran down her spine.
“Looking for me?”
Varus stood a few paces away, blocking her path with a sinister grin.
She considered bolting the other way—but that could be worse.
The alley was narrow, and the only visible exit was now blocked. There was a path around a wall, but what if it was a dead end? She could end up in an even worse trap.
‘If he lured me here, there’s probably no way out.’
Though the alley could fit two people side by side, it felt like a sealed room now.
‘With the only exit blocked, what do I do?’
If it came to a fight, she’d be knocked out with a single blow.
Varus stepped forward, and Elysia instinctively stepped back.
“Why were you following me?”
“…”
“Love at first sight?”
“…!”
“If you want, I don’t mind entertaining you.”
Each step closer, each word he spoke made her skin crawl.
When he was right in front of her, Elysia dropped to the ground in a faint.
“Hahaha! I don’t think you meant to play here, though. Shall we move somewhere else?”
Bending over with a chilling smile, Varus reached out his hand toward her.
