Chapter 14
Just living in the heart of enemy territory was like walking on thin ice every day, and now she had to go before the leader of that enemy country?
It was far too dangerous to do something like that unprepared.
Charmant only wanted to guard this shop safely until its rightful owner returned to this body, and atone for past mistakes.
That meant she had absolutely no desire to stand out.
In fact, she usually disliked official gatherings to begin with.
She avoided them so often that, one day, her disciples had to drag her there.
Afterward, she punished them with a hundred laps around the training ground.
Charmant quickly finished her mental calculations and opened her mouth.
This wouldn’t do.
This wasn’t something she should handle.
“I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to attend this banquet—”
“—His Majesty anticipated your refusal, so he added a personal request that you attend this time.”
Charmant blinked as her words were interrupted.
What was that?
She hurried to come up with another excuse.
“But I don’t even have a dress prepared for the banquet…”
From behind, a man in a red uniform stepped forward, carrying a wide box.
“—In case it would be a problem, we’ve brought a banquet dress for you in advance. Ah, of course, there are shoes too. If you don’t like it, we’ll replace it with another design.”
The man opened the box halfway to reveal a luxurious dress.
‘Wait, how long has he been carrying that around…?’
“Thank you for preparing all this, but I have to receive an important guest, so I can’t be away…”
“—That’s not an issue, since the banquet is on the weekend. We know that you have a strict policy of not receiving guests on weekends, Marchioness.”
The man tilted his chin as if to ask, “Any other objections?”
His expression firmly declared that no kind of refusal would be tolerated.
‘They’ve clearly dealt with refusals more than once.’
This was the result of countless refusals.
‘There are quite a few capable people in Ellium… Wait, that’s not the point.’
Charmant shook her head.
“His Majesty is looking forward to seeing you, Marchioness. He also said that if you attend this time, he won’t bother you again in the future.”
“Bother”… Why did that sound like a threat?
As if he was saying, “Refuse again and we’ll make it even more difficult next time.”
Still, this didn’t feel right.
She was about to open her mouth again to refuse when the man took a step closer.
He whispered in her ear,
“His Majesty said he really wants to ask for your advice again about the Ruintbel issue.”
Charmant paused before stopping herself from interrupting him.
“Ruintbel…?”
Why would the king of Ellium be interested in Ruintbel?
Was Ellium preparing something related to Ruintbel around this time of year?
Judging by how they had personally come all the way here to hand over the invitation, that was likely the real reason behind the visit. Which meant… it was a fairly important matter.
“Yes. He said it’s extremely important. But if you really can’t—”
“Wait.”
Charmant grabbed the arm of the man who was about to turn and leave.
The man with the lush beard blinked.
“Yes, I’ll attend. The banquet.”
“A royal banquet? That means you’ll get to eat lots of tasty food. Sometimes, being a noble sounds like a pretty sweet deal.”
Alonso, who had come to deliver breakfast, spoke without a hint of surprise.
He actually seemed a bit envious. So he knew everything already.
“Maybe.”
Charmant didn’t have much of an appetite today. Even with the sweet potatoes she’d been looking forward to, she only nibbled at them slowly.
What had they meant about Ruintbel? She had impulsively said she’d attend just out of curiosity.
The pleased face of the man who’d left still lingered in her mind.
And now, there was no taking it back.
“But why did you decide to go this time? You always refused when they tried to give you things from the late queen.”
Charmant’s head snapped around.
“The late queen…?”
“Ah, right. Charmant, you lost your memory. I don’t know the full story either. Even when I asked, you said you couldn’t tell me.”
“Ah.”
So there was more going on than just the Ruintbel situation.
She hadn’t even finished adjusting to this body, and yet it was full of secrets.
“Still, maybe facing these things head-on will help you regain your memory? Like shock therapy?”
In truth, since she wasn’t actually Charmant Pepe, no memories would return. But it felt like something she needed to confront anyway.
Maybe then she’d find out why she had ended up in this body in the first place.
Let’s think positive. Really positive.
“Maybe so. Alonso, do you…”
“Hm?”
“Ah, nothing. Eat up.”
Charmant had been about to ask about the relationship between Ruintbel and Ellium but changed the topic.
Because of his beastkin appearance, it was hard to guess Alonso’s age, but he was still a child.
There was no point in dragging him into stories about enemy nations.
She pushed the plate toward him and urged him to eat more.
After Alonso left, Charmant sank into thought.
She knew nothing about Ellium’s culture.
She had barely attended any banquets even in Ruintbel, so she wasn’t confident in even the basics.
Was she supposed to wear a dress? Or an animal mask? Who knew?
She definitely needed someone’s help…
There was only one person in this place she had any sort of connection with.
Charmant shook her head vigorously to shake off the thought.
“No way. Not that person.”
There was no way she could ask help from someone she had once killed.
But her hand was already toying with the gold coin Ahil Durf had left behind.
“You called?”
“…You didn’t have to come so fast.”
Charmant stammered at the man who had appeared in front of her in an instant.
She’d spent all day mulling it over, and in the end, had called him.
It was late at night when she finally made her decision.
She had thought, If he just leaves, how am I supposed to call him back?
But the coin he had left behind contained traces of his energy.
And that energy was faintly connected to somewhere else.
He had said she could use it to find him if needed… but she hadn’t expected him to show up in less than five minutes.
She felt both guilty and flustered.
Still, he was the only person here who knew anything about what she needed.
“Ahem. I wasn’t busy. I was just about to go to bed anyway.”
Ahil Durf muttered while rubbing the back of his neck.
Charmant tilted her head.
He was about to sleep… dressed like that?
He was slightly out of breath and his hair was a little messy, but his clothes were impressive. It looked like he had dressed up.
His shirt, pants, and even his tie were of much better quality than the first time they met.
It looked a little excessive for bedtime.
There’s no way that’s his sleepwear…
“…”
“So, why’d you call me?”
When Charmant didn’t speak, Ahil raised a brow.
“Ah, well…”
She had practiced what to say, but now that she was about to ask for a favor, it felt embarrassingly awkward.
And the way he had rushed over so willingly made her wonder if they had been quite close. Would “I lost my memory” really be enough of an excuse?
Without realizing it, she was deep in thought, while Ahil stared at her with a curious gaze.
Then, determined, she finally opened her mouth.
“I contacted the forest elves of Soro. If there’s no problem, we’ll get word within a week.”
Ahil’s eyes widened dramatically. As if he had misheard, he tilted his head.
“The Soro Forest elves?”
“Yeah. It’s easier to get the goods to Halslake through them rather than doing it directly. Is that a problem? You only said to find a reachable route.”
Ahil quickly shook his head.
“No, no problem. But how did you even get in touch with the Soro Forest? I thought they were as difficult as the Halslake bastards.”
To Ahil, the Halslake people and the Soro Forest elves were the same—both impossible to deal with.
While Halslake closed themselves off from the entrance, the Soro Forest dwellers attacked you before you even got there.
Charmant was well aware of that, but she changed the subject quickly before he could get suspicious.
“I just happened to find a way. Uh… trade secret, can’t say more.”
Now it was time to get to the main topic.
But her mouth stuck shut like it had been glued, refusing to open.
While she was still deep in thought, Ahil’s shadow fell over her.
He suddenly leaned down and met her gaze.
“What’s got you thinking so hard?”
His face was far too close, catching her completely off guard.
Charmant startled and backed away reflexively.
“I—it’s nothing… You just got really close all of a sudden.”
Ahil shrugged.
“Your face didn’t look good. If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”
Charmant quickly composed herself and put on a serious face.
“It’s not much… but could I ask a favor?”
A request, not a command—just saying the word made her cringe.
And since the person she was asking was the master of the magic tower, it felt even more shameless.
“What is it?”
Ahil asked as if he had been waiting. That gave Charmant a bit of courage.
