Episode 15
Kanel could tell what Andel was thinking just from that look. So he quieted down and lowered his hand. While those two exchanged quick glances, Rania — head bowed — sipped her now-cool tea and tried to find the right words.
Since she had gotten into this mess ten days ago, Rania felt like she’d been put through everything life could throw at her: being bossed and tormented by Enoch, having embarrassing rumors spread about her… especially that ridiculous “please forgive me” thing Yurion taught her to say. It stuck in her mind and made her anxious.
Yurion hadn’t been any help dealing with Enoch, so Rania decided to come see Andel. Since her café was about to become Branch No. 8, he wanted advice. Still, how do you even bring this up? She’d been so drunk that she probably caused trouble and fled without saying thanks. She felt guilty.
While Rania fretted, Andel calmly made sandwiches. He cut them into convenient pieces and slid one in front of her, then another for Kanel. Kanel, watching for any favoritism, grinned happily.
“Thanks, Andel! You’re the only one who thinks of me,” he said.
“Eat and go. You’re busy, right?” Andel said.
“I’m free today…” Kanel started.
“If you want more, say so. Miss,” Andel cut him off and smiled kindly at Rania.
Rania bit into the sandwich. She wasn’t hungry, but it was surprisingly good — she chewed slowly, enjoying it. Andel didn’t press her with questions; he refilled her tea, set down soup and salad, and let her relax. After a while, she looked calmer.
Andel knew Rania was an ordinary civilian with no ties to this world, so his quiet, thoughtful care worked well. The problem, though, was Kanel.
“Do you come here often, miss?” Kanel asked, pretending not to be curious but already leaning in.
Andel’s eyes sharpened, but Kanel didn’t care. Rania answered shyly, “No. This is only my second time.”
“How did you end up here? Andel doesn’t normally take walk-in customers.” Kanel was curious — and Rania wondered the same thing in her head.
When Rania sighed, Andel pushed back. “Kanel, stop it. If you don’t leave now, I’ll report you to the Master. Want to be traveling the continent for six months?” That shut Kanel up; he’d been sent on long missions before for slacking off.
Reluctantly, Kanel bowed, “Thanks for the meal. I’ll be back, and you better tell me who the pretty is then!” He gave Rania a little wave as he left.
Rania sat there and mumbled, “…Could ‘the pretty’ be… me?”
“Yes. Lately, the Master just says ‘our pretty’ all the time — everyone’s curious,” Andel replied.
Rania blushed and lowered her head. “Please understand — they mean no harm. They’re not bad people.” Andel smiled gently; Rania forced a small, awkward smile back. Yurion had used the same words.
“And why are you here today? Looking for the Master?” Andel asked.
“No, no. I wouldn’t— I don’t want to see him. If he’s here, I’d probably run away.” Rania steadied her expression, then went on, “Actually… I’m about to become Branch No. 8’s manager.”
Andel already knew — he’d been ordered to investigate Rania on Enoch’s behalf. Still, regular people often felt uneasy knowing others watched their every move. Andel knew Rania was an ordinary girl who’d lived quietly, so he nodded gently.
“Yes, I know — your small café on Plumeria Street.”
“I heard Yurion will handle most branch duties as my assistant, so I wasn’t going to worry, but I thought I should at least know how to respond if problems happen.”
“Don’t worry about that. Especially if you were forced into this and don’t want it, you don’t have to shoulder anything you don’t want.” Andel’s concern felt sincere.
Enoch’s interest in Rania and pulling her into the guild were separate matters. If Enoch liked her, keeping her safe was the better move. Rania had run that café for years; she’d had a decent reputation and was an orphan who lived alone after a tragic accident years ago. It was a sad little life — and now Enoch’s attention had been added on top of it. She looked so pitiful to Andel.
Rania, fingers rubbing the teacup handle, gave a bitter little smile. “I wish I could just keep doing nothing and take the money, honestly. But I worry I might make mistakes without even knowing.”
“You won’t make the Master angry over mistakes,” Andel said.
“I wish he would get angry instead,” Rania muttered. Andel paused, startled. Rania took another sip to steady herself.
“Yurion told me a guild policy,” she said — and her voice trembled. “That whenever you make a mistake, you should say ‘please forgive me just this once’ and act cute.”
That horrified Andel. His throat bobbed. “So… did you actually do that?”
“Yes. And they told me to keep doing that whenever I mess up.” Rania looked down, ashamed. “At first I thought Yurion was joking — I wanted to bury him in the ground for saying that. But then I thought… our café mostly has old customers. I can do a little coy voice like I’m just being playful. It’s not that hard… but—”
She trailed off. She felt a stab of shame for even thinking about it; Robel had once looked at her when she tried acting feminine and thought that was cute, so she understood how it worked. The real problem was how Enoch seemed to encourage it.
“And then?” Andel asked.
“Every evening, he comes and stares at me. He watches me obsessively — the Master.” Rania’s eyes filled. Andel looked at her with real pity.
