Chapter 17
‘What the heck. Don’t tell me… Killian figured out it was me?’
On her way back to her room after having tea with Killian, Elshunaine rubbed her arms, a chill crawling down her spine.
‘Ashray said Killian didn’t show up while he was dealing with Mikhail.’
So, there’s no way Killian would know that I left this place.
‘Even though Mikhail looks naive, he reports to Killian about me every day…’
He must think I’ve been in my room the whole time.
‘Don’t worry too much.’
Trying to calm the sudden wave of anxiety, Elshunaine straightened her shoulders and marched confidently toward her room.
Several maids and servants passed her by, but they all acted like she didn’t exist. And Elshunaine was starting to get used to it.
‘Killian must have summoned my illusion so often that everyone still thinks I’m just an illusion.’
Even when she wandered around the mansion with Mikhail or spent time talking with Killian, people continued to treat her like a ghost.
“So this is what it feels like to be a ghost.”
One time, she had gone to the kitchen alone because she was hungry and tried talking to a servant. It ended in disaster.
‘A g-g-g-ghost!!’
The servant foamed at the mouth and fainted, scaring her half to death. She nearly fainted along with them. Thankfully, Mikhail had been with her and quickly stepped in.
‘I’ve given up now.’
She had thought about asking for a public announcement that she wasn’t an illusion, but it felt pointless.
‘It’s not like I can ask for favors from someone who basically hates me.’
Besides, if Killian, the master of the house, didn’t like her, it wasn’t strange for his subordinates to also shun her.
‘Not everyone in the world is as kind as Mikhail.’
Thinking that, Elshunaine felt a wave of appreciation for Mikhail. Despite knowing that Killian didn’t just dislike her but outright hated her, Mikhail still showed her warmth without complaint.
“Ah, Lady Elshunaine. You’re back.”
“Yeah. Everything okay?”
“Yes, umm…”
Mikhail, who was standing guard outside her door, cleared his throat like he had something to say. Just then—
Clatter!
Something crashed inside her room.
“Ah! A spy in the room—!”
“N-no no no, Mikhail!”
“Yes?”
Mikhail, already reaching for his sword, froze in place at Elshunaine’s urgent stop.
She waved her arms wildly and shook her head.
“I, uh, I left the window wide open and accidentally placed something very, very unstable near it. Totally forgot!”
Mikhail blinked a few times.
“Ha ha ha! So don’t worry. It probably just fell over.”
“If that’s the case, then I should go in with you! I can’t let Lady Elshunaine bend over to pick something up herself!”
Wow, Mikhail…!
So you do know how to make a woman’s heart flutter, huh?
Elshunaine was genuinely touched—but she couldn’t let him in.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. It’s just… a bit of an embarrassing item. You get what I mean?”
She twisted a strand of hair awkwardly.
“Excuse me?”
But the ever-oblivious Mikhail clearly didn’t get the hint.
“It’s fine! Don’t worry about it! You spent so much time with me yesterday—how could I turn my back on you now?”
“……”
“I’ll go in first!”
“No, Mikhail.”
She grabbed his massive arm as he was about to open the door, speaking in a low, firm voice.
“If you go in there right now, it’ll be very, very bad. Okay?”
“……!”
“Like, extremely bad. So just stand here quietly, alright?”
“Y-yes, ma’am…!”
Elshunaine knew her expression could come off cold and intimidating, and she used it to her full advantage.
Seeing her face suddenly harden, Mikhail straightened up like a soldier standing at attention.
“Good job.”
She gave his shoulder a light pat and hurried into the room.
‘Whew… At least he listens better than when Bloodbane showed up. But wait—what did he mean about me spending so much time with him yesterday?’
As she stepped into the room, something stirred under the bed.
It was Ashray, crawling on all fours and holding his head, hiding beneath the bed.
“What are you doing?”
“…Damn it.”
Apparently, he also thought he looked ridiculous.
“Polymorph doesn’t trigger Killian’s detection since it’s a true dragon ability. But all other magic gets caught immediately. I had to hide somehow.”
“I told you to just hide behind the curtain.”
“I can’t breathe back there. Are you trying to suffocate the only dragon in existence?”
He tilted his head, flaunting his uniqueness smugly.
‘No wonder Killian hates this guy.’
Still, thanks to this “only dragon in existence,” things had gone smoothly. So she let it slide.
“Just get further under the bed.”
“What? You want me to go in, not come out?”
“Yeah. What if you get caught?”
Despite his protests, Elshunaine forced Ashray under the bed and flopped onto it herself.
“So, what are you planning to do with the money?”
From under the bed, Ashray asked gruffly.
“Your big sister has a plan.”
“Yeah, and what is that plan? We’re partners now, remember? Business partners?”
“Hmmm.”
She rolled onto her side, thinking.
“Well, first—I’m going to invest it.”
“Invest? To make more money?”
“That, and… maybe do something a little shady.”
“Hmm. You talk like this is your first time doing something shady.”
“……”
Elshunaine, about to change clothes, paused mid-step. Ashray continued talking.
“Back in the day, you did every shady thing under the sun—Ow! Hey!”
“Let’s be clear. You were always the one leading those shady plans.”
As they bickered, Elshunaine suddenly remembered.
“Wait—you always polymorphed into different forms back then, didn’t you?”
“Huh?”
“You don’t have to hide under the bed. Just turn into something small.”
“Huhhh?”
Ashray asked in an increasingly worried tone.
“You can transform into any creature, not just humans. You’re a dragon.”
“…You wouldn’t.”
“Yep. Why not turn into something tiny, like a mouse—or a cockr—”
Thunk!
A pillow hit Elshunaine square in the face. She clutched her nose and screamed.
“Hey!”
Just then—
Knock knock!
“Lady Elshunaine! I thought I heard you calling—are you alright?”
“Ah! Mikhail! Haha, I was just talking to myself. Don’t worry!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Ashray made a face like Mikhail’s voice gave him a headache. Elshunaine didn’t notice.
Instead, she glared at Ashray, still half sticking out from under the bed.
“Don’t suffer under the bed. Just polymorph into something and hide. If we get caught, I won’t be the only one in trouble, right?”
“…Ugh. Fine, fine.”
She knew he could’ve polymorphed easily all along, but he avoided transforming into anything non-human.
‘At times like this, he really does seem to have human blood.’
He always said polymorphing into non-human forms felt strange.
“So, when are you planning to do this ‘shady’ thing?”
Annoyed, Ashray asked.
“Right before the New Year’s festival starts.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
After successfully getting Ashray to polymorph and hide, Elshunaine let Mikhail into the room.
Then she faced an unexpected problem.
“Ahem. Panchi-gi, milady. Panchi-gi.”
“…Panchi-gi?”
Elshunaine blinked, unsure if she had heard correctly.
“You mean, the game where you flip coins with coins?”
“Yes!”
Mikhail responded brightly.
“You taught me yesterday, didn’t you? Or did I get the name wrong?”
“Ah.”
That damned Ashray…
What the hell did he teach this 100% pure, innocent knight?
“Aaaah, yes. I knew that. Just confused for a second. So, why do you bring it up?”
Mikhail shyly twisted his body and clutched his hands together.
“Could we… play a round again today?”
“U-uh…”
The smile on Elshunaine’s face started to crack.
Panchi-gi, seriously…?
“You really want to play that with me?”
“Yes!”
His eyes sparkled. After playing it yesterday with Elshunaine (really Ashray), he’d gotten hooked. What a fun, thrilling game!
He had no idea it was gambling—or that he was already showing signs of addiction. He’d been waiting all day for Elshunaine to return.
As Mikhail stood, nervously holding his breath, waiting for her permission—
Her lips curved into a sly smile.
“Sure. Bring it on.”
It was the same twisted grin she’d had when complaining about her villainous appearance in the newspaper.
Sniff…
That night, Mikhail returned to his room in tears.
“B-but I won a bunch yesterday at the end… Why did I lose over and over today?”
His slumped shoulders were like those of a soldier returning from a crushing defeat.
“Sniffle… sniff…”
He had no idea.
That Ashray had learned panchi-gi from Elshunaine herself.
And that in her entire life of hardship and street smarts, no one had ever beaten her at panchi-gi.
Sniffle…
Mikhail, having taken his first step into the cruel world of panchi-gi, felt utterly alone.
Only the sound of his pathetic sobs echoed behind him like a sad lullaby.
“Whiiine…”
