The loud shouting of the two thugs suddenly came to an abrupt halt.
All that remained was the acrid smell of gunpowder.
No matter how much she held her breath, the stench seeped into Eugenia’s nostrils.
The surroundings had gone quiet, but Eugenia’s trembling hadn’t stopped.
Her fingers, clutching the collar of Enrique’s robe, had turned white from the force.
Her mouth was completely dry, and no sound came out.
“Don’t tell me…”
Still curled up tightly in Enrique’s arms, she finally managed to speak in a trembling voice after a long pause.
“Did… did you kill them?”
Was it a stupid question?
‘He fired so many shots. And from this distance, there’s no way he could’ve missed… If he hit them, they must’ve died instantly.’
But she didn’t have the courage to turn around and confirm it with her own eyes.
Eugenia kept her gaze down, clutching only Enrique’s robe tightly.
‘What if this man Enrique is far more dangerous than I thought?’
Of course, those men trying to kidnap her were the real villains.
But the fact that Enrique had fired without hesitation meant he was no ordinary person either.
A chill of fear crept into Eugenia’s heart.
‘What if what I did ends up putting Joshua and Selmia in more danger?’
What should she do now?
Her thoughts were a mess.
Meanwhile, Enrique, who had just stood there silently after hearing her question, let out a light sigh.
At that moment, his stiff muscles finally started moving again.
He lowered the arm he had extended forward.
At every small movement Enrique made, Eugenia flinched.
To stabilize his posture, Enrique removed his hand from her waist.
It seemed like a gesture of consideration, as if suggesting she should check the situation for herself.
Eugenia took a step or two back, putting some distance between them.
Then she slowly turned around, holding her breath. She thought that if there was blood everywhere, she would just close her eyes immediately.
“…Ah.”
But what she saw was nothing like that.
The two men were slumped against the wall at the end of the alley.
One had his eyes rolled back, showing only the whites, and the other’s head was drooping.
But there were no signs of blood anywhere.
Their chests and stomachs rose and fell slowly—they were still breathing.
‘They passed out.’
Eugenia finally let out the breath she had been holding and placed a hand on her chest.
She looked again to confirm their condition.
There were bullet holes in the wall behind them.
Precisely where the head, shoulder, and waist would be.
And another one by their feet, with a clear mark showing where the bullet had ricocheted.
Eugenia swallowed dryly.
‘Those bullet holes are less than a centimeter away from hitting them.’
Had his hand trembled even slightly, it would have hit their bodies.
That could only mean one thing: Enrique had deliberately missed.
‘This man… has incredible shooting skills.’
He definitely wasn’t an ordinary person.
As she was lost in these thoughts, Enrique’s voice came from behind her—a muttered remark, almost to himself.
“I meant to scare them, but I didn’t expect them to faint like that.”
Hmph. Did he really not expect it?
Eugenia honestly found that hard to believe.
“Miss Eugenia, you asked if I killed them, didn’t you? I should be the one asking you something.”
This time, Enrique posed a question to her.
“Do you not remember what I said earlier?”
“…Pardon?”
Eugenia turned back to face him.
His blue eyes, which usually looked bored, now gleamed with a slightly deeper hue.
“I said I don’t like troublesome things.”
He spoke in a detached tone. Eugenia nodded a beat later.
“Ah… Yes, I remember clearly.”
Killing someone would complicate things.
Unless it was handled secretly and quietly.
No matter how empty the streets were right now, Enrique didn’t seem like someone who would go that far in broad daylight.
Eugenia took a short breath, quickly clasped her hands, and bowed her head toward him.
“I’m sorry I didn’t thank you sooner. You really helped me. If it weren’t for you, something terrible would’ve happened. Thank you so much.”
He didn’t seem interested in taking credit. Enrique merely nodded briefly in response to her thanks.
“If you hadn’t happened to pass by here… I don’t even want to imagine what might have happened…”
Just as she trailed off, shaken by the thought—
“It wasn’t a coincidence.”
Enrique spoke bluntly, correcting her assumption.
Eugenia’s eyes widened.
“…Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
“I was looking for you, Miss Eugenia.”
His gaze met hers directly.
There was something heavy in his eyes that made her throat dry.
Eugenia closed her mouth and cautiously swallowed.
Her next question came out in a whisper.
“Me? Why?”
A soft smile tugged at the corner of Enrique’s lips.
Wow, he actually smiles.
It was quite a handsome smile, and Eugenia found herself staring at his face.
“I changed my mind. I came to hire you.”
“…What?”
Her pupils widened for a moment.
Then, as if in disbelief, she covered her lips with her hand and asked in a slightly trembling voice:
“You really mean that? You want to hire me, even knowing everything?”
Enrique’s dark brows furrowed slightly.
With a hint of irritation, he asked,
“Do I look like someone who wastes effort on pointless things?”
“No. Not at all.”
She shook her head vigorously, and Enrique pulled his chin back in satisfaction.
“Good. Then I won’t have to waste time explaining.”
His eyes briefly glanced toward the two collapsed men by the wall.
“We can talk in more detail on the way. It’s quiet here, sure, but it’s not the best place for a conversation.”
“Yes, I agree completely.”
Eugenia nodded eagerly, then looked at him with concern.
“But is it okay to leave those two like that?”
It was more a question than a statement, and Enrique replied naturally.
“They might catch a cold, but that’s none of my business.”
“You think I’m worried about their health?”
Eugenia frowned slightly, then curved her lips into a smile.
“They were the ones chasing me. I’m more worried they might report us or something…”
But unlike Eugenia, Enrique didn’t seem the least bit concerned.
“If they planned to report anything, they would’ve brought law enforcement with them.”
He continued casually.
“They probably didn’t want to split the reward, so they came on their own. Which means, even if they go after you with everything they’ve got, they won’t report anything. Don’t worry.”
“Well… if that’s the case, that’s a relief.”
Though she still looked a bit uneasy, Eugenia wrapped up her thoughts.
‘I mean, they don’t even know where I’m staying anyway.’
This city was at the far edge of the Duchy of Hallant, a large town near the border where many people came and went.
There were lots of inns and plenty of outsiders.
No matter how desperate they were, they wouldn’t find her easily.
‘And besides, this man said he’s hiring me. I just need to get out of here before they track me down again.’
Eugenia managed to calm her frightened heart.
Her forced optimism seemed to be working—her heart wasn’t pounding as hard now.
Only then did she have the presence of mind to take in her surroundings.
At the edge of her vision, she spotted a revolver in Enrique’s right hand.
The barrel looked quite long, like something had been added to it.
Enrique was casually detaching that additional piece with practiced hands, as if it wasn’t part of the original revolver design.
Recognizing it, Eugenia muttered without thinking,
“A silencer… So that’s why it was so quiet.”
At that moment, Enrique’s hands briefly paused.
His eyes narrowed slightly at her.
But only for a moment—he quickly returned to inspecting the gun and responded nonchalantly.
“You know what a silencer is?”
It was a short question, but he was watching her intently.
‘She knew just by looking?’
Enrique held his breath, waiting for her answer.
Eugenia smiled sheepishly, rubbed her nose, and glanced away.
“Well, I just know the name. It’s something you attach to a gun to make it quieter when you shoot, right? Or… am I wrong?”
“…You’re right.”
Enrique nodded after a short pause.
