Chapter 34
Night Market
Although he said they were going to the northern forest, Renard drove the horse faster than usual.
As the black horse moved, Renard’s firm arm muscles and chest pressed against my body. At times like this, I could really feel that he was not an ordinary human. Somehow, I kept thinking that even the very texture of his muscles must be different from mine.
After riding for quite a while, we finally reached the northern forest.
The forest was filled with thick trees, so the moonlight could barely seep through, making it extremely dark. I felt slightly dissatisfied. The air was fresh, but I could hardly see anything.
Just as I began to think that this precious outing was being wasted, the distant howl of a wolf echoed through the forest.
I flinched.
Renard chuckled softly and wrapped an arm around my waist from behind.
“Are you scared?”
His gentle breath tickled my ear.
“Let’s go back now. I think you’ve had enough fresh air. This forest is dangerous.”
“For Your Grace, this might be more dangerous than the forest…”
Renard said something incomprehensible. Then, with the hand holding the reins, he lightly tapped the hand I had unconsciously placed over the arm wrapped around my waist.
I hadn’t realized I was gripping it so tightly after hearing the wolf.
But it was such a solid arm… one that made me feel safe just holding onto it.
“Hm? You’re not letting go?”
“……”
“Are you trying to seduce me right now?”
“Please don’t misunderstand.”
“If you keep holding on like that, I might.”
“……”
“Still not letting go… Are you that scared?”
Renard bent down closer to me, looking concerned. His warm breath mixed with the summer air.
“You really are frightened. I’ll increase the speed. It’s so dark that even I’m starting to have bad thoughts. We should get somewhere brighter quickly… Don’t worry, we’ll reach our final destination before we run into that wolf. Your Grace only needs to worry about that wolf.”
Before I could ask anything, Renard urged the horse forward.
When he decided to ride quickly, the horse truly moved fast.
I was practically clinging to Renard’s arms the whole time. Only after the moonlight began filtering through the forest again and the black horse slowed down was I able to lift my head.
“We’re here.”
Renard gently brushed my wind-tangled hair aside with his fingertips.
Following the direction he nodded toward, I looked ahead.
There was a stone wall.
In the middle of the wall grew a huge willow tree, as if it had pierced through the stone. Light leaked through the hanging branches and leaves.
The black horse moved forward as if it were familiar with the path and passed through the curtain of willow leaves.
Above its head, the pale green leaves parted like a curtain being drawn aside.
And I froze in amazement.
“…Wow.”
It was a night market.
Across a small stream was another world filled with colorful stalls. It was quiet yet lively, and fireflies fluttered between the stands.
It looked like a market being watched over by the stars.
I stood there with my mouth slightly open, staring at the fairytale-like scenery, when I heard a small laugh behind me.
“I thought you’d like it. You like pretty things.”
Renard whispered near my ear.
But he leaned in so deeply that his lips brushed against my earlobe, making me shrink back slightly.
As I did, his arm around my waist tightened.
For some reason, the body touching mine felt very hot.
“…Renard? Are you hurt?”
After a moment, I heard him swallow dryly before he moved away.
“No, I’m fine. I just got a little warm from riding the horse so roughly. This place is a night market for witches and wizards. The merchants here, and even the customers, don’t openly reveal that they’re witches or wizards—but they all know it about each other. It’s their way of confirming that others like them still exist.”
Hearing that, I realized this wasn’t just a simple market.
It was a place of solidarity.
In the Greysiana Empire, if someone was discovered to be a witch or wizard, the outcome was only one of two things:
The guillotine or the stake.
Because of that, those who possessed magic had no choice but to hide it. Yet they must have been curious.
Were there still others like them?
And if so, how many?
It was human instinct to want to know the safety of one’s own kind.
So they created a market like this—just to confirm each other’s existence.
Knowing that made the witches and wizards feel strangely familiar to me. They were humans like me, with the same emotions. They simply possessed magic.
Renard set me down near the stalls and went to entrust the horse to a stable merchant.
When he returned, he was holding a skewer.
Strawberries and grapes were stacked on a stick.
“The outside is coated with melted sugar and butter. It’s delicious. They only sell it here, so give it a try.”
It seemed similar to tanghulu from the real world.
Renard watched with amusement as my eyes widened after taking a bite.
“The strawberries are incredibly fresh! Can we buy just the strawberries separately?”
Nodding, Renard took me to the stall where he had bought the skewer.
Then he handed the merchant several gold coins—and bought all the strawberries the vendor had.
Seeing the cart behind the stall filled with strawberries, my eyes widened.
“You didn’t just buy all of those, did you?”
“You don’t have to worry. We don’t need to carry them. The merchant said he’ll deliver them to the mansion by tomorrow morning.”
“No, it’s not about carrying them… we don’t need that many. Still… thank you.”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
Renard smiled easily at me.
For some reason, his smile in the summer breeze felt as refreshing as the scent of fresh strawberries.
After walking around the colorful stalls for a while, I went to a pond slightly away from the crowd and watched the fireflies flying low above the water.
Renard had said he had somewhere to stop by briefly and left me there.
It was like a resting area inside the night market. Instead of stalls, merchants sold things on mats spread over the ground. Some people were resting like me, and some couples were whispering to each other.
Then I heard someone call out to me.
“Miss, come over here. How about having your fortune told?”
An old woman was sitting on a mat near the pond.
“No, I’m fine—”
“I haven’t had a pretty customer yet today. If a pretty girl becomes my first customer, business goes well. Surely you don’t want this old woman to starve tonight, do you?”
It was practically a threat.
I took out a silver coin, handed it to her, and knelt down in front of her.
She lifted a crystal ball larger than her face and peered at me through it.
Then her eyes gradually widened.
“I had a feeling—but it’s true. Miss, your magic is asleep.”
“…?”
“It’s a waste to let such magic rot. Why is it sealed like this? Since you’re already an adult, it couldn’t still be asleep unless someone forced it to sleep.”
Her words made no sense.
“Your Grace… are you perhaps a witch?”
Renard’s question from long ago suddenly flashed through my mind.
At the time, I had strongly denied it.
But truthfully… I had always vaguely suspected it.
Otherwise, there was no way to explain why Renard—who was suffering—would become better whenever he touched me.
“…There’s someone whose raging magic calms down when they touch me.”
“That can happen.”
“Why does that happen?”
“It’s because your magic is compatible. When two types of magic harmonize well, things like that happen. In cases like that, their compatibility in bed is usually spectacular.”
My eyes went wide.
“You mean you haven’t tried it yet?”
The old woman clicked her tongue.
“It’s not extremely rare, but it’s not common either. If I’d had someone like that when I was young, I would’ve spent all 365 days of the year with him, day and night—”
“P-please stop! Tell me more about the raging magic!”
“That’s not the important part.”
“Please!”
When I placed several gold coins in front of her, she made an impressed “Oh” shape with her mouth.
Her lips curled into a satisfied grin.
“You know how to make an old woman talk. Anyway, if you have someone like that beside you, the two of you become both a sedative and a booster for each other. If one person’s magic grows wild, the other can calm it. And if someone’s magic weakens, the other can strengthen it.”
“…My goodness.”
“But in your case, your magic isn’t weak—it’s asleep. When a booster stays nearby, your magic tries to wake up, which would’ve made your body hurt. Were you okay? It must have hurt quite a bit.”
Memories surfaced.
When I was eleven, I suffered a mysterious fever shortly after running away and meeting Renard.
After meeting him again as an adult, I sometimes had mild fevers or strange tingling in my palms and fingers.
But recently, that hasn’t happened.
“I used to get sick before. But recently I haven’t. If that person really is my booster, shouldn’t I always feel pain when I touch them?”
“How could it always hurt? The more time you spend with your booster, the more your magic wakes up and adapts. But if the level of physical contact suddenly increases, the pain might return.”
She pointed toward an oak tree.
“See that tree?”
“Yes.”
“If you go behind it, there’s a stall run by a girl named Lillian selling magic potions. Tell her your situation and buy one. It’ll help when the pain starts. A man with a girl as pretty as you beside him probably won’t have endless patience, so you should prepare in advance. Oh dear, look at your face—it’s bright red.”
The old woman chuckled teasingly.
I gave her a few more gold coins in thanks and headed toward the oak tree she mentioned.
I had no intention of increasing my physical contact with Renard beyond what we’d already done, but since I was here anyway, I thought it would be good to buy the potion just in case.
However, as I approached the tree, the atmosphere grew noisy.
Narrowing my eyes, I saw people gathered around a man lying on the ground.
And the man on the ground… was someone I knew.
“Renard!”
Startled, I pushed through the crowd and knelt beside him.
His eyes were fluttering as if they were about to close.
His head was resting on the thigh of a woman I had never seen before.
And for some reason… the woman was leaning down as if she were about to kiss him.
Without realizing it, I shut my eyes.
I didn’t want to see their lips touch.
Then suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist tightly.
Startled, I opened my eyes.
Renard had already sat up and was looking at me with clear dissatisfaction.
“Rena—”
Before I could finish, he pulled me toward him.
His burning hands cupped my face.
And the next moment, I felt his lips on mine.
Then—
As heat surged through my entire body,
I lost consciousness.
