15 – 15. Second Failure.
We had driven away the crows, but we couldn’t shake off the eerie feeling.
We closed the open door and continued walking towards the city.
Tap, tap.
Only the sound of our shoes hitting the hard stone pavement echoed in our ears.
Perhaps it was because it was getting closer to evening, people started carrying their shopping baskets or walking home with groceries on their heads.
Of course, some young men and women, dressed in fairly fancy clothes, were being guided to the lit restaurants by the staff.
There seemed to be quite a few restaurants in the city. Among them, some were just selling simple street food, but a few were welcoming guests with fancy signs.
“So… do you have a specific restaurant you want to go to, Irene?”
Most of them would probably be Western-style, but the street food didn’t look too bad either.
Maybe it would be nice to buy a couple of those and stroll around the streets, looking at various things.
She looked at me quietly, then blinked once.
And then she took my hand and pointed at a place.
“We’ve had enough fancy meals, so how about trying some street food?”
“Sounds good. But… what about these gold coins…”
In her hand were about five gold coins. Even if I gave just one, it would be more than enough to buy all the food displayed on the stalls.
If I handed over the gold coins, I would definitely hear the sound of people saying, “They must be rich.”
“I wonder if there’s a place where we can exchange them? It would be great if we could change them into fairy tale coins.”
“The bank is not far from here. It would be nice to eat there quickly and take a look at the nightlife, don’t you think?”
“Okay, then.”
There wasn’t much going on at the bank. The only thing I learned was that one coin was worth 20 silver coins and a bag of copper coins.
Not only were there several small safes filled with these gold coin bags, but there also seemed to be several promissory notes, indicating that the wealth of the Malbus family was substantial.
More than any modern chaebol, in fact.
But now was not the time for such dark thoughts.
Because it was my job to go on a date with the young lady who still held my hand tightly, eagerly waiting for the time we would spend together, with her tail wagging.
I tried to shake off the sense of oppression and left the bank, picking out various foods in my hands.
But there was nothing particularly special. In fact, it was surprising that I could buy even more delicious things at a cheaper price than I had expected.
At the place where meat was skewered and sold, I could get several pieces for two or three copper coins.
The freshly baked bread was the same, and the fruit didn’t demand a high price either.
The lady and the young nobleman, who didn’t know the ways of the world, ended up with a bag full of copper coins, 20 silver coins, and four gold coins.
Along with their hands full of food.
Ignoring the curious gazes of the people who looked at us strangely, we sat down in the park and started tasting one by one.
With the red light of the setting sun as the backdrop, why did it feel so good to take a bite of bread and meat?
Although we could see so many dishes and fine liquor at that mansion, the food now was much more satisfying and enjoyable.
She also ate with sparkling eyes, devouring everything in sight and scattering breadcrumbs. She must be comfortable right now too.
Living a life where there was no need to uphold etiquette, just enjoying what was given.
“Does the food taste good?”
I watched her happily eating, lightly patting her mouth with the handkerchief I had put in my front pocket.
She gladly accepted my touch, nodding her head persistently.
Surely, there were many things she needed to understand, just like me. Not noble etiquette or politics, but a life like this.
Perhaps a life as a noble, even as a countess, was not suitable for her.
If we were to truly run away, could we build a happy life together?
As I imagined such a life in my mind…
“If we’re together, we’ll definitely be happy.”
She took hold of both my arms, looked into my eyes deeply, and spoke.
“No matter where it may be, no matter the time… I’ll follow you anywhere and do anything if it means being with you.”
Upon hearing those words, my concern for her arose.
I hadn’t known her for long. It had only been a month since we first met.
But she was willing to risk her life for me. She was willing to stake her entire existence.
I couldn’t say it was right. I didn’t have the courage to ask her to risk everything for me.
I had already been marked by Count Lamber. He would surely try to kill us.
That scared me. I was afraid of death.
But she held onto my arm tighter and pressed her forehead against mine.
“Even if I’m trembling in fear, swallowed by dread, I’ll be with you. I will never abandon you.”
But I couldn’t bring myself to speak.
I couldn’t respond to that pledge.
Even though I knew she could read my innermost thoughts, I couldn’t respond.
I could only gather a little courage and lightly intertwine my lips with hers.
She would be happy enough with just that.
For now, let’s postpone the answer with that.
*
Eventually, with both faces flushed, they took another step towards the mansion.
As darkness fell, people moved briskly along the night streets, each holding a torch in their hands.
It was time to sleep. Keeping the lights on for too long was not a good thing.
A world without electricity started quickly and ended quickly.
But even though the sun had disappeared, her heart was still burning, probably because of her.
When I tried to speak, who would have known that my tongue would lick my lips?
Unable to say anything about her bold actions, I just watched her, and she pointed her hand at the setting sun, trying to avoid eye contact.
So I tidy up what I ate and quietly head back.
As the mansion approached a little closer, I noticed something sparkling in the torchlight.
With interest rising, I approached and found a jeweler who was about to close.
I hurriedly approached him and asked if it was okay to take a look before he closed.
After glancing at both of us, he immediately welcomed us into the shop.
A pair of men and women dressed in suits and dresses.
It also meant that they were the children of wealthy or high-ranking families in this place.
She seemed quite interested in the sparkling jewels.
Despite the darkness, she pointed at each one and collected the sparkling jewels in her eyes.
I immediately saw her holding a necklace with a red and round cut gem, and silently approached her and took it in both hands.
“You have a keen eye. It seems that you have an exceptional sense of style. The necklace and your eyes seem to match perfectly.”
She was staring at the necklace in my hand. And I was gazing back into her eyes.
Undoing the clasp with both hands, she lifted her long hair.
Then, she wrapped my hand around her slender neck and filled it with the necklace. Suddenly, the colorless gem seemed to shine.
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In addition, her eyes sparkled too.
“If you choose that, the necklace is worth a fortune.”
Silently, I took it out of my pocket and placed it in her hand.
Then, I gently held her hand and walked outside the shop.
Guided by her hand, she walked beside me in the darkness.
Without a lamp, I couldn’t see much ahead, but I wasn’t afraid.
It was like magic. Despite looking at her face, no one collided with us.
She also didn’t seem to be bothered by anything while looking at me and the necklace.
In the surprisingly quiet street, in a place that seemed completely empty, it felt like we were the only two walking.
Yet, feeling happiness was a truly marvelous experience…
*
Entering the mansion, she boldly started to explore my lips.
There was no foreplay.
Except for the sudden force pulling me into an embrace.
But I decided to go along with her flow.
Feeling her arms wrapped around my neck and holding her back.
How much time had passed like that? At the moment when I felt the long thread stretching, I finally opened my mouth.
I saw things that shouldn’t be there illuminating the corridor.
It was a lantern.
While my mind was captivated by it, in a daze,
the door that hadn’t completely closed shut firmly.
And from the darkness, light shone brightly.
A man holding a lantern.
He alternately glanced at the two of us, then suddenly blew a whistle.
Before I could point out his strange behavior, the lights illuminating the corridor that I had seen started getting closer one by one.
“…What is this? I heard it was an empty house. Who is this person?”
“Could it be another thief? No, with the young master and – the lady? Ha!”
What appeared in the bright yellow light was none other than rough and rugged faces covered in beards.
They’re probably burglars. Going around empty houses to rob.
“Who are these guys?”
So naturally, she wasn’t standing behind me.
Seeing that, they burst into laughter and gradually approached closer.
“Hey, impressive, isn’t it? A young master hiding behind the lady. You’ll live quite comfortably with a woman like her, huh?”
“If you play with such a weak and feeble man, where’s the fun? You should play with ‘men’ like us. Yeah?”
As soon as they finished speaking, a hand emerged from the darkness and headed towards her neck.
I tried to catch it, but in an instant, I was thrown back and flew towards her direction –
“Scream!”
When the black silhouettes reflected in the light came into view, the twisted arm of the monster,
and the bewildered expressions of those people came into sight.
“W-what is this -“
“Damn it, isn’t this the color of that lady?”
Flashing swords were drawn from their waists and pointed at her.
“Hey, lady, it’s better to lower your hands. If not -“
She closed her eyes, then opened them.
And the two men fell to the ground, blood spurting from their necks.
In an instant, a sword was clenched in her hand.
“Damn it, boss! We have a problem here!”
A voice came from upstairs, followed by the sound of footsteps.
I had to stand up. I had to take her and get out of here.
But she quickly went upstairs with the sword, chasing after the dimming light in the corridor without a single torch.
Damn it, she always says I can’t be absent.
I hurriedly followed her, holding the fallen sword in my hand.
The sound of metal scraping against each other was heard a few times,
“Scream!”
The scream of a man echoed from the end of the corridor.
And soon after, the door broke roughly, and a man with a greatsword swung it towards her.
But that was the last sight I saw.
Something sharp, something cold, dug deep into my back, and then it was gone.
It didn’t take long for me to realize it was a dagger.
A lukewarm sensation ran down my back, and I tried to swing the sword in that direction, but…
My vision immediately tumbled to the ground.
Even my grip lacked strength.
In my blurred vision, the bright shining was fire.
Crimson flames and black robes.
Footsteps echoed heavily.
The sound of swords clashing faded away.
The fires were spreading in all directions.
They swallowed the two men lying on the ground and advanced along the wooden floor.
My body was cold. It was chilling to the bone.
In the gathering cold and darkness, I could see something.
Ah.
It’s a crow.