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Chapter 11

The fingers of the man lying in the room twitched.

Noticing the small movement, Herald immediately approached the bed.

"Your Grace, are you coming to?"

Kayden surveyed his surroundings, then raised his upper body and asked Herald directly.

"The child."

"Young Master Ivan is safe."

Herald answered quickly, then clicked his tongue as if exasperated.

"Honestly, it would have been better if you'd gotten proper support and come with us. Look at the state you're in."

"If I had, the child would already be dead."

Herald's words had been meant with concern, but a cold reply came back.

"Ah, yes, yes~ For someone who couldn't move a muscle thanks to poison, your mouth is certainly light. Oh, wait—you've been fully detoxified now, haven't you?"

"Get me some water."

Kayden frowned and cut off his rambling.

"Goodness, here you go."

Herald promptly handed over a cup of water rather than provoking him further.

As the water went down, Kayden's tense throat moved up and down.

Herald grumbled inwardly at his annoyingly flawless superior—even his Adam's apple was impeccable.

Meanwhile, as Kayden drank and organized his thoughts, a scene suddenly surfaced in his mind.

But it was so utterly embarrassing that—

"Cough, hack!"

"Good heavens, Your Grace! Are you alright?"

As Kayden coughed violently, Herald's eyes went wide.

Though it was more surprise than worry.

That man, choking on water of all things!

The very same fellow who could calmly swallow food at the most suffocating banquets without batting an eye.

Who had endured brutal training that nearly knocked the breath out of him without ever coughing once...

"Your condition still seems this poor. Shall I call for a physician again?"

Herald's expression turned serious as he studied his superior.

This was a rather significant matter that could jeopardize his future employment.

"Nonsense."

Kayden rebuked him and quickly erased the scene from his mind.

Only then did he manage to regain his composure, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"So, where is that woman?"

He hadn't been able to properly thank her since losing consciousness.

Of course, his aide would have treated her well on his behalf, but he wanted to meet her in person.

Kayden clenched his fist for no reason—the sensation of her soft body pressing against him was still vivid.

How on earth did she come up with such an outrageous method?

Though he'd only seen her briefly, he felt like peering into her skull just to understand.

He rose from the bed and pulled on the shirt that had been laid out for him.

As he reached for the first button, Herald gave an unexpected answer.

"She left right away."

"...What?"

---

Emilia let out a deep, weary sigh.

She looked up at the rows of buildings on either side, then muttered in despair.

"There are so many shops, yet not one place will hire me..."

It hadn't taken long for her spirits to sink after arriving in the capital with such a light heart.

She'd thought she'd find work quickly and adjust to life in the city just as fast.

It seemed she'd underestimated the capital.

"What's so special about you that I'd hire you?"

"Got any letters of recommendation?"

"You think you're the first wide-eyed girl to come to the capital with nothing but dreams?"

She'd asked to be given just one day's trial, but all she got were refusals.

Finally, one shop did take her on—but they called it a probation period, paid her next to nothing, and made her do all sorts of menial tasks.

Fine. I could have put up with that. But they let me go the moment the probation ended.

The shop owner's greasy, slick face lingered in her memory.

Emilia stamped her foot in irritation.

But she soon stopped, realizing she was only wasting her energy.

For now, let's go home.

She decided she'd look for work again when the sun rose.

And so Emilia stepped out into the street and turned toward home.

---

The place she headed to was a residential area in the old part of the city.

Among the aging tenement buildings that looked as if they'd been built alongside the Empire itself—

That was where Emilia was staying.

It was cramped and barely saw any sunlight, but it was her precious sanctuary.

However, the area near her home was unusually noisy.

Neighbors had gathered together, murmuring amongst themselves.

What's going on?

Puzzled, Emilia approached a familiar middle-aged woman.

"Auntie."

"Oh my, miss! You're back now?"

The woman greeted her with great fuss.

"Yes. But why is everyone gathered here? Did something happen?"

Looking more closely, their expressions were all grim.

"Oh dear, well, you see... No, if I just tell you, you won't believe it..."

The woman rambled on, then patted Emilia's shoulder sympathetically and urged her to go see for herself.

Still not understanding, Emilia turned the corner toward her house—

"What in the...?"

She blinked several times at the unbelievable sight before her.

The building had completely collapsed.

She'd sighed and wished the ground would swallow her up, but she hadn't meant it literally...?

---

"Lies... It's all lies..."

Emilia was at her wit's end with the string of disasters.

How can a house you're living in just collapse?

Days had passed since the house collapsed—no, disappeared.

She had literally lost her home overnight.

Occasionally, she'd heard strange resonant sounds and gusts of wind from inside the walls, but apparently those had been warning signs before the collapse.

Fortunately, everyone had evacuated just before the collapse, so no one was hurt.

Good. That's one relief, but...

Why had only the building she lived in crumbled, while all the others nearby were perfectly fine?

Emilia swallowed a bitter laugh.

Can anyone really be this unlucky?

No matter how she looked at it, the gods must have abandoned her.

The gods...

That thought led to a reasonable suspicion.

Could it be because my soul isn't entirely from this world?

If so, those were some petty gods.

Emilia sat down by the fountain in the square, feeling gloomy.

Sigh.

She'd come all the way to the capital, yet nothing was working out.

Not only had she failed to find work, but the place she'd been staying had vanished like a mirage.

Come to think of it, she'd already gone through a major ordeal before even arriving in the capital.

No—maybe I should look at it the other way and say I've been lucky.

After all, both times, she'd escaped with her life.

Whatever.

Emilia barely managed to suppress a jaw-cracking yawn.

But she couldn't stop her eyelids from drooping.

Just as her head, nodding in the warm sunlight, was about to tip sideways—

Catch.

Someone caught her head.

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