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Chapter 27

"I lost them."

The hand fiddling with the blade stopped. A cold glare seemed to pierce through his body.

Bearing the brunt of the Emperor's wrath, Jin Blasquez added,

"I'm tracking them."

"The man who put a hole in the hand of the King of the Sea—can you catch him on land?"

"I will catch him. For certain."

"Is that so?"

"A pirate never forgets an opponent who has bested him, even once."

Captain Blasquez stroked his bandaged hand as he answered.

"That makes you like me. I too never forget anyone who has disappointed me, even once."

The Emperor slowly wiped the blade clean.

"Disposing of two bodies in one night is not a pleasant prospect."

The attendant, sacrificed as a welcome gift, lay with his head twisted, staring at the captain.

As if to say, You're next.

The captain bent his knee. And pressed his forehead to the ground.

"I will catch him for certain."

It was the first submission of his life.

"I thought he was just a greenhorn—but it seems he's not."

The pirate chief did not yet realize that the greenhorn the Emperor referred to was not himself.

---

When Angelina woke, she was not beside him.

She was not in the room either.

Alexei rose from the bed.

She wasn't in the bathroom either.

The dent on the bed had faded, suggesting she had left some time ago.

Alexei hurried outside.

Could someone have come in and taken her?

That's ridiculous.

No matter how tired she was, she wouldn't be that out of it.

Unless she's wandering around alone without a care.

She was certainly capable of that. She might have gotten an idea and rushed ahead without thinking things through.

Nervous, Alexei crossed the hallway and stood at the top of the stairs.

"Oh, Alex."

At the sound of Angelina's voice, his head turned involuntarily. She was standing at the bottom of the stairs, beaming up at him.

"Good morning."

Her voice, offering the morning greeting, was clear and bright.

She trotted up the stairs, wearing an apron and a headscarf.

Alexei was dumbfounded.

"What are you doing?"

"Cleaning."

With her white apron tied tight and her hair neatly tucked under a long scarf, she looked every bit the maid—not a weary one, but one who seemed born for the work, cheerful and content.

Holding cleaning tools in both hands, Angelina chattered excitedly.

"I realized after yesterday that I might have a talent for cleaning. So I got a job here."

"A job?"

An inn that couldn't even manage basic cleaning due to a lack of hands wouldn't turn away a worker.

The thought had come to her the moment she opened her eyes that morning.

Angelina had acted on it immediately. The owner hadn't been thrilled, but she'd accepted.

"We need to earn money. The daily wage is sixty Bath. In a month, that's eighteen hundred Bath, and long-term lodging is five hundred, so after deducting that—"

"Thirteen hundred."

"Right. Thirteen hundred Bath. With that, we can buy a top-quality horse—no, a good horse."

"But—"

"Is there another way?"

To the silent Alexei, Angelina whispered.

"It's fine. They haven't suspected a thing. It seems the country of Latria simply doesn't exist in their minds."

Alexei had felt the same when he'd walked around the docks.

"So leave the fine horse to me."

"Even so…"

"If you're that uncomfortable, you can help with the work too. I got the sense they wouldn't mind a male hand. If we work together, we can leave this place in half a month."

"No matter what, how could I do such—"

Angelina tapped Alexei's head with the duster she was holding.

"Wake up. You're neither a crown prince nor anything else right now."

She passed by Alexei and stopped at the very first room in the hallway.

Just as she was about to enter, she looked back.

"How long are you going to stand there?"

"Move. I'm moving."

Muttering something rarely heard from him, Alexei began to descend the stairs.

---

Nancy, the owner of the Red Moon Inn, had been very happy these past few days.

Business was booming.

And not just a little.

She couldn't deny that it was thanks to the two workers she'd hired a few days ago.

At first, she'd been doubtful—they seemed like people who'd never gotten their hands dirty. But surprisingly, you never know what a person is capable of until they've done it.

She had planned to let them go as soon as the backlog of cleaning was done, but now she hoped they'd stay as long as possible.

If their wages were too low, she was even willing to raise them by five Bath or so.

Was five Bath too little?

Then ten Bath.

While it was true that business had improved because of them, there were also side effects.

"The inn has gotten so clean. It's such a relief to breathe here. If before was hell, now it's heaven."

"There'll be no more talk of putting this place on the list of inns travelers should never visit. I thought that spot would never change."

"They say people change suddenly before they die—are you feeling unwell?"

She hadn't expected such enthusiastic reactions from the guests and neighboring merchants.

Nancy thought of the money and steeled herself.

"I just hired some workers, that's all."

"I'm surprised anyone would work at that inn!"

"They're staying temporarily because their travel funds are low. They'll probably leave once they've saved enough."

"Oh dear. Why not cut off a leg and keep them here?"

"Then they wouldn't be able to work."

"Oh, right. Hehehe. Anyway, you're lucky."

Nancy agreed with that sentiment.

Marron, the owner of the inn across the street, showed particular interest in the new workers. She had rushed over as soon as she heard the news.

"Those two? I thought it was two women, but they're a couple? Or siblings?"

"They said something like siblings."

Unable to decode the meaning of "something like siblings," Nancy repeated what she'd heard.

"Something like siblings? Half-siblings?"

"I wouldn't know. If they were, they'd have just said siblings."

"Maybe they're not acknowledged by each other."

"Well, they do fight every day."

Just then, the two came downstairs.

Like cats fighting over territory, they were growling at each other.

"They get along well, don't they?"

"Get along? Even though they fight like that every day?"

Nancy's eyes widened.

"Exactly. Being able to fight like that means they're that close."

Growing up as an only child, the world of siblings was far too complicated for Nancy. She resolutely gave up trying to understand.

"The man is quite handsome. And the woman is pretty too."

"Yes."

"They don't look like the type to work in a place like this. Perhaps…"

"Perhaps?"

Marron tilted her head and whispered.

"They must be illegitimate children of some noble."

It was a logical guess.

"They seem so young. How pitiful—coming to a foreign land and working at an inn. Their story must be quite tragic."

As the two innkeepers clucked their tongues, the two who had become zoo monkeys were also having some kind of conversation.

"They've been whispering and staring at us for a while—do you think we've been found out?"

"Hard to say. It looks a lot like the scene of noble ladies at a ball."

They weren't fluttering fans, but their expressions and mouth shapes were quite similar.

"I don't think it's working. Time to use my secret weapon."

Angelina pulled a bundle of cloth from her apron pocket and unfolded it.

It was a white apron just like the one she was wearing.

"Put it on."

Her sparkling eyes were intimidating in a way he'd never seen before.

"Stay away."

Alexei recoiled in horror.

"Just close your eyes and put it on. Then we'll be safe."

"Enough. I said enough."

Nancy and Marron watched the couple's bizarre standoff.

"See? They're close."

"Indeed."

"Oh, by the way, have you heard? They say pirates are prowling around the neighborhood."

"Pirates—when have they ever not?"

"This time is different—they seem to be looking for someone. Anyway, be careful—you never know where sparks might fly."

Marron warned again and left.

It'll be fine.

The pirates had their own regular inn, and she was stuck at her inn all day—there was no chance of running into them.

Nancy blamed her tendency to borrow worry and shook off the growing unease.

"Wine delivery."

Of the three barrels delivered, two were for the inn, but one was resold to the Black Lion Inn. She did this because of the favorable contract terms, but it was always a nuisance at the start of each month.

But today would be fine.

Thinking of Alexei, Nancy smiled with satisfaction.

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