Ariel was sitting at the table, deeply engrossed in drawing something on a piece of paper. At first glance, it looked ghostly, but on closer inspection, it resembled a person.
“The eyes are stretched long, the nose is hooked, and the lips are very thin,” Ariel explained in detail to Ludwig’s close aides about the person who had handed over the box.
However, the description was vague, and the drawing was far too abstract to recognize anyone.
“Do you always draw with your feet?” Ludwig teased from above.
“I can’t even hold a pen with my feet,” Ariel responded with a laugh.
“Ah, I must be a fool to try having a conversation with you. It’s impossible to have a normal conversation…”
“What should we do about the composite sketch of the suspect? We need one to catch him,” Robert said with a serious look.
It was a tough situation for him, having been tasked with capturing the culprit.
“How about we call a painter? If we get someone to draw according to what Rapunzel described, we might get a decent montage,” Elias suggested, offering a clever solution, and everyone nodded in agreement.
“Leo will bring the painter… So, waiting for the painter means lunch out might be tricky, huh?”
“Ah, it’s already lunchtime. Anna is waiting. I’ll go out and come back,” Ludwig said, hoping Rapunzel might linger a bit longer, but she quickly spoke up and dashed out without a chance to stop her.
“Perfect timing. Meeting for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and who knows, maybe they’ll end up married,” Robert commented, sounding a bit envious.
“Married?” Ludwig asked, his face flushing with excitement.
“Yes, there are widespread rumors they are dating; it’s quite possible.”
That makes sense, Rapunzel is too cute not to be noticed by others. Ludwig thought bitterly, a stark reality setting in.
“Robert, focus on catching the culprit instead of wasting time on irrelevant matters,” he said sharply.
“Ah, right. I’ll be off then…”
After Robert left, Leo, who had been waiting, spoke up.
“The blacksmith has made the footrest. Should I bring it?”
“Well, it seems we don’t need it anymore. It was meant to quash rumors, but that’s no longer necessary…”
Ludwig suddenly felt gloomy and stood up from his seat. Elias then asked him.
“Your Highness, how should we handle the documents needing your seal?”
“That’s what you’re here for, isn’t it?” Ludwig replied with a hint of arrogance.
He knew it wasn’t Elias’s fault, but the frustration was mounting—neither the seal, the person who handed over the box, nor Rapunzel’s issues were close to being resolved.
***
“Hey, Rapun, over here!”
Anna, who was already outside the castle, waved at Ariel.
“Anna, where did you say we were going today?”
“To Ann and Roy, the largest store in the empire. We’re going to try selling some masks there.”
“That sounds like a great plan.”
Ariel wore an excited expression. Selling masks with Anna for lunch and dinner, and even at Ann’s store, seemed like it could not only clear their debts but also help the financial situation of the Charden royal household.
As they opened the door to Ann and Roy’s, the bustling noise enveloped them. The shop also doubled as a tavern, and there were quite a few rough-looking characters around.
They took seats at one of the scattered tables.
“Masks are in fashion these days, huh?”
A group of men, who looked like mercenaries, sat at a table and glanced at the mask Ariel wore, murmuring among themselves.
“If a servant sings while wearing a mask, a marriage proposal is sure to follow. That’s why everyone, nobles and commoners alike, are after that mask.”
A large man with a scarred face looked at Ariel with a sinister glance. Anna, intimidated, whispered quietly.
“Rapun, maybe we should leave here.”
Ariel nodded and was about to stand when an interesting conversation caught their attention.
“It’s not just that. They say the Crown Prince got so angry he humiliated a servant deliberately. A royal blackguard and the servant’s sister stole the prince’s bracelet.”
“…And then it was passed on, but someone stole it without anyone noticing.”
“You’re behind on the news. The culprit is one of Ann’s direct subordinates. Recognized the valuable bracelet and stole it in the night.”
“They keep it hush, but apparently, the bracelet contains something significant.”
Ariel slumped back into her chair, shocked.
This was different from what Gale had told her. He said he borrowed money from the royals for gambling and might end up in the royal dungeon if he couldn’t pay back the debt since he lost it all.
“If the bracelet is lost, wouldn’t that put His Highness in trouble?”
Maybe she should look for the bracelet first instead of trying to earn money to pay off the debt. If she found the bracelet and returned it to His Highness, maybe she wouldn’t have to be a servant anymore.
“There’s information available. Tonight at the dockyard…”
The conversation was whispered too quietly to catch the rest, but Ariel had a good guess about the essential details.
They had to wait until nightfall.
“Anna, let’s head back to the palace.”
***
“Absolutely flawless.”
Ludwig couldn’t help but marvel as he compared two documents sealed with a stamp.
Elias had hurriedly made a fake seal, and it was so intricately done that it looked more real than the original.
“I’ve handled the urgent documents with this.”
“Any news about the bracelet?”
“We’ve received information that tonight there will be a meeting at the dockyard between the thief who stole the bracelet and Prince Justin’s entourage.”
“Really? Tell Robert to prepare thoroughly, then we’ll see tonight.”
“Will Your Highness also go?”
“It’s my bracelet, of course I must go.”
“Understood.”
Something seemed to occur to Ludwig.
“The painter?”
“Yes, he arrived a bit ago and is waiting.”
“Has Rapun not returned yet?”
“No, not yet…”
“Huh, lunchtime is 60 minutes, and it’s been 70 minutes without his return?”
Ludwig paced the room with a furrowed brow, suddenly stopping as Ariel burst through the door, breathless.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness, I’m late.”
“Do you even realize you’re late? You’ve been gone for an extra 10 minutes…”
“Tomorrow, I’ll only go out for 50 minutes,” Ariel quickly replied.
‘He may seem clueless at times, but occasionally he’s surprisingly quick-witted.’
“You’ve brought the painter; now, try to sketch out the suspect together.”
“Yes.”
Ariel brought the painter to the office and detailed the suspect’s features.
“No, no, the eyes are more slanted, and the lips paler and thinner…”
Despite her detailed descriptions, the painter struggled to capture the likeness accurately. The difficulty was understandable; the man who handed over the box looked more like a ghost than a human.
As dinner time approached, Ariel settled on one of the many sketches.
“Go have dinner and then head to your quarters to rest,” Ludwig hastily left the office after telling Rapunzel.
“Yes, I understand,” Ariel replied, sounding pleased yet puzzled.
“What’s with His Highness? He usually stays late…”
Luckily, this gave her a chance to head to the dockyard. Ariel slipped out of the palace and boarded a pre-arranged carriage.
***
At the shadowy dockyard, a boat was moored, and not far from it, a man with a large bag slinked around. His face was hidden under a hat, but his unusually thin and pale lips were peculiar, and he was nervously chewing on them, adding a sinister air to his presence.
A large man disembarked from the boat, scanned the area, and then approached the hat-wearing man.
“Is the money ready?”
As the big man inquired, the other man opened his bag to show him.
“And the bracelet?”
At that question, the man produced a bracelet from his pocket, and the hatted man swiftly pulled out a dagger.
A brief struggle ensued before the man was fatally stabbed.
“Gasping—”
Ariel, having alighted from her carriage and hidden behind some cargo, screamed in shock. She covered her mouth, but the hatted man turned towards her.
“Hide well, lest your hair be seen.”
The man approached Ariel with a dagger between his teeth, and before she could escape, he seized her. As Ariel trembled, her face pale with fear, the man let out a wicked laugh.
“Ha, I’ve got another gift to deliver to Prince Justin.”
“Help me!” Ariel screamed in terror.
Ludwig’s group arrived at the dockyard a bit late and heard a familiar voice.
“Is that… Rapunzel?!”
Realizing it was Rapunzel’s voice, Ludwig immediately ran towards it, but the ship was already moving away from the dock.
“How could Rapunzel be here…”
Ludwig’s face turned ashen as he called out desperately for Rapunzel.
“Rapunzel, Rapunzel…”
Ariel, with her mouth gagged and her hands and feet bound, was thrown into a storage room on the ship. She couldn’t respond to Ludwig’s calls.
‘I shouldn’t have come alone. I should have brought Anna with me… Or, I should have told His Highness what I knew and come with him.’
Ariel groped the floor in the darkness by the dim moonlight shining through a small window. As she cautiously felt the floor, she touched something that sent chills down her spine.
“What’s this?”
Suddenly, a husky voice spoke, and a man pinned her down.
“Mmmpf—!”
As Ariel struggled, unable to speak, the man loosened the cloth in her mouth and grumbled.
“Damn, it’s suffocating. Where is this, and who are you?”
“We’re on a ship, and I seem to have been captured.”
“No, why am I on this strange ship instead of our family’s ship?”
The man’s voice was laden with irritation.
“I’m not sure; I just ended up here on the ship.”
“Damn, I must have set the teleportation coordinates wrong. But why is it so dark here?”
The man stood up and moved towards the window, and under the moonlight, his features were revealed: red hair, crazed red eyes, his face fiercely agitated.
Frustrated by the darkness, the man lifted Ariel to her feet. He then squinted his eyes and scrutinized her closely before abruptly tearing off the mask on Ariel’s face.
Under the moonlight, hideous burn scars were revealed, and Ariel quickly turned her head to hide her face.
“I like creepy things…”
“What?”
Ariel looked at the man in shock.
“I’m Ricardo. And you?”
“…Rapunzel.”
“Quite a unique name.”
Ricardo grinned mischievously, showing his white teeth.
🍉🍉🍉
