Episode 35
I walked quickly, trying to put distance between myself and Chris.
I hadn’t entirely dismissed the possibility that Chris might personally look into Oracle, but I never expected to run into him in such a place, dressed like this.
‘Did he recognize me?’
I wasn’t sure. As much as I felt sorry for Marie, I was dressed in something not much better than rags compared to what I usually wore.
At this moment, I didn’t want to see Chris’s face. His image kept reminding me of how he was drifting happily away with Aria.
Just then.
Thud!
A man rushing past me hit my shoulder hard. I lost my balance and stumbled against the wall.
“Hey, watch where you’re going…”
A sense of foreboding hit me as I spoke. I quickly patted my body.
“…Damn.”
My wallet, which I had attached to my waist, was gone. I had been too distracted, and someone had taken advantage.
‘It’s not the money that matters.’
The documents I received to come to Oracle were in that wallet, along with the decoded key that Lady Ellie had included.
“Stop right there!”
I ran after the man who had started to get away.
Thanks to swapping clothes and shoes with Marie, I didn’t have to worry about my feet getting hurt in heels, but catching a nimble pickpocket was still a challenge.
‘But I won’t give up.’
I ran with all my might, barely keeping the pickpocket in my sight. He glanced back at me with an annoyed look.
“I said stop!”
“This crazy woman, give up already!”
The pickpocket darted into an alley. It was a dead end.
‘Got you.’
I sighed with relief and called out.
“Give that back immediately…”
“There’s a fitting punishment for a pesky woman like you.”
Men began emerging from the shadows in the alley.
“Oh, it’s been a while since we had a guest.”
“What’s this? A woman?”
I took a deep breath and clicked my tongue softly. Nothing was going right today.
‘No, things haven’t been going well since Chris met Aria.’
I held back a sigh. One of the men slung an arm around the pickpocket’s shoulders.
“How did you manage to bring a customer so close to the base?”
“She wouldn’t give up. I had a hard time shaking her.”
“That tiny woman stuck to you like glue? Not losing your touch?”
“Why don’t you try running with her chasing you? She’s a tough one.”
“Excuses.”
The pickpocket and the men started laughing.
I narrowed my eyes and looked around. The alley was blocked by high walls on all sides.
‘Not many escape routes.’
The only possible escape was the path we had just come from.
‘If I move quickly while they’re distracted…’
Just as I turned to make a break for it, I bumped into someone blocking the way.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Another thug, noticeably bigger than the rest, stood in my path. He was likely the leader.
“……”
“You walk around here with a wallet and expect nothing to happen? Dream on.”
“Naive or stupid.”
“If you get robbed, just accept it. Don’t chase after us.”
“We like it, though.”
Sneers followed.
I had told Marie not to come because it was dangerous, yet here I was in danger myself.
‘At least Marie isn’t here.’
I thought, trying to keep my voice steady.
“You’d better not come any closer.”
The men continued to sneer.
“Even now, she’s got her nose in the air.”
“She hasn’t tasted reality yet.”
“Let’s give her a dose of reality… hold on.”
The thug who had been bantering with the pickpocket suddenly leaned close to my face.
“Oh?”
I steeled myself, not backing away. People like these would only get more aggressive if they sensed weakness.
The thug’s eyebrows twitched as he examined my face closely, then he whistled.
“This one’s a top-quality maid.”
“Let’s see.”
The pickpocket and his friends crowded around to look at me.
“She’s really pretty.”
“Which noble’s taste is this refined?”
“Don’t mess up her face. She’ll sell well. We should get a good price.”
“You’d better watch your mouth.”
I warned. The thug snorted.
“She talks like a maid, but she must be from a big house, huh?”
“If it’s the Reinhardt Duke’s household, that’s not just any house.”
At my answer, the men looked at each other. I stood still, waiting for their reaction.
‘These back-alley thugs won’t want to get involved with nobles. They’ll back off…’
“Did you hear that? It’s the Duke’s household.”
“Wow, we’ve caught a big one!”
The men started laughing. A sinister feeling crawled up my neck. I warned them.
“Do you not care if your whole family gets executed for messing with a maid from the Duke’s household?”
“Hahaha!”
My words made the men laugh even louder.
“Who would know if you disappear here? The other servants? Nobles usually send their servants on errands to shady places like this secretly.”
“And even if they realize you’re missing, how would they know who did it?”
The man who said this grinned.
“There’s no one here but us. Do Duke’s household people have eyes on the back of their heads?”
More vile laughter followed.
“And even if we get caught, it’s not that scary.”
“What’s the worst that can happen? We die? Might as well enjoy life with the money we get before we die.”
“If you entertain us in other ways besides money, that’s even better.”
I turned my head, trying to block out their voices, but the men continued their conversation among themselves.
“So, if she’s from the Duke’s household, she must be pretty refined, right? I heard the maids there can even read.”
“If she’s got that face and is refined, some guys will go crazy. The ones who pretend to be respectable.”
“Where can we sell her for the most money?”
“Not to another noble. If they find out which household she came from, it’ll be a hassle. We should sell her outside the empire. Anyone know any traders?”
Their crude conversation continued. My frustration was reaching its limit.
“How about we have some fun with her before we sell her? It’d be a waste to just send her off.”
“…….”
Yes, sometimes there are those.
‘People whose lives are so desperate they aren’t afraid of nobles or royals.’
They live on the edge, believing they have nothing to lose.
‘That attitude is something I need to learn.’
I glared at the men. One of them, who seemed the most timid, whispered.
“But what if the Duke’s household retaliates later…?”
“Do you know how many servants the Duke’s household has? They won’t care about one missing maid.”
“Really?”
“No one will care if one maid disappears.”
Unfortunately, if it were any other noble, that might not be true, but the Duke’s household wouldn’t care. Duke Reinhardt doesn’t pay much attention to each servant or maid.
“So.”
One of the men pointed at the pickpocket.
“What did you steal from her?”
All eyes turned to my wallet in the pickpocket’s hand.
“If she’s from the Duke’s household and chased this hard…”
“It must be something really valuable, right?”
The pickpocket pulled out my wallet and laughed. Instinctively, I stepped towards him. I didn’t want anyone to see what was inside.
“Oh, she’s coming at us.”
“That’s no fun.”
A thug grabbed me from behind, pulling my wrist. I barely stopped myself from falling into his arms but had to watch as the wallet opened and the documents fell out.
“What’s this?”
Fortunately, the men didn’t seem to care much about the documents. They glanced at the papers and crumpled them, tossing them to the ground. They probably thought they were just ordinary transaction records.
‘But if they fall into the hands of someone who can read…’
I made a mental note of where the crumpled documents were. The wallet only contained a few coins and a silver piece.
“……”
The pickpocket shook the wallet several times, but nothing else came out. I had purposely traveled light, not planning to carry anything more valuable.
“That’s it?”
“No way. She acted so high and mighty, and this is it?”
The thug glared at me.
“I thought she was carrying jewels or something.”
“Damn!”
A few more vulgar curses were hurled. Someone stared at me and muttered.
“Looks like selling this woman is the only profitable option.”
“Let go!”
I struggled, and the thug pulled out a knife, gripping my wrist tightly.
“Didn’t I say it’s no fun if you struggle?”
“Isn’t it better to have some fun before ending it?”
I spat coldly.
“You really have no idea how scary the world can be.”
“Huh?”
“You’re trash, buying and selling people because you have nothing better to do.”
As I spoke with disdain, the pain in my wrist intensified.
