CH-20
She stepped over the barrier with ease, carried by the Kai like a princess, Kai looked very familiar, as if this had happened often enough.
Two black robes were wrapped around Kai and her.
On the other side of the gate stood Kai’s horse. Her eyes widened at the sight of the bronze-colored horse with a glossy mane.
“No way. You’re not going to ride this, are you?”
“If you’re not going, I’ll take you back to your room.”
“Oh, no, I’m going, I’m going, I’m going!”
Kai smirked at her determination. Before she could finish her sentence, he grabbed her waist with both hands and lifted her up in one swift motion.
“Ew, ew!”
“Hold on to the reins!”
He shouted as she struggled to her feet. At his exclamation, she gave the reins a slight tug, barely resting one leg on the opposite saddle.
“Moo, I’m scared!”
She somehow managed to get her butt on the saddle, but the height frightened her. She leaned forward, afraid She’d lose her balance, and Kai, who was now behind her, straightened her shoulders.
“Straighten your back.”
His strong chest pressed against her back. She felt awkward and tried to pull away from him, but he tightened his arms around her, holding her firmly in his arms.
“If you don’t stay with me, you’ll fall?”
She stiffened, panicked by Kai’s back threat. The thought of falling off the horse was horrifying. He snarled and jerked the reins vigorously, as if picking on her. Suddenly, the horse moved, and she panicked, grabbing his arm with both hands instead of the saddle.
“Chu, slow down!”
On the saddle, bouncing up and down, She leaned all the way into Kai, trying not to fall off him. True to his word, She felt her upper body stabilize as She clung to him.
“Oh. You’re really comfortable, aren’t you?”
“…….”
For a moment, it seemed like she was floating, but she shrugged it off, thinking that she was probably just shaken by the horse.
* * *
Even with an invisible black robe around, She walked with her collar open as much as possible. She pulled the robe tightly over her forehead so that not a single strand of blonde hair was visible. Kai, dressed in the same outfit, grumbled next to me.
“Ella. I may be free-spirited, but that doesn’t mean I’m not afraid of Duke Clement, and if he finds out I brought you here, he’s going to…….”
“It’s okay, we won’t be found out!”
“I know. Whatever happens, don’t get caught.”
“Don’t worry!”
Sherry grinned, her face peeking out through her robe. Kai frowned, still worried.
“Anyway, I heard you’ve been struggling with training and studying a lot lately. Are you feeling okay?”
Apparently it wasn’t enough for Kai to see her every night, he was also checking on her health through Isabella.
“According to the doctor, your body hasn’t recovered for a full month now…….”
“Ugh, nag, stop!”
He frowned in discontent at the sight of her jumping up and down and taking off the crane.
A little further on, She came to a large, well-arched city gate, where before there had been only one or two barely lit lanterns in an alleyway, but beyond the gate a bright light shone as if it were daylight.
As She gazed mesmerized at the city gates, Kai stood before her and said.
“This is Ruman Street, the heart of the Ruman Empire, the center of the empire, the place where all the people of the empire come together every day, the place where anything goes.”
“Rumanian Street…… the best marketplace.”
She had heard Isabella’s description of the place before, but it was new to her. It felt strange to be in a place that was both familiar and unfamiliar.
Then Kai added awkwardly.
“It’s weird that I’m trying to explain this place to you like it’s my first time.”
Kai laughed bitterly. Apparently, he was sad that he was keeping his memories of the old Roella to himself.
She apologized for forgetting her memories with Kai, but she couldn’t join him in his sentimentality. Already, her heart was pounding at the unfamiliar sight.
“Why am I so excited?”
Maybe it was because she had been locked up in the mansion all this time, but it was only now that she realized that this was a different world from the one she was used to. The crowd of people living in the Roman Empire made her realize that she was living in a novel.
She rushed through the city gates, mesmerized before Kai could stop her.
“Wow!”
It’s hard to believe it’s nighttime, and the streets are illuminated by rows of lanterns. Various shops lined both sides of the street.
“Wow, this is so cool.”
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? You used to come here often before you lost your memory, wearing robes like this.”
Kai said to her as they walked down the street.
“We were really close, weren’t we?”
She answered without much thought, realizing that Kai had more memories of Roella than She realized. She was already mesmerized by the sight before her.
The main street was a colorful sight to behold. Some buildings boasted a classical style that was reminiscent of the middle of Europe, and there were many vendors and carts in between them. As you progressed further into the street, the distance between buildings became narrower and narrower.
As a result, there were no vendors selling carts in the narrow alleyways, and proper commercial buildings were wide open. Oak shops were closely connected with pointed roofs, and you could occasionally spot symbols of the god Meltinear.
Taking in every detail of the cityscape, she remembered the lesson she had with Isabella.
“Outwardly, the power of the temple was weak,” Isabella had said, “but in the days before this country was founded, during the League of Nations, the pope was very powerful. As a result, many in the empire harbored enmity towards the Emperor of Lumancia. There were quite a few houses that had this as a sign, though some people were afraid of the emperor and kept it out of sight.”
“What is this mark?”
“Yes. It looks like a dragon roaring and flying above a cross, but some say it represents the moment of the dragon’s execution.”
It seems like there’s a lot of freedom of belief here.
“It’s up to the individual to decide if they believe or not, but I’ve heard that many people worship the gods casually because the temple is weak.”
None of the people on the streets seem to be noble, and the only people of high status are the scout knights who are occasionally seen. When commoners saw them, they stopped and walked past, trying to avoid touching them. Of course, She did the same thing to avoid being recognized as a noble.
“Are there no nobles on this street?”
“Next time, come in the daytime. The atmosphere will be 180 degrees different.”
“Why? Ah!”
I suddenly realized that if there were nobles, they’d be in bed by now. Kai smirked.
“This is a time for commoners. This town is best at night.”
“Good thing we’re here at night, so nobles don’t get to see this great view?”
“I don’t know, maybe the curious nobles are just wandering around like the rest of us?”
“Wow.”
There was a wide variety of goods on the streets that Kai called ‘the best market’. There were fresh fruits, vegetables, and other foodstuffs, as well as furniture, ornaments, weapons, and accessories, as well as lodgings and restaurants for visitors to stay at.
What was even more interesting was that the streets were organized like a department store food department. And each alley had a name to match.
The women who wanted to buy fabrics were gathered in the “Fabric Road” and the men who hunted and fought in the “Tannery Road,” which She thought was very efficient.
“Ella, slow down!”
Excited, She pushed through the crowd to get ahead of Kai. Kai, being a big guy, couldn’t squeeze through the crowd like She could.
Suddenly, She turned around and called out to Kai, who was squeezing through the crowd.
“Meet me at the city gates in an hour!”
“No! Ella!”
She purposely ignored Kai’s call and turned around.
“I’m sorry, Kai!
The truth was, She had already planned to lose Kai. She apologized for taking advantage of him, but She couldn’t help but feel a certain crush on him.
Since She didn’t know when the mansion’s imprisonment would be lifted, She had to go against Chase’s wishes and get out, so She chose the street closest to the mansion.
She thought, “Maybe I can just wander around and the system will give me a mission.
Having already met three candidates, She was somewhat confident.
She hadn’t failed any missions yet, and She had a vague idea of what the aura of a male lead was like. she squinted her eyes and studied each passerby carefully.
Then, a man in a black robe like her swept past her.
“Hmm?
his black hair whipping around, and his scent was thick with musk. she glances back at him, and he’s gone.
‘Was he a nobleman?’
She had a strange feeling, but Sherry shrugged it off and continued on her way.
“Wow!”
A large square appeared in front of her. The wide-open plaza where the cramped alley ended gave her a sense of mystery as if it led to a completely different world.
People were sitting outside on wooden chairs and chatting amongst themselves, but what caught her attention was the fountain in the center of the square, with a sign that said “Vincent Square” right in front of it.
“So this is Vincent Square.”
The square was named after the founding emperor.
I realized what the fountain meant.
“Emperor Vincent, who is said to be protected by the Dragon.”
Of course, only the emperor knew his real name.
She slowly approached the fountain with her mouth hanging open.
The dragon, which looked like it could rise into the sky at any moment, was a work of art, a sculpture of such detail that it could have been a statue. Its delicately sculpted scales and rakes seemed to come alive, and it was dynamic, even though it was just a statue.
The dragon’s mouth gushed out a stream of water, which pooled in a large pond just below. Naturally, She looked into the water and smiled.
In the water, there was a pile of gold and silver coins that someone had thrown in.
She wondered, “Do they have a culture of flipping coins and making wishes?”
She chuckled to herself, thinking that it sounded a bit like her world.
Just then, a gust of wind blew in from the opposite direction. It ripped off her robe, sending a flurry of blond hair flying.
“……!”
She gasped and stiffened as She tried to put her robe back on.
Just as she was about to put it on, she locked eyes with a pair of golden eyes staring back at her from the opposite alley.
The man in the black robe was in a dark alleyway, which made his glowing eyes stand out even more.
The golden eyes collided with my blood-red ones in midair. For a moment, time stood still, and the noisy sounds around us stopped. His eyes glowed like lanterns in the darkness, and her crimson ones seemed to cling to each other.
Ti-ling!
[Mission!]
Suddenly?!
Her gaze first fell on the man with the golden eyes. the man across from him came to his senses and quickly turned around. She stared at the system with a wistfulness She hadn’t felt in a long time.
She thought to herself, “Finally, a chance to be outside!”
[Find the man with the black robe and golden eyes, time limit 30 minutes].
Wait, that can’t be…….
[Rewards and penalties remain the same, so go for it!]
Isn’t that the guy from earlier?!
“Talk faster, you damn system!”
She ran full speed toward the alley where the man had disappeared.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
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