Everett offered a suggestion, “How about we stop by a café for a late dinner? I’d like to treat you.”
The food sold at the small stalls in the night market was famous in the capital, and for someone who had been working even during the festival, it was a well-deserved treat.
“Sure,” I quickly agreed before Everett could change his mind.
Everett flashed a bright smile. “Great, then let’s hurry before the guards catch up.”
He nodded toward the direction of the café.
The streets were crowded, with most people heading toward the night market to celebrate the Emperor’s birthday, while we were moving in the opposite direction.
‘It’s like swimming against the current.’
As we pushed through the crowd, Everett offered his hand again. “Stay close behind me.”
He easily cleared a path through the crowd, and I followed closely in the space he created.
After about twenty minutes of navigating through the bustling streets, we finally arrived in front of a café with its lights off.
“Damn,” Everett muttered, his brows knitting in frustration. “It looks like they’re out.”
He stared at the closed café door for a moment before glancing at me. “There’s another entrance around back that the guild uses.”
He led the way around the corner to the side alley, opening the door that connected to the bookstore and the guild.
“Wait inside for a moment. I’ll be back in five minutes, maybe ten.”
Everett left me just inside the guild’s entrance. He seemed conflicted about leaving me alone but couldn’t bring me fully inside or leave me alone in the dark alley. He kept glancing back at me as he walked away.
“Didn’t you say ten minutes? Should I time you?” I teased, urging him to hurry.
Everett smiled faintly. “If you had a watch, sure.”
With that, he disappeared into the guild without looking back again.
‘I don’t have a watch.’
I leaned against the wall in the dimly lit hallway, waiting patiently.
It didn’t feel like I had waited long when Everett reappeared at the end of the hallway. He seemed much more at ease than when he had left.
Seeing me waiting for him, he quickened his pace.
“You came back quickly.”
“Of course, I hurried since I knew someone was waiting for me. Shall we go?”
Everett held the door open for me.
We retraced our steps back toward the night market, now much less crowded.
“Is there anything specific you’d like to eat?” Everett asked as he led me to a street lined with upscale and clean eateries.
“I’m fine with anything.”
I wasn’t too hungry after drinking several cups of strong tea.
“Then how about we walk around for a bit and see what catches our eye?”
After a moment of thought, Everett pointed toward a street lined with stalls selling various snacks.
“That sounds good.”
Once again, Everett took the lead, clearing the way through the crowd, while I stuck close by his side, enjoying the ease with which we navigated the bustling night market.
There was so much to see at the festival, which had been organized on a larger scale than usual. The stalls extended far beyond the usual night market area.
I turned my head this way and that, admiring the food stalls selling snacks and the small booths displaying trinkets and handmade jewelry.
“That looks delicious.”
One stall caught my eye, selling skewers of chicken and vegetables grilled with a rich, spicy sauce.
Despite the noise, Everett caught my murmur and followed my gaze to the stall selling the chicken skewers.
“That one, huh?”
He frowned slightly at the sight of the deep red sauce, which looked quite spicy.
“I was hoping to treat you to a proper meal, not just a snack.”
He tried to persuade me.
“But I’m pretty sure this would make me happier, much happier.”
When I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the skewers, Everett sighed lightly, a hint of a smile on his lips, and paid for the skewers.
“Here you go.”
Despite his initial reluctance, Everett even got one for himself, holding it in his other hand.
I thought he might refuse to eat street food, but he was willing to join me in my night market adventure.
“Thank you,” I said softly before taking a big bite of the skewer.
‘This place is great.’
The skewer was perfectly seasoned, spicy and sweet, just the way I liked it.
I quickly devoured one skewer, feeling a bit disappointed it was gone so soon.
My longing gaze must have caught Everett’s attention. He finished his skewer in a few bites and then warned me with a playful scolding tone, “No more snacking, Miss Diaz.”
He spoke in such a stern manner that it was hard not to laugh.
‘He sounds like our etiquette teacher.’
I pouted slightly and reluctantly moved away from the stall.
Aside from banning me from eating too much street food, Everett was a very indulgent companion. He patiently waited as I stopped to browse at almost every booth, my hands quickly filling with bags of small trinkets and handmade jewelry.
Thanks to Everett’s patience, I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the night market, checking out every stall until we reached the far end, where the streetlights no longer reached.
“Looks like we’ve reached the edge of the night market,” I said, glancing back at the distant lights with some regret.
“Looks like it’s time to head back. We’re getting close to the border of the slums, and it could be dangerous if we go any further,” Everett said, surveying the area.
“Okay.”
I adjusted the many paper bags in my hands and nodded.
Everett noticed the sheer number of bags I was carrying and offered to help.
“Want me to carry some?”
“No, it’s fine. They may be bulky, but they don’t weigh much. It’s like carrying a bouquet of flowers,” I replied, showing off how light the bags were by waving them around.
“Alright, if you say so.”
Everett gave my slender wrists a doubtful look but eventually backed off.
He turned and started walking back toward the busier part of the night market.
“This place feels a bit eerie,” I said, picking up my pace to stay close to Everett.
“It’s one of the oldest and most notorious parts of the capital. The narrow, maze-like streets make it easy to hide.”
“That explains it.”
Although Everett’s tone was casual, I quickened my pace, sticking close to his side.
Noticing my proximity, Everett turned to look at me and chuckled softly.
“Now that I think about it, Miss Diaz, you’re more afraid of muggers than ghosts, aren’t you?”
He teased me lightly, wrapping an arm protectively around my waist.
“And Lord Rojas is more afraid of ghosts,” I retorted playfully, not minding the close contact.
“That’s right. If a ghost appears, I’ll leave it to you,” Everett joked, pretending to be scared.
He dropped the act quickly, though.
“But this area is definitely more likely to have muggers than ghosts.”
Everett’s tone grew serious as he looked around, as if trying to remind himself of his responsibilities.
“I’ll have to increase the patrols around the night market when we get back. It wouldn’t be good if more people ended up wandering into this area by accident.”
I agreed with him.
“Yes, the market stalls seem to have spread out more with the festival being so big this year. It wasn’t like this the last time I came.”
“The boundaries of the slums have also expanded since the war, with more displaced people settling in the capital’s poorer districts.”
Everett narrowed his eyes, clearly troubled by the issue.
“Wait a moment, Miss Diaz.”
He suddenly stopped, rubbing his chin as he scanned the area.
Everett’s serious expression as he focused on something made me uneasy.
“Are you expecting trouble?” I asked quietly.
Everett tried to reassure me with a small smile. “I’m hearing some footsteps, but it could just be people passing by.”
But from the way he was acting, it was clear he didn’t really believe that.
I cautiously turned my head to look in the direction Everett was watching.
He seemed to see something I couldn’t.
‘Why does it feel like today’s just not my day?’
Unconsciously, I grabbed onto Everett’s sleeve and muttered, “I think I’m going to make a donation at the temple tomorrow morning, just to be safe.”
As soon as I finished speaking, a group of thugs emerged from the shadowy alley.
