RLPE Chapter 26

The chase was intense. The thief was likely experienced in running away, but Armin Grey was faster. Not far from where we were, Armin caught up to the thief, grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back to subdue him. It was hard to believe this was the same person who had been struggling to make a knot just moments ago.

“Ugh.”

“Relax. You’ll only hurt yourself more. Stealing in broad daylight in a crowded street? Quite a bold move.”

I ran towards Armin. Catching the thief was fortunate. It wasn’t about the money in my wallet or the sword sheath strings, which could be remade.

‘The ring! That thing is priceless.’

The ring, with its thick band and high clarity, was enchanted with magic. Losing such a valuable item that the Duchess had entrusted to me was unthinkable. Just imagining it made me dizzy.

As I approached, the thief threw the bag towards a crowded area, likely hoping an accomplice would catch it. But no one did. Even the accomplices were scared off.

The problem was that everyone else was too. People scattered as if my bag was cursed, like dodging a ball in a game of dodgeball.

My bag hit the ground, its contents spilling out since the strings had already been cut. The scene unfolded in slow motion, as if witnessing a crucial moment in life.

Roll, roll, and plop.

That was the sound of the Grey family’s ring rolling like a wheel and falling into a drain.

Thud.

That was the sound of my sanity snapping.

A few seconds passed, and I screamed, rushing towards the drain.

“Ah! What do I do?”

Armin, who was restraining the thief, couldn’t see me clearly from his position.

“What do I do? It fell into the drain! The ring fell into the drain! What should I do?”

I stomped my feet and looked around frantically, but the ring had already disappeared down the drain.

The situation was urgent, and the onlookers who had gathered began to disperse. In the distance, police officers blew whistles and ran towards us.

“Agh!”

The thief under Armin let out a scream.

As I stared at the drain in shock, Armin’s voice, sharp and dangerous, cut through the air.

“I’ll kill you.”

The intensity in his eyes made my stomach churn.

‘No wonder he looked so formidable.’

I wondered how much the ring was worth. Seeing how angry he was, it was clear that the ring was no ordinary item.

I was at a loss. I quickly calculated the blame ratio in my head. I had offered to return it, but he didn’t take it, so it wasn’t entirely my fault, right?

7:3. Or at least 8:2.

I frantically gathered my scattered belongings from the ground. The sword sheath strings were still in the bag, and the coins were scattered on the ground, untouched.

If only everything but the ring had fallen into the drain…

As I approached Armin, the air seemed to change, growing colder and more intense. I could feel the tension radiating from him.

“I… I’m sorry. The ring… fell into the drain. I don’t think we can find it.”

“Ugh!”

The thief groaned in pain. Armin’s grip was unyielding, and his expression was terrifying.

The police officers, sensing the urgency, quickened their pace. The thief was on the verge of passing out from the pain.

“We will take the criminal into custody. Please release your hold.”

Despite the officer’s request, Armin did not loosen his grip. Another groan of pain escaped the thief’s lips. No one dared to forcefully remove Armin, a nobleman, from the scene. The officers looked uncertain.

“The criminal will be properly investigated…”

“He attempted to steal from the Grey family. I will handle this.”

Armin’s voice was cold and authoritative. The officer finally recognized him and flinched.

Armin’s words were a demand. With the power of the Grey family, he could do as he pleased. But openly disregarding the police like this would tarnish the family’s reputation.

The officer turned to me, seeing a more approachable target.

“Miss, could you tell us what was stolen?”

At the mention of stolen items, Armin’s expression darkened even more. I quickly responded to the officer.

“A ring.”

“A ring? Anything else?”

“No, just the ring.”

I was focused on answering the officer, trying to avoid Armin’s intense gaze.

“The ring fell into the drain and was washed away… It’s not an ordinary ring.”

“The only thing lost was the ring?”

Armin’s voice interrupted our conversation. I nodded slightly, feeling a bit defeated.

Change of strategy. 8:2. If he’s very angry, maybe 9:1. Or at least 9.5:0.5…

But contrary to my expectations, Armin released his grip on the thief’s arm. He then called out to the officer in a composed voice.

“Officer.”

“Yes? Oh, yes! Young Master.”

“Take the criminal away. Follow the proper procedures.”

The intense atmosphere had dissipated, and Armin casually brushed the dust off his clothes as if nothing had happened. He seemed almost too calm, which made me even more nervous.

“Um…”

“Yes?”

“Let’s make it 8:2.”

“What?”

“The value of the ring. Anyway, it was stolen from me, but I also had the responsibility of keeping it safe.”

“Oh, the ring.”

“How much is it? What’s the price?”

Armin seemed to recall something effortlessly. He held up two fingers.

Those two fingers couldn’t possibly mean 2 gold. It had to be more than I thought.

“200 gold? That’s cheaper than I expected.”

“200 gold?”

“No way it’s 200 silver, right? If so, I’ll just buy you a new one.”

“Not a chance. It’s two bags of gold coins.”

I froze, forgetting to walk. Two bags of gold coins? Each bag contains 1,000 gold… so that means 2,000 gold.

My monthly allowance is about 20 gold. It would take me about 10 years of saving every penny to afford that. Even splitting it 8:2 would mean 1,600 gold. It was an astronomical amount.

“It was a gift from an old friend of my father’s, so I got it cheaply. Originally, it would cost about three bags of gold coins.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“Why would I joke about this?”

His puzzled expression confirmed that he was telling the truth.

“Um… by any chance…”

“Yes?”

“Can I pay in installments?”

Armin Grey chuckled.

“Just make sure your sword sheath cords are safe.”

“Here.”

The cords at the bottom of my bag were untouched, neither stepped on nor dirtied. Armin Grey attached all three cords to the sheath of his sword.

“In case it gets stolen again, I’ll keep them safe.”

“No way something like this happens twice in one day. But that’s not the point.”

I swallowed hard and spoke up. I had never worried about money in this life.

“I can’t pay off two bags of gold coins at once… Can I pay 10 gold coins a month?”

“I’ve been wondering what you’ve been talking about. Why are you so concerned about losing the ring?”

“Because it’s expensive.”

“Let’s do this.”

Armin pointed to one of the cords attached to the sheath.

“One bag of gold coins.”

Then, pointing to the second one, he said,

“Two bags. It’s simple math, right?”

He was the foolish one. How could he compare a leather cord worth less than 1 silver to a 2,000 gold coin ring?

I tried to argue again, but Armin raised his hand to stop me.

“If you’re really concerned, do me a favor.”

I quickly nodded.

“What is it?”

“Remember the conversation we had in front of Mother’s study? Do you remember?”

Had I already forgotten what happened just yesterday? His cautious attitude made me wonder if I had missed something.

What else did we talk about besides agreeing to meet twice?

‘Call me Armin instead of Young Master.’

‘Can I call you by your name too?’

Memories flashed through my mind. Come to think of it, after that, the situation had escalated, and we hadn’t been on friendly terms to call each other by our names.

In reality, whenever I needed to address him, I deliberately omitted his title or called him Young Master or Armin Grey. And Armin Grey also called me Young Lady.

I felt my face flush with embarrassment. It was nothing significant, so why did I feel so embarrassed?

I nodded slightly.

“Next time we meet, I hope you’ll call me by my name.”

I couldn’t look up. I had a feeling he was smiling at me, and I was afraid of how I might feel if I saw his face.