Chapter 19
He urged me more while I was doubting my ears.
[I told you to take it off.]
Signus raised the corner of his mouth when he saw me speechless.
[You must be sick, huh? You can’t even understand my words.]
His dazzling smile didn’t match his words.
[My fiancée is so naive.]
Fiancée?
Didn’t you just call me by name earlier?
But the friendly Signus that I saw a little while ago had disappeared.
Before I knew it, the cold-faced Signus smiled grimly at me.
[This engagement is just a process of identifying you. Even if nothing is confirmed yet, you’d better throw away the idea that I’m not going to kill you.]
A beautiful hand grabbed my collar.
[Show me your back if you want to live. Show me the proof that you’re her.]
I was dumbfounded. Who the hell is she?
[What’s with you? Are you deaf?]
Suddenly, my clothes were torn by a strong force,
“You bastard!”
So I kicked him with all my might.
But it was weird.
I was trying to kick that smug face, but suddenly my vision filled with stars.
“Miss!”
My eyes were forced to open due to the excruciating pain. Meanwhile, Mary looked like she was about to cry.
“Oh my god, are you okay?”
I tried to say I was okay, but only a small groan came out of my mouth.
“What’s going on, miss? What kind of dream did you have that made you fall out of bed? And you even cursed! I was so surprised.”
No wonder it hurt.
“It hurts right? Hold on, let me see.”
Mary, who wrapped her hands around my face, suddenly shouted.
“Oh my god! Your lips are chapped!”
I know that already. It smelled like iron from earlier. But there was another problem.
“What should we do? You have to go to the temple today!”
It was as Mary said. Today was my second day in the capital as well as the day of my engagement to Signus.
***
I’m sure everyone has experienced it at least once.
On those days when your shoulders are awfully heavy, your body is weak and your mood is ruined from the start.
If that happens, I will be more careful with my actions. On a day like this, usually, I had a precognitive dream.
‘It’s like that before I died’
The servant who was walking with me said carefully.
“Are you feeling unwell? You’re staggering…”
I let out a tired sigh. Of course I’d look weird. The shock from falling out of the bed and my poor physical condition played a part, but the main cause was the dress I wore.
Since I walked while kicking the hem of the long dress that draped my legs.
‘I’m used to wearing a uniform, so I can’t help it.’
There was nothing to be done even if I looked stupid walking step by step like a toddler.
“Because my body is weak. Don’t worry too much.”
Come to think of it, I haven’t had a precognitive dream since I became Navian. This morning, I had a dream where Signus ordered me to take off my clothes, and that was clearly a shitty dream.
‘I don’t usually consider that as a precognitive dream.’
But I felt strange. I feel like I shouldn’t go outside. I had a feeling that something would happen, so I asked.
“What about father and Ulysse?”
“Young master is on his way from the palace, and master is going to the temple to take care of the engagement process.”
So Ulysse is busy, too? He went to work right after he arrived here.
‘Then what the hell is this ominous feeling?’
I looked around with meticulous eyes. The servants were busy moving stuff and cleaning the mansion. As a matter of fact, this building wasn’t exactly a mansion, which explained why it was barely taken care of, but it will be worth the trouble since I got engaged now.
But…
“Who are those people? Why did I never see them before?” When I asked her about the people who cleaned the cluttered mansion in a brusque manner, Mary answered.
“They’re here to clean up. We came all of a sudden, so we didn’t have time to clean up.”
They weren’t my servants. No wonder, I saw them for the first time. I already memorized the servants’ faces even while I was bedridden. So I looked carefully at the passing servants and shook my head soon after.
Anybody would look suspicious when you start to doubt them.
‘It’s just my feeling.’
So I came out of the mansion and looked around. Yet I still can’t find familiar faces.
“What about the guards?”
“They’re patrolling the street. The capital is also not in a good situation these days. But you don’t have to worry. Dojino Knights are on their way.”
Then I guess I didn’t have to worry about my trip to the temple. I just need to be careful until they come.
“First of all…”
I was going to call the guards, but a rough voice was creeping behind me.
“You’re pretty quick, huh?”
Thud-! My body collapsed at the strike on my neck.
***
I felt dizzy and nauseous, so I couldn’t come to my senses.
‘How stupid.’
I can’t believe I let my guard down just because I’ve been living comfortably for a month.
‘I shouldn’t have let my guard down.’
It wouldn’t have been much of a difference if I knew it faster due to this weak body, but still, I could’ve done something to prevent this.
Clack-! The sound of the door opening pushed my heavy eyes away.
I saw several guys playing cards at a round table. The window on the wall was barricaded by iron bars.
The darkness made it difficult to see whether there was another way out. The only source of light was three half-melted candles on the table. The men’s voices were muffled.
What the hell have they done to my body?
So I closed my eyes and concentrated on listening to their conversation.
“…First, let’s wait for the order and think about it.”
I could hear the men’s conversation properly once I sharpened my senses.
“Where are you going to sell her? Auction house?”
“No, the security is tight these days.”
“How about black market?”
“The usual merchant was captured.”
“What? Who dares to?!”
“Who else? It’s Yellow Butterfly.”
Yellow Butterfly was my nickname. I sneakily opened my eyes to see which guy was talking about me.
“When did it happen?”
“It’s already been two years, idiot.”
“That’s when I went sailing!”
“Is that my business?”
The men with ugly and intimidating faces all burst into laughter.
“Then should we hand her over?”
“It’s impossible. How could precious nobles come to this back alley?”
“No. Didn’t we already mark our target customer?”
I could get two things from their conversation. I was in the capital’s back alley and they’re going to sell me out soon.
“Are you going to threaten them?”
“Yeah, wouldn’t it be troublesome if the big fishes’ entertainments from each country were revealed to the world?”
Big fishes’ entertainments?
I was going to be sold to people with high positions.
It was worthwhile holding back my capsized stomach, but things did not look so good.
“Look at her. Isn’t she the best? Also, she’s a noble. Those snobs wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity.”
Gulp, gulp-! The man chugged down liquor and said.
“And I just found out. There is a mixed race among the nobles. Maybe she’s one of them.”
I recalled Claire who made quite an impression during the tea party. Then I looked around my surroundings.
‘Am I the only one captured? How about the servants?’
I looked around every corner of the warehouse, but I couldn’t see anyone.
“How do you know that?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Anyone can tell she’s precious.”
But I was stunned by their next conversation.
“My eyes as a human hunter cannot be fooled.”
A human hunter.
Those people, who dwelled in the back alleys, did all kinds of crimes from kidnapping, brainwashing, and selling people.
When I was a knight, I remembered infiltrating the back alley to catch them, so I gritted my teeth.
‘I should’ve slaughtered them all.’
I regret being lenient to them, but that left me wondering. The back alley outlaws that I know were very rubbish, but they weren’t the ones to kidnap this openly.
I didn’t say they were good. They just don’t do anything reckless enough to get caught. I’ve been through hardships just to catch them.
No matter how much I hunted them down and raided their bases, they were slick enough that I couldn’t even see a strand of their hair.
That’s when I knew I was being careless. I had no physical evidence to support my suspicion.
That’s a human hunter for you.
‘Such meticulous and sly men kidnapped a noble in broad daylight, and in the capital flocked by knights?’
No. If that’s the case, they would’ve been caught much earlier. That means they had no choice but to take the risk.
My eyes shone coldly.
‘Who is it?’
The damn bastard who instigated my kidnapping.
“How long has it been?” A man dragged his chair and checked his pocket watch.
“It’s dinner time.”
“It’s time for the imperial dogs to patrol.” The men burst into laughter, throwing insults at the knights. But that did not make me angry since I already heard that a million times.
“We’ll have to look around.”
“It’s annoying. Let the newbie do it.”
Newbie? I rolled my eyes thinking what crazy newbie will come in.
Then the shadow in the dark moved slowly.
“Hiik!”
The sight of vicious men jumping up from their chairs was hilarious, but I honestly understood.
I didn’t know there was a person standing there either.
“Y-you scared me! Go take a look outside.”
The man muttered as they saw the newbie leaving.
“…What’s with him? Is he human?”
“Seems like it.”
“Why did you accept such a scary bastard?”
“We’re short of people. I need to reshuffle because of that Yellow Butterfly.”
I flinched when they brought up my story again. I put up with it once, but I couldn’t stand to hear it anymore.
The Yellow Butterfly that calls for victory.
It’s a bit embarrassing, but they said my tied-up high blonde hair looked like a butterfly’s wings when I swung a sword.
“Most of the time, it was hard to escape. Once Yellow Butterfly appeared, they scattered all over the place.”
“But I heard she’s dead. How did she do that?”
“How did a guy who lives in another country know that?”
That’s right. I mean, he said he was sailing two years ago, so he must know everything.
“Don’t get me started. In the place I was in, they even built Yellow Butterfly’s statue.”
What? Are you building statues without my permission?
It was ridiculous.
I was about to ask what kind of crazy bastard built my statue recklessly, but then I heard something strange.
“Even though it’s a different country?”
“Of course. That’s how famous she is.”
Huh? Suddenly, the men’s conversation overlapped with someone’s voice.
[If you recognize me even if I don’t tell you my name, then you must remember her. Normally, that’s the case.]
“Maybe she’s more famous than the crown prince?”
[Because that person is more famous than I am.]
Someone more famous than Signus.
Was that me?