Translator: Nox

Chapter 37

In truth, there was someone else she found difficult to deal with.

Abel Sting.

Oscar had assigned him as her bodyguard and watchdog, and the man absolutely loathed markets and cafes. At first, she hadn’t noticed because she’d been so overwhelmed, but as time passed, it became impossible to ignore.

His gaze was so fierce as he scanned their surroundings that her neck would prickle constantly. Yesterday, in particular, it felt as if he were trying to bore a hole through the back of her head.

She felt both apologetic and afraid.

The guilt went without saying, but the frightening part was how he would glare as if he wanted to kill someone, only to suddenly offer a charming smile. He’d glare again, then abruptly buy her flowers and recite poetry.

“I bought these because I wondered what it would look like if a flower held a flower, and it’s exactly as I imagined.”

He would suddenly thrust a bouquet at her in the middle of a market and recite lines like that, and she found it incredibly unsettling.

Reflexively, she had complimented his poetic talent, but she couldn’t shake the suspicion that the bouquet might be cursed.

After returning to the manor, she had been rummaging through the flowers to see if a talisman was hidden inside when a sudden wave of self-reproach hit her.

She felt terrible for doubting someone who kept visiting places he hated just because of her.

However, she was at a loss as to how to express her apologies.

He dropped hints that he wanted to take her somewhere else, and she wondered if she should just follow his lead for once. But the glimpses of his unsettling nature made it impossible to commit, and it felt awkward to simply apologize out of the blue.

All she could do was greet him politely and try to clear a path for him in crowded areas.

“I’ll take the lead and open the way now, so please follow closely.”

“…….”

Of course, even then, his reaction was lukewarm. Even if she wanted to buy him something, it was clear the market held nothing that would catch his eye—and frankly, it felt ridiculous to buy a gift using money that wasn’t even hers.

It was impossible not to notice that their relationship was deteriorating not just by the day, but by the hour.

And then, this morning.

Abel appeared looking like an ox being dragged to the slaughterhouse. As he approached, looking as though he would rather die than be there, Seo-ah gave him the brightest smile she could muster and offered a morning greeting.

“Good morning. …Did you sleep well?”

“…….”

His tepid silence sounded like a declaration that it was neither a good morning nor was he well. She fought to keep the corners of her lips from drooping as a voice full of exhaustion reached her ears.

“Are we going to the market again?”

“Yes…”

“Which one.”

“…Pal Pien Market.”

“It’s dirty, narrow, crowded, and dangerous. It has the most nomads and homeless people, it’s packed with bodies, the goods are tacky, and if you eat anything there, you’re guaranteed to get a stomachache.”

“…….”

What should she do? He really seemed to hate it.

However, none of the reasons Abel listed were enough to stop her from going to Pal Pien Market.

To catch a fish, one must cast a line where the fish gather.

Over the past week, she had discreetly learned about Vies, and the market was the only place with no entry restrictions where crowds made it easy to interact with others. She wasn’t here as a tourist; she couldn’t afford to waste a single day.

“I truly don’t understand. Why on earth do you want to go to the market so badly?”

The problem was that she couldn’t persuade Abel with her real reason for going. She didn’t have the nerve to demand anything from a man who was already fed up with her company, nor was she shameless enough to bring up the terms of her contract with Oscar.

In the end, there was only one thing she could do.

Seo-ah lifted her head as much as she could. Feeling the early morning sunlight seep into her eyes, she pulled her trembling lips into the best smile she could manage.

Laden with apology, and a silent plea not to reject this request, she spoke.

“I just really want to see it…”

She pleaded with him.

The stranger’s gaze met his and then dropped, lingering near the jawline of the ‘snake.’

“Could you please take me there…?”

Well now, she has a talent for bewitching people.

Abel watched the woman before him with his arms crossed.

Pal Pien or Par Pien.

Which bastard had told her about that place?

The moment she asked to go to that narrow, filthy, crowded market of all places, Abel had vowed he wouldn’t go even if he died and came back to life.

No matter what you say, no matter what logic you use to persuade me, I am not going there. Just try saying one word; I’ll shoot down every excuse you have.

But the woman said nothing.

Unlike the people of this city, her shallow eyes, unshadowed by gloom, blinked. He could see her forcing herself to keep her head up. Then, without warning, she looked directly at him.

Her pale, transparent eyes, shimmering in the sunlight, were so clear he could see right through them.

“I just really want to see it…”

Her voice was small and cautious. Then, her gaze slowly dropped again.

“Could you please take me there…?”

“…….”

Seduction was a funny thing. It didn’t just mean enticing someone sexually. It referred to any act of luring someone to cloud their judgment or lead them down a certain path, and this kind of allure was indescribable—certainly not something governed by rules.

It required a complex blend of timing, tone, inflection, and gaze to catch an opponent off guard, making it nearly impossible to calculate. In other words, seduction was a skill that belonged to the realm of natural talent rather than effort.

And the most terrifying type was the kind where the person didn’t even realize they were doing it.

Looking at Seo-ah, who had managed to get exactly what she wanted with just a few words and a smile, Abel thought to himself:

If she weren’t a target but one of the Wolves, she’d be a natural.

Even he, a master of espionage through seduction, had been momentarily spellbound. He had vowed that he wouldn’t step foot into that trash heap of a market no matter what, yet by the time he snapped out of it, he was already inside the carriage.

But before the shock of discovering a potential talent could even fade, the price for being momentarily charmed by the stranger came due.

Meanwhile, Seo-ah, who had felt suffocated by Abel’s murderous glares inside the carriage, understood the moment she stepped out why he had been so reluctant to come here.

The markets they had visited so far were crowded, but at least their entrances were somewhat decent. Most had arch-shaped signs announcing the market, and the paths were wide enough that you didn’t have to constantly bump into people.

Here, however, there was no sign—only a cluttered path barely wide enough for one person. Even that was draped with tattered tents, making it look like a tunnel.

“It’s not like you’re possessed by a ghost that died from not seeing a market.”

She heard him mutter with utter revulsion.

It seemed he was on the verge of dropping his polite speech entirely.

“I’ll be quick.”

Seo-ah spoke in a small, retreating voice and took a step ahead of Abel.

I’ll open the way, so please follow me.

With that thought, she looked back to see Abel following her like an ox being led to the slaughter. She would bet her life that if it weren’t for Oscar’s orders, he would have abandoned her a long time ago.

I’ll go in, but I won’t stay as long as I did at the other markets.

The moment she stepped inside with that resolve, she felt the air change completely.

The smell of old goods, fish, meat, and all sorts of miscellaneous things mixed with the faint scent of sweat and seeped into her lungs. On both sides of the narrow path, shops selling piles of disorganized goods were packed tightly together.

The interiors of the shops were no different from the cramped market path. Between the goods stacked on either side, there was only enough room for one person, and the owners usually stood or sat in that tiny gap.

While merchants in other markets had warmly called out to people to buy their wares, the merchants here simply stood still, watching the passersby. The gazes felt particularly sharp in the dim light.

But none were as piercing as the gaze fixed on the back of her head.

It felt like a hole was being bored into her skull.

Meanwhile, Abel had a gut feeling he’d bet his entire fortune on: today was going to be even more miserable than usual. This godforsaken place hadn’t changed a bit since the old days.

Even though it was practically home to him, he felt nothing but loathing—so what on earth was she thinking, wanting to come here when she didn’t even have anything to buy or sell?

Looking at the back of Seo-ah’s head as she walked ahead, Abel felt a sudden impulse to crack it open and see what was inside. His earlier thoughts about her being a ’natural talent’ had evaporated faster than spilled whiskey.

He felt like his trauma and claustrophobia were about to come crashing down on him.