Chapter 13
“What?”
At Lobelyn’s words, Ian frowned and looked back toward the door.
Just as she said, the sound of someone treading up the stairs drifted toward them.
“Wh-what should we do?”
“Shh. Get behind me for now.”
Ian hid the flustered Lobelyn behind him and pressed his forefinger to his lips.
He focused intently on the sounds outside, trying to gauge the opposition.
‘One, no, is it two? If so, they’re worth fighting. But if they have companions downstairs…?’
Ian hesitated for a moment.
Had he been alone, he would have handled it somehow, but engaging in a fight with Lobelyn in tow felt far too reckless.
“Your Highness! Quick, over here!”
In the meantime, Lobelyn, who had found a place to hide, urged Ian forward.
In one corner was a closet with sliding doors.
It might have been fine for someone of Lobelyn’s small stature, but for Ian, it was a space so cramped he would struggle even to sit.
“Forget it. You hide first, and I’ll deal with—”
“We don’t know what those people might be carrying! Hurry, get in!”
Lobelyn practically folded Ian into the closet, shoving him inside.
Ian found himself pulled in by her hands before he could protest.
As soon as Lobelyn climbed in and slid the door shut, the people from moments ago entered the room.
“….”
Peering through a crack in the door, Ian saw a small, scruffy-looking man rubbing his hands together obsequiously next to a large, menacing brute.
“Security is tight. All this trouble just to buy a bit of grass.”
“Hehe, please understand. Lately, the crackdown on poisonous herbs in Centerfield has been severe.”
Poisonous herbs! Hearing this, both Lobelyn’s and Ian’s ears perked up.
‘Is it the Devil of Fernin?’
‘I knew it was here.’
Ian focused all his senses on the men’s conversation outside the door.
“…Where is… the supply…?”
“…The Duke… cultivation…”
However, the men spoke so discreetly that their voices were too faint to hear clearly.
‘Damn it, if I could just get a little closer…’
Frustrated, Ian was about to press his ear against the door.
Suddenly, his breath hitched at the sensation of fingers clenching his chest.
“What…!”
He looked down and saw Lobelyn’s face, just as focused on the conversation outside as he was.
She was so absorbed that she hadn’t even realized her right hand was tightly gripping the fabric of Ian’s shirt.
“…Hey.”
Ian whispered in a husky voice from above.
At that whisper, Lobelyn reflexively looked down.
Only then did she realize the situation.
She was currently draped over Ian’s body, leaning across him in the cramped space.
“Lobelyn Dines. This is… a bit much.”
Ian’s voice, now thick with tension, brushed against Lobelyn’s ear.
It was only then that Lobelyn realized what she was gripping so tightly was Ian’s upper left chest.
Underneath her palm, she could feel his heart thumping wildly.
“Gasp! Th-this is—”
“Shh!”
When it seemed like the flustered Lobelyn’s voice was about to rise, Ian hurriedly pulled her head against him to silence her.
“Wh-what are you…”
“Be quiet. Just bear with it for a moment.”
Suddenly finding herself tucked into his chest, Lobelyn felt her head spin.
But in the narrow closet, she had no choice but to keep her face buried against him.
The heavy scent of his skin filled her nose.
Meanwhile, the sound of someone approaching drifted closer.
It was the scrawny man who had been rubbing his hands and speaking in a mosquito-like voice.
Tension made both Lobelyn’s and Ian’s hearts race.
“What is it?”
“Ah, I thought I heard a noise coming from over here.”
They heard the man approach and reach for the closet door.
Inside, the two felt their hearts drop.
Lobelyn gasped and buried her head even deeper into Ian’s chest.
It felt as though the door would fly open at any second.
‘What should I do? Should I strike first?’
Ian, his expression tense, reached for the dagger at his waist.
At the same time, his other arm tightened around Lobelyn’s shoulder.
‘I’ll aim for his arm first, and while he’s distracted, I’ll stand up and…’
Ian calculated the scenario for when the door opened.
As the man outside began to slide the door, Ian’s grip on his blade tightened.
At that exact moment.
“Hey, isn’t this one defective?”
Fortunately, the brute’s voice stopped the door from opening further.
“Defective, you say? That can’t be.”
“Are you playing games with me? Come here and look at this properly.”
“Yes, yes. I’m coming.”
The scrawny man turned and moved away, and the sounds of the two men haggling resumed.
“Phew.”
Only then did Lobelyn lift her face from Ian’s chest.
“Lobelyn Dines, are you alright?”
“Yes, though I was a bit startled.”
Through their layers of clothing, Ian could feel Lobelyn’s heart pounding against him.
Becoming conscious of this, Ian’s breathing turned slightly more ragged than before.
It felt as though every sense in his body was focused entirely on her.
‘…She’s small.’
Ian realized anew how small and fragile Lobelyn felt against him.
The thought of that designer putting his hands all over this tiny body to take measurements made his blood boil.
‘Once we get out of here, I’m canceling that order. Even if I have to pay triple the penalty.’
While Ian was making this trivial decision, the men finished their transaction.
“We’re leaving for today. Don’t let there be any mistakes next time.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll be careful.”
The menacing man tossed the defective sample onto the floor and walked out first, followed by the scrawny man who grumbled after him.
The warehouse door creaked shut, and after a while, their voices faded into the distance.
“I—I think they’re gone!”
“We should wait a bit lon—whoa!”
Before Ian could stop her, Lobelyn tried to scramble up.
Losing her balance in the awkward movement, she inadvertently twisted her body against him.
“Ugh… don’t move so much. Please.”
Her attempt to regain her footing only resulted in her rubbing more against Ian.
Every slight brush was agonizingly stimulating.
“Wh-what is this!”
Lobelyn, too, was horrified by the unfamiliar, heavy sensation pressing against her beneath her skirt.
Are you really thinking of that right now? In this situation?!
“D-don’t massage my waist!”
“I wasn’t massaging it. I swear.”
Though other parts of him had succumbed to pleasure, Ian felt wronged regarding his hands.
He had merely been holding her to keep her from falling over.
It seemed his attempt to control his strength—fearing he might break the girl who was so small compared to his large hands—had led to an unintended result.
“L-let’s just get out of here!”
Unlike when they first entered, the closet felt stiflingly hot.
Lobelyn hurriedly slid the door open.
The warehouse, still covered in layers of dust, came back into view.
“Phew, that was a close call.”
Looking at their footprints left in the dust, Ian let out a sigh of relief.
If those men had been a bit more observant, they surely would have noticed the traces of two people on the floor.
Of course, the flush on his cheeks wasn’t just from the thrill of nearly being caught.
“Let’s head back.”
The two carefully made their way down the stairs and exited the building.
Outside, dusk was falling, and lights were flickering on in the shops that had been closed along the alleyway.
The woman who had been poisoned earlier was nowhere to be seen, and the two hurried out of the alley.
“It’s late, so I’ll walk you home again today.”
“Me? I can just take a public carriage.”
“It’s a bit awkward for me to ride one. I’m in disguise.”
“No, what I mean is, I’ll take one and Your Highness can go on your own… Hey? I’m not finished talking!”
But Ian was already striding ahead with his long legs.
‘Honestly. He never listens to a word anyone says.’
After a moment’s hesitation, Lobelyn hurried after him.
“I’m glad we got something out of this, at least.”
“Something?”
At Ian’s question, Lobelyn pulled something out of her pocket with a triumphant look.
In her hand was a small herb.
It was the ‘Devil of Fernin’ they had been discussing so seriously.
“You! When did you grab that!”
“That man dropped it on the floor saying it was defective. I took it to report it to the City Guard.”
“What kind of lady does such a thing! Give it here this instant!”
Startled, Ian snatched the poisonous herb away.
He didn’t want to see such a hideous plant in those fair hands.
“Hmph, ‘lady’ indeed. You call me ‘you’ and talk down to me all day anyway.”
“Regardless, don’t even think about getting involved in this. I’ll handle it.”
“Yes, yes. I understand.”
Ian gave a firm command to the grumbling Lobelyn.
She nodded obediently.
If the authorities were going to handle it, what could she do as an individual?
However, there was one thing that weighed on her mind.
