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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: An Unlikely Alliance
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For some reason, her red hair had turned black, but there was no doubt she was the thief I had met the day I went to search Cavalla’s warehouse.
I remembered her face clearly.
But instead of trembling in alarm at my words, which were more of an accusation than a question, the thief just pouted and got angry.
“Who are you calling a thief? I didn’t steal anything!”
Her voice was filled with indignation.
*That’s true.*
I knew she probably hadn’t managed to steal anything.
But.
“Even if you didn’t succeed, you’re still a thief if you snuck into the palace with the intent to steal.”
The thief’s expression twisted. She scoffed, a sharp “Ha!” escaping her lips.
“I was kidnapped. You don’t know anything.”
*Kidnapped?*
What was she talking about?
I figured she was spouting nonsense to get out of the situation.
I hadn’t called her here for a chat.
And whether she was a thief or not wasn’t the important issue for me.
My eyes widened as I confronted her.
“You tried to kill me! Do you have any idea what I went through that day because of you?”
“Well, I couldn’t just let myself die, could I?”
“...!”
For a moment, her shameless audacity left me speechless.
*Well, she has a point... No, that’s not right.*
I shook my head, steeling myself not to be swayed by her words.
“You tried to kill me, and now you have the nerve to follow me, posing as my handmaiden!”
But it seemed she had already figured out I was a soft touch.
While I had lost my composure, her face relaxed into a grin.
“I had no idea you were a princess. For a princess, your thieving skills are quite impressive, you know? Who’s calling who a thief here?”
“What...?”
“I saw you, Your Highness, ransacking that treasury and setting it on fire.”
*How did she see that?*
Then again, the fact that she’d hidden in the palace without getting caught and then blended in with my group to come all this way was a testament to her elusive abilities.
*It seems she can use something like illusion magic, too.*
I forced myself to look unfazed.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
But she pressed on, her face full of conviction.
“And yet, I’m the one who ended up taking the blame for it, aren’t I?”
She even threatened me.
“From what I gathered blending in with the handmaidens, you don’t seem to be treated very well in the palace. How about I spread a rumor that I saw the princess setting fire to the treasury? Shall we see what happens?”
The sheer nerve of this woman.
I racked my brain, wondering what to do with her.
But before I could come up with a solution, she made a proposal.
“I don’t want to make a big deal out of this either. How about this? If you let me travel with you until I can safely escape the soldiers posted outside, I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
She pointed out the window.
Soldiers were moving in groups of two and three, showing a drawing to passersby. At a glance, it looked like a wanted poster with her sketch on it.
She confidently held out her hand to me.
“Let’s be accomplices. What do you say?”
“...”
I stared down at her hand.
*If she gets caught by Cavalla, I’ll be in trouble too. It’ll be revealed that there was another culprit who raided the treasury. And this woman knows for a fact that it was me.*
Helping her escape safely was in my best interest as well.
I took her hand.
A hearty grin spread across her face.
“Excellent, Princess Chloe. I’m Lamia Yevlak. I’ll be in your care for a while.”
*How can she smile in a situation like this?*
With her pale, freckled face, Lamia looked like she was full of mischief.
This was the woman who had used some trick to throw Cavalla’s soldiers off her trail and onto mine, and who had just shamelessly threatened me.
And yet, meeting her vibrant green eyes, I felt an inexplicable surge of optimism.
As if our confrontation had never happened, Lamia asked cheerfully.
“Now, you should change your clothes, right? I’ll help you. I’m probably better than those handmaidens outside. They have no manners.”
“Manners...? What does that mean?”
“Um, that they’re a lost cause.”
*What does* that *mean?*
Noticing I didn’t understand, Lamia muttered, “You’ve lived a sheltered life, huh,” and struggled to find the right word. Then, as if an idea struck her, she clapped her hands.
“They’re insufferable. Insufferable! You know what that means, right? Total jerks.”
“Pfft.”
When I couldn’t help but burst out laughing, Lamia giggled along with me.
She was a thief and a liar, so why did I feel like she wasn’t a bad person?
It was a mystery.
* * *
After changing, I waited for Calius in the carriage.
Calius paid Ronda and boarded the carriage.
Then he saw me and froze.
“...”
I averted my gaze.
Clenching my teeth and fists.
*They said it didn’t look weird!*
I shouldn’t have listened to Ronda and Lamia.
*But what could I do? There were no other clothes that fit.*
Even if I hadn’t listened to them, I had no other choice.
Without looking at Calius, I said poutily.
“Don’t laugh.”
“Yes.”
“You’re laughing!”
When I shot him a glare and protested, Calius didn’t even try to hide his smile as he replied coolly.
“I was just reminded of a joke one of my men told.”
“Liar.”
He didn’t deny it and kept smiling.
I never knew he was someone who could smile so playfully.
*He looks just like Kal when he does that.*
Kal smiles like that when he’s teasing me, too.
The thought of Kal softened my heart.
His smile wasn’t unpleasant to look at.
But it was infuriating that he was laughing at the sight of me.
“It suits you well.”
“I’d rather you say nothing at all.”
I turned my head away from him.
*This is so embarrassing.*
I finally understood why Ronda had asked me so many times if children’s clothing was acceptable.
According to Ronda, the outfit I was wearing was made from the hide of an animal called a Nakk.
Nakk hide was excellent for waterproofing and insulation, so the people of the north considered it a premium material.
The outfit was certainly very warm. I was almost sweating.
The problem was...
*It’s a single piece of clothing from head to toe.*
I could guarantee that no wind could ever penetrate this outfit.
There wasn’t a single opening, not even at the fingertips or toes!
Ronda had explained that Nakk hide was so precious that children were dressed in a way that maximized insulation with a minimum amount of hide.
Since children grew so fast and needed new clothes every year, less hide was used for their outfits.
I looked down at my hands, which were encased in rounded mittens.
Apparently, this was also designed to eliminate the need for separate gloves and shoes.
*At least the thumb is separate...*
It was a matter of enduring discomfort for minimal cost and maximum efficiency.
My reflection in the window looked like a log with arms and legs.
*How humiliating.*
I struggled to wrap the cloak Ronda had draped over my shoulders as tightly as possible, trying to hide my outfit.
But with my rounded hands, it wasn’t easy.
“Allow me to help.”
Calius chuckled softly as he took the edge of the cloak.
I glared at him and snatched the cloak away irritably.
“I can do it!”
Then I wrapped it around myself like a blanket.
Calius repeated, his voice firm.
“It suits you well.”
“Please, refrain from making such comments, now and forever.”
My sincere humiliation must have gotten through to him, because he wiped the smile from his face and said.
“I will procure proper clothing for you as soon as we arrive in Ronheim, so please bear with it for a little longer. This is the best we can do for now.”
I had no choice but to nod at his words.
*Right. A little humiliation is better than freezing to death.*
The carriage, which had started moving in the meantime, soon reached the transportation magic circle.
As I peeked out the window with curiosity, Calius warned me.
“It would be best to keep your eyes closed.”
“Why?”
“You might get dizzy.”
As he spoke, our surroundings lit up.
The magic had been activated.
My eyes widened as I looked around at the brightened exterior.
Strange, glowing patterns covered the entire floor beneath us.
A moment later, I regretted not listening to Calius’s advice to close my eyes.
In an instant, every object and background blurred together, and the world began to spin before my eyes.
“Uh... uhh...”
A strange sound escaped my lips.
I don’t remember anything after that.
* * *
Calius watched Chloe’s body sway toward the window before silently extending an arm.
“Uh... ugh...”
Chloe collapsed onto his arm.
“I told you to keep your eyes closed.”
Calius lightly tapped the nose of the woman who had fallen right into his arms and drifted off to sleep.
It was a common symptom for those using a transportation magic circle for the first time.
The cold air would wake her up soon enough.
Calius gazed down at the sleeping Chloe, a constant smile on his face. His eyes never left her.
Then, he let out a small sigh, a hint of worry in his expression.
*Why is she so light?*
Nakk hide was quite heavy, yet he could barely feel her weight even though she was dressed head-to-toe in it.
*She needs to put on some weight first.*
His touch was incredibly gentle as he carefully laid Chloe down properly on the seat.
