Chapter 17

The steady carriage drew to a halt at the entrance to Papil Street.

Stepping onto the streets where the lives of the common people were deeply embedded, she looked around.

Far from the Imperial Palace and rarely traveled by the nobility, the streets were filled with the sighs of those living busy lives and the quiet joys of everyday life.

The only carriages traveling on the well-paved roads were usually carriages, which were either paid carriages or driven by wealthy individuals.

It was impossible to avoid curious glances, as not everyone could own a carriage in the first place. Even more so when the people who stepped out of it looked so out of the ordinary.

“Let’s go, Aneta.”

“Do you know the way?”

“More or less.”

Carlos led Aneta, saying he’d studied the map the day before.

Due to the rain that had fallen briefly in the early morning, puddles had accumulated in various places on the street. He led her gently, so she didn’t get her feet wet.

The purpose of the visit was to check on the people’s lives and security. It was also to gauge public opinion of Erez.

Aneta did not neglect the task entrusted to her. She examined everything in detail, and if there was something to record, she stopped and made a note of it on the spot.

Carlos, who was by Aneta’s side, reacted fiercely, like a ghost, to any hostile glances directed at her, causing many to hesitate and avert their gaze from his intimidating presence.

Apart from being sensitive to glances directed at Aneta, Carlos disregarded glances directed at himself.

Although Aneta was aware of Carlos’s behavior, she did not comment.

There was no conversation between the two as they walked along the street. It was Carlos’s consideration.

Aneta began to feel a slight pain in her feet. Her brow furrowed slightly as she pondered whether to suggest taking a short break. Carlos, who noticed her condition without a word, looked around restlessly.

In Carlos’s search for a place to rest, he spotted a couple enjoying a boat ride on the river.

The river flows beneath a small bridge, with the flowering trees in full bloom.

Envious of the couple’s picturesque setting, Carlos stopped Aneta.

“I think we should take a break, Aneta.”

“I would like that too, but it seems there is no place we can go.”

Aneta said, looking down at his hand gently wrapped around her wrist.

The place was a bit away from the commercial area of the street. As they walked further outwards, they found themselves in an outskirts area where there were no benches or anything similar in sight.

“There, over there.”

Aneta turned her head, following his hand, which was pointing somewhere. What caught her eye was the riverside, where the lovers had disappeared.

“You’re not looking for eternal rest, are you?”

As Aneta made a troubled expression, Carlos, with a smile at the corner of his mouth, shook his head.

“I meant to rent a boat.”

“Carlos, we didn’t come out to have fun.”

To come out for fieldwork and then suggest a boat ride. Although she seemed puzzled by the proposal from someone she knew well, she was intrigued at the same time.

Above all, her feet hurt too much.

“Even if you say so, it seems intriguing.”

Aneta did not deny it.

“A short break might be okay.”

In the end, Aneta accepted Carlos’s suggestion and took his outstretched hand with a smile, descending the stairs.

“At least I don’t have to worry about what comes next.”

The man in front of her, who was highly regarded by the Emperor, was the one who suggested a boat ride, so she wouldn’t be reprimanded for just one boat ride.

Due to the rain, the river was slightly swollen. Carlos rented a boat without any trouble. The amount of money they had was so large that the boat owner was embarrassed, but the two were able to get on the boat side by side.

As he rowed, the boat cut through the water, moving forward. Perhaps he feared the water splashing on her. It was a slow and repetitive movement.

The rippling waves distorted the reflection of the two people on the surface of the water. Feeling a strange unease, Aneta reached out her hand above it.

The temperature of the water wrapping around her fingertips vividly proved that the current situation was not an illusion.

Suddenly, emotions surged through her.

‘Am I supposed to be here with him right now?

An uncertain present and future. It was natural for others, but not for her.

The scars left by the force were great. Even now that it was gone, Aneta still felt a surge of anxiety.

It had a lingering effect.

It was when her muddled emotions weighed heavily on her. As shadows fell over her head, the scent of flowers suddenly enveloped her.

Aneta unconsciously looked up.

A pink light danced in her cold eyes as they caught the light. After blinking a few times, she finally saw clearly.

What was pouring down over the boat passing under the flower tree was a shower of flower petals.

The intoxicating scent, along with the beautiful sight, captivated her.

The delicate petals, like a gentle flutter, finally landed on the back of her hand, creating an almost surreal scene that took her breath away.

Unbelievably, warmth seemed to spread through the petals that touched her hand.

Aneta looked at him sitting across from her. Although she knew it was just an illusion, an unexpected comfort washed over her.

The moment their eyes met, he sighed in relief. Aneta’s trembling pupils, resembling the rippling waves, stared directly at him.

“I wanted to create a romantic atmosphere. How was it?”

A small wave of emotion rose in her chest at his feigned ignorance. She wondered if it was his abilities that were moving her heart.

“That’s not the kind of ability to use at a time like this.”
Aneta pushed down the unfamiliar feeling. Then she playfully responded to his tone.

“Everything I have is for you.”

“Did you know that if the first head of Baltimor heard it, he would open the coffin lid and wake up? ”

“Of course. But even if he comes back alive, my feelings won’t change.”

In response to his assertion, Aneta just smiled. This time, she couldn’t bring herself to say something unpleasant.

“Thank you for comforting me.”

“The words I want to hear are not thank you.”

“Then?”

“I love you.”

Before Aneta could say anything, Carlos took the lead.

“I know. You still don’t love me. Reminding you is just a way to not forget my feelings. So you don’t have to thank me, Aneta. It’s burdensome to keep asking you to look at me.”

Although he said he was trying to burden her, strangely, the sense of burden she had felt disappeared.

It was strange.

While Aneta tried to gather her scattered thoughts, Carlos rowed back toward where they had started.

“Well, we should get back to work.”

After securing the oars, he got off the boat first and reached out his hand towards her.

As she took his hand, Carlos’s strong arm wrapped around Aneta’s waist. Lifted lightly by Carlos, she could safely set foot on the ground.

Turning back, she saw flower petals floating on the water. After a brief hesitation, she soon followed him.

By the time the two of them finished their covert operation, they had reached the edge of the road.

Aneta, sitting on a bench, waited for Carlos, who had gone to buy drinks. As she waited, she reviewed the notes she had made while he was gone.

She thought about Erez suddenly. She wanted to gauge public opinion about him, but there was no substantial information gathered.

Perhaps it was only natural, considering she had only been listening to bits and pieces of information.

“Well, His Majesty probably has all that information anyway, so there’s no need to bother myself with it.”

Russell’s information was very reliable and accurate. The issue was she didn’t know what he might demand in return, but even so, it was unlikely that he would ask for such a thing in this situation.

Relieved of her burden, Aneta turned her attention elsewhere.

She noticed that the road seemed narrow for carts to pass through or that the prices of goods fluctuated due to a lack of price fixing.

As she listed various issues, a scream from somewhere struck her ears. What caught her attention even more was the fact that it was a woman’s voice.

“I thought the security here was good.”

Aneta tore a piece of paper from her notebook and made a quick note.

Placing a small stone she found on the ground on top of the note, she hurriedly headed toward the source of the scream.

Though anxious, she moved as cautiously as possible.

Carefully concealing her presence, Aneta stumbled upon the scene she had feared: a crime in progress.

Two men, who appeared to be quite wealthy, were blocking a woman’s path, driving her into a corner.

The situation became clearer.

As the woman trembled in fear, her back against the wall, a look of sheer despair etched on her pale face, Aneta’s heart raced with urgency.

“Why are you doing this to me…?”

The trembling voice of the woman was pitiful.

“Why are you doing this to me?”

“Oh, come on. We just wanted to have a little fun with you. What’s wrong with that?”

What followed was vulgar mockery. It was brazen behavior.

Watching their despicable behavior with disgust, Aneta realized she couldn’t just wait for Carlos to arrive. It might be too late to intervene if she hesitated any longer, and the woman could be left with irreparable scars.

Aneta urgently scanned her surroundings. There was nothing she could use as a weapon.

Gritting her teeth, she scanned the area once more. Then, in a split second, her eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope. Aneta spotted a puddle in the middle of the alley, not far from where they stood.

With determination, she reached into her pocket, pulling out an item she had stored inside.

What she held in her hand was a self-defense bead given by Isabel.

“I never thought I would use this like this.”

She had found a weapon that could subdue two grown men, but she only had one chance. To deal with them at once, she had to drag them to the puddle.

Meanwhile, the woman, with her eyes tightly shut, was repeating familiar phrases like “No, stop, don’t do this,” from her trembling lips.

It was natural that it was familiar. Because it was something that people around her had constantly taught her.

That others touching her body forcibly was unpleasant, that such acts should not be committed, and that it was something that should not be done as a human.

These were all things so obvious that they hardly seemed worth mentioning, but it was common for people to be educated to say such things in situations like this.

If they were in their right mind, they wouldn’t have committed such acts in the first place.

What is education for, exactly?

Feeling the rising anger, Aneta could no longer bear it and stepped forward.

“Hey, you’d better stop right there.”

Startled by the unexpected voice, they soon realized that the speaker was a woman and turned to her with eager faces.

Aneta stepped forward, disgusted by the way their eyes scanned her body.

As she slowly entered the alley where they were, the woman’s eyes met hers, shaking with uncertainty.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen a woman walk into a situation like this by herself. What, are you here to offer yourself and make some money?”

Perhaps because of the location, they never suspected she might be a noble and insulted her with vulgar words.

“She’s more than just pretty. That body—wow, no words needed. We’re lucky today.”

“I don’t appreciate the compliment. I didn’t look like this to be flirted with and judged by lowlifes like you.”

Aneta countered their taunts with harsh words, making their faces flush with anger.

As they turned their bodies completely and took a threatening step forward, Aneta, unfazed, used the tip of her nails to scratch the gap in the bead.

Quietly exploring beneath the open lid, she found the button that popped out with a click.

With her finger on the button, Aneta uttered a genuine insult to draw them towards the puddle.

“What a shitty thing to do. You’re as good as trash.”

“What?”

“Look at this woman!”

The provocation was so blatant that they reacted instantly.

Seeing them rushing towards her without hesitation, Aneta timed her move, ready to press the button and throw the bead into the puddle.

However, a sudden change occurred. Along with a familiar cracking sound, the men’s bodies crumbled like fallen leaves.

Aneta froze in her tracks and looked up in response to the fluttering sound.

Someone had appeared, bringing a gentle breeze and scattering black feathers as they enveloped her.

“Carlos….”