The man held Rumon’s collar while pressing his knee into Rumon’s solar plexus as he lay on the floor. His movements were clean and without waste.

I could sense a cold killing intent, as if he might snap Rumon’s neck in an instant, flowing like water. Sensing the same, Rumon, whose nose was already bleeding, was desperately begging for his life while drooling.

Who could it be?

For some reason, my mind felt blank. The chaos before me seemed like it was happening in another world. My gaze was fixed solely on the man’s angry back. Time seemed to move slowly.

I staggered and took a step toward the man. I didn’t know myself whether I was trying to stop him or thank him. Like a sailor enchanted by a mermaid’s song, my legs moved naturally as if drawn by something.

As I reached out my hand toward the man’s shoulder, which seemed close enough to grab, a clear voice flew through the air, shattering the atmosphere.

“Damian!”

I looked up with a start and saw the man turning his gaze in the same direction at the edge of my vision. Jenne, wearing a white velvet mask, was running toward us, throwing aside the people who were clumped together like a mass.

“You crazy vagrant pervert bastards! If you put even a fingertip on Damian, I’ll tear your crotches apart!”

Despite not holding any weapons, her threatening presence was enough to make me laugh involuntarily. Truly feeling relieved, my legs gave way, and as I held onto the table to stand, I suddenly felt something was off and turned my head.

On the floor, Rumon was alone, curled up like a ball while clutching his crumpled mask.

I frantically looked around, but there was no trace of the man anywhere. He seemed to have melted into the darkness that had settled in this place like a shadow. Without lighting the place brighter than daylight, he wouldn’t be noticed.

As I caressed my rapidly beating heart to soothe it, Jenne, who had charged through the crowd like a wild buffalo, stood blocking my way. She looked down at the three fallen bulky men with sharp eyes and asked:

“Damian, are you alright?”

“I’m fine. We should leave now.”

“Where is that bullfrog Tom? He’s completely useless. I’ll go kick his *ss.”

“Forget it, let’s go. I’m afraid they’ll figure out who I am when they come to their senses.”

After I whispered quietly, Jenne frowned but nodded. Then she turned and began clearing a path.

“Come on, move aside, move. If you don’t move, I’ll walk over you. No, why are you all on the floor when there’s a sofa right there… You’ll scrape your knees, oh, they’re already scraped.”

While listening to Jenne’s voice muttering “doesn’t that hurt,” I quickly bent down to pick up the cloak that had fallen on the floor. That weighty feeling reminded me of something.

That person’s cloak had been heavy and stiff, but this one was very soft. The strangely different texture suggested it wasn’t made in Edmus.

I neatly folded it and held it to my chest as I followed Jenne out of the inn. The outside air couldn’t have been more welcome.

The coachman who spotted us brought the carriage over. After hurriedly climbing in, I removed my mask and let out a long sigh. Jenne, who had already torn off her mask, cleared her throat awkwardly.

“I’m sorry. I got distracted because I ran into someone unexpected.”

Looking at her expression that seemed to regret her words as soon as they were spoken, I smiled faintly.

“Jenne. If your memory has returned, you can just say so. I won’t throw you out for that.”

“No, that’s, I mean……”

After rolling her eyes around, Jenne quickly examined my shoulders and arms while pouring out words.

“Anyway, you’re not hurt, right? That’s the most important thing. If you were hurt at all, I’d go back and burn those bastards alive right now.”

“No. Mükeln Island is very important. It’s one of the means to fill Count Folluk’s purse. We need to secure Mükeln’s goods, even if we have to pay more.”

Perhaps because of the tension, my cold fingers became stiff and twisted strangely. Since this often happened when I was tired or overexerted, I slowly pressed my palms together.

Jenne, who had been quietly examining my pale face, shrugged and then rubbed my face with her clean sleeve. The dye must have smudged.

“Look at you, Miss. You could just live a little more comfortably. Why do you need to keep throwing yourself into danger and living like there’s no tomorrow? No one would want that.”

“I……”

While fingering the cloak, I moved my lips slowly.

“I have no reason to live if I don’t do this.”

In a way, Balshwin was the driving force that kept me alive. If he had been mauled to death by a wild beast somewhere in a hunting ground, I wouldn’t have known how to live.

I would have sat blankly like a wax doll every day and withered away.

As if shaking off the darkened air, Jenne wildly tousled her curly hair. Then, narrowing her eyes, she spoke in a persuasive tone:

“Try changing your perspective a bit. You could live safely and happily as much as you want. Go on outings when the weather is nice, spend summers at a villa reading your favorite books to your heart’s content. Like other noble young ladies, attend parties to show off dresses, with your only worry being whether your accessories will match someone else’s tomorrow. You have plenty of money. Your life goal doesn’t have to be the count. Think about your own happiness.”

The more Jenne spoke, the more my lips naturally formed a faint curve. I was reminded of Kirhin’s face as he passionately said the same things.

After swallowing a heavy, empty breath, I clutched the cloak.

“I need to see Nix.”

“In the middle of the night? Oh, are you going to fire Tom?”

Jenne snapped her fingers as if it was a good idea. I silently gazed at the darkness outside the window. The street lamps illuminating the roads were passing by sporadically.

* * *

I had worried he might be asleep, but fortunately, Nix was drinking with the merchant group’s guards. Even when I barged in looking disheveled and immediately handed him the cloak, he wasn’t particularly surprised.

“This is fabric made from Rung goat wool, which only lives in the Kendal region of Freemont.”

He added, putting down his magnifying glass:

“It’s soft, but when the thread is twisted, it becomes very sturdy and doesn’t wear out easily—a luxury item. It has weight, so it’s used more in men’s clothing than women’s, but above all, since Rung goats live in the mountains, making a cloak like this would have required a lot of time and people.”

That meant it was rare and expensive. I took a breath and drank the warm tea Nix had offered. Jenne was drinking with the guards in place of Nix, who had stepped away.

“Then the person who owns this is likely a nobleman from Freemont?”

“Well, it’s not particularly favored by nobles. They prefer light and warm materials. They’re not interested in durability.”

“Do we handle it?”

“No. Most people in Edmus don’t know about Rung, and the quantity is so small that it’s all consumed within Freemont.”

I nodded slowly. Various thoughts were busily crossing my mind. Nix, who had been examining me, lowered his voice:

“May I ask where you obtained this now?”

“……It was lying in Fatura’s banquet hall.”

I omitted the detailed explanation. It would only invite nagging no different from Jenne’s. Though his tone was polite, Nix’s nagging was just as hard to endure.

Nix’s eyebrows rose as if surprised.

“And you don’t know whose it is?”

“I want to know that.”

At my resolute answer, Nix quietly blinked his eyes. After seeming to gather his thoughts, he finally spoke:

“I’ll send a letter to Barret of the Rihasbin merchant group. Even if they don’t handle it directly, he might know a merchant who manages it. It will take some time.”

After nodding, I emptied my teacup. My stiffened hands were much better, but some discomfort remained, so I had to massage my palms out of habit.

“More importantly, how was the banquet? Nothing happened, right?”

“Nix, those guards you sent were all useless! They were all so distracted that no one saw what was happening to Miss……”

“Jenne.”

I quickly cut off Jenne’s loud shout from the other side, but Nix had already heard. Wrinkles formed between his brows.

“What do you mean by ‘what was happening’? Come to think of it, why didn’t Tom return with you?”

“There was a bit of a scuffle, but it’s fine. Tom has established a rapport with the sailors, so we can discuss trade. It would be good if we could buy their goods starting from this batch.”

As I quickly changed the subject to prevent further questioning, Nix made a suspicious face but soon sighed. He knew well that once I closed my mouth, he couldn’t extract any more information.

“You look tired, so please go back and rest. Your complexion doesn’t look good. Should I send guards with you?”

“They’re useless, I tell you. Besides, they’re all drunk. Jenne will protect Miss. Don’t worry!”

Jenne, who had stood up and emptied her last glass, walked over to us. As she said, more than half of the seated guards had their noses buried in the table.

Restraining Nix, who was about to accompany us himself, I returned to the mansion with Jenne. Since it was deep into the night, the surroundings were utterly quiet.

Without waking Maya, I wiped my body with a towel soaked in warm water and lay down on the bed. Darkness and silence settled around me.

Though I felt like passing out from fatigue, I closed my eyes with the blanket over my head. However, soon the memory of foul breath, rough breathing, and the sensation of being gripped by the waist and pressed down below made me sit up again.

……Maybe I should have had a drink at the merchant group before coming back.

Despite being tired, it seemed difficult to fall asleep while sober.