Chapter 3

“Camellia. I still haven’t gotten your answer.”

“Hello, Usher. It’s really been a while.”

“Not that answer… Never mind. I forgot for a moment what kind of woman you are.”

The foreign man, Usher, sighed lightly. Camellia’s lips curved playfully.

“You must have been thinking about me.”

“I did. …Do you want a smoke?”

“No, I just finished one.”

“A little late then.”

Usher murmured softly, pulling a cigarette holder from his sleeve. It was an oriental pipe, said to be expensive these days.

Watching him light it with practiced ease, Camellia spoke.

“Business seems to be going well lately?”

“Thanks to you.”

Usher glanced down at his ornate attire inside the robe, acknowledging her gaze.

“This country used to be very hostile to foreigners, but the people you pointed out were different. I got investments under good conditions.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“One in particular was especially favorable.”

Whoosh, Usher exhaled smoke. The oriental tobacco was not as harsh as the kingdom’s, but deeper. Its scent clung to the body, as if it would never leave.

“Princess Murien.”

“….”

“Was she your master?”

Camellia smiled instead of answering. Usher sensed that he wouldn’t get a reply this time either.

‘He’d suspected I wasn’t an ordinary dancer.’

When Usher first saw her dance on stage, he had been impressed. The culture was foreign, but he could tell Camellia’s skill was extraordinary.

While searching for a place to smoke away from prying eyes, he had met her here by chance.

***

Their first meeting ended with neither saying a word, both simply smoking. The next time, and the time after, it was the same.

Because both visited Fiore irregularly, their encounters were never guaranteed. But when they met, they smoked silently, keeping a slight distance.

After a few such quiet meetings, it was Camellia who spoke first.

“Um… Could I borrow a light?”

She had come with only cigarettes, no matches, and smiled awkwardly. Usher lit her cigarette without hesitation, which surprised Camellia.

“What? You understand our language? I was quiet for nothing.”

“You were quiet because you thought I couldn’t understand?”

“Yes. And you? Why didn’t you speak, even though you knew our language?”

“I thought you’d be scared.”

“Huh? …Hahaha!”

Camellia laughed out loud, as if she’d heard something amusing. Her laughter was hearty, unlike her proud and glamorous stage persona. She stopped quickly, worried someone might hear beyond the wall, but Usher liked her laughter as much as her dancing.

“Scared? Well, I was a little nervous. I’ve never seen anyone as impressive as you.”

“…Am I impressive?”

“Don’t you look in the mirror? Ah… Sorry. I’m Camellia. As you can see, I’m pretty free with both dancing and talking. If I offended you, I apologize.”

“I’m Usher from Irinna. I wasn’t offended, just surprised.”

And maybe, she liked him too.

“By the way, do you have a portrait of yourself?”

“No… Why do you ask?”

“I wanted to ask you to sell it to me. Even when I’m angry, just looking at your face would make it all go away.”

“….”

It seemed she liked his ‘face’ in particular.

That was how their first conversation ended. But after that, neither stayed silent when they met.

“I saw your performance earlier. It was amazing. You must have learned from a great master.”

“I’ve never formally studied. I picked it up by watching others.”

“So you’re a natural. Impressive.”

“Does it look impressive even to someone from another country? That makes me happy.”

“In my homeland, it’s hard to find someone as skilled as you.”

Sometimes, they talked about her performances.

“Why do you use that?”

“A cigarette holder. I don’t like the smell sticking to my hands.”

“Hm.”

“You smoke the same kind, right? Did you buy it here? Is there no tobacco in the desert country?”

“No, our hookah tastes good but is too cumbersome to carry. Since coming here, I’ve mostly smoked local tobacco.”

“Hookah? I’ve never heard of it.”

“It’s a kind of water pipe, where tobacco leaves are burned with flavors and inhaled….”

Sometimes, they had trivial conversations about things like alcohol and tobacco.

Whatever the topic, their conversations only lasted as long as it took to smoke one cigarette. When the cigarette burned out, they parted ways.

There were no promises for next time, and except for borrowing or lending a light, they never touched each other.

But the distance between them grew closer with each meeting.

However…

“You want to establish a trade branch in this kingdom, but things aren’t going well, are they?”

“What?”

“You managed to get permission to enter, but the local merchants’ guild is making it hard for you to settle in. And the railway trade route you aimed for can’t be opened without the help of local investors. There’s been no response to your request for an audience with Her Majesty the Queen, either.”

“…So you’re not an ordinary dancer. Have you been digging into my affairs?”

She crossed the line.

And it wasn’t in the way Usher had hoped. The woman he thought he’d grown closer to suddenly became a stranger, and gave him ‘help.’

“Go find the people I tell you about.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“Don’t trust me, trust yourself. And I only said I’d give you names, not recommend you to them.”

“….”

“You make your own way. I’ll just point you in the right direction.”

Usher, taking a chance, sought out the kingdom’s contacts she’d mentioned. And he understood what Camellia meant.

They were people who did not have a narrow view of foreigners. But to gain their investment and cooperation, persuasion was needed.

And that was something the leader of the Tefnu Merchant Group, who had already succeeded in Weldon Kingdom, was more than capable of.

Finally, he met Princess Murien, who was practically the power behind the throne, and took the first step toward official trade.

“It will take time, but I’ll report to Her Majesty and work to have official trade with your group put on the cabinet’s agenda.”

“…That is exactly what I hoped for.”

He realized at last that this whole arrangement was orchestrated by her, Princess Murien, and that dancer Camellia was her agent and informant.

“It doesn’t seem like you approached me on purpose from the start.”

“Our first meeting was by chance.”

“But it sounds like it wasn’t chance after that.”

“….”

“Was it from the time you asked for a light?”

“Does it matter?”

Camellia blinked slowly, looking at him.

“In the end, you got what you wanted.”

“…‘Got what I wanted,’ huh.”

Whoosh, he exhaled a long stream of smoke. Through the white haze, a small spark flickered in his eyes.

Flutter!

Suddenly, his long robe whipped around. Camellia, unexpectedly pressed against the wall, held her breath. His hand, brushing right past her face, landed firmly on the outer wall.

“Do you know what it is I really want?”

Glancing at his arm, which seemed to block any escape, Camellia looked up.

His face was closer than ever, and the smile was gone.

“Will you help me get ‘that’ too?”

They were just occasional acquaintances. Their shared time was only the fleeting moment of a cigarette.

Meaningless conversations, with no feelings or warmth.

Outwardly, it was a cold relationship with nothing to define.

But both knew, even without saying it.

On days they didn’t meet, each remembered the other alone in this place. And on days like today, when they met by chance, the way they looked at each other, their laughter, and the slight smile with a cigarette in their mouth—those things were felt.

Really, it would not be strange for something to begin between them.

But…

“Please step back.”

“….”

“You’re too close… It’s uncomfortable.”

Just as their lips were about to touch, Camellia turned her head away. Usher stared at her profile as she avoided him.

“…So that’s your answer.”

With a low sigh, his hand dropped from the wall. As his thick arm, which had blocked one side, withdrew, Camellia quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

But only for a moment.

“I’m leaving this country tomorrow—and I won’t be coming back.”

“What? What do you… Hmph!”

As Camellia quickly turned her head at the unexpected words, it happened.

Like a hawk chasing prey, his tawny eyes flashed sharply right in front of her. In that instant, as she froze under his gaze, his lips pressed against hers.

Between her lips, left defenseless, a breath that was not her own slipped in.

His gaze, fixed on her wide, startled eyes, burned with the dry heat of a midday desert.

The hand she thought had withdrawn wrapped around her waist, while the other seized her chin.

Camellia, with no way to escape, received his intense kiss.