Chapter 4

“Uh, mmm…!”

It felt as if everything was being drawn in—her lips, her breath, even the faint moan and her soul.

Even after he pulled away, Camellia remained dazed. As Usher wiped the red mark from her lips with his thumb, he noticed the trembling pale blue in her eyes.

“Don’t tell me…”

“Hah…!”

Coming to her senses at last, Camellia raised her hand and struck his face. Smack! The sharp sound of flesh meeting flesh startled even her.

“…Haha.”

Usher, who had calmly offered his face, let out a low laugh.

“It’s a bit relieving. You probably won’t forget today, either.”

“You…!”

“Camellia.”

He took her wrist, pulling her close as she struggled to speak, overwhelmed by confusion.

Her slender body collided with his, solid as a rock. Usher leaned down beside her stiffened face.

“The thing I truly wanted, after coming to this country, was you.”

“…!”

“I’m looking forward to your final performance.”

“…Wait, Usher!”

Flutter! As she turned her head, the hem of his robe swept across her vision. The heat that wrapped her vanished without a trace.

Left alone in the blink of an eye, Camellia stared blankly at the spot where he had stood.

The night breeze felt colder, brushing her mercilessly.

“…Final performance?”

For him to say such a thing, just like that…

But all Camellia could do was touch her lips, where the heat was fading.

She was the one who pretended not to know his feelings, and her own.

Bang!

“Oh, there you are! How many cigarettes have you smoked? You were so late, I thought maybe you’d left without a word… Camellia? Are you okay? Why is your face so red? Do you have a fever? Is your stomach upset?”

Olga bustled in, having come to find her. Camellia lowered the hand covering her mouth and managed to speak.

“Madam.”

“Yes! Tell me. What do you need? Water? Medicine?”

“Alcohol.”

“…Huh?”

“Give me a drink. The strongest you have. I’ll perform as much as I drink.”

Camellia strode past Olga, whose eyes were wide with surprise, and entered the tavern again. The thought that she had abstained from drinking for so long didn’t even cross her mind.

She simply wanted to let herself unravel tonight.

***

Usher, after parting from Camellia, entered the tavern crowded with people. The staff, who had been insisting there were no seats, saw his exotic attire and quietly made way for him.

A man, seeing this, complained loudly.

“Hey! You said there were no seats! Why let him in?”

“He’s with the guests inside. So…”

“What? If there’s room for a foreigner, there should be room for us! Why am I being pushed aside by slaves… Ugh!”

“Haha! Sorry. My friend’s very drunk. Please ignore what he just said, alright?”

The companions quickly covered the angry man’s mouth and moved to a quieter area, away from the crowd gathered for Camellia.

“Pfft! What’s this? Why are you all acting like this?”

“Are you crazy? Slave? When did you start talking like that?”

“Yeah, either drink less or watch your mouth. You could end up in trouble.”

“Ahem. I just… Well, wasn’t it like that in the old days?”

Seeing his friends’ serious faces, the man’s bravado faded, though he still looked aggrieved.

He was right that, once, foreigners could only be seen in the slave markets of Delva Kingdom. During the civil war, exchanges with other countries were impossible, so citizens assumed they came from poor lands to be sold as slaves.

But things had changed.

“Oh, you really show you haven’t been to the capital in a while.”

“Listen. That foreigner is the Merchant Group Leader of the Tefnu Merchant Group. He’s been famous in neighboring Weldon Kingdom for years.”

“What? Are you kidding me? A merchant?”

“That’s right. My cousin works at the port in Weldon Kingdom. Since they started trading with that merchant group, ships loaded with gold and jewels come in every day! They even supply goods directly to the royal family.”

“Wow…”

“And that’s not all. He freed his fellow countrymen who were slaves, and anyone who treats them as slaves now disappears without a trace, or so the rumor goes…”

“Cough, cough…”

Finally sobering up, the man’s flushed face turned pale.

“Cough, cough… How did such merchants come from that poor country…”

“They say their homeland went through war too. So the powerless fled across the sea to this continent, only to be caught by slave traders.”

“Whew, turns out their situation wasn’t so different from ours. Thanks to the great King Alexei ending the civil war and our kind Queen’s good rule, we can drink every evening. Back then, during the war, we suffered so much.”

“Yeah… Don’t even want to remember those days.”

The friends exchanged words, expressing their distaste. It had only been eight years since the country, devastated by a fight for the throne, regained peace. Many had died and suffered before nights like this, full of laughter, returned.

Hearing their conversation, the man blinked and looked uneasy.

“Did anyone hear what I said earlier?”

“Well…”

“Your voice is always loud… Still, huh? Hey?”

“I’ll head in first!”

Before he got an answer, the man dashed off, leaving his friends bewildered.

They shrugged at each other.

“Most of them don’t speak our language anyway, so I was going to say it’s fine.”

“Well, serves him right.”

“Shall we go for another drink?”

“Sounds good.”

The night of revelry was just beginning.

***

“[Sir Usher. You’ve arrived. We saved a seat for you.]”

“[Sorry it’s smaller than usual. It seems that famous dancer you liked is here, so all the good seats are taken…]”

“[Yes. I know.]”

Usher joined his companions in a secluded corner inside the tavern.

The exotic robes and foreign language drew glances from nearby guests, but the foreigners, used to such looks after a long stay in Delva Kingdom, paid no mind.

“[Let’s order drinks. It’s our last night here. Perhaps some food…?]”

“[No, that’s fine.]”

Usher stopped his subordinates from calling staff and turned his attention to the distant stage.

“[I want to focus. Since it’s the last time.]”

“[…Sir Usher.]”

Hearing this, his closest aide, Janak, whispered carefully.

“Did you get rejected?”

He spoke in fluent continental common language, and Usher answered calmly.

“I rejected her before she could reject me.”

“…”

“What’s with that look? Do you think I’m lying?”

“No, of course not.”

‘But it’s basically the same as being rejected.’

Janak waved his hand, hiding his thoughts.

He was the only one who knew of the special relationship between Usher and Camellia. So he managed his expression so the others, less fluent in the common tongue, wouldn’t notice, but inside, he felt regret.

“She’s a very picky woman. Or maybe there’s another man? But whoever it is, could they match up to you, Sir Usher? Is it because you’re a foreigner…?”

His question soon became a monologue. Even Janak, as a man, found Usher impressive. As Usher looked at the empty stage, he turned to Janak with an incredulous expression.

“Why are you more upset than I am?”

“How could I not be? Your marriage is awaited by your father, your sister, your cousins, and the whole country…”

“Waaaaah!”

“Camellia!”

Before Usher could physically silence Janak, the crowd in the tavern stamped their feet and cheered.

At last, the dancer with the camellia flower was rising onto the stage.

Usher immediately turned toward the stage. Seeing her lips freshly painted red, almost erasing his kiss, he smiled quietly.

Janak added softly.

“Won’t you regret it? Once you return home, you may never come here again…”

“Shh.”

Usher raised his hand to silence Janak. As Camellia elegantly folded her arms in preparation, the noisy crowd fell silent one by one.

“At least not now.”

Tak!

As he answered, Camellia struck the stage harder than ever, spreading her hands like flower petals.

Her deep fragrance reached all the audience.

Only Usher noticed the slight tremble in her proud, alluring eyelashes.

‘Ha.’

Usher laughed to himself. His smooth response to Janak’s words now felt hollow.

Her eyes, which briefly met his, were shaking. It was a disturbance he’d never seen on stage or behind the wall. Knowing exactly why, Usher unconsciously wetted his lips.

‘Of course I’ll regret it.’

He could still taste the sweetness of her first kiss.

It was so sweet, it left him wanting more. But he swallowed that desire and stepped away.

Delva Kingdom was about to become an important base for his merchant group, and he could not afford to fall out with Princess Murien, the real power in the country.

That woman was the princess’s cherished agent.

Besides…

“This is uncomfortable.”

He did not want to trouble her.

Suppressing his desire with reason, Usher watched her dazzling dance intently. So that, even after returning to his homeland, he could remember this moment for a very long time.

And.

‘May you remember, too.’

When the performance—short or long—ended, and applause burst forth, he joined in, clapping slowly.