Chapter 17

Next time I see the owner of the Kkochit House, I should try asking him casually.

But I want to get something in return too.

‘Only when Karl isn’t around.’

If I want to say I can purify the meat, I’ll have to reveal I used to be a holy knight.

I can’t just avoid answering when someone asks how I do it.

‘…I have a feeling that as soon as Karl finds out, his attitude will get even worse.’

I didn’t want Karl to start treating me coldly.

He already snaps at me enough as it is.

I was just thinking about how to ditch Karl the next time I go to the market.

“We’ve arrived.”

Just like Karl said, I could see the lodging where I was staying.

And at the entrance of the building…

“Oh my goodness, Miss!”

I spotted Beth, who had been anxiously waiting because I hadn’t come back.

“……”

Beth’s face changed in an instant when she saw Karl carrying me on his back. She looked like a fierce demon.

Then Beth took a deep breath in.

“You little—”

As soon as I saw her gather her breath like that, I could already imagine what she was about to do.

I quickly cut her off, half wanting to defend Karl just a little bit.

“Let’s talk inside first.”

“Miss!”

‘Honestly, this overprotective escort thing is probably just so no one in the capital can complain later.’

It didn’t seem fair to blame Karl for just doing his job.

And the other half of the reason I wanted to go inside…

“People are staring.”

Even though Karl had been walking like Moses parting the sea the whole way, that didn’t stop people from watching us.

All the pressure was on me.

It wasn’t enough that he was carrying me—he also had kids, baskets, and even shoes hanging from both hands. And instead of feeling embarrassed, Karl walked like a victorious general showing off his loot.

‘At this rate… someone really might recognize me later.’

In my head, I pictured a scene at a ducal event—me standing next to the Duke, and someone whispering, “Hey, isn’t that the woman from back then?”

That was the last thing I wanted.

“Hurry up, Beth.”

Beth gave up on shouting and just let out a deep sigh at my words.

Soon, the door to the lodging opened.

“What in the world happened?!”

A little later…

I sat on the bed like a guilty child, looking around with shifty eyes.

I had already changed into comfortable clothes, and I was wearing indoor slippers.

Karl had put down all the things he brought neatly on the rug, then went off to the sitting room connected to the bedroom with only his bag in hand.

Beth let out a sigh and started talking.

“Why in the world did you let that pervert carry you on his back?”

“My shoe broke…”

“What?”

“And we had so much stuff… it felt awkward to ask to stop by a shoe shop…”

I was trying to explain that I had no choice.

Beth gave me a look like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

She hadn’t looked at me like that since the time I almost started a fire because I was too lazy to blow out the candles before sleeping.

“You could’ve just told him to take off his shoes!”

“Huh?”

“He looks like someone who could walk barefoot and not get a scratch!”

“But they were his shoes…”

“He’s a servant, and you’re the duchess! Of course, he should take them off for you!”

…Yeah. Why didn’t I think of that?

“Don’t tell me… you’ve fallen for that guy?”

“No way!”

Beth threw that shocking comment while still looking at me suspiciously, then started organizing the stuff Karl had left.

“…”

Then she suddenly noticed the unconscious child and made a face like she had seen a dead body.

“No, no. He’s not dead…”

“You even brought a kid with you?”

“Well, technically, I carried him.”

“Didn’t you hear anyone say something like, ‘Look, that husband won’t even let his wife or child touch the ground!’?”

…What is she talking about?

Even Beth looked grossed out when she said the word husband.

When I made a face that said, What nonsense is this?, Beth nodded as if agreeing with me.

“I mean, I don’t like it either, but to others, it might have looked that way.”

“…Like a couple out walking with their kid?”

“More like, the kid fell asleep, the wife got tired too…”

“…”

“…So the husband carried both, trying to show off. One of those ridiculous couples.”

…At least I didn’t carry the kid and have Karl carry me on top of that. That would’ve looked like the Bremen Town Musicians.

Who knows which version looked worse to others?

Beth, who had started all this, kept muttering “Ugh, I hate it,” while poking the sleeping kid’s cheek.

As the child groaned and his eyebrows twitched, Beth suddenly remembered something and looked at me.

“By the way, who even is this kid?”

“You’re only asking that now?”

“Well, yeah. Where did you even get him?”

“He’s not just a kid. He’s a pickpocket.”

I quickly explained what had happened, keeping it simple.

I left out the part where I chased the kid across rooftops in a full dress and heels—because Beth would definitely scold me for doing something so dangerous.

After hearing everything, Beth looked up at me with wide eyes.

“You brought a pickpocket home?”

“Yup.”

“You didn’t just hand him over to the guards for punishment?”

“I had a reason.”

“You’re just too softhearted sometimes.”

Only Beth and Reina probably thought of me as a kind person—even though I once used people as targets for shooting practice.

Beth even crouched down with a dreamy expression and looked at the sleeping child.

“Suddenly brings back memories.”

Ah. So that’s it.

“Yeah, I get it.”

I nodded calmly. Beth seemed lost in old memories now.

“Back then, really…”

“Back then?”

She was so deep in thought that she didn’t even notice another person’s voice joining in.

“When I was just a pickpocket on the street, and Miss picked me up… Wait, what the—what is that?”

Beth jumped like a man who just noticed a random pigeon on his shoulder, only realizing late that someone else had spoken.

Then she saw Karl behind her and panicked, rushing to hide behind me.

Beth peeked out from behind me like a puppy hiding behind its owner and glared at Karl.

“What? Why are you interrupting our conversation?”

“I wasn’t trying to interrupt…”

“And what’s that?”

I wasn’t paying attention to the talk. My eyes were on what Kal was holding.

It looked like… a domed dish cover.

“Are you going to eat that?”

Karl opened the lid as he spoke.

“…”

The smell hit the room instantly, and both Beth and I opened our eyes wide in surprise.

‘It smells amazing.’

And it didn’t just smell good.

The steak on the plate was cooked perfectly, with just a little pink juice at the bottom.

On top of the meat, there were neat grill marks that looked almost drawn.

The garnishes next to it were shiny, as if cooked in butter or oil.

There was also a dipping sauce that gave off a tangy scent.

It was a feast—nothing like the skewers we had earlier.

I stared at Karl in surprise.

Karl just smirked, pleased with my reaction.

“This is for me?”

“The one who said she could even chew up an ogre… was you.”

“Wait. You know my name but keep saying ‘you.’ That’s kind of rude.”

Karl flinched at my words.

‘Did he forget he said my name?’

Well, to be fair, things were pretty hectic at the time. Maybe he didn’t even realize he said it.

Still, I wasn’t going to let him keep calling me “you” forever.

Beth was giving me a sharp look from behind, clearly wondering when I even told this pervert my name—but I ignored her.

“You said it earlier, loud and clear.”

“You dared to call the name of a noble lady—even a married one!”

“When did I…”

“You called it in such a desperate, emotional voice.”

“Like calling out to a lost lover!”

I ignored Beth’s ridiculous comment and looked Karl in the eyes.

After a few seconds, Karl finally remembered when he said my name.

“When you jumped to catch the pickpocket?”

…Yeah. I didn’t tell Beth about that on purpose.

“You jumped?!”

Beth’s eyes narrowed.

If I weren’t her lady, she’d probably yell out my full name—Elaine Pascal—and scold me on the spot.

Karl, seeing Beth’s reaction, added fuel to the fire.

He nodded and twisted his lips into a smug smile.

“She even broke her heel doing it.”

“So that’s how the shoe broke?”

“And she ran across the rooftop too—in a dress and heels.”

“You went on the roof? In a dress and heels?”

…Somehow, Karl and Beth were getting along a little too well, and it was kind of unsettling.