Chapter 40
Yulikian suppressed the sudden surge of useless sentiment and urged Maddy forward.
“Hurry. I need to see Astrid with my own eyes.”
“She’s fine, I told you. Don’t you trust me, darling?”
“Why should I? You’re a con artist.”
“Aww, someone’s sulking. Got it. Seeing your niece will cheer you up.”
“…Did you forget I told you not to call me that?”
“Too harsh—especially when we’re practically engaged.”
“Anyone listening would think we’re actually getting married… You never stop lying.”
“Haha. You brought me along because I’m good at lying.”
With laughter in her voice, Maddy jerked the reins and charged ahead.
Even with someone riding behind her, she was fast—very fast.
The way she bent over, raising her hips slightly, made it clear she’d ridden many times before.
Yulikian found himself doubting whether anything they’d spoken about had been the truth.
Riding without even a hitch in her breathing, Maddy continued talking.
“The baby’s house—there weren’t any guards, but it’s practically a fortress. Seriously, a fortress. Can’t tell you how I broke in—it’s a trade secret—but the locks… Oh my gods, the locks. Don’t get me started!”
“Don’t care about the locks. Just get to Astrid.”
“Aye, aye.”
Maddy rambled on cheerfully.
When she bragged about defeating all the assassins sent after her, she even looked proud.
“Is this amusing to you?”
“What is?”
“Telling stories about killing people. Is it fun for you?”
He hadn’t meant to speak so sharply, but the lingering resentment made his words come out barbed.
“Of course! I succeeded.”
“…What?”
Maddy glanced back at him and flashed a cheeky grin.
“I protected your weakness. One you didn’t even know you had. I found it and guarded it! That’s a perfect mission success. Aren’t I amazing? Pat me on the back!”
“Ha…”
He was dumbfounded.
She spoke of someone else’s precious child’s life like it was a joke, reducing it all to a simple ‘mission.’
“You weren’t asked to do this. You didn’t have to get involved.”
“C’mon. A real pro solves a problem before the client even knows it exists.”
It was a matter of life and death, and yet to her, the “client” always came first—just another job to finish.
A heavy feeling sat on his chest.
Hurt. Bitter. Disappointed.
Waves of nameless emotions stirred deep in his heart.
And still, Maddy laughed, loud and giddy with excitement.
“I wasn’t discarded, you know! There’s a reason I’m the go-to fixer in the slums!”
Yulikian almost shoved her off the horse. But he restrained himself—because he had a feeling she’d win that fight.
Then, she said something strange.
“…Discarded? What do you mean by that?”
“What?”
She looked just the same as before.
“You said you weren’t discarded. That’s not something people usually say about themselves. Is that from your past?”
By now, they had arrived.
Under the moonlight, Maddy’s face looked clear, bright, unblemished.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Whether she truly didn’t know or was pretending not to, he couldn’t tell.
But now wasn’t the time to dig into her past—he needed to confirm Astrid’s safety first.
Yulikian shifted the subject.
“…So you’re saying Crocton sent those assassins?”
“Yes.”
She led him into a deserted alley and then into a warehouse.
Maddy tied up her loose hair, popped on a short-brimmed hat, and threw off her dress.
Underneath, she wore a worn shirt and suspenders.
“Why change again? Are you even going to let me see the child?”
“Crocton is probably flipping the city upside down looking for Astrid. We can’t go around advertising where she is, can we?”
“…Do you change clothes and disguise yourself every time you move?”
“Of course. That way, no one ever knows who I am.”
Yulikian’s expression stiffened.
After all this, if they survived…
Would he even recognize her if they met on the street?
That creeping fear began to gnaw at him.
Maddy gave a cheeky wink and grinned.
“What’s with the face? Relax. We’re almost there. Time for you, Your Grace, to change too!”
Before he realized it, she was holding out a coat.
“W-Wait. Why are you so good at stripping other people’s clothes? I mean, it’s one thing with your own, but someone else’s—”
“That’s a skill. You have to train for this kind of finesse.”
“What nonsense is that?”
“Here. Put this on.”
She draped a cheap blanket over his shoulders and stepped out of the warehouse.
Soon she returned—with two horses in tow.
They were clearly not hers.
“You stole them?”
“Borrowed. I’ll return them.”
“You didn’t ask permission. That’s stealing.”
“I said I’ll return them!”
“We call that theft.”
“So you’re not coming? Not gonna see your niece? Should I just go alone?”
“…Ha.”
Pouting, Maddy grabbed the reins and began walking.
“Why bring the horses if we’re not riding?”
“We’re just stablehands. We look like beggars—it’d be weird to ride horses.”
“Ah.”
Yulikian followed silently.
After circling the city outskirts, Maddy put the horses into a public stable and entered a nearby inn.
“Wait here.”
A moment later, she emerged with two old men who looked like they’d just been woken from sleep.
“One of you to Philegon Street. Night fare’s double. The other to Lilabot Station. I’ll pay.”
The old men didn’t grumble. They brought out two worn carriages from behind the inn.
Maddy climbed into one and yelled at Yulikian, who was still standing dumbfounded.
“Honey! This way!”
“What honey?!”
“You didn’t like ‘darling,’ so I’ve been thinking about alternatives.”
Inside the quiet carriage, Maddy changed clothes again.
At this point, he wasn’t even surprised.
As she messed up her hair, she started talking again.
“After I killed the assassins, I hid and waited. Crocton showed up.”
It was hard to believe.
Crocton, the boy he’d grown up with.
He had betrayed them?
Yulikian’s face darkened.
“You’re sure? It was dark—couldn’t you have been mistaken?”
“Your Grace… do you really trust me that little?”
Her voice sounded like she was blaming him.
Yulikian turned his head away.
A moment of silence passed before Maddy spoke again, as if nothing had happened.
She talked like some street performer spinning tales for coin.
He’d deliberately spoken harshly before they’d left the estate—to wound her.
But Maddy looked clean, clear, and confident.
In the end, he was the only one feeling guilty.
How had she grown up to be so cold? So indifferent?
Sometimes, he wondered if she lacked empathy entirely.
As if that part had been carved out of her.
“…Do you not trust people?”
His calm voice pierced the stillness of the dawn.
Between the rhythmic hoofbeats came her unusually quiet reply.
“Trust is heavy. It wears you down.”
Just for a second, he knew—she meant that.
He wondered what her face looked like when she spoke from the heart.
Not that it would change anything.
Someone like Maddy would never be sincere with him.
Yulikian let out a bitter laugh.
“How long till we get there?”
“We’re taking the long way around. But we’ll get there before sunrise.”
“Then let’s keep talking.”
“Okay.”
“Do you feel no sympathy for others?”
“None.”
“No human warmth?”
“Nope.”
“Guilt…”
“No. None. Nada. Nothing. I’m a cold-blooded monster.”
“What about pity for the weak?”
“Oh, that one—I do feel.”
He was about to say thank goodness—but then she added:
“They’re pitiful. Because they die quickly. Because they’re a burden and always need help.”
Not so reassuring after all.
“‘Burden,’ you say?”
“Well, aren’t they?”
“Ever saved a small animal or thought one was cute—”
“Oh! That’s the difference between us!”
Her voice suddenly rose as if she’d made a great discovery.
“As far back as I can remember, I was always hungry. Bugs, rats—whatever I could catch, I ate. If I hesitated, someone else took it. I was always starving.”
She crossed her legs and wiggled her toes with a smile, as though reminiscing fondly—but it was no kind of story to smile about.
“I thought we could be friends. Since you said you knew what it was like to live under threat. Too bad.”
Her shoulders lifted in a shrug, then fell.
“But don’t worry. I’ve figured out most of your secrets. I’ll do the job properly now. Oh—right. No ‘darling.’ ‘Honey’ it is. Let’s go, go, go!”
“Stop calling me anything.”
“Oh, please!”
“Are you pretending not to read the room? I’m clearly angry.”
“Emotions don’t matter when your life’s on the line. Gotta stay stone-faced for the act to work. A pro like me is always training—so even beginners can follow along easily.”
“Training?”
“Of course.”
She trained him?
Was she toying with people’s hearts just to make her act more convincing?
Infuriating.
His heart must be out of rhythm. That’s the only reason he could possibly want to toss her from the carriage.
“When this job is over, I hope we never meet again.”
“Of course. If we do, that just means the job wasn’t done right. I finish what I start.”
“I don’t mean the job—”
“Oh? Then what?”
Meeting her sparkling green eyes, Yulikian quickly looked away.
Even the heat rising in his ears felt like defeat.
He hated her.
And the reason he was upset? That was his fault.
Maddy was doing her job.
He had no right to be mad. And saying why he was hurt? That would be worse.
Saying something like “If you’re going to treat me like just a client, then stop calling me pet names—it hurts.”
He’d rather jump from the carriage.
“…Let’s just not run into each other. Ever again.”
“Of course. I’m leaving this country after this.”
Every word she spoke stung.
He decided then and there: no more talking.
He wouldn’t let her affect him again.
“Honey. Does the baby not talk?”
“…Why?”
“Her nanny, the assassins—everyone talks. But she doesn’t. Not even when I knocked out the nanny. She understands, but never speaks. There’s a reason, right?”
“…It’s none of your business.”
Then he quickly added:
“I’ll tell you. Just—don’t go digging around. Don’t piss me off by snooping again.”
“Alright. If you tell me, I won’t.”
“I’ll tell you once you show me where Astrid is.”
“Oh my, look at you! Learning to trade terms! A proper negotiator!”
Maddy beamed and launched into another detailed story of how she’d made a fool out of Crocton.
