Chapter 45
As we got closer to the commoners’ district, there were far more people walking around than carriages passing by. Lovers, parents with children, friends — everyone bustled about energetically. Seeing them somehow reminded me of Korea, making the place feel even more familiar.
Come to think of it, Marianne’s house should be somewhere around here.
“Oh? Miss Ail?”
“Huh? Ah, Madame… Uwain?”
“What’s with the ‘Madame’? Just call me madam.”
While scanning the addresses written on the buildings, trying to find Marianne’s house, I heard a familiar voice behind me. I turned to see a woman with red hair and glamorous looks — Madame Uwain from Uwain’s shop — standing there.
She greeted me with a hearty laugh, then casually looked me over from head to toe. When she gave a small approving nod afterward, I figured I’d passed her inspection.
“Where are you headed?”
“I’m looking for this address.”
“Let’s see… Ah, Merryhana Street is just one block over. Wait a second — that address is Marianne’s bakery.”
“A bakery?”
Uwain nodded and smiled brightly.
“That’s perfect. I was just on my way to buy some bread from Marianne’s place. Let’s go together!”
Marianne’s bakery, huh.
Well, it did have her name in it, so it seemed like I had found the right place. But… someone who used to work at a slave market running a bakery? That didn’t really fit.
Oh well, I’d only know for sure if I went there.
Letting Uwain lead me by the hand, I silently hoped this Marianne was indeed the Marianne I was looking for — so I wouldn’t have wasted my time.
“Mmm…”
With a faint groan, Ron’s tightly shut eyelids trembled and slowly opened. The court physician, who had been examining him nearby, finally let out a long sigh of relief and waved a hand in front of his face.
“My Lord Marquis, are you awake?”
Ron’s crimson eyes blinked a few times before rolling toward the physician. Recognizing him, Ron gave a small nod.
“…Where’s Narein?”
Who knew how many days had passed before he woke? His voice cracked every time he spoke, and his throat hurt as though it was tearing apart. The physician quickly poured him some water and replied.
“So you remember. Sir Narein is imprisoned in the underground cells. His Highness the Crown Prince is still postponing the trial.”
“…I see.”
“I’ll contact Sir Shawn at once.”
After giving Ron several instructions and warnings, the physician left the room. Alone in the quiet room, Ron lay there staring at the ceiling.
Blink. Blink.
Every time his eyes closed, he vividly pictured the moment Narein pointed a gun at him. That guy had invented something as small as a hand cannon and kept it completely hidden.
As he was lost in thought, Ron suddenly bolted upright.
“Ail!”
Why hadn’t he thought of her the moment he woke up? Ron’s face turned pale as Ail came to mind. Ignoring the pain in his chest, he began yanking out the needles from his arm. If the physician hadn’t rushed back in and panickedly stopped him, his wounds might have reopened.
“Miss Ail returned safely! She’s gone to work at the palace!”
Until the physician shouted that, Ron was half out of his mind insisting on going to find her.
Work? Returned?
Only then did Ron calm down enough to look down at his physician — a man old enough to be his father, who had served as the Metaylor family’s doctor since Ron was a child. Seeing the effort it took for him to hold him back, Ron muttered an apology and quietly sat back down on the bed.
“I’ll inform you the moment Miss Ail returns. So please, lie down again.”
The doctor’s wrinkled face was firm with authority. Ron obediently lay back down and let the needles be reinserted into his arm. He’d have to ask Shawn for the details when he came. For now, he endured the physician’s flood of nagging and let him tend to his arm and wounds.
Marianne’s bakery was quite a successful place, packed with customers.
Among them were servants and maids wearing the crests of noble houses — clearly sent by their masters.
Before we went in, Uwain advised me to remove my imperial badge. I didn’t know why, but it was easy enough, so I followed her advice and slipped it off my shirt pocket, tucking it inside instead.
Once inside, I understood why.
“Hey! No cutting in line! Get to the back!”
“Don’t you see this? I’m from the Lev family!”
The noble servants flaunted their family crests and raised their voices, acting as if they themselves were nobles. It was laughable, but they were so serious and self-important that I couldn’t laugh out loud. When I barely held back a chuckle, Uwain quietly whispered in my ear, “If you don’t want to get dragged into that sort of fight, it’s better to pretend to be a commoner.”
Just as she said, the non-noble customers stood quietly in line, watching the quarrel. Judging by the weary looks on their faces, this must have happened often.
Even palace staff of commoner birth were treated as lesser nobles. If I had walked in wearing my imperial badge, I would have only drawn the attention of those noble servants.
Thanking Uwain, I glanced around the shop. It wasn’t very big, but the warm steam rising from the bread and the delicious aroma filling the air made it feel cozy and charming.
I picked up a few loaves and joined the line. Once the noble servants sorted out their hierarchy and stood in proper order, the line actually moved faster than expected.
I was about halfway to the counter when a man at the register said something to the clerk, whose expression immediately turned strange. After a moment’s hesitation, the clerk loudly announced they’d be pausing service and went into the kitchen.
“What’s that about? There’s such a long line here.”
The waiting customers grumbled, but the clerk didn’t return for some time. Uwain craned her neck toward the counter with curiosity. The clerk was gone, but the man who had spoken to her still stood there.
Uwain’s eyes widened.
“Oh? That man…”
“You know him?”
“Yes. The Marquis of Bareil’s… well, just Bareil now, I guess? No, he’s been stripped to commoner status, so just ‘Bareil.’ Anyway, he’s Bareil’s servant.”
“Bareil?”
The unexpected name slipped from her lips, and I was so startled I quickly covered my mouth. Ever since the incident at Carrie’s Bar, any mention of Bareil had been practically taboo in the palace. This wasn’t the palace, but still — better to be careful. A few people glanced over at my reaction, but thankfully soon looked away.
Once their attention was off me, I lowered my voice to Uwain.
“How do you know him?”
“I used to go on house calls to do Lady Bareil’s hair sometimes. I saw him a few times then. I heard they lost their title and wealth and were banished to the countryside, but it seems they still have connections in the capital.”
Oh-ho.
That smelled fishy. Very fishy.
Marianne — who might have worked at Carrie’s Bar. And now a visit from the former Marquis of Bareil’s servant. You didn’t have to be a genius to put the pieces together.
While I was sniffing out the suspicious air, a woman finally emerged from the kitchen in place of the clerk. She removed her round baker’s hat and bowed to the customers in line.
“I’m sorry, but due to personal circumstances, we’ll be closing for the day.”
Despite the protests from customers, she bowed politely several more times. She was clearly the owner of the bakery.
So that’s Marianne.
I fixed her face in my memory and joined the departing crowd.
Uwain left first, saying it was a pity but she’d come again another day. I, on the other hand, lingered nearby under the excuse of having other errands.
From across the street, I went into a jewelry shop and pretended to look at earrings while keeping my eyes on Marianne’s bakery. Perhaps noticing my attention, the jewelry shop owner spoke up.
“Were you visiting Marianne’s bakery?”
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
“They closed early today, huh. What a shame.”
The shop owner was an elderly woman. She seemed to think I was hanging around because I was disappointed the bakery had closed.
I put on an expression of regret to play along. Acting wasn’t my strong suit, but ever since coming here, I’d found myself doing it more often.
“Have you been running this shop long?”
“A long time. My grandmother started it, and I began working here when I turned twenty.”
“Then you must’ve seen when that bakery first opened.”
I kept my expression as innocent as possible, not wanting to arouse suspicion. I made it seem like I was simply a disappointed customer of a famous bakery, and the owner chuckled, saying other people often did the same when they missed out on buying bread.
“It hasn’t been open that long. Maybe two years? I heard the owner used to work as a palace maid. Maybe that’s why she’s so polite and refined.”
“A palace maid? Wow, that’s impressive.”
“Right? At first, I wondered why someone with her background would open a shop here instead of in the commercial district. But looking at it now, it was the right decision — business is booming.”
“I see. But she seemed quite young when I saw her earlier. I guess she left palace service early?”
The shopkeeper nodded without suspicion. As I pretended to like a pair of earrings, she tried to tempt me into buying them at a discount.
“I’m not sure about the details, but she once mentioned that becoming a maid was never her goal. She only went to the palace briefly to check on something.”
