Chapter 193

Chapter 193

Episode 193: 『Fragments of the Past』 // What Aiden said was for a simple reason. Of course, I don’t feel any particular emotion about that fact. No matter how much I resemble her, Keir chose the woman in front of me, not me. That is, if I can even make that judgment, assuming this woman is the right one. “….” I felt a little bitter. Keir treated me more like a tool than a woman. If the person he loved was a woman who resembled me, wouldn’t that be a bit ridiculous, considering? Wouldn’t it? He raped me and treated me like a public toilet, but he treated a woman who resembled me like a precious lover. What could be more absurd than that? Of course, it’s not like I’m jealous over something like that, but I can’t help but feel a strange sensation. “Hey, you. You know a guy named Keir, right?” While I was thinking, Aiden asked Jess. Jess seemed overly flustered and asked back. “Y-Yes!?” “…You know him?” “N-No…I, I don’t know him…?” …Seriously, wouldn’t it have been less of a lie if you had nodded vigorously? Jess’s stiff face, barely nodding, was affirming with her whole body except her mouth that she knew Keir. “No need to be surprised. We’re friends with that guy.” Aiden said with a faint smile to Jess, who had closed her mouth as if frightened. But even so, Jess’s expression didn’t relax. “….” “….” …The word ‘friend’ doesn’t sound so good in the underworld. With that in mind, I looked back and forth between Aiden and Jess. And, as I expected, Jess shook her head. “I, I don’t know such a man.” “I didn’t say it was a man.” “…Isn’t that a man’s name?” “Why are you so sure? It could be a woman, right?” Watching the two people trying to continue their childish conversation, I let out a small sigh. It was a conversation that made me feel a sense of self-disgust, wondering if I came to a brothel for this. However, Aiden’s next words were quite plausible. “Then let’s do this. If you know Keir and tell me about his whereabouts, I’ll give you 600 rads and I won’t sleep with you.” “….” “But if you really don’t know Keir… I’ll sleep with you right here. After all, the money paid to the madam should be enough.” Wow. Watching Aiden utter such a villainous line, I admired him inwardly. Leaving aside the usefulness of the offer itself, the idea itself is a great example of a gentleman. …But, if you say that, wouldn’t everyone say they know him, even if it’s a lie? 600 rads isn’t a small amount of money- “…I don’t know him.” -It wasn’t. 600 rads isn’t a small amount of money, but Jess shook her head with a determined expression. But Jess’s answer gave us more certainty than saying she knew him. “….” Like before, isn’t she the type who falls for leading questions quite easily? Aiden stared intently at Jess’s determined expression and then turned his gaze to me. “Lyla, what should we do? I think we’ve got the wrong person.” “…Are you stupid?” “I know, I was just joking.” When I asked, wondering if it was possible, Aiden chuckled and replied. What a ridiculous joke. I sighed and looked at Jess. It already seemed certain that she was Keir’s lover. Now, the important thing is to coax her to ask about Keir’s whereabouts and get her out of the brothel… “….Huh?” At that moment, a strange sound came from afar. 『…What’s going on here?』 『Hey, Madam. Where’s Jess?』 『Jess? Why are you looking for her…?』 『That’s none of your business. Bring her out right now.』 It was a sound echoing from the first floor. The rough, low voices of men and the madam’s flustered voice. Hearing the faintly echoing conversation, I couldn’t help but harden my expression. // It seems that choosing Jess was the right answer. I had a suspicion, but no evidence, and the men downstairs gave me the perfect proof. But the important thing isn’t the evidence. “Aiden, change of plans.” “Huh?” Aiden, as if he hadn’t heard the sound from below, asked back with a bewildered expression. Perhaps he didn’t hear it because his level wasn’t high enough yet. I calmly explained the situation to him. “Someone’s here. Probably… Keir’s organization members.” “…Damn it.” At those words, Aiden’s expression twisted. Of course, it would be simple to use force. But we can’t do that. We need to stay quiet in Lakers as much as possible. In a situation where we have to hold our breath so that Count Lantaine doesn’t hear about it, we can’t get into a fight with the brothel’s organization members in broad daylight. However, there was a way. “….Lyla.” Aiden called my name in a low voice. It wasn’t a question asking me for a solution, but a question asking what I was going to do. A question that seemed like he had already made a decision in his mind. To that question, I smiled. “I know.” Did he also come up with the solution I had in mind? It felt like we were quite in sync. “I’ll go. So…” After hesitating for a moment, I looked at Jess. She had a frightened look on her face with her light brown hair. Indeed, she doesn’t resemble me. “…Take good care of the woman.” When I asked, Aiden nodded. But Jess tilted her head as if she didn’t understand the current situation. “What… what are you talking about…?” She didn’t need to know. However, there was something she had to do. And Aiden immediately ordered her to do what she had to do. “Hey, Jess.” “Yes, yes?” “Take off your clothes. Right now.” “….” Jess closed her mouth at Aiden’s forceful words. It was a sudden order, but it was inevitable from her point of view. Aiden and I were customers, and she was a prostitute who received customers. “…Yes.” Did she know this would happen? She was fiddling with her light brown hair, looking uneasy, but soon she took off the clothes she was wearing with a determined face. – Swish. The smooth silk dress fluttered and fell to the floor, revealing Jess’s body full of kiss marks. As if she had received customers until this morning, the kiss marks on her body were still reddish. “….” Jess took off all her clothes and looked at us. Unlike her frightened expression until just now, her face was that of a determined woman. I quietly looked at her face. “…Lyla.” “I know. Don’t rush me.” Impatient guy. I sighed at Aiden’s urging and took off the robe I was wearing. Jess’s eyes widened in surprise at my sudden undressing, but she soon understood and sat on the bed, asking. “Are you going to join me…?” “….” It would have been nice if that were the case, but the situation isn’t right now. I smiled bitterly in silence and threw off the clothes I was wearing under the robe. Soon, I was in the same state as her, as I was born, and looked at Aiden. “Aiden. Now-” Just as I was about to ask him, I lowered my gaze towards his erect lower body. Aiden was showing the reaction that a man would show in front of two naked women. “Wow, are you hard right now?” “….I can’t help it. This is physiological.” Come to think of it, it’s been quite a while since I satisfied his desires. When was the last day? Aiden said he didn’t want to at the time, but a man’s, especially a penis’s, self-control diminishes exponentially over time. “I’d like to do it for you if I could…” With a playful expression, I reached out and stroked his crotch. “…But I don’t think we have time right now. If you want to, do it with that woman.” “….” Aiden didn’t answer my playful suggestion. It wasn’t a word that expected an answer, so I moved on to the next action. “Okay, and put this on her.” “This is…?” What I handed to Aiden was a leather blindfold. Aiden, who had received it in a daze, looked at me with a troubled expression. “Just in case, I’m telling you to put it on that woman, not me. I like blindfolds, but now is not the time.” “…I know that too.” “Then why are you looking at me?” “I was wondering why you carry this around.” Why do I carry it around? There’s only one reason to carry a blindfold. “Well, because I need to use it sometimes when I’m playing bondage.” “…You’re saying that so confidently.” Aiden replied as if he was dumbfounded at my words, but his actions were quite swift for someone who was flustered. He threw the blindfold at Jess and coldly ordered. “Wear it.” “….” From some point on, our conversation was in Korean. That’s why she didn’t understand what we were saying. But Aiden’s words to wear the blindfold were the common language of the Empire. Jess could understand those words. “…Okay.” Jess nodded obediently and put on the blindfold that Aiden had given her. “….” Looking at her slender naked body wearing a leather blindfold, I couldn’t help but think that I should handcuff her, but unfortunately, this isn’t the time for that. 『Haa, okay. Then…』 『If you know, bring her quickly.』 『…Don’t rush me too much. We have a customer.』 Fortunately, the conversation I heard wasn’t violent. Even if they are members of the underworld organization, they can’t recklessly touch wealthy customers. There is credit in this alley too. The only lives that can be recklessly killed are those born in the slums. Since the organization members can’t do anything to the customers, it’s the madam who ends up rushing them. 『Really, what am I supposed to do…』 Just as I was listening to the approaching voice, Aiden’s question rang in my ear right next to me. “What are you going to do from now on?” “First, I have to find Keir. I think they’ll take me there.” “…What if he ran away?” “You said it yourself earlier, right? He doesn’t seem like the type to do that.” “Still…” I laughed, lightly dismissing Aiden’s anxiety. “It’s okay. I’ll take care of the rest.” “….” “Don’t worry about me. I can handle it myself. But it might take some time, so you focus on your plan.” Aiden’s help was enough with just this. From his point of view, who has to steal the herb, it’s difficult to focus on Keir’s affairs. Aiden is already struggling just to do preliminary investigations and plan escape routes in Lakers. Even so, he’s worried about me. “…Be careful.” “I’m always careful. It’s just that my body can be treated a little roughly.” I smiled at Aiden and picked up Jess’s clothes on the floor. After carefully checking her lying body, I started to transform. – Swish. “Um… should I just stay like this?” “….Yes. Stay still.” Aiden answered Jess, who was asking anxiously, in a low voice. But unlike the direction of his answer, Aiden’s gaze was still on me. “I’ll make excuses to the madam. I’ll enjoy myself with that woman a few times, then put a hood on her and take her out. You take care of the persuasion.” “…Do I have to sleep with her?” “Who knows? But if there’s no moaning, the madam will be suspicious.” “I feel a little strange.” Aiden shook his head as if he didn’t like it. I didn’t quite understand what he meant, but I soon understood. Come to think of it, Aiden said he had a conversation with Keir. I don’t know what they talked about, but it seems like he felt a liking during the conversation. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to do anything.” “….” “I’m just saying… don’t feel guilty about something like that. That woman or Emily, they’re all the same in the end.”

It’s common in brothels for someone to give their body to another man while cherishing a lover in their heart. No, it’s not just common, it’s the norm. Jess has probably already been with other men besides Keir dozens of times. There’s no way Aiden would leave her alone, even if he had to suppress his own desires. Besides, he already paid for it, didn’t he? …Strictly speaking, it’s my money, though. “….” “Well, I’m off.” I leave the hesitating Aiden behind and head for the door. “…Okay.” “Take care of yourself too.” With those brief farewells, I complete the transformation into Jess. My skin changes, my bone structure adjusts, and I mimic the face of Jess that I remember. Just before opening the door and stepping out, “…It feels a bit weird to say this after saying goodbye, but can I ask you one last thing?” “What is it?” “How is it? Is it seamless?” I ask Aiden. In response to my question, Aiden nods with a wry smile. “Yeah, it’s exactly the same.” “Good, then…” The preparation is complete. I open the door and walk out naturally. Then, I put on a troubled expression as I approach the madam coming from down the hallway. “Oh, Jess?” “Um, Madam…” “…Weren’t you just booked?” Even though she was coming to get me, the madam asks me with a puzzled expression. She’s probably surprised to see me leaving Aiden behind and coming out first. Of course, I had an excuse ready. “Well, um… the guest suddenly said he wanted to enjoy some alone time with his friend…” At my glib excuse, the madam looks bewildered. Even for the madam, who is well-versed in the management of brothels, customers who come to buy prostitutes and then enjoy themselves with each other must be unfamiliar. Of course, it’s not surprising. There are all kinds of people in the world. “…Okay, I understand.” “But, what’s the matter?” I tilt my head and ask the madam. I couldn’t be sure if this was a perfect performance as Jess, but the madam didn’t seem to suspect me. “The higher-ups want to see you.” “The higher-ups?” “Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on, but…” The madam takes a puff of her pipe with a worried expression and tells me, “…Be careful. I don’t have a good feeling about this.”