Chapter 208: Alexander (2)

“I-I don’t look too weird, right? I-I haven’t gained weight or anything, have I?”

“You’re fine. You’re fine.”

“D-do I… Does this dress look too frilly and weird? Huh? Maybe I should have worn my usual clothes? What if they say it doesn’t suit me?”

“No way. Would our dad ever say that?”

Since morning, the two had been making idle conversation at a teahouse near the city entrance. Lorena was wearing a dress she never usually wore, while Alice was dressed in a neat suit. As Alice leisurely hooked her teacup by the handle and twirled it around, Lorena peppered her with questions, asking if the dress’s neckline was too low or if the skirt made her look fat because it was too voluminous.

“R-really?”

“I’m telling you, really.”

Though the conversation had been repeated several times, Alice found even this time spent chatting with Lorena enjoyable. It was because Evan would be coming to Ithaca to meet them very soon. Not long after sending the letter, Alice and Lorena encountered a small bat that flew in carrying the letter.

While Alice was tarnishing the hero’s family name in Ithaca, Evan apparently had taken a demon who handled bats as a subordinate. It seemed to be a very powerful demon, and judging by his eagerness to meet Alice and Lorena, he seemed to have a decent personality too.

Alice fiddled with the letter still in her hand and said,

“Dad’s got great timing, doesn’t he? Look at him telling us when he’ll arrive and to come meet him.”

“Yeah.”

“Ah, I’m so excited.”

Alice said that with a beaming smile, and Lorena returned an awkward smile. Her emotions seemed slightly heightened compared to usual. Lorena expressed her joy with exaggerated gestures and a high-pitched voice that felt unfamiliar, then put the letter back in her pocket, trying hard to convey her excitement somehow.

It felt almost like she was forcing her emotions, giving Lorena a strange feeling.

“I guess so.”

Lorena, pretending not to notice, replied in a suitably moderate tone. Alice noticed her voice had dropped, glanced at her, and then, with a genuine smile this time, said to Lorena,

“What’s wrong? I’m genuinely happy. I’m seeing Dad, you know. How long has it been?”

“It’s the first time since we went north last time. What are you going to do when Evan comes this time?”

“Sex.”

Lorena jumped, startled, and looked around. Just like how people turn around when their name is called at a noisy party, heads turned to reconfirm the vulgar word that had come from the woman’s lips. Then, seeing Alice’s proud and beautiful appearance, they convinced themselves they must have misheard and returned to their own affairs.

“A-Alice…!”

Lorena was fidgeting nervously, but Alice looked at Lorena with a nonchalant expression, then raised the corners of her mouth and asked,

“What’s wrong? You were excited too, weren’t you? You were thrilled about staying in a place like this, even when we were booking a hotel room earlier.”

“Ah, no, well, that’s true, but…! Still…! Alice…! You should be mindful of the surroundings.”

“If you worry about the surroundings, you can’t have sex with Dad. People should live boldly.”

Lorena broke out in a cold sweat. A passerby glanced at Alice, then, thinking they must have misheard, dug their ear and walked away. Lorena said,

“Alice. Are you… are you having a bit of a hard time today?”

In her opinion, Alice seemed a bit strange right now. She was overly excited, as if she’d had a drink, and seemed to be avoiding something by using provocative and harsh tones. Hearing Lorena’s question, Alice rattled her chair and blinked.

Then, the smile that had been on her lips vanished, and she let out a deep sigh. Scratching her head, Alice said,

“It would be a lie if I said I was fine. It’s the job we’re assigned, after all. Who else gets assigned something this big?”

Alice chose her words carefully, considering the location. But Lorena knew what was bothering her. Ostensibly, it referred to the harvest festival preparations, but in reality, they were both involved in an assassination operation targeting Alexander.

Alice had gained experience by offering various opinions for this assassination operation and even preparing the legal documents for the harvest festival processing.

What must it feel like to orchestrate the death of a major national figure? What must it feel like to be on the verge of an operation where failure means everything plummets into ruin? Lorena couldn’t play a leading role in this operation. Compared to Lumia and the people of Ithaca, Lorena didn’t harbor enough resentment to directly assassinate Alexander.

Alexander had never exerted any influence regarding the expulsion of Knight Jack.

Lorena felt apologetic that she couldn’t be of much help this time, but she wasn’t a holy knight, nor was she in a position to proudly watch the procession while armed. Since Alice had to be on standby near the harvest festival altar in case of unforeseen circumstances, Lorena had to stay by her side.

“I’m sorry I can’t help.”

Alice observed Lorena’s expression. Dressed in a bright dress and fidgeting with her fingers, she looked exactly like a young lady from a noble family. Alice looked at her slender fingers and cute lips.

“You were such a huge help last time.”

Lorena had played a very active role during the previous purge of the hero’s family. She had slain seven guards protecting the hero’s family relatives, killed one man who tried to escape when given the chance, and even took revenge on a nobleman who had spat in Jack’s face in Ithaca.

Because of such events, Alice thought Lorena’s revenge in Ithaca was over. As Alice said that, Lorena shook her head.

“No. That… that felt like my own revenge. I thought you, Evan, and the people of Ithaca helped me with my revenge. So, so this time, I wanted to help you. You’re carrying the burden alone, and I can’t even help with the paperwork because I’m not good at it.”

“It’s normal that you can’t. If you asked the people in the Holy Knights Order to handle the paperwork I use, do you think anyone could do it? You’re already doing your part perfectly well as you are.”

“My, my role?”

At Alice’s words, Lorena’s eyes widened. Alice smiled and reached out to her. Her outstretched index finger pressed firmly on Lorena’s nose like a doorbell.

“Being by your side. Isn’t that the best thing a friend can do?”

“It’s… it’s not that great of a… thing…”

Lorena squirmed and laughed. Seeing her face flush red, Alice laughed even harder. The shadow that had clouded her face and her exaggerated gestures disappeared. Though neither Alice nor Lorena noticed, Lorena was clearing away Alice’s gloom as a friend.

Alice pushed aside her finished teacup and said,

“Ah, that carriage over there. Isn’t that my dad’s carriage?”

At those words, Lorena jumped up in surprise, forgetting the friendship they had just shared.

“W-where?”

She exclaimed loudly, her voice filled with both tension and joy. The guards glanced back and whistled. Lorena grabbed the hem of her dress, intending to run, but became flustered, worrying about the fabric dragging on the ground. Alice took her hand and said,

“There’s no need to rush.”

“R-right.”

Lorena nodded, looking at their clasped hands. The carriage had stopped before the city gate, undergoing inspection. Soldiers were giving simple instructions, and Lorena and Alice stamped their feet excitedly. As the carriage wheels rolled and passed through the gate, the horses shook their heads, seemingly dazzled by the sunlight they encountered again. The coachman yawned and looked at the two women.

And through the window, Evan’s smiling face could be seen. The moment he saw them, he flung open the carriage door and ran like a child to embrace Alice tightly.

“Alice!”

“Dad!”

After hugging each other tightly enough to crush their waists, they breathed in each other’s scent. Lorena stood awkwardly to the side before stealthily moving behind Evan and hugging his back. The coachman watched Evan, showered with affection by the two women, with envious eyes, while the guards sighed and said,

“Fuck, is this even a country?”

“This really sucks.”

Evan ignored the curses coming from behind and pinched Alice’s cheek firmly. Alice liked the playful way he treated her like a child. She liked how he greeted her with a warm face when she was struggling. She liked the reliability of him rushing over the moment she called out that she missed him.

As she felt his strong arms and warm body temperature, burying her face in his chest, she felt tears welling up involuntarily.

“Dad…”

Alice, in fact, hadn’t wanted such a sentimental reunion. She had intended to show a more business-like and mature demeanor. To show him he didn’t need to worry about her, the moment Evan got off the carriage, she planned to grab him by the collar, kiss him. Suck his tongue out slowly, and whisper in his ear.

[Dad. Let’s go have sex quickly. I booked a hotel.]

But now, a warmer emotion than sexual desire was surging within her heart. She held Evan tightly, burying her face in his embrace, and said,

“Dad. I had a hard time.”

Her acting spoiled felt strangely novel. Evan and Lorena exchanged bewildered glances before smiling. Then, Evan placed his hand on Alice’s head and gently stroked her hair.

“You worked hard. Alice. It was tough, wasn’t it?”

“Yes…”