episode_0021

How much time has passed? The light of dawn is streaming in through the wooden planks. Mila carefully puts her ear to the door and listens to the sounds outside, then unlocks the door and pushes it open.

Squeak

He pauses for a moment at the noise of the old hinges, looks around, sniffs, and after confirming that no one is there, he opens the door wide and takes a step outside.

“It’s okay to come up. Hold my hand.”

Ray, shivering in the cold dawn air, holds her hand tightly and climbs the stairs to stand next to Mila. The commotion of yesterday is palpable, and there is not a single ant in sight anywhere in the Fraua shopping district, and only a dead silence lingers. The faint, acrid smoke and the pungent smell of blood mixed in the air create an ominous atmosphere. Mila wipes away the dust that has accumulated on her knees with her palm, and pats Ray’s back and buttocks to clean his dirty clothes.

“Buildings are broken here and there.”

As we walked along the deserted streets together, Ray spoke. True to his words, there was not a single store or house that did not have a broken door or window.

“It’s obvious. They just swept away everything that could be made money.”

“Soldiers?”

“Then who would it be? The western part of Fraua is a fairly wealthy area within this city, so it would probably be something like that.”

They use the excuse of the riot to deal with the wealthy merchants and the middle and lower-level nobles who could be their opponents at once and secure the finances. As Mila said, starting yesterday, the Eastern Garrison, which was just a rebel group, not only took control of the royal palace, but also grew into a strong force that could exert influence even in the territory outside the capital. In the history books, it is evaluated that they boldly corrected the chaos and strengthened the administrative power, but for people like Rayna Mila who were caught in the gap, it was nothing but a tragedy.

“Here too… . All my business partners are ruined.”

Mila passes a store with broken debris spilling out the door, sighing at the sight of the business foundation she had built for years crumbling.

“Will you stay by my side?”

Suddenly, Mila turned her head and looked down at Ray, mumbling. With those pitiful eyes, the language was different, but the meaning was exactly the same. Ray made a complicated expression as he thought of Eun-ji, who had called him out after failing to get into all the universities. Since he had experienced this kind of ending before, he hesitated a little, but on the other hand, he felt sorry for her and held her hand tighter.

“… You promised, right? Last night.”

Mila blushed slightly at those words and smiled.

As we come out onto the main road, we notice a silhouette of someone standing in the distance. At the same time, the silhouette also seems to notice our presence and quickly disappears into the alley.

“There’s someone over there!”

“Hey! Oh, it’s running away.”

The two of them started running in the direction where the human figure disappeared without exception. I don’t know if it would be a good thing to run into someone in this situation, but I decided to chase after them, thinking that at least they wouldn’t be soldiers. When they reached the intersection, I expected that they would run far away, but a woman who turned around and stood suspiciously right near where they disappeared was there. She had a long coat that went down to her ankles, her curly hair was messy, and she was barefoot.

“Excuse me… We’re in a bit of a difficult situation right now. Don’t worry.”

Ray looks familiar with the back of Mila, who is trying to talk to him, and the woman in a strange outfit.

“Is there a safe place around here?”

“Just pass by… .”

“Huh?”

Mila tilted her head as she answered in a barely audible voice.

“Mr. Algaet?”

“Eek!”

A woman whose shoulders flinch when Ray, who was watching from the side, blurts out a word.

“Ah… haha, I didn’t expect to see this again.”

Algaet awkwardly greets me by slightly turning his head.

“What the hell are you doing in the meantime? Do you even know what happened?”

Mila, who was dumbfounded by the unexpected face, put both hands on her waist and said.

“I know. It was a big commotion. That’s why the streets are so empty. But it seems like a great place to enjoy a healthy hobby like a refreshing morning walk… .”

“… … .”

Ray lifts the hem of Algaet’s coat slightly, wondering if it looks familiar. Her knees and lower thighs are slightly exposed. As expected, her legs are bare. So could this be… ?

“Ba… Babariman… ?”

“Woohoohoo… . Even the cold wind was a huge stimulus, but what would it be like if it was revealed right in front of my eyes… .”

Algaet mutters and begins to slowly let go of the coat he was holding with both hands.

‘Pink…!’

Since I don’t go outside often, my skin is so pale that you can see the blue veins. The hickey marks have faded a bit since last time, making the pink dots stand out even more.

‘How naked are you?!’

Even though the pupils of his eyes gradually lowered as if in slow motion, the flesh color did not end. He was slightly afraid, so he raised his gaze again to look at Algaet’s face. At that moment, Mila’s hand covered Ray’s eyes. Algaet’s bright red face remained like an afterimage in his darkened vision.

“Where on earth would you find a filthy nobleman walking around the streets without even a single piece of underwear on?”

Mila shouts at Algaet, who spreads out her coat.

‘That means below too… … .’

Ray swallows reflexively.

“I remember that feeling back then, at the police station. The way you glanced at me with embarrassment was thrilling… . ”

“What are you talking about, you pervert…!”

Mila kicks Ray while covering his eyes with her hands.

“Gyaaang!”

Algaet, who was being bullied, gets kicked and lets out a strange scream.

“You’re not healthy at all. You do all kinds of sinful things, so you don’t deserve to be old and you don’t have any hair.”

‘?!’

“This is intentional. Once you try it, you can’t escape that refreshing feeling. Here’s the back too… .”

“Just open it! It’s so revealing, I’m dying.”

Mila screamed. What kind of sight was unfolding beyond the hand covering her eyes? Ray felt dizzy.

“Ahahahahaha, I was just as flustered as you guys were. I always set out with the intention of being seen, but when the time comes to actually be seen, I hesitate. And then there’s how embarrassing it is when I meet someone I already know… Phew!”

“Didn’t you say you knew what happened?”

“That’s right. They’ve been doing some crazy stuff. I was so stressed out that I came out in a fit of rage. I’ve been plundering food and drinks late into the night, so there won’t be any soldiers wandering around now.”

Only then does the hand that was covering her eyes slowly lower itself. Algaet, who is tightly buttoning up her Burberry coat with Mila’s shoe prints near her stomach, nods and greets Ray.

“The light of my life, the flame of my passion! How have you been?”

“… Did your mansion get hit too? In fact, they ran away without any clothes to wear… … .”

“Are you assuming that there must be some kind of painful situation? I’m telling you that you have an angelic heart.”

“That’s right. Even the large mansions that had a lot of power were in chaos without exception.”

“No, fortunately or unfortunately, no one even looked near my house. Privsimo swore allegiance to the Eastern Garrison.”

“What?”

Ray grabs Mila’s wrist, which is clenching her fist precariously.

“It probably has nothing to do with this guy. Calm down.”

“Yeah, that’s right. The family that kicked me out did whatever they wanted. It’s embarrassing. I guess I escaped trouble thanks to the stubborn bloodline that only has my name left. … … If you need a place to hide, would you like to go to my house first? ”

Mila, who was hesitant for a moment, decided to follow Algaet. Then she made Ray walk on the other side of Algaet.

“But thanks to my foolishness gone, I can now give up on my pitiful family. They are just new family members in this life, right? Right?”

Algaet leans over and winks at Ray.

I wish they wouldn’t bring up the topic of past lives outside, but Ray shook his head from side to side with an embarrassed expression. Algaet smiled at that sight and then trudged along the road barefoot.

***

The morning sunlight shines equally everywhere in Frau. It is the same in the officers’ quarters, which are neat and tidy to the point of being obsessive. Christie, who had gone to bed in her sleeveless underwear, must have felt the need to get up soon, and quickly threw off the blanket she had covered herself with. Then she opened the drawer of the bedside table, took out a handkerchief, and wiped her fingers.

It seemed like Ray wasn’t the only one who still felt the sensation of their tongues rubbing against each other in her mouth, so Christie licked her lips once and licked her lips. Then she lightly scratched the bridge of her nose with her finger, sniffed once, then jumped out of bed and tied up her black hair that reached down to her back so tightly that it was pulled all the way to her scalp.

Hanging on the wall was a shiny officer’s uniform that had just been awarded the night before. It seemed to prove that his rise from a mere police station security guard to a high-ranking position in the Eastern Garrison in a matter of days was no dream. Of course, she personally took his rapid success for granted without much emotion.

Christie arrives at the palace in a clean outfit with no dust on her face, even wearing white gloves. The soldiers lined up here and there in the palace and the military flags covering the Arsul royal coat of arms create an oppressive atmosphere. As she walks slowly and takes a seat on one side of the palace corridor, as time passes, people wearing similar uniforms enter the corridor and start to line up side by side.

“Christie Juarron. Greetings.”

“Yeah, of all the new recruits this time, he’s the commander I like the most.”

The commander of the Eastern Army, Uriel Duzan, appeared and stood before Christie, shaking her hand and saying:

“Are the King and Queen alright?”

“What’s wrong? You’re well-sitting in the corner. What’s with that red hair? If it weren’t for that boring legitimacy, I would have let you meet the previous kings you’re so proud of.”

Uriel, who speaks with a deliberate mix of formal and rough language, plays with her own silver-blue hair. Christie smiles emotionlessly.

And then follows Uriel, her husband, who is dressed in a magnificent outfit. In an instant, he has gone from being the husband of a border guard soldier to the real power in the country. Despite his small stature, he walks with his head held high as if he were already royalty. Christie keeps glancing at them until the two disappear down the hallway.

The man in the highest position of power. What could be more ambitious than this? In the tense atmosphere, Christie swallowed without anyone noticing.