Karina stopped by the inn and asked Selena to get the fertility drug faster. She also asked her to find out where the midwife was in the capital so that she could meet her today.
While Selena was getting information about the midwife, Karina decided to take Hasten as her escort and go to the Dark Merchant. Just in case, she was planning to ask the Dark Merchant to get her a fertility certificate and fertility drug. She was also curious about the progress of the request she had made to the Dark Merchant's Perso last time.
"Can you take just me? If you just look at the escort skills, the knights of the Grand Duke's family are much better."
Hasten said with an amused expression. He knew exactly why she was taking him. He had no intention of taking Jeremiah's people with her to the Dark Merchant. She was even planning to go to ask for a fertility drug, and she was taking the knights of the Grand Duke's family as her escort?
'That's nonsense.'
When Karina went out, she was escorted by her butler, Stephen. He insisted that there should be at least five people, but he reduced the number to three because she felt burdened. Then, when Karina arrived at the inn, she immediately ordered each of them to run a troublesome and time-consuming errand. It would take at least two hours for them to return after completing the errands Karina had given them.
'That's enough time to go to the Dark merchant and come back.'
The corners of Karina's mouth went up. To be honest, it was broad daylight, so there was little chance of a big fight or an argument. She thought she could just go alone, but due to Selena's objections, she compromised by taking Hasten with her.
"I'm sorry for taking away your playtime with Alden."
"Karina said that she knew that Hasten was taking full care of Aiden.
"Not at all?"
Hasten retorted with a cold expression, asking what she was talking about. However, Karina had already heard from Selena. Hasten takes better care of Aiden than she thought, and Aiden secretly follows Hasten well. Knowing that his words and actions were different from his true feelings, Karina suppressed her laughter and pretended not to know. When they arrived at the dark room, a skinny man wearing a mask like last time greeted them politely.
"What about Perso?"
"Perso is currently away from his seat."
It was a pity, but there was nothing she could do. He, the master of the Dark merchant, couldn't always be there. He had said something like she was lucky the last time she came. She had thought that Perso was not someone she would easily meet.
"I have a new request I want to take on, and I came here because I was curious about how the request I gave you last time is going."
Karina briefly explained her purpose for coming to the Dark Merchant. But...
"If you have a new commission, just let me know. And as for the commission you gave me last time, there's still about a week left, so come back then."
The masked man had a very businesslike demeanor.
"I just want to know the information you've researched so far."
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you right now. Please come back later."
"Does it make sense that I can't hear it even though I'm the client?"
Karina didn't understand.
"Sorry."
The man maintained a firm, yet polite demeanor.
'I don't know what will happen in the future.'
"..."
Karina, who had a slightly daunting expression, soon let out a long sigh.
As the situation changed, she might continue to make additional requests to the Dark merchant. She thought it would be bad to have a falling out over such a trivial matter. Karina had no choice but to step down.
"Yes. I'll just hand over the new request and go."
Just when she was thinking that she would have to leave the dark merchant without any gains, something suddenly occurred to Karina.
"Oh, by any chance..."
***
Karina, who came out of the dark room, asked Hasten.
"How was it there just now?"
"How is it?"
"Just a feeling or something... like you wanted to work there or something.... like you thought that person was someone you knew...?"
"Yes?"
Hasten looked completely confused at Karina's ramblings.
"Uh... It's nothing."
Karina shook her head and held back her words. It seemed that she had been mistaken in expecting that Selena and Hasten would naturally become entangled once she found the Dark Statue.
'But I thought there might be some connection since they both worked there in the past.'
It seems she was very wrong. As Karina and Hasten were leaving the alley, they heard a familiar voice at the entrance.
"Grand Duchess?"
"...?"
Karina's eyes widened. This was someone she had never imagined she would encounter here.
"Nice to meet you. I didn't expect to see you in a place like this."
It was David who smiled brightly at Karina and pretended to know her.
"Ah.... I greet you, His Highness the Crown Prince."
Karina bowed her head to David, embarrassed, and tried to quickly nod to Hasten, but there was no one there when she glanced around. It seemed as if he had quickly hidden in the alley as soon as he heard a voice calling her.
'I heard you've been a mercenary for a long time. That must be why you act so quickly!'
Karina stopped appreciating and raised her head.
"How is Your Highness here..."
"I just met the Duke of Colesburg. I was just taking a quick look around the city."
David said with a big smile. True to his word, David was dressed simply like the last time she saw him, with only two escorts on either side. Karina quickly asked David, fearing that he might ask her where she had been.
"Did you have a good conversation with His Highness the Grand Duke?"
It was with a fake smile.
"Yes. It wasn't very interesting because it was a work-related story."
"I see."
As Karina quickly finished her greeting and turned around to leave, David's voice changed subtly.
"But why is the Grand Duchess here?"
Karina broke out in a cold sweat at the question that came out without fail.
"I am..."
She absolutely could not let anyone find out that she had been to the Dark merchant. Karina hesitated for a moment, then glanced at David. Then she gave a light answer without any further explanation.
"I also came out to see the city."
It was a flimsy reason, but for some reason, she had a feeling David would just let it go. After hearing Karina's answer, David just lowered his eyes and glanced at Karina. And as expected.
"Yes."
He readily agreed and passed on without asking any further questions. Karina swallowed a sigh of relief. At that moment.
"Grand Duchess. But you didn't come out alone?"
David, who had checked Karina's sides, asked with a puzzled expression. It didn't make sense that the Grand Duchess would go out without an escort. She hadn't even left the secluded alley yet. In a way, it was natural to ask that question.
"No, that would be impossible. I came out with escorts and sent them on an errand for a moment."
Strictly speaking, it wasn't a lie. She indeed took escort knights with her when she left the Grand Duke's house.
"I don't know what the errand was, but it must have been important enough to warrant leaving no escort behind."
David said with a bright smile.
"Ah... yes."
Karina looked around and answered with an awkward smile.
"Then I will stay with you until the escort returns. It can be dangerous for a woman to be alone in a deserted alley like this."
"No, it's okay. I plan to go back as soon as the escort returns."
Karina waved her hand in refusal, but David showed no sign of backing down.
"I don't think it's a good idea to keep waiting here. It would be better to return to the Grand Duke's residence first. The Grand Duke of Colesberg would be very worried if he found out that the Grand Duchess was alone on the road."
'No, not at all.'
The answer rose to the tip of her tongue. Karina couldn't agree with David's words at all.
'Jeremiah is worried about me.'
Seriously, that was ridiculous.
"Just in case, I will accompany you to the Grand Duke's residence."
"No. There's no need to do that..."
"I can't just leave the Grand Duchess alone."
Despite Karina's continued rejection, David's intentions remained the same.
'Oh, really...'
Karina was dying right now. If the person in front of her wasn't the Crown Prince, she would have yelled at him to get out right now. She was uncomfortable with this situation where he didn't seem to be trying to ask her anything and wouldn't let her go. She just wanted this awkward situation to end quickly. So Karina decided to just accept David's offer.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness the Crown Prince. Then, I will ask you to do so."
'Let's go near the mansion and then come back out.'
For now, getting David away has become Karina's top priority.
"Then let's go."
"Yes."
Both of them had smiling faces, but their feelings were completely opposite.
***
David and Karina passed through a narrow alley and came out into a wide open space. When they were about halfway across the space.
"Keeeeeeeeeeee!"
"...!"
The cries of birds echoed in the sky, deafening. Karina and David looked up at the sky in surprise. A flock of black birds had been circling above their heads for some time. Karina suddenly felt goosebumps all over her body when she saw them.
'What is that?'
She had a sudden feeling of ominousness as if the black objects flying overhead looked like monsters.
'Hey, no way. A monster in the middle of the capital city'.
Karina snorted, laughing at herself for having such a ridiculous thought.
'No way. It's so hard to see flying demons.'
Her heart was pounding even though she thought that there was absolutely no way that could happen.
'Come to think of it, when did the first monster wave occur?'
Karina quickly searched through her past memories. However, the time when the first monster wave occurred was still a long way off.
'It was definitely a full moon day.'
That day, vicious monsters swarmed endlessly in the north like ants. Jeremiah swept away the swarm of monsters with his overwhelming swordsmanship and force, so it was an absolutely unmistakable memory. It was a day that earned the nickname 'the Day of the Red Full Moon' because the world was dyed in the blood of dead monsters. There was still a month left until the full moon.
'Could it be that in the past, before the monster wave occurred, a horde of monsters appeared in the capital?'
Karina doubted her instincts and prayed that it wasn't true.
'Please, please. Just be a bird. Just an ordinary black bird.'
But it was all in vain. Some of the birds began to descend closer to the ground. And as they descended, they grew larger and larger until one bird became as large as a large carriage used by nobles.
'Are you lying?'
Karina looked up at the new creatures that had descended close to the ground with a look of horror on her face. Then David shouted loudly.
"We have to hide quickly!"
"...!"
Karina came to her senses at his voice, quickly lowered her head, and looked around.
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