For some reason, her red hair had turned black, but she was definitely the thief I met that day when I went to raid Kavala's warehouse.
I remembered her face clearly.
But when I spoke, which was more like a rebuke than a question, the thief, instead of shaking in embarrassment, became angry and sullen.
“Who is the thief? I didn’t steal anything!”
It was a very unfair voice.
'That's true.'
I also knew she couldn't have stolen anything.
But.
“Even if you didn’t steal anything, if you sneaked into the palace intending to steal, you’re a thief.”
The thief's expression twisted. She snorted sharply, "Ha!"
“I was kidnapped. I didn’t even know it.”
'Kidnapped?'
What does that mean?
I thought the thief was telling some ridiculous lie to get out of the situation.
I didn't call her to chat like this.
And it doesn't matter to me whether she's a thief or not.
I glared at her and questioned her.
“You tried to kill me! Do you know what happened to me that day because of you?”
“I can’t die, right?”
“...!”
I was momentarily speechless at that confident and arrogant attitude.
'That's true, but... No, that's not true.'
I shook my head and steeled myself not to be swayed by her words.
“You tried to kill me, and yet you shamelessly followed me, pretending to be my maid!”
But she already seemed to have figured out that I was soft.
While I lost my composure, she smiled with a much more relaxed face.
"I didn't know you were the Princess. For a Princess, you're quite skilled at stealing. Who would call whom a thief?"
"What...?"
“I saw the Princess rummaging through the treasure vault and setting it on fire.”
'How did you see that?'
Well, judging from the fact that she had managed to hide in the palace without being detected until now and had come here with my group, I could guess just how elusive she must have been.
'It seems like they're using some kind of illusion magic.'
I tried to look calm.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
But she pushed me forward with a confident look on her face.
“But I turned it around?”
She even threatened me.
"I heard you're not treated very well at the palace, even though you've been mingling with the maids. Should I tell everyone I saw you set fire to the treasure vault? What will happen?"
How can you be this shameless and brazen?
I racked my brain, wondering what to do with this woman.
But before I could even think of a clever way, she suggested it.
"I don't want to make a big deal out of it either. How about this? If you let me accompany you until I can safely escape from the soldiers outside, I'll keep quiet."
She pointed out the window.
Soldiers were walking around in groups of two or three, showing pictures to passersby. At first glance, it looked like a wanted poster with a sketch of her.
She reached out her hand to me briskly.
"I want to be your accomplice. What do you think?"
“...”
I looked down at her hands.
'If this woman gets caught by Kavala, I'll be in trouble too. It'll be revealed that someone else robbed the treasure vault. And this woman knows for sure that I'm the culprit.'
It was good for me to help her escape safely.
I took her hand.
She smiled heartily.
"Very well, Princess Chloe. I am Lamia Yeblak. Please take care of me for the time being."
'You're so funny in this situation.'
Lamia, with her snow-white face covered in freckles, was a playful-looking person.
She had used some trick to have me handed over to the Kavala soldiers instead of her, and now she had even threatened me with a counterattack.
But as I looked into her vibrant green eyes, I felt a strangely positive energy welling up in me.
Lamia asked cheerfully, as if asking when she had confronted me.
"You should change your clothes now, right? I'll help you. I'm better than the maids outside, aren't I? They're not very savage."
“Savage...? What is that?”
“Well, there are no sprouts.”
What is sprout again?
Lamia, noticing I hadn't understood, muttered, "You've grown up so well," then struggled to find the right words. Then, as if remembering something, she clapped her hands.
"You're saying I'm unlucky? Luck! Do you know what this is? These are total lucky bastards."
“Pfft.”
When I couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing, Lamia laughed along.
She's a thief and a liar, so why does it seem like she's not a bad person?
It was something I really didn't know.
After changing my clothes, I waited for Callius in the carriage.
Callius paid Rhonda and got into the carriage.
Then he stopped and looked at me.
“...”
I rolled my eyes and avoided his gaze.
Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.
'I said it wasn't weird!'
I wasn't listening to what Rhonda and Lamia were saying.
'But what can I do if there are no other clothes that fit me?'
Even if I didn't listen to those two, I had no choice.
I said sullenly without even looking at Callius.
“Don’t laugh.”
"Yes."
“You’re laughing!”
When I glared at him and asked, Callius spoke calmly, not even hiding his laughter.
“I suddenly remembered a joke my subordinate told.”
"Lie."
He didn't deny it and just kept smiling.
Who knew he could laugh so playfully?
'That's why he's exactly like Karl.'
Even Karl laughs like that when he's playing with me.
When I thought of Karl, my heart suddenly relaxed.
His smiling face wasn't bad to look at.
But it felt bad that he was laughing like that at me.
“It suits you well.”
“You might as well not say anything.”
I turned my head away from him.
'I'm embarrassed.'
Now I understand why Rhonda asked so many times if children's clothes were okay.
According to Rhonda's description, the clothes I was wearing were made from the skin of an animal called a nyak.
It is said that the leather of the nyak is excellent for water resistance and cold protection, and that northerners consider nyak leather to be the highest quality material.
It was definitely warm when I put on the clothes. I was sweating.
The problem is...
'A single piece of clothing from head to toe.'
I guarantee you that the wind will never be able to penetrate this garment.
Because there isn't a single pierced spot, from the tips of your fingers to the tips of your toes!
According to Rhonda, the skin of the nyak is so precious that children are dressed in clothes that provide maximum warmth with the minimum amount of skin.
Children grow up quickly and need new clothes every year, so less leather is used in children's clothing.
I looked down at my hands, which were wrapped in a circle as if they were glove-wraps.
This also seems to be a method designed to eliminate the need to wear gloves and shoes separately.
'It's fortunate that at least the thumb is separated...'
It was about accepting inconvenience for the sake of minimum cost and maximum efficiency.
My reflection in the window looked like a log with limbs.
'It's embarrassing.'
I tried my best to cover up my clothes by wrapping myself in the cloak Rhonda had draped over my shoulders.
But it wasn't easy because my hands were rough.
“I will help you.”
Callius chuckled softly and grabbed the end of the cloak.
I glared at him and nervously grabbed the cloak.
“Yes!”
Then he wrapped the cloak around his body like a blanket.
Callius spoke again with emphasis.
“It suits you well.”
“Please, don’t say anything like that again.”
Callius wiped his smile away as if he had sensed my sincere shame.
"Just bear with me for a moment, I'll get you some proper clothes as soon as we get to Ronheim. That's the best we can do for now."
I couldn't help but nod at those words.
'Yeah, it's better to be a little embarrassed than to freeze to death.'
The carriage that had set off in the meantime quickly reached the moving magic circle.
As I peered out the window out of curiosity, Callius warned me.
“You'd better close your eyes.”
"Why?"
“Because it might make you dizzy.”
As he spoke, the surroundings brightened.
The magic has been activated.
I opened my eyes wide and looked around the brightly lit outside.
Strange patterns were glittering all over the floor where we were gathered.
Soon, I regretted listening to Callius when he told me to close my eyes.
In an instant, all objects and backgrounds became jumbled together, and my eyes started spinning.
“Uh... Uh...”
A strange sound came out of my mouth without me knowing.
I had no memory after that.
Callius watched Chloe's body tilt towards the window, then silently extended his arm.
“Uh... euaaa...”
Chloe fell onto his arm.
“I told you to close your eyes.”
Callius patted Chloe's nose as she fell asleep in his arms.
It was a common symptom that appeared in people riding the moving magic circle for the first time.
If she gets hit by the cold wind, shr will quickly come to her senses.
Callius looked down at the sleeping Chloe and smiled repeatedly. His gaze never left her.
Then, he let out a small sigh as if he was worried.
'Why are you so light?'
The leather of a nyak is very heavy, but it is so heavy that you can wear clothes made of nyak leather all over your body without feeling it.
'I guess you need to gain some weight first.'
His hands were very careful as he laid Chloe upright on the chair.
I remembered her face clearly.
But when I spoke, which was more like a rebuke than a question, the thief, instead of shaking in embarrassment, became angry and sullen.
“Who is the thief? I didn’t steal anything!”
It was a very unfair voice.
'That's true.'
I also knew she couldn't have stolen anything.
But.
“Even if you didn’t steal anything, if you sneaked into the palace intending to steal, you’re a thief.”
The thief's expression twisted. She snorted sharply, "Ha!"
“I was kidnapped. I didn’t even know it.”
'Kidnapped?'
What does that mean?
I thought the thief was telling some ridiculous lie to get out of the situation.
I didn't call her to chat like this.
And it doesn't matter to me whether she's a thief or not.
I glared at her and questioned her.
“You tried to kill me! Do you know what happened to me that day because of you?”
“I can’t die, right?”
“...!”
I was momentarily speechless at that confident and arrogant attitude.
'That's true, but... No, that's not true.'
I shook my head and steeled myself not to be swayed by her words.
“You tried to kill me, and yet you shamelessly followed me, pretending to be my maid!”
But she already seemed to have figured out that I was soft.
While I lost my composure, she smiled with a much more relaxed face.
"I didn't know you were the Princess. For a Princess, you're quite skilled at stealing. Who would call whom a thief?"
"What...?"
“I saw the Princess rummaging through the treasure vault and setting it on fire.”
'How did you see that?'
Well, judging from the fact that she had managed to hide in the palace without being detected until now and had come here with my group, I could guess just how elusive she must have been.
'It seems like they're using some kind of illusion magic.'
I tried to look calm.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
But she pushed me forward with a confident look on her face.
“But I turned it around?”
She even threatened me.
"I heard you're not treated very well at the palace, even though you've been mingling with the maids. Should I tell everyone I saw you set fire to the treasure vault? What will happen?"
How can you be this shameless and brazen?
I racked my brain, wondering what to do with this woman.
But before I could even think of a clever way, she suggested it.
"I don't want to make a big deal out of it either. How about this? If you let me accompany you until I can safely escape from the soldiers outside, I'll keep quiet."
She pointed out the window.
Soldiers were walking around in groups of two or three, showing pictures to passersby. At first glance, it looked like a wanted poster with a sketch of her.
She reached out her hand to me briskly.
"I want to be your accomplice. What do you think?"
“...”
I looked down at her hands.
'If this woman gets caught by Kavala, I'll be in trouble too. It'll be revealed that someone else robbed the treasure vault. And this woman knows for sure that I'm the culprit.'
It was good for me to help her escape safely.
I took her hand.
She smiled heartily.
"Very well, Princess Chloe. I am Lamia Yeblak. Please take care of me for the time being."
'You're so funny in this situation.'
Lamia, with her snow-white face covered in freckles, was a playful-looking person.
She had used some trick to have me handed over to the Kavala soldiers instead of her, and now she had even threatened me with a counterattack.
But as I looked into her vibrant green eyes, I felt a strangely positive energy welling up in me.
Lamia asked cheerfully, as if asking when she had confronted me.
"You should change your clothes now, right? I'll help you. I'm better than the maids outside, aren't I? They're not very savage."
“Savage...? What is that?”
“Well, there are no sprouts.”
What is sprout again?
Lamia, noticing I hadn't understood, muttered, "You've grown up so well," then struggled to find the right words. Then, as if remembering something, she clapped her hands.
"You're saying I'm unlucky? Luck! Do you know what this is? These are total lucky bastards."
“Pfft.”
When I couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing, Lamia laughed along.
She's a thief and a liar, so why does it seem like she's not a bad person?
It was something I really didn't know.
***
After changing my clothes, I waited for Callius in the carriage.
Callius paid Rhonda and got into the carriage.
Then he stopped and looked at me.
“...”
I rolled my eyes and avoided his gaze.
Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.
'I said it wasn't weird!'
I wasn't listening to what Rhonda and Lamia were saying.
'But what can I do if there are no other clothes that fit me?'
Even if I didn't listen to those two, I had no choice.
I said sullenly without even looking at Callius.
“Don’t laugh.”
"Yes."
“You’re laughing!”
When I glared at him and asked, Callius spoke calmly, not even hiding his laughter.
“I suddenly remembered a joke my subordinate told.”
"Lie."
He didn't deny it and just kept smiling.
Who knew he could laugh so playfully?
'That's why he's exactly like Karl.'
Even Karl laughs like that when he's playing with me.
When I thought of Karl, my heart suddenly relaxed.
His smiling face wasn't bad to look at.
But it felt bad that he was laughing like that at me.
“It suits you well.”
“You might as well not say anything.”
I turned my head away from him.
'I'm embarrassed.'
Now I understand why Rhonda asked so many times if children's clothes were okay.
According to Rhonda's description, the clothes I was wearing were made from the skin of an animal called a nyak.
It is said that the leather of the nyak is excellent for water resistance and cold protection, and that northerners consider nyak leather to be the highest quality material.
It was definitely warm when I put on the clothes. I was sweating.
The problem is...
'A single piece of clothing from head to toe.'
I guarantee you that the wind will never be able to penetrate this garment.
Because there isn't a single pierced spot, from the tips of your fingers to the tips of your toes!
According to Rhonda, the skin of the nyak is so precious that children are dressed in clothes that provide maximum warmth with the minimum amount of skin.
Children grow up quickly and need new clothes every year, so less leather is used in children's clothing.
I looked down at my hands, which were wrapped in a circle as if they were glove-wraps.
This also seems to be a method designed to eliminate the need to wear gloves and shoes separately.
'It's fortunate that at least the thumb is separated...'
It was about accepting inconvenience for the sake of minimum cost and maximum efficiency.
My reflection in the window looked like a log with limbs.
'It's embarrassing.'
I tried my best to cover up my clothes by wrapping myself in the cloak Rhonda had draped over my shoulders.
But it wasn't easy because my hands were rough.
“I will help you.”
Callius chuckled softly and grabbed the end of the cloak.
I glared at him and nervously grabbed the cloak.
“Yes!”
Then he wrapped the cloak around his body like a blanket.
Callius spoke again with emphasis.
“It suits you well.”
“Please, don’t say anything like that again.”
Callius wiped his smile away as if he had sensed my sincere shame.
"Just bear with me for a moment, I'll get you some proper clothes as soon as we get to Ronheim. That's the best we can do for now."
I couldn't help but nod at those words.
'Yeah, it's better to be a little embarrassed than to freeze to death.'
The carriage that had set off in the meantime quickly reached the moving magic circle.
As I peered out the window out of curiosity, Callius warned me.
“You'd better close your eyes.”
"Why?"
“Because it might make you dizzy.”
As he spoke, the surroundings brightened.
The magic has been activated.
I opened my eyes wide and looked around the brightly lit outside.
Strange patterns were glittering all over the floor where we were gathered.
Soon, I regretted listening to Callius when he told me to close my eyes.
In an instant, all objects and backgrounds became jumbled together, and my eyes started spinning.
“Uh... Uh...”
A strange sound came out of my mouth without me knowing.
I had no memory after that.
***
Callius watched Chloe's body tilt towards the window, then silently extended his arm.
“Uh... euaaa...”
Chloe fell onto his arm.
“I told you to close your eyes.”
Callius patted Chloe's nose as she fell asleep in his arms.
It was a common symptom that appeared in people riding the moving magic circle for the first time.
If she gets hit by the cold wind, shr will quickly come to her senses.
Callius looked down at the sleeping Chloe and smiled repeatedly. His gaze never left her.
Then, he let out a small sigh as if he was worried.
'Why are you so light?'
The leather of a nyak is very heavy, but it is so heavy that you can wear clothes made of nyak leather all over your body without feeling it.
'I guess you need to gain some weight first.'
His hands were very careful as he laid Chloe upright on the chair.
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