(38) Chase Castle (1)
-“It was a dreadful place. He was always itching to devour me. Even after taking you, he never stopped eyeing me suspiciously. That gaze felt like a noose tightening around my neck. The citizens of Dongryeong were all the same. With a ruler like that, it’s no wonder everyone was so suspicious. Every day felt like living in hell.”
-“It was a dreadful place. He was always itching to devour me. Even after taking you, he never stopped eyeing me suspiciously. That gaze felt like a noose tightening around my neck. The citizens of Dongryeong were all the same. With a ruler like that, it’s no wonder everyone was so suspicious. Every day felt like living in hell.”
Rachel’s face was always filled with disgust as she spoke of her life in the East.
Having been brainwashed into believing it since she was too young to make her own judgments, she still misunderstood the East even after returning. She always thought the East was a place where everyone looked at each other with suspicion, wary of each other, persecuting travelers, and waiting for an opportunity to steal from others.
Therefore, she expected entering the city gates to be difficult, but the soldiers guarding the gates not only let her in easily, but even spoke kindly.
“Are you running an errand or something? Isn’t it hot in this weather?”
Ariana's hood was pulled down low because of her striking hair color. She shook her head, adjusting the hem of her cloak, and hurried through the gate.
She could hear soldiers chatting behind her.
"I heard kids her age hate being pointed out. You don't know how much my sister suffers when she doesn't listen."
"Well, my kid's starting to get a little stubborn lately. Last winter, she insisted on swimming in the lake, even though it was freezing."
She'd suddenly become a disobedient child, but it wasn't a bad thing. It was better than being perceived as some suspicious girl from the West.
As the capital of the East, Elles City was well-paved. The streets were wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side, and they were clean.
The buildings lining both sides of the road were taller than those in the West, and most were a light gray, giving a bright feeling.
Not far from the gate where Ariana had entered, the city seemed to be growing in number, with buildings and people gradually increasing in number. There were many people soliciting tourists, but they didn't approach Ariana, as if they thought she was just a child out on an errand.
A variety of goods were displayed on the counter in front of the store, and many people stopped to browse the items as they passed. But Ariana paid no attention to them and continued walking.
Wearing a hood pulled down low, she trotted along, spotting a friendly-looking old man and walking toward him. The old man, seemingly the owner of a herbalist shop, was organizing herbs on the counter.
"Excuse me, Grandpa."
"Hmm? Are you here to run an errand?"
"Yes. Is there a Braden Bank around here?"
"Braden Bank? Braden Bank... Oh, if it's there, just go straight down that street and turn left at the intersection. Be careful, there are a lot of pickpockets around the bank."
"Yes, thank you."
Ariana bowed and headed in the direction the old man had indicated.
Braden Bank, like the other buildings, was light gray, with a large sign reading [Braden Bank] at the entrance. As she entered, a man dressed neatly in a suit approached her.
“What brings you here?”
“I’d like to check my account and withdraw some money.”
“Yes, please come this way.”
The bank employee was polite even to Ariana. She went to the place the employee directed her to, handed him her account slip, and gave him her password. The employee checked the documents for a while before saying,
“There’s a total of 35 gold in there.”
“Huh? How much?”
“35 gold.”
35 gold.
Ariana had deposited 22 gold coins. There was no way this much interest could have accrued in just one month.
“Could it be that Louis...?”
When she was Rosaline, Aria had given her a trinket for every errand she ran. If she had converted all of them into cash and deposited them into Ariana’s account, it would amount to this much.
Withdrawing money required the account slip and password, but depositing only required the account number.
“Oh no. My debt has piled up again.”
It felt like she taken so much from Louis, and now she felt a pang of guilt.
When Arianna remained silent for a while, the bank employee asked, concerned,
"Is the deposit amount different?"
"No. I'll just withdraw five gold."
"Yes, just a moment."
Arianna carefully pocketed the five gold coins and left the bank.
Recalling the herbalist's warning to be wary of pickpockets, she hurried away from the bank. Fortunately, no one seemed to be following her.
Arianna paused, gazing at Chase Castle in the distance.
"Now."
Several towers, built of white brick and topped with green roofs, came into view. Even from a distance, its majesty was apparent.
"Over there..."
Just as Arianna was about to move, someone brushed past her cloak.
Ariana turned her head, feeling a slight sense of unease, and saw the back of a man wearing a hunting cap hurriedly walking away. She reached into her pocket, just in case, and the gold coins vanished. Ariana hurriedly ran after him.
The man, sensing Ariana's presence, quickened his pace. He dodged through the crowds, but Ariana deftly followed him. She was becoming increasingly out of breath, and her legs felt heavy. The man's back slowly began to recede.
"About five gold..."
She considered giving up, but she couldn't just throw away such a large sum of money, not knowing what might happen next. She steeled herself and mustered another ounce of strength.
She finally caught up with the man, but as she chased him, she failed to notice the change in scenery.
When she realized she had moved from a crowded, bright street to a deserted alley with an eerie aura, the pickpocket turned to Ariana and smirked.
“I didn’t know you’d follow me this far. You’re quite skilled. How did you even notice?”
Ariana gripped the dagger handle tightly inside her cloak.
Trying not to show her emotions, she spoke calmly, as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“If you quietly return my money, I won’t report you to the authorities.”
"What the hell? I didn't realize it was a kid with that hood pulled down. How'd a kid like you end up carrying around this much cash? Are you another one of us?"
Ariana didn’t answer, but stared at him quietly. He was stung by Ariana’s clear, calm gaze, but then cleared his throat and said,
“Ah, ahem. If you’ve lived in this world, you’d know. I don’t know which noble you robbed to get this much money, but in the end, you’re the one who ends up with it.”
“There seems to be no morality in this world, right?”
“If that were true, I wouldn’t have done this in the first place. Anyway, I don’t want to hurt a young girl, so go back. This street isn’t a place for a girl like you to stay for long.”
Ariana saw it that way, too. One wrong move and she might not even get her money back, and instead end up dealing with back-alley thugs.
There was no need to step into the mud for a few pennies.
“I can’t throw my life away because I’m sorry for five gold coins.”
Ariana boldly decided to forget the five gold coins.
Then, the gloomy atmosphere of the street suddenly changed. People who had been quietly observing each other now scattered with a thud.
The pickpocket who had been dealing with Ariana also changed his expression and tried to run away, but before he could take even a few steps, several mounted knights appeared and blocked his path.
“I, gentleman. I didn’t do anything.”
The man fell flat on his face without anyone saying anything. His attitude was completely different from Ariana's.
"I didn't do anything,"
The knight in front muttered, seemingly amused.
He was a young man, perhaps twenty years old, but judging by his attire and bearing, he seemed to be the highest-ranking knight in the room.
"Yes, yes. I'm just a day laborer, living hand to mouth. I was just wandering around these streets today, wondering if there was anything to do. I didn't do anything."
“I can’t throw my life away because I’m sorry for five gold coins.”
Ariana boldly decided to forget the five gold coins.
Then, the gloomy atmosphere of the street suddenly changed. People who had been quietly observing each other now scattered with a thud.
The pickpocket who had been dealing with Ariana also changed his expression and tried to run away, but before he could take even a few steps, several mounted knights appeared and blocked his path.
“I, gentleman. I didn’t do anything.”
The man fell flat on his face without anyone saying anything. His attitude was completely different from Ariana's.
"I didn't do anything,"
The knight in front muttered, seemingly amused.
He was a young man, perhaps twenty years old, but judging by his attire and bearing, he seemed to be the highest-ranking knight in the room.
"Yes, yes. I'm just a day laborer, living hand to mouth. I was just wandering around these streets today, wondering if there was anything to do. I didn't do anything."
"Really? Was my subordinate mistaken? He said he clearly saw you stealing that kid's money earlier."
"T-That's not true. Why would I steal money from someone in such shabby clothes? If I were going to steal—of course I shouldn't—but if I were going to steal, I'd target someone more stylishly dressed than her."
"T-That's not true. Why would I steal money from someone in such shabby clothes? If I were going to steal—of course I shouldn't—but if I were going to steal, I'd target someone more stylishly dressed than her."
"The herbalist said he was worried that the kid had some business at the bank. So he sent his subordinate over, and somehow, he ended up witnessing the incident?"
A cold smile played on the knight's lips.
"Now, tell me. If you didn't steal it, then I'll decapitate my subordinate who reported it wrong right here and now. Of course, I'll search your body afterward, and for every penny I find that doesn't look like yours, I'll slice off a piece of flesh."
One gold is equal to one million pennies. Since he stole five gold coins from Ariana, it was like cutting off five million pieces of flesh.
The young knight's tone was light, but his gaze was so sharp that it didn't sound like a joke. Even innocent Ariana felt a chill down her spine, so how much more so for a guilty man?
He visibly shook as he pulled five gold coins from his pocket.
"My lord, I've committed a mortal sin. Please, please spare me! Please spare me!"
The young knight dismounted and picked up the five gold coins the pickpocket offered. Ariana felt nervous, afraid that the young knight might mistake her for one of their own, just like the pickpocket. But fortunately, he held up a gold coin and said,
"Little girl. Five gold coins, is that right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Just wait a minute."
The young knight gestured to the knights behind him, and they moved quickly, tied up the pickpocket, and disappeared.
A young knight approached Ariana. He was tall and broad-shouldered, imposing even though he merely stopped in front of her.
Ariana stood rigidly, raising her head to gaze at his face. Only then did his appearance catch her eye.
'Dark blue hair...'
Her heart sank.
Dark blue hair was the symbol of House White. All those with the White surname had dark blue hair, though the shades varied slightly.
Ariana had not inherited the trait, leaving her with light blue hair. Rachel, however, loathed the sight of light blue hair, saying it reminded her of the Eastern Duke.
'Who is this? I don't remember seeing this face.'
She would soon meet Russell White, the Duke, but she hadn't expected to run into a White so soon.
While Ariana studied him, he studied her. His gaze was sharp and scrutinizing, as befitting a knight of such high standing.
A cold smile played on the knight's lips.
"Now, tell me. If you didn't steal it, then I'll decapitate my subordinate who reported it wrong right here and now. Of course, I'll search your body afterward, and for every penny I find that doesn't look like yours, I'll slice off a piece of flesh."
One gold is equal to one million pennies. Since he stole five gold coins from Ariana, it was like cutting off five million pieces of flesh.
The young knight's tone was light, but his gaze was so sharp that it didn't sound like a joke. Even innocent Ariana felt a chill down her spine, so how much more so for a guilty man?
He visibly shook as he pulled five gold coins from his pocket.
"My lord, I've committed a mortal sin. Please, please spare me! Please spare me!"
The young knight dismounted and picked up the five gold coins the pickpocket offered. Ariana felt nervous, afraid that the young knight might mistake her for one of their own, just like the pickpocket. But fortunately, he held up a gold coin and said,
"Little girl. Five gold coins, is that right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Just wait a minute."
The young knight gestured to the knights behind him, and they moved quickly, tied up the pickpocket, and disappeared.
A young knight approached Ariana. He was tall and broad-shouldered, imposing even though he merely stopped in front of her.
Ariana stood rigidly, raising her head to gaze at his face. Only then did his appearance catch her eye.
'Dark blue hair...'
Her heart sank.
Dark blue hair was the symbol of House White. All those with the White surname had dark blue hair, though the shades varied slightly.
Ariana had not inherited the trait, leaving her with light blue hair. Rachel, however, loathed the sight of light blue hair, saying it reminded her of the Eastern Duke.
'Who is this? I don't remember seeing this face.'
She would soon meet Russell White, the Duke, but she hadn't expected to run into a White so soon.
While Ariana studied him, he studied her. His gaze was sharp and scrutinizing, as befitting a knight of such high standing.
Comments
Post a Comment