Chapter 118

How to Tame My Beastly Husband — Chapter 118. Gruti (3)

Gruti-4’s infrastructure was not in good repair.

The cracked walls were covered with dry creepers, as if in memory of better days. The streets were fortunately not too dirty after a recent rain a few days before, but Annette still resolved to throw her boots away, when this was done.

There were rough men gathered in the shadows of a nearby alley, laughing at the prostitutes as they smoked cheap cigarettes. Noting the lascivious gleam in their eyes, she pulled her hood closer about her face. The dull, hay-colored robe covered her entire body, but she still feared discovery.

“Mr. Railin,” she called softly. He was striding ahead of her, moving with much less caution.

“Yes, dear customer?”

“Do you have escorts in the area? Or any companions following us?”

“No. I’m too shy, I get uncomfortable when it’s crowded.”

Annette rubbed her forehead. But what would happen if they got in trouble with some gang of criminals? The thought that there was no backup nearby, no contingency plans, made her feel dizzy. It was impossible that a man who knew so many secrets could not know of Gruti-4’s infamous reputation.

“You must be nervous, going to a strange place,” he said slyly, as she eyed him narrowly. “Sugar is the best treatment for such a case. Here, have one.”

Producing a box of chocolates, he handed it to her. As the raw materials for chocolate did not grow in Deltium, all chocolates had to be imported, and these were some of the highest quality available. They melted instantly in the mouth.

“Ah. Thank you.”

Annette accepted it out of politeness. The golden buttons on his sleeves gleamed. She was dressed in a rough, hooded tunic, while he was wearing a magnificent coat. He looked as striking as a jewel, glinting from the mud.

But strangely, no one seemed to be paying attention to him.

He was trailing a magic that clouded the eyes of observers, so they could not properly see him. Like a drop of wine that had soaked into an elegant carpet, if anyone tried to note the details of his appearance, the pattern of the carpet bewildered them, and they forgot what it was they had been trying to see.

Annette, who had no idea that Railin was one of the few wizards in existence, just thought it strange. Perhaps he had some influence in this area. He must have prepared some measures beforehand.

She looked up at the back of his neck, her eyes narrowed. With his long hair cropped short, she could see his white collar, framing a thick, manly neck, and strangely bewitching to see.

Sensing her gaze on him, he turned back with a faint smile.

“We’ll have to be quick, if we don’t want our rat to escape.”

Annette nodded. He was not wrong. She knew nothing of this world anyway; her only option was to trust Railin, and so far, he had never disappointed her. Her steps quickened as she followed him.

Railin crossed the district with surprisingly light steps, his bearing as unhurried as a gentle summer breeze. If anyone had seen him, they would have thought he was strolling through a garden, rather than down a grimy alley.

Stepping into such a dangerous place for the first time, Annette felt like she might die if she so much as chased after him. She didn’t want to complain when she was trying to do something so important, but at the moment she felt more likely to encounter the reaper than Ben March.

Panting, she finally had to call out to Railin, who had gained quite a lead on her.

“Please walk a little slower, Mr. Railin. There isn’t any need to go so fast.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, perhaps this is difficult for you. Would you like me to help?”

Turning, he asked the question with an innocent expression, but there was a spark in his eyes as if he had just been waiting for her to ask. Of course, Annette would not fall so easily for these tricks. She waved her hand in refusal, and he smiled and turned back around again immediately.

“Huh.”

Annette frowned. It almost seemed like he was teasing her, taking advantage of the fact that she was in some dangerous slum. She had known him long enough to catch his warped sense of humor. And so, even though his back was disappearing in the distance, she slowed her pace even more. She was too tired to go any faster, anyway.