CH 41

It was a memorandum of an overdue interest.

“Wh, what is this……”

After checking the memorandum, Hilvia’s face turned blue. It was the first time she saw the amount of debt her family owed.

With the man behind her, the man with a knife cut on his cheek approached Psychke and lit his cigarette.

“How did you know?”

He blew cigarette smoke in front of her face. He seemed to be from the West with a strange accent.

‘It is rare for a Westerner to assimilate into an empire in this way…’

Psychke frowned and avoided the smoke.

“The rumor that Esland is using illegal bonds doesn’t last for a day or two. I didn’t know it would be the ‘Black Moon’.”

When the two men approached Hilvia, Psychke was a bit bewildered.

It’s because she didn’t notice the popularity of these men who suddenly appeared like ordinary bastards.

Because there were so many passersby around, they literally seemed to have fallen from the sky.

And when they took Hilvia with her, she saw their gait.

An unusual gait that was gentle and did not lean back so as not to make a sound.

She realized right there. They are highly trained assassins.

Assassins who have to eliminate the target keeps the target alive.

Esland owes a huge debt to illegal loan sharks.

Among the illegal loan sharks associated with the assassin—

‘Black Moon.’

She learned about them through Lenox’s previous accident.

(TN: How many sins have you committed, Lenox? Haay…)

The ‘Black Moon’, known as a group of Mercenary, is actually an assassination guild and also serves as a private loaner as their side job.

So the men who took Hilvia would be assassins from the Black Moon and debt collectors.

Because of this, Psychke deliberately made a move and followed them.

There’s no reason to be wary, and there’s nothing more foolish than dealing with assassins in this tight space.

“….”

There was no reason to explain what she knew. Psychke passed the question with an emotionless expression.

“Ha… This is really.”

The man didn’t expect an answer in the first place, so he just smiled and didn’t ask any more.

“It’s over.”

The man who demanded Hilvia to sign the papers didn’t draw more attention.

But the man with the knife cut mark on his face only looked at Psychke, and simply turned his back after he had burned a cigarette.

In the alley where the two men left, only strong cigarette smoke remained.

Through the smoke, Psychke approached the almost deaf Hilvia.

(TN: Dasurv Hilvia!)

“That letter-“

“Are you still a man?”

The words were cut off by a sudden slur.

Maybe it was because she thought a nobleman wouldn’t touch her.

Hilvia was full of poison.

“When was that time you stared at me as if you were going to kill me but didn’t fight earlier? You should have killed them all!”

She doesn’t know what kind of danger she caused to anger others with this new appearance.

To be honest, the Assassins of the Black Moon would have scared her more if she hadn’t been in this appearance for herself. Meaning to repay the money quickly.

Psychke listened quietly to the muzzle, and then she took a step forward.

Was it because of the narrow streets and the cold eyes?

“Wh, what else?”

Hilvia trembled her shoulders as she smirked.

“Do you think I’d be scared to you just because I saw them?”

“Why does Young Lady have Silkisia’s letter?”

As if she had been caught wrong, the stingy Hilvia bit her mouth.

But after a moment’s hesitation, she patted her chest proudly as if she ever did.

“What nonsense do you think I’m a letter carrier or something-”

“Lilian Silkisia?”

Hilvia bit her mouth again.

To add certainty to the address, Psychke asked one last time.

“The place she wanted to go was at 271-2 Corte, a craftsman’s stonework shop that is said to be the best in the capital.”

“……”

There was no answer, but the expression on her face was enough.

A feeling of excruciating fatigue engulfed her whole body. Psychke squeezed her eyes shut.

‘Lilian…. is going to make a poison needle necklace.’

Was it like this in the past?

Was the necklace that led me to death an imitation of Keitan’s necklace?

“Did you read the letter?”

“Why are you writing someone else’s letter…?”

“Did she say she’d give you money if you brought it to her?”

“What do you see me as?!

Hilvia, who was furious and unraveling unsolicited information, stopped.

Psychke smirked.

‘Doesn’t the excuse of being sick never get tired?’

Nothing has changed from the past.

Under these circumstances, Hilvia was seen as a scapegoat.

She did it because if she approached the craft shop through her or Melissa, she could be trampled on by her tail.

‘Hilvia…. is simple, but she didn’t think she was stupid.’

She think she was overrated. If she was a nobleman, she would have doubted why she asked me to deliver the letter to her instead of her maid, and she would have refused.

‘Or, was Lilian that good?’

“Hey, do you think I am a beggar just because I am being chased by loan sharks- I am Hilvia Eslan. Eslan pays for money….?”

Her shrill voice faded away in an instant. It was because of Psychke’s stinging gaze that it was too burdensome to fill her place.

. 

“That, that-”

“… .?”

“Is that right? That!”

What is that?

Hilvia was fumbling, pointing to the cross earring on Psychke’s ear, or to be more precise, the magic stone in the earring.

“Wow, really, woah, woah-”

Feeling frustrated, Psychke frowned.

Then she was startled by the sentence bursting out with a groan and put her hand on her earring.

“Tears of the waves! I heard that it was sold for 50 million gold in the recent auction!”

Five, fifty million…?

‘If that money…’

Psychke counted the astronomical amount in her head, and it hardened.

While she did, Hilvia happily recounted the story of ‘Tears of the Waves’.

“If you look closely, it is true that the inside wobbles as if the waves were hardened. I heard that an unidentified nobleman bought it, and that was you…”

Hilvia glanced at Psychke with her unfamiliar eyes. Then she suddenly changed her complexion and grabbed the hand that was not holding her earring.

Thanks to that, Psychke, who woke up from the chaos, shook off the hand in vain.

“Take care…”

She turned back, leaving a farewell that she did not know what she had said.

She must confirm what she had just found out. But for now, she must get out of this place and quickly go to Verndia.

But the words that followed caught her by the ankle.

“Please marry me.”

“… What did you say?”

“I want you to marry me! I’ll make sure you never regret it!”

With her fists clenched, Psychke lost her words to Hilvia, who cried out loudly.

“You said you were going to get some air, but I didn’t know you were cheating on me.”

And that feeling was multiplied by the man’s voice coming from behind, along with the vibration of the ring hidden in his glove.

* * *

‘Help me.’

He pushed Hilvia, who was hardly ever going to fall, and asked with the shape of her mouth.

But Verndia only smiled at her, but he didn’t move.

Psychke gauged the amount of mana left on her appearance change bracelet.

It seemed that the magic would soon be dispelled.

‘I can’t be exposed. Help me.’

If the moment of her being exposed to Hilvia- it would be a terror.

Hilvia will say that the fake princess made fun of her and tell Lillian what happened.

Then Lilian will find out she’s caught and it would be troublesome to hide again.

“You’re dating me. Yes? Yes?”

“I don’t want it. Let go of me now.”

“I don’t want too, either!”

It was the first time she knew that an ordinary person, not even a prosecutor, could be so attached to her.

‘If I push this woman with force, she’d greatly get hurt.’

The decision of leaving was the last resort she had.

Psychke grabbed the hem of her robe as Hilvia pulled her tight. And then she looked at Verndia eagerly.

“Oh, that’s really funny.”

Wiping Hilvia’s tears, she said casually.

“Young Lady, if you don’t let go of that hand, you will greatly regret it.”

“What… what do you mean?”

“I know Duke’s… fiancé well.”

Instead of habitually calling her a princess, Verndia smiled.

It was a sly laugh.

“She’s as dirty as I am.”

“……!”

“But not as impatient as I am.”

Before he could finish his words, Hilvia let go of her hand and backed away from Verndia’s smirk.

She’s a girl with a similar personality to the Duke.

She was an unheard-of figure, but there was no room for deliberation of who-is-that-girl, the words of the Duke himself are already an evidence.

“She is looking for the…. Duke. If you were caught-“

“Pretty man, I love you!”

Hilvia, who became contemplative, ran away without looking back. She was so rushed that she even dropped her debt and went.

“Thank you for your help.”

If she had known that it was that easy.

When it was only the two of them left, Psychke broke the magic of the bracelet.

She didn’t expect it to last this long, but he had to ask Lia again for this kind of help.

“Is my personality that bad?”

“… ”

She can’t say that he’s good when his words are emotionless. Psychke didn’t say anything.

Verndia shifted the subject, whether he was expecting an answer from her or not.

“Why does it smell so… Princess, did you smoke?”

“No. But have you heard the story?”

“A story? Ah, that stupid talk.”

It is said that the Duke’s fiancée is famous for her dirty conduct.

Didn’t he already tell her to be careful because sometimes leaving the house late at night seems to be connecting with another man…?

“Duke. Your hands are bleeding.”

“Not my blood.”

“Yes?”

“There was one bastard.”

Verndia took off her blood-stained gloves with a nonchalant face.

“You shouldn’t have let her go that way, but I forgot as I was searching for you. But why are you holding that?”

His gaze was on Psychke’s left hand- the hand that held her earring.

Psychke untied the earring she had been holding on to until then and handed it over to him.

“I don’t think I deserve it.”

As if she did not understand her words, Verndia gently tilted his head.

“Suddenly?”

“I just found out it was the ‘Tears of the Wave’.”

“… This?”

As if he didn’t really know, Verndia, who was looking into the earrings, also had a slightly surprised face.

“Why is this here?”

===

TN: I misunderstood it. In chapter 38, I accidentally tled it as if Hilvia was talking to another man. I greatly misunderstood it as if Psychke overheard Hilvia asking for Verndia’s hand in marriage. Ah, forgive me. Now that I realize it, it was funny that Hilvia saw Psychke as a man. lmao.