CH 227

"He reacted faster than I thought. So he took the magic stone back?"

"No. He was flustered and just left."

"Seems like they sent a fool, unexpectedly."

"In a way, they also used their heads. I noticed that he didn't know the value of the item he brought."

"It's rare for ordinary commoners to know about magic stones."

"It seems he didn't think I would ask for the origin. That's understandable. If we were like the other merchants, we'd be impatient to buy that precious item as soon as we saw it…"

Ayla's eyes and voice as she unraveled the meeting with the man a while ago were serious.

Ayla got more energetic as she recalled what had happened.

Theon's eyes narrowed as he looked at her.

"I think they deliberately chose someone from the slums. They must have thought that there could be problems if he knew the value. There's nothing more frightening than human greed."

"How can you be sure he's from the slums?"

"He had a unique smell. Dusty and unpleasant. There's no way he is an aristocrat who values his dignity."

"That's persuasive enough."

As he finished speaking, Theon's gaze turned gentle.

Whether she felt Theon's blatant gaze, Ayla, who was moving her lips, touched her face while asking, ‘Is there something on my face?'

"Anyway, are you going to keep talking about that?"

Theon supported his chin and spoke in a bored voice.

At his words, which clearly revealed his wicked intentions, Ayla crossed her arms and spoke with a dissatisfied expression.

"Talking about work only takes a couple of minutes."

"I don't want to waste even those minutes."

"We're talking about something very important right now. It's a great opportunity to find out who's behind him."

"Let's talk about it later."

Theon, who got up from his seat, spoke in an uninterested tone and came to Ayla's side.

Theon lifted Ayla's chin lightly with his fingertips and looked at her for a while.

A sulky voice flowed from in between Ayla's lips.

"You're sly."

"It's because you're so pretty."

"That's a pleasant excuse."

"It's not an excuse, it's the truth."

Theon gently lowered his lips as he finished speaking.

The corners of Theon's mouth rose softly at the sight of Ayla keeping her lips tightly pressed, trying not to allow even the smallest gap.

Thump, thump!

Just in time, as if it were announcing the arrival of a disrupter, they heard the urgent sound of someone coming up the stairs. Theon's forehead, which was smooth, crumpled in an instant.

It was at a moment when they were gently exchanging a kiss and their breathing was gradually becoming heavier.

It was a very important moment, as Theon's fingers had just wrapped around Ayla's waist, but once again, the heavens turned a blind eye on them.

Pfft, don't even think about it.

It was as if someone was whispering in his ear.

Theon, who was frowning as much as he could, was staring at the door that would open in a few seconds.

Click.

"Your Highness! An urgent…"

Judging from his urgent voice, it didn't seem to be an ordinary situation. However…

The two people that came into his sight were also in a hurry.

‘Ah. Something is wrong.'

Orhan's eyes moved from side to side anxiously as he looked at the two of them, who were giving off a racy atmosphere even though they were clearly separated.

"Yes. What happened this time? If it isn't anything important, you should pack your bags right away."

Theon, who had been sitting on the table, said, giving off a cold energy.

Orhan's gaze turned to Ayla for help.

Contrary to his expectations, Ayla just shrugged and didn't do anything else.

While pouting her lips.

"It looks like I interrupted the two of you, but… It's really important."

"So, what is it?"

"That…"

Orhan looked at Ayla and blurred his words.

Orhan, who had remained silent for a while, said, ‘Come down, both of you.' and went out the door.

***

[Four days later, 6 p.m.]

The piece of paper under the sharp arrow contained only five words.

The letter, which seemed like an attack, did not brighten the faces of those who sat around the table.

"This thing was stuck in the front door?"

Theon's pitchless voice resounded inside.

Orhan replied.

"Yes. I heard a strange noise, and when I went out… There was an arrow stuck in the door. The letter was underneath it."

"How can I handle this? How can this happen twice?! It's like this when I'm here, so do you mean it's a mess when I'm not?"

Theon rarely expressed his emotions, but it was different this time.

His escalating voice alone made them aware of the seriousness of the situation.

Orhan's head fell downwards more and more.

"… I am ashamed."

At the end of Orhan's words, the living room was filled with silence.

"I think I should increase security."

Theon muttered, grabbing his forehead at the rushing headache.

At the same time, Ayla's eyes began to shake a little as she looked at the letter.

At the time, when she was acting as Zenia.

The arrow that suddenly flew into the mansion was shocking.

Learning about the baron's death shortly afterwards, she was scared and horrified.

The memory of that horrible day clearly flashed through her mind. The stale and fishy smell that filled the baron's house seemed to circulate at the tip of her nose and made her feel nauseous.