Chapter 213
“Who goes there!”
Luwen yanked me behind him and quickly gripped the handle of his sword.
“Wait! I have no intention of attacking you.”
A Kans with a headband raised both hands. His clothes were covered with leaves, yet he made almost no sound as he walked.
“Are you a Kans?”
In response to Luwen’s wary question, the man raised his eyebrows, moving the headband as he answered.
“Aren’t you the same? This…”
“…Lukas. I don’t think he’s a bad person.”
“How can you trust a Kans?”
“He appeared when I was about to feed you a rubiberry, telling us to stop. There must be a reason, right?”
Rubiberry has no poison, so there’s no reason to stop someone from eating freshly picked fruit. But the Kans revealed himself by shouting for us to stop.
‘I thought something was suspicious.’
Fruits hung abundantly within arm’s reach. I wouldn’t have found it strange in another location. But this place is close to a Kans hideout. If they were normal fruits, most would have been picked already. They couldn’t remain so pristine.
“Snake venom was applied to those berries.”
“…Snake venom?”
I opened my mouth, pretending to be surprised, and stalled for time before asking again. Since I’m playing the role of a thoughtless noble who fled for love, speaking informally comes with the territory.
“Yes. They were coated for a reason, but I couldn’t let uninvolved people get caught up in it, so I just warned you.”
“Did I try to feed Lukas poison?”
“No, young master. You didn’t know anything.”
“But… because of me, you almost got hurt again. The Kans mark too, because of my father, you were falsely accused, hic…”
As I gave a slight spoiler of our backstory while hanging my head, Luwen fidgeted and examined me. He seemed to be checking whether I was genuinely shocked from not knowing.
‘Luwen must have thought something was strange when he saw the tree too.’
He hesitated earlier. Knowing this, you were still going to eat it if I fed it to you? I’ll have to interrogate him about this later.
“Young master, you did nothing wrong.”
Luwen embraced my shoulders to comfort me. He had been acting somewhat awkwardly, but this time I felt unexpected sincerity.
“Actually, I’ve been watching for a while.”
As the Kans scratched the back of his head, another one who had been hiding jumped out.
“Juno!”
“I’m not deaf. I can hear you without you shouting.”
The person called Juno leaned his head back as he replied. A younger-looking man glared at Juno with fearsome eyes.
“Did I tell you to fix that habit or not? Do you even know what situation we’re in because of the man you brought in before?”
This definitely sounds like they’re talking about the Third Prince. We’ll know for sure once we go there, but it seems we’ve come to the right place this time.
“We’re handling it well.”
Juno turned his head away from the man and looked at Luwen.
“Besides, that man is incredibly strong. He’ll be helpful if we take him. It’s not a bad offer for them either. The person with him looks like he’d die quickly if left alone.”
This time he was talking about me.
“He’s a noble.”
The young man objected and glared at me.
Indeed, nobles aren’t popular among the Kans. But having experienced at the academy that my attempt to pretend to be a commoner would be immediately exposed, I had no choice.
“He looks like one. So what? He clearly looks like a young master who ran away after his lover.”
To showcase my stupidity, I smiled shyly and spoke loudly enough for Luwen to hear:
“I guess it’s obvious that I like Lukas.”
Saying such things would make me appear harmless, as someone who can’t even read the atmosphere properly. Sure enough, the young man, looking drained, laughed incredulously.
“Provide the young master with a safe place and food, and ask his lover there to protect it—wouldn’t that benefit both parties?”
Yes, yes. That’s right. It’s beneficial. After how much I’ve emphasized my weakness, they’re actually seeing it properly. How touching.
At this point, Luwen should step in, but he just stands there silently, remaining vigilant. It seems I’ll have to show off my ignorance again.
“I think it’s fine. I want to wash up and sleep in a bed…”
I tugged slightly at Luwen’s arm, whining.
“We cannot, young master. Kindness without reason should always be viewed with suspicion. Who the enemy is, what their scale is, and also—”
“Oh, Lukas. He stopped you from eating poison. They don’t seem like bad people.”
I spoke cheerfully with a bright smile.
“And no one is stronger than Lukas! I believe in you. Above all…”
Then, as if hesitating to say something difficult, I carefully added:
“Since we ran away, Lukas hasn’t rested properly. I know you stay up all night watching over me. When daylight comes, you carry me on your back again… I’m scared of what might happen to you. Let’s follow these people, okay?”
Stop playing hard to get now. I drew a small circle on Luwen’s arm to signal him, in a position where they couldn’t see.
“…So you knew. Would you feel more at ease if we went with them?”
“Yes!”
“Alright. I promised to grant whatever you wish, young master.”
“Wait! Where do you get off deciding things on your own? We haven’t yet—”
“Great! Ignore this guy and follow me. I’ll take you to our village.”
“Juno!”
“I’m saying this as the deputy chief, so shut your mouth. If you try to climb higher, I won’t let it slide, even for you.”
“…”
So Juno was the deputy chief. Indeed, without that level of authority, one couldn’t make an on-the-spot decision to bring outsiders into the hideout. Regardless, this was a fortunate development, so I pretended to be excited and followed Juno.
The young man looked back with blazing eyes. It was a clear sign of wariness, but I smiled brightly, acting as if I knew nothing.
‘What can you do against the deputy chief’s decision?’
Since our plan was to take the Third Prince once we located him, it didn’t matter whether they were wary or not. I chattered away about our past to pass our information to the deputy chief.
* * *
The hut made of brown fur was definitely larger compared to the surrounding huts and was somewhat lavishly decorated with animal bones. Anyone could tell it was the chief’s hut.
“Sister!”
The deputy chief lifted the cloth and went inside. I, with a head full of flowers and devoid of any caution, followed closely.
“Hmm?”
The gaze of a woman sitting in a large chair, resembling a throne, fixed on me. There was a unique atmosphere about her—one of confidence in her own strength. The colorful feathers decorating her clothes fluttered.
Her gaze, which briefly rested on me, then moved to Luwen who followed me, and then shifted to the deputy chief.
“Who are these people?”
Her tone was slow but powerful.
“A noble young master who fled for love and his lover. The big one is a Kans. I brought them because I thought they’d be helpful to our forces. What do you think, sister?”
“What if they’re people who would harm my chick?”
Chick…?
Surely that “chick” doesn’t refer to the Third Prince? Have the two of them developed a romantic relationship? That would be troublesome…
But on the other hand, I understood why they had been hiding the Third Prince so carefully. Since he’s the chief’s lover, they wanted to protect him until the end.
“There’s a chick here too? How cute! Lukas, I want to see it!”
…Sigh. Is it okay for me to act this foolish?
Of course, pretending to be stupid is the best way to appear harmless. How could someone who can’t even understand the meaning of words properly scheme anything?
“You pretty little fool.”
The chief smiled gently as she called me. A pretty little fool…
“How dare you insult the young master!”
Luwen bent his upper body and placed his hand on his sword. But the chief lazily wiggled her crossed feet.
“Do you know what will happen if you draw your sword here?”
Luwen stepped forward and blocked me. I wanted to intervene before a fight broke out, but I had to pretend to be confused, looking around with a dumbfounded face!
“With the slightest mistake, that pretty one will be torn to pieces. Are you okay with that? I don’t hesitate to attack weaknesses.”
Fortunately, she didn’t immediately give the attack signal. I tugged at Luwen’s side.
“Lukas, don’t do this.”
Then I stepped aside and raised my head.
“I have no intention of fighting with you. If you don’t like us, we’ll just leave.”
It would be troublesome if they actually let us go, but this was the most appropriate thing for me to say right now. Since Juno was eager to bring us, there was a high probability he would add his input. If even the deputy chief’s words didn’t work, then there was nothing we could do.
“I’m sorry. I went through the trouble of bringing you here, but it seems you’re not welcome.”
I had to create an opportunity for him to intervene, just in case.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
