Chapter 5 …
As she was thinking about such things, the women inside the café suddenly grew noisy. Wondering what was going on, she looked toward the source of the voices.
“Ah.”
There, she saw Erich—the man who had become her partner yesterday.
(Ahh, he really is handsome… Yeah, I can understand why they’d make a fuss…)
He was dressed in the typical attire of a swordsman, but on his tall, well-proportioned frame, it looked as though it had been tailor-made just for him. His shimmering silver hair and well-formed features stood out.
His sapphire-like blue eyes scanned the room, and the moment he spotted Chloe, a radiant smile spread across his face.
“Sorry I’m late.”
The women who had been making a commotion over him were now whispering among themselves while glancing at Chloe.
(Well, Chloe is plain, after all… They’re probably saying she doesn’t suit him or something.)
If it had been Chloe before she regained her memories, those words might have brought tears to her eyes and made her lower her head. But to the current Chloe, the voices of onlookers were nothing but noise.
Without paying them any mind, she returned Erich’s smile.
“No, it’s fine. Actually, everything here was so new to me that just looking around was fun.”
“I see. That’s good, then.”
With graceful movements, Erich sat down across from her and looked at her.
“Have you eaten?”
“Yes, I’m done. This is dessert.”
“I see. Then I’ll tell you the results once we’re back in the room.”
Erich ordered a light meal for himself. Chloe had clearly eaten more than he had, but he chose not to comment.
No matter how much she ate, she could just burn it off anyway.
After leisurely enjoying their meal, the two left the café and returned to their room at the inn.
The women nearby were still making some noise, but just as Chloe began to think they were a bit annoying, their voices faded.
(Whispered insults can be surprisingly easy to hear.)
Whether Chloe was plain or didn’t match Erich didn’t matter—they had chosen to be together. Outsiders had no right to comment on that.
Once they returned to the room, Erich immediately reported the results.
“I was able to exchange all the jewels for money. This is your share, Chloe.”
He handed her a cloth pouch filled with gold coins.
“So much…”
She let out a small exclamation at the weight, heavier than she had expected.
“The jewels you had were all fairly simple, with nothing suspicious about them. So they were bought at normal market value.”
“I see. Thank you.”
Her father had never allowed her to wear anything too flashy, so even her accessories had been modest.
But this time, that had worked in her favor.
(With this much, I should be able to manage until my work as an adventurer gets on track.)
Eventually, she would earn even more on her own.
With that resolve, she put away the gold coins.
“What should we do next?”
For Chloe, she wanted to quickly register at the Adventurers’ Guild and leave the royal capital as soon as possible.
However, Erich looked troubled at her suggestion.
“Leaving the royal capital right now might be a bit difficult.”
When he explained that security was tighter than expected, Chloe replied,
“I heard there were lots of immigrants, so I thought it wouldn’t be that hard to leave the capital.”
The maids at her estate used to say that the capital was dangerous because many immigrants from other countries lived there, and some areas had poor security.
“…It’s a bit more complicated than that.”
Erich, who had once been a knight, spoke with a serious expression.
“Many immigrants gather in the prosperous capital looking for work. It’s relatively easy to enter the capital, but only those with citizenship are allowed to leave freely.”
“I see…”
She tried to search her memories, but Chloe hadn’t known much about those circumstances.
In this country’s capital, the entrances and exits were separate.
The entrance had relatively loose restrictions—people could enter easily even without proper identification if they looked like merchants or adventurers.
In contrast, the exits were strictly controlled.
It was apparently a remnant from when slavery still existed in the country.
This nation was extremely strict about social hierarchy.
At the top were, of course, the royal family, followed by the nobility, then people born in the country.
Below them were immigrants who had earned recognition and obtained official citizenship.
At the very bottom were immigrants without citizenship who had simply settled in the capital.
Naturally, such immigrants were treated poorly.
They were used as cheap labor and discriminated against. Even if they wanted to escape, once they entered the capital, they couldn’t leave freely. Slavery had been abolished, but the way immigrants were treated was hardly any different.
As a result, they were forced to take on undesirable jobs for low wages—jobs that citizens of the country refused to do.
(In a way, it’s like a pitfall trap…)
On top of that, the gates were guarded by knights.
They were her father’s subordinates.
Normally, the knights only guarded the gates, but now they were also patrolling throughout the city—not just at the exits.
“Do you think they’re really searching for me?”
To her father, a daughter who had proven useless was nothing more than unnecessary.
He might pretend to search for her for appearances’ sake, but Chloe had thought he wouldn’t care whether she disappeared or died somewhere.
“Is there even a reason to look for me?”
“There is, of course. Even if the engagement was ‘broken,’ Prince Kirif only said that in the heat of the moment. An engagement involving royalty isn’t something that can be dissolved so easily. It’s not for Prince Kirif to decide—it’s the king’s decision.”
“…That’s true.”
When he put it that way, he was right.
This was an engagement between the daughter of a marquis and the second prince. Neither Chloe’s will nor Kirif’s truly mattered.
“Besides, Prince Kirif probably believed you were completely devoted to him. He likely wanted you to cry and beg him not to abandon you.”
“What?”
At that unexpected answer, Chloe’s expression twisted in discomfort.
“I would never do that. It’s not like I ever loved Prince Kirif. I only obeyed because I was afraid of Father. And besides, he was walking around with such a beautiful woman.”
Even if it was a political marriage, he had ignored his fiancée Chloe and openly paraded his lover around.
And yet, how could he think he was loved?
“Even if I had loved him, being treated like that would’ve killed my feelings instantly.”
“That’s only natural. Besides, the commander seemed to have some ulterior motive in wanting to marry his daughter to Prince Kirif. I doubt he’d give up just because you ran away.”
Erich, who had once served under her father, referred to him as “the commander” rather than “the marquis.”
(Still, I can’t believe Father is actually searching for me…)
Was it ambition? A desire for status?
Or something else entirely?
“…Knowing Father, he’s definitely plotting something. If necessary, he’d drag me back by force and make me bow to Prince Kirif.”
Chloe, who had only been thinking about her future, was now faced with the reality that she wouldn’t gain her freedom so easily. She let out a deep sigh.
“I thought once I left the capital, everything would work out…”
“This isn’t what we planned, but it would be better to lie low here for a while and observe the situation.”
“…Yeah. I guess that’s our only option.”
Chloe could only reflect on her own naivety—she had been too focused on imagining a bright future.
