Chapter 4
She was used to violence.
Verbal abuse, too.
Compared to the beatings she had endured over the past year, a slap of this intensity was nothing.
She also knew what kind of person Todd was, so it wasn’t particularly shocking.
Her only thought was a numb one.
…So I got hit.
Whoosh…
Long after Todd had walked away, Tracy remained standing in the cold night wind.
Eventually, the chill cleared her mind a little, and she slowly raised her head toward the sky.
“Haa…”
She exhaled until her chest felt painfully tight.
Her eyes closed on their own.
Just as she thought she wouldn’t mind falling asleep like this forever, she opened them again.
It always felt as though she had been reborn.
That was how she kept herself composed.
Looking through the small scope of a rifle, staring at the person she was about to kill…
Feeling a part of herself die alongside them.
That was how she had learned to become numb to violence.
To death.
It’s fine.
I didn’t say anything wrong.
Emotionally, she wasn’t particularly shaken.
The only thing bothering her was the sting behind her ear where the earring post had scratched her skin.
She merely comforted herself.
The last time the subject had come up, she had given Todd the exact same answer.
He should have understood.
“Even if we’re engaged, we’re not legally husband and wife yet. I don’t even know what kind of person you are. Sharing a bed under those circumstances wouldn’t be proper.”
People had always called her stiff.
Boring.
Hearing it again made little difference.
She had believed Todd understood back then.
It was unfortunate that he apparently hadn’t.
Todd himself was a nobleman’s son.
His family belonged to the lower nobility, but he had still received the minimum education expected of a noble.
He often complained that poverty had prevented him from learning much else.
Still…
He should have understood basic etiquette.
She had never imagined he would show such behavior toward the woman who was supposed to become his wife.
No…
It’s a happy day.
He’s been drinking.
This much is understandable.
Once the wedding was over…
Once they signed the marriage register…
Once Sadie’s safety was completely guaranteed…
She would fulfill her promise.
Surely then…
He would understand as well.
She quietly watched people leaving the palace grounds.
Only after everyone had gone did she begin walking.
Todd, in his foul mood, would probably head to a brothel.
He might not return until dawn.
But if she wasn’t waiting for him at home, he’d simply become angry again.
So she walked…
Very…
Very slowly.
At this pace, it would take at least an hour to reach the residence from the palace.
After silently exchanging nods with the guards at the gate, Tracy walked through the nighttime streets without expression.
Without thought.
All the gas lamps had been extinguished.
The city looked bleak.
But she wasn’t afraid.
She had stood beside corpses before.
What was a little darkness compared to that?
A dog barked somewhere in the distance.
Soon it let out a sharp yelp.
Then silence swallowed everything once more.
Even the chirping insects seemed to disappear as she continued down the well-paved roads of the capital.
The emptiness of the streets clung to her like a heavy cloak.
Yet Tracy simply kept walking.
“Hahaha…”
Eventually, drunken laughter echoed through the night.
It grew louder as she approached a nearby alley.
“Huh…? Well, look at this.”
“A fancy little lady wandering around at this hour.”
“Oh, you’re right…”
The moment they spotted Tracy, the two drunken men deliberately raised their voices, clearly hoping to get her attention.
She ignored them completely.
Without even looking their way, she continued walking.
Chuckling to themselves, the pair staggered toward her.
“Hey there, miss.”
“Don’t you know it’s dangerous to be wandering around this late?”
When she still refused to acknowledge them, they hurried forward and blocked her path.
“My, my.”
“What a nasty attitude.”
“We’re kindly giving you some advice here.”
Tracy finally stopped.
She looked at the two drunken men before speaking quietly.
“Move.”
“Or you’ll get hurt.”
“…What?”
The men stared blankly at one another.
Then burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
“What a nice voice.”
“So why the attitude?”
“Go ahead.”
“Say that again.”
“Who’s getting hurt?”
“And forget moving.”
“Tell us something first.”
“What if a murderer comes along while you’re out here?”
They snickered while looking her up and down.
Because the moonlight was dim, one of them leaned closer to inspect her face.
Tracy didn’t even blink.
“I told you to move.”
“You’ll get hurt.”
The warning only made them laugh harder.
One of them slapped a hand onto her shoulder.
“My stomach’s gonna burst from laughing.”
“Who’s getting hurt, sweetheart?”
“That tiny little body of yours?”
“I think she’s saying she’ll be the one who gets hurt.”
“If she’d just answer our questions, this would be easy.”
Soon both men crowded around her, gripping her shoulders.
Tracy glanced sideways at them.
“…The murderer isn’t far away.”
Before they could react—
She struck both of their arms with the edges of her hands.
“Agh!”
The men instinctively clutched their aching arms.
In that brief instant…
Tracy lifted her skirt.
She drew a compact pistol strapped to her thigh.
Less than three seconds later…
The hammer clicked back.
The muzzle pointed directly at one man’s forehead.
Click.
The metallic sound froze both men in place.
The other drunken man stared at the pistol with wide eyes.
“Y-You…!”
“That gun…!”
“It’s a licensed firearm.”
“…What?”
The man facing the gun slowly lifted his eyes.
The dull gleam of the barrel filled his vision.
His breath caught.
Slowly…
He raised both hands.
His companion stumbled backward.
“Y-You’re…”
“A soldier…”
“…Damn…”
Only military personnel in Sahiris were permitted to carry firearms.
Ordinarily, Tracy’s personal request never would have been approved.
Todd had filed the application under the pretense of protecting his fiancée.
That’s why she had been granted permission.
Realizing what that meant, both men immediately became more cautious.
Tracy calmly lowered the pistol.
The barrel settled between one man’s legs.
“W-Wait!”
“Hold on!”
“Can soldiers really point guns at civilians?!”
The other man demanded angrily.
Tracy merely glanced at him.
Without hesitation…
She squeezed the trigger.
Bang!
“AAAAAH!”
“GAAAH!”
The bullet passed cleanly between the man’s legs.
He collapsed backward, his face completely drained of color.
His companion trembled violently.
The bullet had struck only the stone pavement.
The man himself wasn’t injured.
Though…
A dark stain slowly spread across his trousers.
Fear had robbed him of control.
Tracy looked down at him with cold, emotionless eyes.
“Warning shots are authorized.”
She lowered the pistol.
Stepped back once.
And gave a small nod.
“Then…”
“Please be careful on your way home.”
Without another glance, she turned and walked away, her boots clicking softly against the pavement.
She could feel the two men staring at her backs in complete shock.
But Tracy had already erased them from her mind.
She felt neither pleased nor upset.
The only regret she had was wasting a perfectly good bullet.
The gunshot would undoubtedly bring soldiers on night patrol.
There was only one woman in the city legally carrying a pistol while dressed in civilian clothes.
They would understand exactly what had happened.
“…Sigh.”
A quiet breath escaped her lips.
Oddly enough…
Interacting with ordinary civilians felt far more difficult than facing enemies on a battlefield.
She was supposed to return to a normal life.
Yet…
Holding a gun still felt more natural than living peacefully.
What am I supposed to do from now on?
“…Ah.”
The daisies…
She suddenly remembered the flowers she had placed in a glass of water that morning.
Naturally…
Her thoughts turned to Sadie.
That’s right.
If I spend time listening to Sadie chatter about everyday life…
If I hear about ordinary people instead of military affairs…
Maybe I’ll slowly recover.
Comforted by the hopeful thought, Tracy finally arrived in front of the residence.
“Ah…”
A soft, seductive moan drifted through the night.
Her footsteps stopped instantly.
The sound…
Was coming from Todd’s house.
She slowly approached the building.
The unfamiliar woman’s cries grew louder.
They flowed through an open second-floor window.
“Todd… stop…”
“Stop what?”
“You’re loving it.”
Their breathless voices tangled together in the night air.
He brought a prostitute… into the house.
For a long moment, Tracy simply stared at the open window.
Then…
She slowly lowered her gaze.
Turned around.
…Thank goodness Sadie isn’t here yet.
If her younger sister had been staying in the house tonight…
It would have been unbearable.
Instead, Tracy quietly walked away.
She took a long detour around the neighborhood before finally returning.
By then…
The open window had fallen silent.
Carefully suppressing the sound of her footsteps, she slipped back toward the residence.
Completely unaware…
That someone had been watching her from the shadows for quite some time.
