Chapter 6
Kael sighed as he searched for Rosana. They could not waste any more time like this.
“Search for Lady Rosana until breakfast. If you find her, bring her back. If you cannot find her, give up.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After giving the order to one of his aides, Kael took only one knight with him. He was heading toward the weapons shop inside the black market.
Kael strode forward.
Hersen Weapons Shop.
That was his destination.
As soon as he entered, the musty smell mixed with the sharp metallic smell of iron stabbed at his nose.
The weapons shop was filled with all kinds of weapons. Some were so sharp that they looked as if they had just been forged, while many others were covered in rust.
Kael had no intention of wasting time here either. He moved inside, looking for the owner.
The owner was talking to another customer.
Kael casually shifted his gaze, then suddenly doubted his own eyes.
‘Rosana?’
Why was that woman here?
He had never imagined he would meet Rosana here after losing track of her earlier. This was not a place where Rosana would normally come.
If Rosana came to a black market, shouldn’t it be to visit a rare jewelry store or buy some luxury goods?
No, more importantly, Rosana would not even use a shop unless it was a high-class dress shop.
Their engagement period had been short, but Kael thought he knew her well enough.
But the Rosana standing there now…
“You have very high standards, miss. As I said, this can pierce even thick monster hide in one strike. It is something you really need in a world like this. However, the price is a little…”
“30 silver coins.”
“Oh, come on! Are you joking? At least 80 silver coins…”
“There is a crack at the end of the handle. And no matter how sharp it is, in a world like this…”
Rosana smiled at the owner.
It was such a frightening smile that the owner flinched.
“Won’t the edge be completely worn out in three months? If I actually use it to kill monsters, that is. I think 30 coins is already more than enough.”
The owner cleared his throat.
Kael blinked blankly.
He could not believe what he was seeing.
Was that really Rosana?
Rosana was saying things like that?
‘I like it. Leave it here. My family will take care of the payment.’
That expression that seemed indifferent to everything in the world.
That careless way of spending money as if it were water.
Wasn’t that Rosana?
The princess of House Ardena.
The extravagant rose.
That was… the Rosana he knew.
“Instead, I’ll buy all the daggers here.”
“All of them?”
The owner’s eyes widened.
He looked back and forth between Rosana and the daggers displayed on the counter. Then he skillfully began gathering the weapons.
In the black market, it was an unwritten rule not to ask customers why they were buying something.
“Oh. Are there about seven daggers here?”
“There are more than ten!”
“Bring them all out. But none of them should be lower quality than the one I’m holding now. If they can’t cut monster hide like you said, I’ll come back to get a refund even if I’m dead.”
Kael watched as the owner swallowed nervously before disappearing inside.
Rosana hummed as she looked around the weapons shop.
Kael stepped back along with her movements.
For some reason, he did not want her to know that he was here.
He wanted to watch what Rosana was doing a little longer.
Why on earth did she need a sword that could pierce monster hide?
And what was she planning to do with all those daggers?
Kael pushed his confusion deep inside.
Then Rosana stopped in front of a longsword displayed on the wall.
Kael’s eyes widened.
That was exactly why he had needed to come here.
Heracline’s Sword.
The sharp longsword had a blue glow that seemed to prove its legendary nature. A myth was engraved upon it.
It was said to be the sword given by a god in the distant past, when the world was first opened and the Empire was founded.
It was a tragedy that such a sword had ended up in a black market.
But thanks to that, Kael had a chance to obtain it.
Rosana looked at it and licked her lips.
“This sword is seriously amazing. With this, I could probably just chop off a monster’s shinbone.”
Was Rosana really the one who said that…?
Kael doubted his own eyes for a moment.
“What if I buy this and give it as a bribe? That could work too.”
Rosana smiled brightly as she looked over the sword.
There was something mischievous about that smile.
It was so unlike the Rosana he knew that Kael’s breath caught in his throat.
He took another step back.
“I really want it. Seriously. If I knew how to use a longsword, you’d be mine. But the male lead’s life is important. My life is more important.”
Her face sparkled with a playful smile.
It was a light Kael had never seen in Rosana before.
Meanwhile, the owner came out of the storage room carrying all the daggers he had.
Rosana immediately composed herself and turned around.
“You’re going to throw in this leather belt too, right? I’m buying so much.”
What Rosana picked up was a leather belt for carrying daggers.
Before the owner could even say anything, Rosana stuffed all the daggers and the leather belt into a bag.
“Goodness, miss!”
“The price should be enough. You’ve probably made plenty of profit already.”
Rosana winked and took several gold coins from her pocket, casually throwing them onto the table.
With a smile on her lips, Rosana walked past Kael, who was hidden in the darkness, without noticing him.
Her hair swayed as she passed, carrying a deep fragrance with it.
The scent of roses.
Yes.
It was Rosana’s unique rose scent.
The strong fragrance made his head spin.
After grabbing everything I needed from the weapons shop, the next place I went was a shop selling clothes.
I even thought about buying the sword Kael would eventually obtain and giving it to him as a bribe.
But I had no intention of spending my own money on that.
It would be better to save that money and buy another mine.
An investment for the future was an investment for me.
The male lead is going to support me?
No.
Absolutely not.
Money is what will support me!
The place I went to was not a shop selling fancy clothes like dresses.
It was closer to a street stall, with a few pieces of clothing hanging under a tent. It was embarrassing to even call it a clothing shop.
Still, thankfully, there was a place behind the tent where I could change clothes.
What I needed in the first place was not a dress.
I needed clothes that were tough, would not tear easily, and were comfortable to move in.
“Give me the toughest and strongest clothes you have here. Something that won’t easily tear even if a monster’s claws brush against it.”
“Hmm. If you’re looking for clothes like that, you’ve certainly come to the right place.”
The owner looked me up and down with shining eyes.
He seemed to be planning to raise the price after seeing that I was dressed like a noble lady.
You picked the wrong person.
Do you know how many years I’ve spent bargaining in market streets? I’m not someone you can trick with my eyes open!
The owner brought out some ordinary-looking clothes and boasted that they were special products mixed with rare monster hide.
It was obvious that he was trying to inflate the price.
“Are you saying clothes like this can really withstand monster claws?”
“Of course! They will be much stronger than the clothes you’re wearing now! Let me tell you about these clothes. They came from a village that was overrun by monsters! And amazingly, the woman wearing them survived even after being attacked by a monster’s claws! If she hadn’t needed to sell these clothes to afford a meal…!”
Look at this storytelling.
What kind of nonsense are you trying to sell me?
I took one of the daggers out of the bag.
“W-what are you doing?”
The owner was terrified.
“I just bought this at the weapons shop over there. They said it can pierce monster hide.”
“But didn’t you just say that monster claws can’t pierce these clothes?”
“Then shouldn’t these clothes be able to withstand this dagger too? I’m only checking whether what you said is true.”
“If you’re telling the truth, I’ll pay three times the price.”
“But if these clothes are torn by this dagger…”
“You’ll have to give me every piece of clothing here.”
“Because I’m going to make that happen!”
The owner’s eyes went round.
He looked back and forth between me and the dagger.
Then his face turned pale.
He seemed to realize that I really was the kind of person who would do exactly what I said.
I pulled the dagger out of its sheath.
“Wait a moment, miss!!”
