Chapter 42
James rubbed his stinging eye socket and muttered under his breath.
“Damn it, seriously…”
Wilford had sent him off with a handful of coins and an order to buy some intel from an informant.
But instead of heading straight to the broker, James made for Third Street Alley.
It wasn’t that he knew for sure the informant would be there—it was because he knew that alley was the kind of place where pocket change could turn into a small fortune.
Honestly, with this money, I couldn’t buy a scrap of useful information anyway.
So if he could double, even triple it, and then bring back real intel, wouldn’t that actually make Wilford happy?
Man, there’s no employee like me.
For real!
Praising himself, James strode straight into a gambling den.
Out of all the games, one simple card game hooked his attention.
Ha! This is too easy.
I’ll turn this into ten times the money in no time!
But in his very first round, he lost miserably.
W-well, real pros always throw the first game.
That way the suckers let their guard down!
Determined to show his “true skill” from the second round onward, James was just about to play again—when a familiar voice floated to his ears from behind.
I have something to ask.
Startled, James spun around.
A figure cloaked in a robe, face completely hidden, stood there.
At first, he thought it might just be some stranger—but the more he listened, the more certain he became.
That refined, gentle voice… It has to be Marsha!
And apparently, she was looking for someone.
Huh? Who’s she trying to find?
All of James’s attention tunnelled toward Marsha.
Sounds like you’re looking for a runaway husband.
Best to just forget it.
Even if you spend all that money and effort to find him, what’s to stop him from running off again?
Am I wrong?
The informant’s ridiculous remark nearly made James burst out laughing.
A runaway husband?
Marsha?
Oh, give me a break!
Before he’d left town, James had practically lived at Marsha’s heels.
That’s just the way a man’s pure devotion works, isn’t it?
When a beautiful face haunts you day and night, how could you possibly sit still?
If I just kept showing up, eventually she’d come around.
Or, worst case, I’d seize the moment and… ahem.
If it hadn’t been for that old hag or Berry’s father always hovering around, he’d have made his move long ago!
Anyway, thanks to all his relentless followers, James knew full well there wasn’t a man anywhere near Marsha.
Sure, she acted all high and mighty with me—annoying as hell—but at least she never threw herself at anyone.
That was part of her charm.
But then Marsha’s answer hit him like a hammer.
“……Maybe you’re right.”
James collapsed right there on the spot.
At the same time, his foot knocked over the card table, sending everything flying into chaos.
He got beaten black and blue for it and lost nearly all his money.
Yet through the mess, one single thought blazed in his mind.
Why didn’t she deny it?!
Did she really have a man?
A husband, even?
How the hell was that possible?
Wait… Could it be that the bastard who ended up at that cursed old woman’s house was actually Marsha’s runaway husband, with nowhere else left to go?!
“Ah, that makes sense. But if that’s true…”
Why the hell did she keep pretending to be a maiden…?!
Not once had she mentioned being married.
If she had, James would never have wasted his time chasing her so desperately!
Was she toying with me this whole time? That filthy wench!
Rage flared up in James’s chest like wildfire.
He wanted nothing more than to storm after Marsha and demand an explanation.
All the time, all the devotion he’d poured into her—he wanted it compensated in full.
But first, he had a more pressing problem.
He had to return to Wilford empty-handed, without the information he’d been sent to buy.
Damn it, what do I do?
He’s gonna blow his top.
Maybe I should just run for it?
But James could still hear Wilford’s chilling warning echoing in his ears:
“If you even think about running off with that money, I’ll hunt you down for the rest of your miserable life. And when I find you—I’ll turn you into pig feed.”
Shit. Shit…
His split lip stung as he chewed at his fingernail, the taste of blood bitter on his tongue.
Then it hit him—there was still some money left in his pocket.
Not much, but maybe… just maybe, with a bit of time, he could win it back.
Swallowing hard, James set off toward another gambling den, clinging to the fragile belief that his salvation waited there.
***
Night fell.
The air was filled with the chorus of crickets.
Marsha sat by the window, her gaze vacant, lost in the dark beyond the glass.
Claudio, standing nearby, finally broke the silence.
“You’ve been staring out there all day.”
Now that he mentioned it… Perhaps she had.
Marsha blinked, her lashes trembling faintly.
“Is it because of a dream? Or because something’s weighing on your mind?”
“Do you really think I’d mope like this all day over a mere dream?”
“Then you admit you’ve got something on your mind.”
A sly smile curved Claudio’s lips.
To some, it might have looked kind or playful. But to Marsha, it was nothing but infuriating.
“What’s the problem, then?”
“You know, you’re awfully nosy. Ever realise how many questions you ask?”
Marsha wrinkled her nose in open annoyance.
Claudio tilted his head, conceding the point. He was asking a lot.
Even he was surprised at himself. When had he ever been this curious about someone before?
This was drawn in, almost against his will?
He’d once sworn this strange fascination couldn’t possibly last.
But here he was—more curious than ever. Curious about who she really was, about what filled that small head of hers to give her such a world-weary gaze.
“Quit dodging. Just tell me—what’s bothering you?”
“…It’s nothing. Just wondering… how I should live from here on.”
Marsha lifted her shoulders in a light shrug.
It wasn’t the whole truth, but it wasn’t a lie either, and so the words slipped out without hesitation.
“You suddenly started worrying about that?”
“It’s not sudden. Normal people think about stuff like this all the time, you know.”
She tilted her head back, staring up at the stars. They were breathtakingly beautiful.
And yet her heart felt nothing. It was like looking at a glittering necklace hanging around someone else’s throat—pretty, but utterly empty.
Seriously… What am I supposed to do from here?
If she couldn’t hire someone else to hunt down the criminal in her stead, then there was only one answer left.
If she wanted answers, she would have to act for herself.
Even if I go in person… What can I really do?
Just because Marsha reappeared after disappearing didn’t mean she suddenly gained wealth or power.
By now, Lucas would have become the Earl of Emelide, and Rosanna the Countess.
Lucas’s strange obsession with Marsha had surely ended, but for Rosana, the return of the former young lady of Emelide—someone she had once tried and failed to kill—could never be welcome.
She had been hiding all this time just to survive… and now she would have to appear before Rosana again.
Honestly… I’m afraid.
But wasn’t it better to face death head-on than to sit still and wait for it to come?
“…When will the Duke return?”
Claudio frowned.
“Why? Hoping he leaves soon so you can disappear too?”
“…No. I was just wondering when the market would quiet down.”
That’s what she said aloud, but in truth, Marsha was planning her escape.
When he left, she would leave as well.
She could even explain everything to Claudio and go right now. But…
If I did, you’d just ask a hundred more questions.
Like where I’m going, why I’m leaving…
Marsha’s drifting gaze suddenly collided with Claudio’s face leaning into her view.
Startled, she raised her voice.
“W-what are you doing?!”
“There was trouble at the market, wasn’t there?”
“…What?”
What kind of nonsense was that?
Marsha pressed her hand against her pounding chest.
“Tell me. Who did what to you?”
“N-no, nothing happened!”
“Then why would you say something like that?”
Claudio’s tone was sharp, unyielding.
“Stop hiding it. Just be honest.”
“I am being honest! Nothing happened.”
“Do I need to look into it myself?”
Marsha was at a loss.
Why does he insist on knowing every little thing?!
She glared up at him, eyes flashing.
“And how exactly would you ‘look into it’? If Mr. Dio gives an order, does the entire knight order rush to obey? But that’s strange… If you’re such an important man, why are you stuck here at this villa, too afraid to return to your Duke’s mansion?”
Claudio blinked.
It seemed Marsha thought he was just some low-ranking knight, maybe at best the superior of someone like Urian.
…Well, I suppose that’s understandable.
After all, he had gone out of his way to hide his true identity and keep her from putting distance between them because of his status.
But to be told so bluntly to stop bluffing—he couldn’t help himself.
“Pfft…”
Claudio bent over, covering his mouth, but the laughter broke free anyway.
“Hahaha!”
Marsha blinked rapidly at the sight of him laughing so hard.
“What’s with you all of a sudden?”
Claudio wanted to explain.
He wanted to tell her that never in his life had anyone looked down on him like that.
That she was the first.
But of course, he couldn’t say it.
“Hah…! Hahaha!”
Claudio just kept laughing, and Marsha’s fists clenched.
Ugh, what an infuriating man!
Yet the longer she watched him laugh like that, the more the tension drained from her shoulders, leaving behind a strange tickling warmth in her chest.
…Is it just because he’s handsome?
How could a person shine brighter than the stars scattered across the night sky? Was that even allowed?
At last, after quite some time, Claudio managed to rein in his laughter.
Wiping the moisture from the corner of his eyes, he said,
“This is the first time in my life I’ve laughed like that.”
“Don’t lie.”
“I’m serious. Why would I lie about something like this?”
He gave a casual shrug, his lips curved in a lazy smile.
“Well then, I suppose I’ll have to repay you somehow for giving me such a delightful experience.”
“Repay me? Oh, please…”
Marsha pouted, grumbling under her breath.
At the time, she thought he was just joking around with another one of his silly remarks.
