Chapter 123

Chapter Ninety-Five – No Longer Wanting to See Her

Only when I reached the large iron gate of the Londeral Number 3 Mansion did I suddenly realize that I had not brought my keys with me. When I left, I climbed through the window and thus had no need for them.

When Carlos handed me the keys, I didn’t have anywhere to put them, so I just threw them on the dressing table. But… never mind, it’s not a big problem.

The iron fence surrounding the courtyard, although covered in thorny vines, was less than three meters high. I could easily jump over it. Then, using Moon Step to climb onto the roof, I could return to the bedroom through the half-open window—during this process, I nearly stepped on a sleeping goat cheese by the windowsill.

“Pepe—fool—! Idiot!”

“Hush! Shut up, stupid bird.”

I immediately made a shushing gesture towards it, while also cautiously looking at a passing patrol guard in the distance. Seeing that they hadn’t noticed this side, I let out a soft sigh.

Londeral Street was heavily guarded, with patrol teams passing by every so often, each team consisting of more than thirty guards. Those who lived here were mostly like that woman, individuals of high status and noble background. If these guards discovered me now, being mistaken for a thief might be the least of my worries.

Even though this was already my home, explaining myself would certainly be quite troublesome, and I might end up being ridiculed by Carlos.

Carlos returned not long after.

At the sound of footsteps in the courtyard, I, who had been lying lazily on the bed, shot up immediately. The carpet in the bedroom was soft and clean, and since I had taken off my shoes, I didn’t bother putting them back on. I walked down to the first floor barefoot, and as I reached the door, there was a knock.

Opening the door, it was indeed him.

“I’m back… why aren’t you wearing shoes?” Carlos entered the house, closing the door behind him, and handed me a paper bag, “This is for you.”

“I don’t want to.” I curiously took it and smelled it; it had a greasy meat scent, “What is it?”

“Malm Big Sausage, it’s a well-known delicacy in the capital. I think it tastes good, give it a try.”

Sausage… even though I’m not particularly fond of it, I might as well give it a try.

Holding the paper bag, I sat on the living room sofa and spread it out on the four-legged tea table. The two sausages inside were still steaming hot, thick and long, with a white, viscous… sauce?

… This little thing is quite unique in appearance.

I poked around the sausage with my finger and glanced sideways at Carlos.

“Quasimodo.”

“Huh?”

“… Are you doing this on purpose?”

Carlos, who was taking off his coat and hanging it on the rack, turned his head in puzzlement.

“What do you mean ‘on purpose’?”

“… ”

I wasn’t sure if he was pretending to be clueless, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask further. Instead, I hummed and hesitantly grabbed one, taking a small bite.

It tasted pretty good, quite fragrant.

I licked the sauce at one end… yes, it definitely has a milky taste.

“They say that the ladies of the royal palace love this. What do you think, is it tasty?”

Mmm… I don’t want to comment.

“Do you eat it?”

Carlos adjusted his sleeve and sat down beside me, assuming a relaxed posture, comfortably sinking into the soft sofa.

“I’ve eaten already.”

I rolled my eyes at him.

“I’ve eaten too.”

He looked at me in surprise, “If you’ve already eaten, why did you ask me to buy these? These two aren’t cheap.”

“But I didn’t eat enough.”

“… What did you eat?”

“Acri Fruit.”

“Acri Fruit? That’s hard to come by, where did you get it from?”

I pursed my lips.

“Next door. A hateful, crazy person.”

“Crazy person?” Carlos furrowed his brows, and after a moment, as if suddenly remembering something, his half-closed eyes widened, “You went next door? Number 2 Londeral?”

“Mm-hm.”

I nodded, thinking that he surely knew about that woman.

“That woman knows you.”

“… Not really, did you meet the owner there? The blonde one?”

“Yes.”

“How did you get in?”

I gave him an impatient look.

“I jumped in.”

Carlos covered his face with his hand.

“What are you thinking… did you fight?”

“Almost did. Who is she?”

“Living in Number 2 Londeral Mansion, it seems only you in the entire capital don’t know who she is… Isn’t the place we’re staying now given to us by her?”

… Indeed.

“She. Is she really the queen of the capital?”

“Yes.”

But she’s way too young.

In my imagination, the queen should be kind and gentle, always smiling, and strong yet gentle in her words and actions. But that Victoria looks like she’s only in her early twenties, not much older than me. Could someone like her be a queen?

And that indifferent and harsh demeanor… could such a person be loved by the people… wait.

If she really is the queen, doesn’t that mean I’ll have to see her again tomorrow?

To that smug face?

Not a chance.

“About that.” Just as I was about to ask if I could skip tomorrow, Carlos spoke first, “Just asking, did you upset her?”

This instantly set me off.

My eyes widened, my chest heaving, feeling like my lungs would explode. I glared at him angrily and said, “Carlos! What do you mean!”

What do you mean ‘did you upset her’?

She’s the one driving me crazy! Carlos, you bastard, which side are you on?!

Seeing my fierce expression, Carlos hesitated before cautiously asking, “Did you do anything… not quite appropriate?”

I gnashed my teeth, looking at him word by word.

“What do you mean, ‘not quite appropriate’ behavior.”

“Just… forget it, let’s change the subject.”

“Don’t change it, this one.”

Now that we’re at this point, I won’t let him off easily.

“Do you think I would scold her or hit her?”

“…That’s impossible.”

“Then why are you asking me!”

“Because I’m afraid you might accidentally provoke her, she’s…”

Before he finished his sentence, I interrupted him.

“Carlos, dare you scold me?!”

“That’s not what I meant, I… ugh.” Carlos rubbed his hair frantically, his expression very agitated, “It’s not what you think. That woman… has a terrible personality, getting involved with her will be troublesome, and…”

“And what?! Is she your mistress?!”

By now, I didn’t care about controlling my emotions anymore. I said whatever I wanted, startling Carlos, who quickly covered my mouth.

“Hush—! You silly girl, what nonsense are you talking!”

“Mmm!” I shook my head vigorously and kicked him in the face with my foot. Seeing this, Carlos quickly stepped back, releasing his hand from my mouth. I immediately moved away, looking at his seemingly angry face, feeling aggrieved.

That woman bullied me like that, and you didn’t help me, instead, you’re arguing with me here…

Such weak thoughts couldn’t be detected by Carlos, so I couldn’t show any weakness.

So I still glared at him, showing a fierce but weak expression.

“What, did I hit a nerve?”

Carlos looked quite helpless.

“…Don’t let her hear this.”

“What are you afraid of her for!”

“Not afraid.” Carlos’s hard-featured face suddenly showed a look of disgust, “Because I’m leaving soon, and the Pope made her agree to take care of you here… If you two don’t get along from the start, what’s the point… tsk, indeed, women are always troublesome, no matter big or small, so being single is the best…”

The last sentence he said was very soft, but I still heard it.

“Who’s troublesome!”

Carlos immediately woke up, denying it instantly.

“I didn’t mean you.”

I ignored him.

Sitting quietly, I continued to bite into the sausage in my hand, recalling what Carlos just said… somehow, the food in my mouth suddenly lost its taste.

After a moment of silence, I threw the sausage onto the tea table.

“This, isn’t tasty.”

“…Didn’t you just eat it with gusto?”

“Just not tasty.”

“You must have eaten too much.”

“No.”

“So what now?” Carlos shrugged, “The market is empty by now, there’s nowhere else to buy other things. Finish it, don’t waste it.”

Carlos picked up the sausage again and took a bite from the other end.

“…It tastes good?”

I frowned deeply.

“Carlos.”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t want to see her tomorrow.”

“That’s impolite.”

“I don’t want to go.”

“Go, it’s fine.”

Carlos tried to rub my head, but realizing his hands were greasy from holding the sausage, and seeing my fierce gaze, he gave up.

“Don’t be stubborn, I can’t just leave you here alone, Elizabeth is the most suitable person. Although she’s a bit troublesome… but I trust her work, you should get along well with her.”

“…Why, is she the most suitable person?”

“She’s a queen, and a Knight of the Pope. Isn’t such an identity the most suitable? In the royal city, even if you walk like a crab, no one would dare to interfere.”

As he spoke, Carlos made scissors with his hands and placed them on either side of his head, actually imitating a crab, but since he still held the sausage, his ridiculous appearance made me burst out laughing, then I immediately realized something was wrong.

Isn’t this just哄一个不听话的小女孩吗? I won’t fall for this.

I immediately put on a stern face.

“Anyway, I’m not going.”

“Really not going?”

Carlos squinted his eyes.

“…Not going.”

“Really not going?”

He put down the sausage, smiling at me. His expression made me shiver, and the words came out involuntarily with a tremor.

“Fine… I won’t go.”

“Fine, don’t go.”