YM778.TV Chapter 6
I hastily caught hold of Ash’s clothes
As he looked at me, I hurriedly made an excuse .
“I was coughing because of the dust . It’s not a big deal, I’m still healthy . The doctor gave me vitamins since the days have been getting colder… so I’m totally healthy .
“… . . ”
“So you just need a change in scenery right? Let’s leave early and go eat lunch outside tomorrow . “
“…Okay”
‘Shit’
I cursed . I don’t know how things ended up this way but I wanted to blame someone for it .
‘The same clock tower’
Why did you have to be in the square? No, why do I even exist in the beginning? What the hell am I doing here?
I blamed the clock tower for everything .
Of course, I knew it wouldn’t change anything .
Bessie stood beside us and exclaimed that we had such an amazing relationship .
It was a terrible night .
***
Since things had already ended up like this, I decided to stop bothering myself on things I couldn’t change .
I was a bit bewildered that things hadn’t gone the way I wanted but it wasn’t like I had completely failed .
‘All I need to do is prevent Agrita’s death’
That’s the ultimate goal .
I just have to make sure that the heroine doesn’t die this time .
‘This might be better since the clock tower would definitely not be destroyed . ’
I won’t say the clock tower is getting old even if someone threatens me with a knife .
Ah, actually, I might if that happens .
Anyways, I decided that I would only say good things about the clock tower when we see it .
‘We’re only going to look at the clock tower and we’ll avoid the heroine . No problem . ’
“Phew . ”
Letting out a determined sigh, I looked at the mirror then turned away .
“Oh, Miss . You look so beautiful . ”
Bessie was filled with excited energy as I finished getting ready .
I replied with smiles to all compliments thrown at me, even if it wasn’t from her .
Just like Ash said, this was my first time going outside in a while .
I wasn’t the type that enjoyed going outside, and I thought that I should stay in the house as long as possible since I would be leaving for good soon .
‘I should be optimistic . This will let me refresh my mind before running away . ’
Today, I put my red hair up and wore a green, outdoor dress that had buttons all the way up to the neck .
People said that I looked like a fully bloomed rose when I dressed up like this, and it was an expression I liked .
Because roses have thorns .
‘It’s sort of a battle outfit . ’
Furthermore, I wore dark gloves that were almost black .
Good . This reinforced my decision .
Just then, people’s attention moved away from me .
“Duke, you’re here?”
“Oh my . ”
I turned my head .
In his outdoor clothing, I saw Ash walking down the stairs in a relaxed manner .
He had his white hair pulled back so his forehead was exposed and his dark navy clothing reminded me of a soldier’s uniform .
Besides the fact that he was missing a cape, the design was very similar to a uniform .
‘Regardless, he knows exactly what looks good on him’
Ash, who looked as if he just stepped out of a painting, came towards me .
It looked like he was walking slowly but his long legs made it easy for him to quickly close the distance between us .
“Shall we go?”
Ash, standing nearby, offered me his arm in an escort position .
I subtly breathed in and put my hand on his arm .
“Yes . ”
Alright, let’s go .
“Have a safe trip . And come back before it’s too late, you haven’t forgotten what day today is right?”
“Don’t worry . ”
After Bessie reminded us, Ash and I left the house .
Before we left, I had memorized the heroine’s entire schedule today, just in case .
‘ 11 AM . She should already be away from the clock tower, and should be with the charity group at this point . ’
After thinking through our planned path, I concluded that there wasn’t really a high chance for us running into Agrita .
The square was huge . As long as we didn’t go around trying to see everything it was very unlikely that we would run into her .
It bothered me a little that the charity group would be giving out free food at noon in the middle of the square, but it wouldn’t be too hard to avoid the area if I could talk him out of going there .
‘Let’s be on guard, just in case . ’
The fact that there was only a small chance of us running into the heroine eased my mind .
On top of that, this was my first time going out in a while, so I was a little excited .
On the way to the square with Ash, a store stand caught my eye .
‘Oh, that hair clip is pretty . ’
I wasn’t the greedy type but I had a clear preference .
The jeweled hair clip at the store stand was one that clearly matched my tastes .
I thought I only took a quick glance at it but Ash immediately stopped in his tracks .
“Do you like it?”
“……What?”
My rational side yelled at me that it was not the time to be looking at some hair clip, but I ignored it because I really did like it .
Besides, it wouldn’t take long to buy it .
I rummaged through my bag, thinking that I could quickly buy it and then we would continue on our way .
‘Hm?’
Then I paused .
‘Huh?’
Wait, what is this?
‘It’s not here!’
My wallet is gone .
‘I’m sure I brought it though?’
I always took my wallet with me whenever I went out .
Whether I was alone with Ash, or with a servant, I always brought with me my wallet .
It wasn’t because I shopped a lot, it was just a habit .
I assumed it was a habit from my past life, but really, I’m getting distracted, why isn’t it here?
Ash seemed to notice my frustration since I stopped looking for my wallet .
He threw the seller a gold coin, allowing me to take the hair clip as we continued to walk down the street .
‘Did I drop it on the way?’
I shook my head immediately . There was no way .
It’s not like I was waving my bag around, so how could it just fall out by itself?
‘Then……’
“Pick-pocketing . ”
The word I had thought of came out of someone else’s mouth .
I looked up at Ash .
“Is it?”
“……Probably . ”
He said it like that but his tone indicated he was certain .
There’s no way I could have left it somewhere . I had never taken it out since we left and I checked the house before we left so I was sure I brought it with me .
Trying to recall what happened earlier in the day, I remembered that I had it in the carriage as well .
Which means that it disappeared in the short time we walked from the carriage storage area to the shop stand .
‘Who did I bump into on the way?’
You know that movie-esque scenario when someone pickpockets you?
You bump into a stranger while you’re walking and they say ‘oh, sorry’,and you say ‘it’s okay’ and your wallet is gone .
But I couldn’t remember bumping into anyone .
On our way here, we passed by a crowd but Ash had been escorting me so we didn’t encounter any difficulties .
‘When did they steal it?’
I couldn’t believe it . How could they take my wallet without me even noticing?
At this point shouldn’t they be considered a living legend? Or the textbook example of pickpocketing?
I’m not sure if I should be amazed or what . As I was about to give up, I saw Ash, who had his back towards me, take something out .
……hm? What’s that?
‘A jewel?’
No, that’s not it . I got on my tiptoes to take a look .
It was a small sphere that I couldn’t figure out what it was used for .
Then, a moment later I heard someone’s voice flow out of it . .
[You called?]
“Find the person . ”
Ash commanded in his matter-of-fact voice .
My eyes widened .
With that demonstration, I could tell that the sphere was a tool that allowed you to communicate with people far away, just like a cellphone .
I remember hearing about it once . They said it was probably made using magic .
But who did he just command?
‘No way . ’
It was a little suspicious to say that it was one of our house servants . Then I remembered something .
A villain should not only have forces that everyone can see on the outside .
Ash also followed this rule .
I only knew this because I read the book, but Ash felt that he needed power ever since our parents passed away .
This wasn’t the type of power a man could obtain through mastering some sort of martial art .
My younger brother wanted a group that he could use as his followers .
But such a group can’t be created easily just because you want it .
It requires a lot of money and power, but the biggest problem was that it took time .
Which is why our villain Ash, simply took over an already existing group .
‘The Dark Streets……’
The Empire had something known as the Dark Streets .
To put it simply, it’s like the world opposite of this one .
City of night, the criminal’s area, the Empire’s darkness were all referring to this primitive Dark Street .
There, everything was based on power, and there was a large gang that acted as a ruler in those streets .
And Ash killed the leader of this gang and took it over .
‘He was fifteen at the time too . ’
It hadn’t even been half a year since our parents’ funeral .
There’s no way to know exactly how my brother manages to control the gang because it isn’t written in the book .
But since they are known to follow the rule of power, I can only assume that he used his overwhelming ability in martial arts to make them yield .
I don’t know if I mentioned this but my brother’s been using toy swords to break wooden statues ever since he was three . I used to think it was cute…… .