#6. Safe-Cracking (1)
August 6, 2023
"Ah…."
Amy felt a cold sweat break out on her back. Just look at this gutsy prince, treating his own father, the Emperor, as if the man were already dead.
"Hm? You can't?"
The Second Prince took Amy's hand and shook it as if pleading. Flustered, Amy bit her lip hard, then soon nodded her head. The moment the Second Prince, Noah, excitedly opened his mouth wide, Amy spoke sternly.
"But only when we're alone. As you know, if anyone finds out, I'll be in huge trouble. The crime of disrespect toward Imperial blood is summary execution."
"Okay! Got it~."
Noah hurriedly nodded, his black hair fluttering as if taking wing. Then he looked up at Amy with bright, eager eyes, as if asking her to call him by it right away. Amy chuckled helplessly. To think he could be this happy simply from being called by his name.
"Ahem, well then."
Amy brought her fist to her mouth and cleared her throat. Then she spoke solemnly.
"Sir Noah."
"…."
But Noah's face, which she had expected to be happy, instead turned sulky. Huh? Why is he like this? As Amy tilted her head in confusion, Noah pouted his lower lip and grumbled.
"Weren't you going to just call me Noah?"
"No, should I just offer up a prayer to His Majesty asking him to kill me?"
Amy cried out in alarm. At that, Noah shrugged his shoulders once, then nodded as if he understood.
"Then from now on, make sure to call me Sir Noah?"
"Only when it's just us. Why are you slyly trying to widen the scope?"
"Hehe, you caught me."
Noah stuck his tongue out cutely. Amy narrowed her eyes and watched him. She had thought he was simply a gentle person, but after spending several months together, she had realized he often acted brazenly with that cute face of his.
'Should I treat him more strictly when we go to the North……?'
Amy worried for a moment, then soon shrugged her shoulders. She decided to accept that he was simply this way because he had never had anyone to act spoiled with.
'It's not like he's caused any major problems, so I'll just have to be careful from now on.'
Truthfully, part of her leniency stemmed from Noah's appearance, which couldn't even begin to compare to the Crown Prince's. She had only known him as a gloomy brat with his always pale, expressionless face and black curly hair hanging down to his eyes, but the shock of seeing his bare face properly after arriving at the Second Prince's palace was still vivid.
'They say the Imperial Consort was famous for her beauty when she was a princess of the Southern Kingdom…….'
She had thought he only resembled her in hair color, but he had inherited his mother's beauty exactly as it was. What was funny was that, perhaps because he had barely shown his face to anyone since the Imperial Consort died ten years ago, neither his father the Emperor nor his brother the Crown Prince knew Noah's face well.
'So the love between a man and a woman is truly this fleeting.'
Amy's pitiful gaze lingered on Noah before scattering into the air. Noah's mother had fallen in love at first sight with the Emperor on his visit to the Southern Kingdom, abandoned all the rights she enjoyed as a princess, and married into the Empire as a mere concubine, an Imperial Consort.
But the Emperor's love for her hadn't lasted even five years before flying away like dandelion seeds.
'That's why I could never trust the Crown Prince.'
Like father, like son. That her thoughts were correct had already been confirmed by her death in her previous life. Amy raised her bitter gaze and stared at Noah again.
"What is it, Amy?"
Noah smiled, his golden eyes sparkling. Trust and affection for Amy dripped from that gaze.
"……It's nothing."
Amy clicked her tongue and turned her head. Indeed, since the Second Prince also inherited the Emperor's blood, he might grow up to become a famous rake whose name was known throughout the world. And wasn't his appearance outstanding as well? Having tasted bitterness in her previous life, Amy now felt that such men were fine to look at, but she absolutely hated getting involved with them.
'But since he also has the blood of the devoted Imperial Consort, I hope he's only half like that.'
She was thinking this when she suddenly paused.
'Come to think of it, before the regression, I had heard something about Sir Noah…….'
Amy stared blankly at Noah, then shook her head, wondering what she was doing thinking such things about a child. Then she smiled and joined Noah in exploring the market.
***
"You are a bit late."
The man standing before them spoke, bowing politely at the waist. Amy gave a rough nod, then slowly looked the man up and down.
"Seeing that you're in one piece, I suppose you succeeded in escaping without any trouble?"
"Well, yes, more or less…."
The man adjusted his glasses with his hand and trailed off bitterly. He was Joseph, a man who until recently had been exploited as a figurehead aide at Duke Esma's residence.
He spoke bluntly.
"In any case, you are eight minutes and forty seconds late."
"Yes, I am truly sorry, but there were circumstances on my end. Even though I told him several times that I needed to hurry and that the person waiting was no ordinary stickler, there was someone who insisted he absolutely had to eat skewers right away."
Amy ruthlessly threw Noah under the bus. Joseph stared blankly at the boy pushed out in front of him. Noah, with sauce at the corners of his mouth, looked at Joseph and cleared his throat with a 'hmph.'
"So you are Joseph, the one who made a contribution in this matter?"
"……Huh!"
Only then did Joseph recognize Noah and gasp. To think a Second Prince would come directly to the market! The timid man began to tremble like a flower branch in a typhoon. Regardless, Noah spoke awkwardly.
"I'm sorry. It was my first time eating something like this…… Would you like some as well?"
Amy tugged the corners of her mouth downward. Oh my, he really did seem sorry. He had wolfed down the skewers he tasted for the first time like a dog with a bone, but it seemed his stomach was somewhat full now.
Joseph, overwhelmed and not knowing what to do, rubbed his hands vigorously on his pants and gathered them respectfully. Noah stared intently at those hands, then slowly held out the skewer. Joseph received it, trembling.
"…."
Noah gazed regretfully at the skewer leaving his hand, let out a small sigh, then turned his head away sharply. In that moment, Joseph realized.
'Ah, I should have refused.'
It was the moment Joseph's life began to unravel.
"Well then, since I've met the person I needed to meet, I'll go take care of my business."
Amy checked the time and spoke to Noah. Noah widened his eyes as if he'd taken offense and grabbed her sleeve.
"Where are you going? Are you going alone?"
"It's a place children can't go."
Amy replied lightly and signaled Joseph with her eyes. Joseph approached with a pale, frightened face and stood respectfully beside Noah. Noah glanced at him with a suspicious gaze, then spoke to Amy again.
"I'll stay put. I can stay quiet like I'm not even here. So…."
Noah was more persistent than expected, so Amy furrowed her brows. In the end, she had to pull out her magic words.
"Sir Noah, what did you promise when I became the Head Maid?"
At that, Noah lowered his head and chewed his lip.
"……That I would listen well to what Amy says until I become an adult."
"It won't take long, so let's meet again in front of Joseph's inn."
Noah stared blankly at Amy, then obediently backed down. Amy shot a glance at Joseph—who was immersed in thought, wondering why in the world she called the Second Prince by his name—telling him to take proper care of Noah. Then, after checking once more on the mercenaries escorting them, she turned and disappeared into the crowd.
"…."
Noah's eyes, which had been gazing longingly at her retreating figure, darkened.
***
"Ah, my ankle…."
Amy limped along, avoiding people. She had tried her hardest not to show she was in pain in front of the Second Prince, but it seemed she had overdone it. Amy stopped in a secluded alley, unwrapped the bandage on her ankle, and wrapped it more tightly.
'A bit better.'
After treading her foot against the ground several times, she headed toward her destination again. Following old memories, she walked boldly through the winding alleys like an ant's nest. Then, arriving finally at a shabby building, she checked her appearance.
'First, cover my face….'
The moment she held the scarf she had prepared in advance, someone passing by bumped her shoulder.
"Ah!"
Amy staggered, but the man merely glanced at her and walked away. Amy watched his retreating figure, muttered a few complaints, and wound the scarf tightly around her face.
'Hair and face all covered…… Good.'
When she raised her head, she saw a picture drawn on the wooden sign above the door. Similar to a noble family's coat of arms, it depicted a shield with a snake upon it, crossed by a sword and a spear in an X shape.
Amy stared at it meaningfully, then opened the door and went inside.
Whether it was because business was terrible, there wasn't a single customer. A man sitting at the counter below shelves lined with bottles spoke listlessly.
"Welcome."
Amy approached the man, cleared her throat with a 'hmph,' and spoke in a rough voice.
"I've come to see the Guild Leader."
"……The password?"
The man looked Amy up and down and lowered his voice. Amy replied with a dumbfounded expression.
"What password? Go call him."
"……Won't fall for it, huh."
The man clicked his tongue and obediently got up, vanishing somewhere. Amy chose an empty table, sat down, and took a comfortable posture. Her movements were relaxed, but in truth, she was extremely tense.
'Stay calm, Amy. You can do this.'
As she was coaxing herself, the man reappeared and spoke.
"He says to come into the back room."
"…."
Amy got up and followed the man to the back room. Boards had been nailed over the windows, and the dark interior held only a single candle sitting alone. As Amy sat in the chair placed in the center of the room, a large man sitting across from her asked in a booming voice.
"What business brings you to the Guild Leader?"
"I've come to retrieve a deposit I left."
The Guild Leader narrowed his eyes at Amy's words. From the start, she was a suspicious woman, obviously making a scratching sound in her throat to hide her voice. But who came here who wasn't suspicious?
"Have you brought the token?"
"Here."
Amy pulled a wooden plaque from her bosom and placed it on the table. The man took it and examined it carefully, then nodded.