Chapter 38.2

“oh, my!”

eventually, i sat down as i lost stamina, and adrian stopped chasing the pickpocket and looked back at me. i pointed back at the man who was running away quickly with a frown on my face.

“rian! don’t mind me and follow him! you have to catch it!”

“grrrrrrrrrr…”

adrian growled, as if understanding my order, and then chased after the man again.

* * *

gasping for breath, it was a dead end where i found adrian.

“fuck, let go of me! you son of a bitch!”

fortunately, adrian seemed to have caught a pickpocket. i clapped my hands when i found rian biting the man’s back.

‘there you go! good job! my baby!’

adrian, who turned his face and saw my happy reaction, grabbed the man’s collar and began to shake him.

“turn, turn, turn!”

perhaps straining from adrian’s hold, the man raised his voice sharply and searched his pocket, “i’ll give it back! so let me go!”

i picked up the money bag that the man had dropped and raised my thumb to rian.

“great job, rian!”

adrian threw the man away and ran toward me with a big goofy smile. i opened my arms wide as if ready to receive a hug. he jumped into my arms and i stroked his head enthusiastically.

“so pretty. where did such a pretty rian come from?”

i’m sure he’s from the royal family.

i raised my head, muttering to myself the question even when i knew the answer. the pickpocket, who was tearing at the collar that rian caught, looked back at me.

“are you the owner of this bastard?”

the man had his face completely covered with a long piece of cloth from the tip of his nose. the bright yellow eyes that met mine were sharp as if they belonged to an animal with long pupils.

“are you the bastard who stole my money bag?” i responded, unafraid of the pickpocket’s threat.

the man was a little taller than adrian, but he was similarly slender. at least adrian, who would’ve been thoroughly trained as a crown prince, was unlikely to lose.

‘we’ll just fight when it’s absolutely necessary.’

considering the time adrian bit jian, it was a good plan.

“hey, bastard? you talk a lot even when we just met.”

he was the one who said adrian was a bastard when he first saw him.

i narrowed my eyes at the pickpocket’s fierce glare. he grabbed his neck and shook his head, and then approached me in a hurry.

“grrrrrrrrr…”

adrian growled furiously as if wary of the approaching pickpocket.

“that slave caught me and broke my arm. how are you going to take responsibility?” the pickpocket asked with a raised brow, an arm’s distance away from me. “thanks to you, i’m out of business today, so how are you going to take responsibility?”

‘what is this man shamelessly saying after stealing someone else’s money?’

“err, you look fine. what are you talking about?” i stammered as i stared at his bright yellow eyes.

“it hurts and i can’t even move it. what, are you okay?”

the man laughed loudly and raised his fluttering arm as if amazed by what i said.

“did something the size of a chestnut got stuck to the soles of your feet up to your eyes? can’t you see?”

‘wow, look at this thief!’

my eyes almost popped out of their sockets in amazement at his manner.

“hey. get lost before i call the police! what do you mean you broke your arm? you were pickpocketing and we just happened to catch you on the act!”

“police?”

the man’s long eyebrows rose crookedly at my words.

“there are no police in shamua. this is a place where noblemen come out and commit crimes.”

the man murmured softly as he bowed his head. his features were covered with his hood, but my face was clearly visible.

“hey, you’re not from here, are you?”

he observed my face curiously as if watching a stranger and then clicked his tongue.

“i thought you were royalty because you carried a slave all day, but somehow your pocket was light.”

the man’s eyes were filled with joy as if he had found his prey. i had an ominous feeling with creased eyes.

“it’s illegal for foreigners to carry slaves, what should i do?”

“what?”

the man, who was smiling as he looked at me and adrian back and forth, shrugged his shoulders.

“should i report it and get a reward?”

“i heard there’s no police here!”

“true, there are no police in this city, but it’s teeming with slave traders. a slave of a foreigner is like a slave without an owner.”

the man’s eyes glistened as if he was going to sell adrian to another place at any moment.

“now, wait a minute! wait!”

i gasped, catching up to the man who turned his back on me.