Chapter 267

“J-Jin! Look at this!”

Romandro awkwardly called out to Jin. The child sat on the park bench with an expressionless face, lips tightly pressed together. Anyone could tell he wasn’t in a good mood. Romandro waved a loaf of bread, trying to lift the child’s spirits.

“Wow, there are so many pigeons here!”

“Sir Romandro. They’re tearing at your trouser cuffs.”

“Huh? Aack! Xiao, take this for a moment.”

“If you throw it, I’ll catch it.”

“Pigeon, you rascal! Oh my, stop flying around!”

Flap flap! Flutter!

Was it ever easy to make a living in the city? The pigeons eyed Romandro’s bread greedily, pecking incessantly, flapping their wings, and making cooing sounds.

As they swarmed around him, not allowing him to take even a step, Romandro realized things were going wrong.

“Oh no, you little birds! This is- Xiao, help me!”

“I apologize. Lord Ian instructed me not to leave Your Highness’s side under any circumstances.”

“You fool, how far is it from there to here?”

“Throw the bread far away, sir.”

“Aaah! Aaah!”

Romandro was putting on a one-man show, getting pecked from all directions. It was quite a comical sight, but Jin just hugged his knees and let out a deep sigh. Until just moments ago, he had been truly happy and enjoying himself, but how could his mood flip so suddenly?

“When will Lord Ian return?”

“He said he’d just take a look around, so he should be back soon.”

It was a mistake. He shouldn’t have brought up Timothy’s story there. He had mentioned it simply because the man had left such a strong impression, but that was all. Ian had said he’d take a look around the inner area with Beric and left.

“…”

“Please cheer up.”

“I’m in a great mood.”

“…”

Xiaoshi scratched her chin awkwardly. Jin said he was fine, but since arriving at the park, he hadn’t even glanced at the pigeons.

Lost in thought, Jin kept changing his expression while crossing his arms. He furrowed his brows, then pursed his lips tightly, then sighed again, repeating the cycle.

‘Really. Lord Ian is too much.’

Honestly, Jin knew that Ian’s response was the proper one. Whether it was a misunderstanding or not, the subject was a key member of a foreign delegation, so a thorough check was necessary. He also understood that bringing him to an unfamiliar and busy place would increase the burden of protection.

But he couldn’t help feeling disgruntled. It was a tantrum, but a justified one at that.

Rustle.

Jin got up from the bench to take a short walk. At the same time, the nearby bushes rustled slightly. The hidden knights had moved to follow Jin.

“Sir Romandro, His Highness Jin is moving.”

“Oh, Your Highness, where are you going? No, I mean, where are you going, Jin?”

“I just want to walk a bit.”

“Let’s, let’s go together. Aaaah! You rascals! Move aside!”

“Did you throw away the bread, sir?”

“I did, but the smell lingers. They keep sticking to me!”

Xiaoshi looked back and forth between Romandro, who was under attack from the pigeons, and Jin, then followed behind Jin. She could hear Romandro’s screams from behind.

Rustle.

The child looked around, letting his thoughts drift away.

Lovers whispering sweet nothings while sitting side by side on a bench, a family napping on a picnic blanket, a dog chasing a ball frantically – the peace of Bariel was protecting such diverse scenes.

As Jin was walking along the flower bed, someone called out to him.

“Child.”

An old woman in tattered robes had set up a small stand. Various objects of unknown purpose were neatly laid out, and behind her was a handcart full of miscellaneous goods.

“Are you calling me?”

“I’m sorry, but could you pick up that crystal ball over there?”

A little distance from Jin, a crystal ball was slowly rolling away. At the old woman’s request, Xiao moved first to grab it and hand it over.

“Thank you for your kindness.”

“…”

Xiaoshi noticed that the old woman had no legs under her robes. Jin peered at the items on the stand and the crystal ball with curious eyes. It seemed as if the night sky was contained within it.

“Is this a decorative ball?”

“Hmm. That can’t be. A gypsy having a mere decorative ball is unthinkable. We use this to see the past, read the present, and predict the future.”

Wow, a gypsy. The very gypsy he had only heard about.

There was talk of the Cheonrye tribe’s chief being a gypsy, but other than that, they were people with whom Jin had no connection.

“Are you curious? Shall I show you?”

“Show me what?”

“Anything you wish.”

Jin crouched down and smiled brightly. What could she divine with powers that couldn’t even recognize the imperial prince? Moreover, he knew that nothing was as uncertain as predicting the future.

Jin’s life was proof of that. Even the oracle, which he had believed without doubt to be the voice of God, turned out to be false. How much more unreliable would the words of a street gypsy be?

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have any money on me right now.”

“I don’t take money.”

“Then?”

As the wind gently blew, the old woman’s face was briefly revealed under her robe. Although her features were sagging with wrinkles, her smile was warm. Upon closer inspection, it seemed there were gaps in her cheeks, almost like she had gills, like a human with fish-like features.

“I am a secret eater. Speak your secret aloud for me to hear. Once it’s no longer a secret, I will eat it. Even the tiniest thing will do. Then, I will recite the past and future I’ve seen of you.”

How interesting. Is this how gypsies usually conduct their business? Jin asked calmly.

“Even something trivial?”

“That’s fine.”

“You won’t reveal it to others, will you?”

“Of course not. Since I’ve eaten it, you too won’t be able to tell others. If it’s something you’ve shared with someone else, the same goes for them.”

Hmm. What should he tell her? Jin wiggled his toes as he pondered, then came up with one.

The old woman gestured for Xiaoshi to step back as if telling her not to listen, then leaned her upper body closer. Without legs, she supported herself on her elbows.

“Actually, when I read foreign languages…”

More precisely, when he read foreign languages in front of Lord Ian.

“Hmm.”

“It wasn’t the first time I did it, I had practiced beforehand. I wanted to be praised.”

“Oho!”

Now that’s a delicious secret! The old woman chuckled with great delight. The more roughly she breathed, the more her gill-like features on her cheeks seemed to twitch.

“Good. This is a secret only you know. It’s very tasty. Tasty indeed.”

The old woman fondled the crystal ball with satisfaction. Then, the sparkles that filled the ball began to move slowly, as if they had gained consciousness. How fascinating. It’s similar to the feeling he had when he first saw Lord Ian’s magic.

“…That scar.”

The old woman murmured softly. Jin glanced around discreetly. Xiaoshi saw Romandro running towards them in the distance and signaled that they were here. It seems he still hadn’t managed to chase away a few pigeons.

“It’s fortunate, child. If it weren’t for that, you would already be dead.”

Xiaoshi turned her head in surprise. Setting aside how suspicious it was, what an impertinent thing to say. She tried to intervene, but Jin gently grabbed her arm to stop her.

“Remember that the scar is the beginning of all the questions you hold. And doubt. That will make you grow and protect you. You’re a lonely child. Poor thing.”

Jin unconsciously touched the scar on his chin. The scar is the beginning of all questions? Come to think of it…

‘That’s when Lord Ian first reached out to me.’

Since that day, he had whispered that Jin was precious and comforted him, telling him not to cry. He thought it might just be consoling a child caught up in a civil war, but he could clearly remember the moment of change.

“And stay away from the light. You know well that you can’t shine the brightest next to an even brighter light.”

“What exactly are you seeing?”

“What you’re showing me.”

The light in the crystal ball went out. Romandro, who had rushed over out of breath, brushed off pigeon feathers as he examined Jin and the gypsy woman. She seems suspicious? As Romandro’s eyes narrowed, she smiled and fondled the crystal ball.

“Welcome. Would you like your fortune told too?”

“No, that’s alright. By the way, you shouldn’t be here.”

“Hmm? Why not?”

“This is a no-vending zone. If you go around to the main entrance, there’s a designated area. It would be best to move before the manager finds you.”

“Oh my, oh my. I haven’t been here long, so I didn’t know. Thank you for telling me.”

The old woman slowly packed up her things with an embarrassed smile. As she did, her robe was fully lifted. Jin also realized that she had no legs.

“Shall I help you?”

“Child, you’re kind. But it’s fine. Wouldn’t it be too sad if I couldn’t handle even this much? Run along now.”

Jin nodded and turned around with his companions. What a peculiar person, he thought, continuously looking back even as they walked away. Romandro noticed this and asked the two:

“Did something happen?”

“She told my fortune. She said she was a secret eater.”

“Oh my, what a setup. How outdated.”

“Are there many people like that?”

“They’re all over the marketplace. From those who claim to eat souls to fools babbling about coming from the future, well, it’s just theatrical gimmicks to survive.”

As Romandro and Jin whispered to each other, forgetting they were undercover and talking as usual, Xiaoshi gave them a subtle look. They had drawn a bit of attention while chatting at the stand, so it would be best to be careful.

“What time is it, Sir Romandro?”

“Hmm. It’s just past four in the afternoon.”

“There’s still some time before Brother Ian returns…”

Feeding the pigeons in the park ended rather anticlimactically. Should they wrap up the schedule and head back? It still feels a bit disappointing though.

“How about we go to meet Brother Ian?”

“Ian told us not to come.”

“Not into the alleyways, just nearby.”

“Hmm. We can’t just keep standing here anyway… Shall we look for a suitable tea house to rest in?”

“That sounds good.”

“I wonder if that Beric fellow is behaving himself well.”

“Don’t worry. Beric listens to Brother Ian quite well, doesn’t he?”

Once they meet up, the final itinerary was to stop by Romandro’s mansion for dinner together before entering the palace.

As Jin was about to leave the park, he suddenly looked back. The legless gypsy was nowhere to be seen, with only flattened grass leaves remaining as a trace of her stand.

***

Meanwhile, in the back alley where Ian and Beric had entered.

The group’s worries were not entirely unfounded.

Ian frowned and waved his hand to disperse the cigarette smoke wafting in from all directions. Mixed with the acrid smell were subtle sour and sweet scents. Surely, drugs and aphrodisiacs. He put down his card hand and tapped the remaining chips.

“Oh, you’re quite good at this!”

“Wait, wait! I’m not dead yet.”

“You idiot! Hurry up and die. He needs an ace to win this hand. But that came out earlier, remember?”

“Argh! Damn it! This is so frustrating!”

“Oh my, getting frustrated when you can’t even count cards.”

“Hey, set up a spot here too. I want to join.”

The number of onlookers surrounding Ian’s table gradually increased. As the atmosphere heated up, the sound of clinking beer mugs could be heard from around, and someone’s cheers and screams were also punctuated with music.

“But I haven’t seen you before. Are you from around here?”

“From out of town.”

“I don’t like how he looks.”

“You always say that about good-looking guys.”

It was absurd enough to be caught up in an unexpected gambling den, but to draw so much attention while undercover? Ian rubbed his brow and looked at the iron bars on the opposite side. Beric was locked inside, eagerly tearing into some meat.

“Iaaaan! Fighting! Hang in there, hang in!”

“You…”

As their eyes met, Beric shook the iron bars vigorously, cheering him on. When the guard watching next to him jabbed him with a skewer, complaining about the noise, Beric glared and spat out curses.

“That hurts! You wanna die?”

“Hey now, keep your shit together.”

“Yeah, you. When I get out of here, you’re the first one I’m cutting down.”

Ian thought that he really shouldn’t bring Beric along in the future, as he revealed his cards. Exclamations erupted from all around for the winner.