The Marquis’ Lost Mistress - Chapter 16

‘Sea. The sea means fish. Does she like fish?’

 

After buying stationery and envelopes, ink and quills, he had nothing to do, so he walked the streets thinking about the Kingdom of Sronakia.

 

‘Fish is delicious. It’s expensive. After this work, shall I go to the beach? I’ll fill my stomach with fish.’

 

As he was thinking about fish, he happened to see a stall selling cheap trinkets.

 

To be exact, the fish-shaped brooch on the kiosk.

 

And Har bought it impulsively.

 

***

 

Today, Har headed to the front of Leila’s house.

 

Seeing that her body leaned slightly forward with every step, it seemed that the bundle she was carrying was not only big on the outside, but actually weighed quite a bit. Lelia revisited the stores she had visited the day before.

 

‘What is she selling?’

 

Leila’s steps became significantly lighter whenever she got out of a store.

 

Har was not the only one who made the same guess while watching her.

 

Again, the thieves began to follow her. If you sell something, of course you will make money.

 

Also, they expected that since Leila’s outfit and her appearance were luxurious, the things she’s selling must be worth a lot.

 

‘Was there so many thieves in the capital?’

 

Just like the day before, Har secretly beat up the thieves who were following Leila.

 

There are so many thieves in the capital, and that woman was wandering around defenselessly without knowing this.

 

She took her lightened bag and headed to her house.

 

Har followed Leila, earnestly wishing that this road would end soon. Once Leila goes into her house, he will put the letter in her mailbox right away.

 

‘After this, I will never do this again.’ He vowed.

 

However, Leila broke Har’s expectations today as well.

 

‘Uwaaah!’

 

Har covered his mouth with his hand to swallow the scream that was about to explode and quickly hid himself.

 

It was because the door opened the moment he reached out his arm toward the mailbox. Had he lacked the slightest ability, he would have been caught.

 

As soon as Leila entered the house, she came out again in less than three minutes.

 

‘Ah, ah, ah! Please! Please stop doing this, I’m begging you!’

 

And carrying a heavy bag like before.

 

Then, as before, she began to visit the stores.

 

‘What are you selling?! What the hell!’

 

Har screamed inwardly as he hit the backs of the thieves behind Leila.

 

When she headed back home once again, Har really hoped this would be the last.

 

However, Leila came out of the house again, and this was repeated until the sun went down. It wasn’t until the street completely darkened that Leila stopped this strange behavior.

 

‘What did I do today?’

 

Har looked at Leila’s house, where the light was leaking out of the window.

 

He slipped his hand into the cloak he was wearing and touched the wretched letter. All day long he had been chasing after her, catching the thieves that were after her.

 

‘If I put this in the mailbox, it would be treated like garbage and thrown away.’

 

“Ha…”

 

Har, who was standing in the alley, let out a weary sigh. He now has to write another letter and return.

 

‘Should I come back right away?’

 

But what if Leila goes out again tomorrow in a dangerous way?

 

No matter how protective he was, he didn’t want to keep doing this rude thing.

 

But nonetheless.

 

“I’m hungry.”

 

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t eaten since breakfast. I had to fill my stomach first.’

 

Har tried to return to the inn, while clutching his stomach that kept making a rumbling sound.

 

But he stopped before he could even walk ten steps out of the alley.

 

Then he turned around and stared blankly at Leila’s house.

 

‘… Could it be? Am I just overthinking things?’

 

He didn;t know what she sold, but in any case, Leila had sold a fair amount of stuff today.

 

Since she hadn’t stopped by a bank since then, her money from selling her stuff would be with her. To be exact, in that house where Leila is.

 

The thieves who were targeting Leila were not alone, and the only ones that Har saw were those who had moved in earnest.

 

So, other thieves who weren’t hit by Har might have realized this as well.

 

If the thieves wanted to, finding Leila’s house would be as easy as eating cold soup.

[T/N: As easy as eating cold soup is a Korean saying, I think it should be equivalent to ‘a piece of cake’, but tell me if I’m wrong.]

 

Didn’t Har find her house without much difficulty?

 

Besides, she was alone in that house. The maids would soon be off work, and there was no one to protect her.

 

‘Nope. That won’t happen. Harsian, come to your senses.’

 

Maybe there was a reason why the Marquis hadn’t attached an escort to Leila so far. Maybe he had given her something that could guarantee her safety.

 

Maybe there was a very skilled person attached to her. One that even Har wouldn’t notice.

 

If not, then the fact that she had been defenseless for years meant she was safe enough.

 

‘So let’s not worry about her safety and not ponder about having to watch out here.’

 

What’s the difference between protection and surveillance? He didn’t want to do anything so shameless anymore.

 

‘Let’s not be nosy and just fill my stomach.’

 

Har turned his back and walked towards the inn, sticking both hands into his pockets. His fingers touched something in the pocket. It was the fish-shaped brooch he bought yesterday.

 

***

 

The morning sun was bright. Har was sitting in the alley, watching Leila’s house with wide eyes.

 

In just one day, his cheeks were thinning.

 

In the end, he spent the night here and it was a good decision. Because he caught two thieves trying to break into Leila’s house during the night.

 

‘I’m hungry. And sleepy…’

 

Only after the maids came would he return to the inn.

 

He had made several resolutions to drive away the hunger and the desire to sleep throughout the night.

 

However, after coming to the capital, to be exact, after trying to meet Leila, things seldom went as he expected.

 

The maids didn’t go to work on this particular day. Come to think of it, he didn’t even see them leaving work yesterday.

 

And Leila is going out with a big bag today.

 

“…God damn it.”

 

He rose from his seat, and chased Leila’s back with slightly bloodshot eyes, thinking that there was no such thing as alertness or vigilance in Leila.

 

In fact, Har was right about this.

 

Leila seldom went out for years, and all she did was go out to the bookstore or a nearby park.

 

She lacked awareness because she didn’t do much buying or selling things.

 

But Har didn’t know that the thieves started to think strange things because he kicked them out one by one.

 

They thought, ‘That mistress sells a lot of stuff. There must be a lot of money in the house, enough to live without having to work for the rest of our lives!’

 

Not to mention that she was selling her things under the secret protection of a very skilled man.

 

Therefore, some thieves decided to steal the accumulated money (?) even at the risk.

 

This strange rumor spread quietly in a day, sparking the will of the great people hiding in the capital.

 

***

 

Three more days have passed since then.

 

Har was still in the alley. Ah, his attitude has changed a bit.

 

He was now leaning against the wall of the alley and hugging his knees, instead of sitting down normally.

 

“I don’t even know whether I’m awake or sleeping at the moment.”

 

His eyes were red and bloodshot as he was muttering to himself.

 

There is no need to disguise now. After sitting for three days in an alley overflowing with garbage, he had naturally become a beggar.

 

Originally, he wanted to go back once the maids came back to work. And the maids did start working normally two days ago.

 

However, he couldn’t turn away because he doubted whether only three women would be able to stop a thief.

 

He accomplished the feat of catching five thieves in three days. But now he has reached his limit.

 

When Leila went out, he could still eat street food along the way, but it wasn’t the same with the need to sleep.

 

He was really at his limit.

 

“Where else are you going?”

 

While Har was looking at the mansion with his mouth half open and hazy eyes, Leila came out. Har, who was covering his body with a piece of dirty cloth that he picked up in the alley, got up.

 

‘… But why am I protecting Leila?’

 

He lacked sleep, and the lack of sleep robbed him of the ability to think normally.

 

‘I don’t know anymore. Let’s just follow along.’

 

***

 

As Leila feared that Theon might visit the house and find the money while she was not there, she kept carrying the money so that nobody might find it. Thanks to this, she was able to avoid the thieves.

 

Also, fortunately, the heirlooms that symbolize the Elantre family were not stolen, perhaps because they did not know their value or because Leila hid it so well. She only had to be wary of street thieves.

 

What was a little reassuring was that she had never met street thieves until now.

 

“This is the capital of a large country, so the security is good.”

 

It would have been nice to continue living in a capital with such good security, but unfortunately she couldn’t.

 

Because there is Theon in the capital.

 

‘Would the capitals of other kingdoms be similar? I guess I’ll have to go to one of those capitals to settle down properly!’

 

Leila, who was wary of her surroundings, but still diligently moved her steps, reached her destination.

 

The place she found was a mercenary guild.