“I guess I’ve said something unnecessary,”
Thomas muttered, looking apologetic.
“It’s okay,”
Leni shook her head and forced a smile.
As they exited the plaza and entered the market’s edge, a group of workers gathered and chattered noisily.
“Did you hear about the Red Wolf, the Supreme Commander of the Cavalry? They say he fought faster than light and hotter than fire.”
“That’s right. If it wasn’t for the Red Wolf, many more of our sons wouldn’t have come back.”
“Now that the war is over, what’s the point of being brave? When his kingdom fell, he clung to Ekillium.”
A sticky liquid, looking like animal waste, dripped down the street.
“He was just a seven-year-old boy. What could a little kid have done?”
“True. It’s impressive that he survived.”
“Do you think so? If the Red Wolf becomes the next king, maybe even the fallen citizens will be freed.”
“That’s right, the Red Wolf is our hope. Now that the prince has grown, maybe he can revive our fallen nation.”
Two men, exchanging sharp glances, also wore black bands on their heads.
It was the mark of slaves from the defeated Kia Beck.
One of them spat on the ground.
“Pah! You like the prince? Wake up from your dreams. The conquerors will make the Rehat family’s bloodline the king? That’s nonsense!”
“But he’s a hero. Ekilium respects strong warriors.”
“Whether it’s the Red Wolf or someone else, they fought not to die on the battlefield. Did they fight for us? After all, he’s his father’s son. What good will the tyrant’s blood do him?”
“Yeah, I heard rumors that he’s a monster. They say he’s so ruthless even demons fear him.”
Leni recalled the victory parade she had witnessed two days ago in Zeto Plaza.
The Ekillium army, starting from Kia Beck, had subdued the small kingdoms of the central plains before finally conquering the eastern Verdun.
The unification was complete, and now the Ratznia continent was under Ekilium’s rule.
At the head of the victory parade, Ekilium’s prince and princess rode side by side, with a proud knight riding behind them.
The spectators whispered that the knight, his face hidden behind a helmet, was the Red Wolf.
The stories they heard were chilling.
They said Sir Blayden Rehart, the Red Wolf, was covered in blood after battles, indifferent even to being cut by a sword or hit by arrows.
Some claimed he could endure for three days without sleep, while others said he remained calm even in the middle of a winter snowstorm.
There were even rumors that the Red Wolf had sold his soul to the spirit of war and gained immortality.
“Mr. Thomas, is Sir Rehat the prince of the fallen Kia Beck?”
“That’s right. He’s the last and only surviving royal of Kia Beck.”
“Then what about the rumor… the one about his father and his heart… is it true?”
The story is about Blayden Rehart’s childhood. After Ekilium conquered Kia Beck, a surrender ceremony was held in Zeto Plaza, where Blayden, then the prince of Kia Beck, allegedly opened his executed father’s body and took his heart, offering it to the conqueror Tigrinu.
“Is it really… true?”
Thomas’s silence was the answer. Leni had hoped it was just a made-up story.
“Poor child… How scared must he have been?”
Leni’s nose tinged with emotion.
“The child’s innocent. But those who suffered because of the Red Wolf’s father might see things differently.”
She had heard that Odin, the Red Wolf’s father, was a tyrant—cruel and depraved, so much so
that some of the people of Kia Beck celebrated his execution.
“When you think about it, Kia Beck’s downfall was Odin’s fault. No one was left to fight for a tyrant.”
“Did Odin’s relatives die too?”
“Indeed. His brother, his nephew, cousins—everyone in the royal family. And it wasn’t just royals; any nobles who refused to surrender to Ekilium met the same fate.”
Thomas made a gesture as though slashing his throat with his finger.
“The only one Tigrinu spared was Odin’s son.”
“Why didn’t he kill the prince?”
“They wanted to, but the boy was so talented that they decided to let him live. When you think about it, Tigrinu really saw something in him. The boy they spared ended up playing a key role in the war, helping them win.”
“The Red Wolf must be quite the knight.”
If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have been appointed Supreme Commander of the Cavalry despite being a prisoner.
“He was useful, so they made use of him. In war, you have to be useful to survive.”
“Yes.”
In the theater, if someone’s usefulness runs out, they exit the stage.
If the boy hadn’t been clever, he might have died.
Leni rubbed her chest, which had grown cold with the thought.
It was a relief that he survived, but no matter how she thought about it, the Red Wolf’s fate seemed cruel.
What must it have been like, going to war as a knight for the one who destroyed his own kingdom?
Imagining the one who killed his father seizing the throne made her blood boil.
If it was so for the theater, how much worse was it to watch your kingdom fall?
As the chill in her heart slowly ebbed, Leni remembered a piece of gossip she had overheard.
“But Mr. Thomas, was the Red Wolf really as monstrous as they say?”
“The person I know says he’s quite the handsome fellow.”
“Who’s this person?”
“My cousin’s friend’s neighbor’s son-in-law.”
“Ha! If you trace it like that, everyone in the world must be someone you know.”
Leni made a face of disbelief.
Thomas shrugged, a grin spreading across his broad face.
Leni couldn’t help but smile too, and the two of them chuckled as they passed the fruit stand.
At the end of the street, around the corner, was a candle shop.
They walked inside, passing a hexagonal wooden carving shaped like a beehive that sat at the entrance.
A young man who had been polishing candle holders in the back corner stood up and greeted them.
“Welcome.”
He wore a red headscarf, and his face was waxed, as though it had been burned.
Beneath the neatly tied scarf, his slightly exposed ear caught Leni’s attention.
She lowered her gaze as it seemed to have been scarred.
“I’d like to see the candle holders.”
Thomas approached the young man and spoke.
“Right this way.”
The man guided them to the opposite side of the store.
On a long wooden table, candles of all kinds of colors and shapes were displayed.
Thomas picked up a silver candle holder.
The decoration of an angel blowing a trumpet at the base was delicate.
“I’ll take this one.”
He paid with silver coins and received his change.
The clerk carefully wrapped the candle holder in a plain cloth and handed it to Thomas.
As they left the store, Leni followed closely behind him.
From behind them, the clerk called out cheerfully.
“Have a bright day like the sun, miss.”
Leni’s mind lingered on the clerk’s words, and as they walked toward the fabric store, she kept giggling to herself.
“Do you like being called ‘miss,’ Leni?”
Thomas asked from beside her.
“Yes!”
Leni answered cheerfully, turning to look at him.
Thomas’s eyes curved down as he smiled.
“It feels like just yesterday I found you in the forest. Time sure flies, huh?”
“Did you save me, Mr. Thomas?”
Leni didn’t know her birth parents.
When she was an infant, theater troupe members had found her in the forest and raised her.
“It was Master who first saw you, but I was the first to hear you cry. So, I’d say I took you in.”
“Yes. I’ll acknowledge that.”
Thomas’s large hand gently patted Leni’s head.
“Since you’ve acknowledged it, how about I get you a little gift? Let’s hurry and go. I’ll buy you a pretty ribbon at the fabric store.”
At the fabric store, Thomas immediately picked out a ribbon.
“Leni, how about this one?”
It was an emerald-colored satin ribbon, sparkling with gold thread.
“Do I really deserve satin?”
Leni picked up a simple white linen ribbon from a corner of the store.
“But it’s your twentieth birthday. You should pick the prettiest one for a special day.”
“This one’s the prettiest.”
The neat, pure white ribbon reminded her of clouds.
The lace at the edges also appealed to her.
Most importantly, it looked sturdy enough that she wouldn’t have to worry about it getting damaged, and she could wear it often.
If she wore it every day, Thomas’s warm feelings would stay with her.
“Is that so? If you like it, then I’ll buy it for you.”
After deciding on the ribbon, the two of them picked out a black-purple cloak to use as a theater prop.
Once Thomas made his decision, he pulled out his coin pouch and handed it to Leni.
“Go ahead and pay for the cloak first. I’ll look at handkerchiefs for a bit.”
“Are you buying one for Aunt Nancy?”
“Well, I’m just looking.”
“Okay, take your time.”
Leni winked at Thomas, who seemed a little awkward, before going up to the shopkeeper.
“How much is this?”
The shopkeeper named a price, and Leni pulled out a gold coin from her pouch and handed it over.
“Let me see… 1 Shallis, and the change would be… wait, what’s this?”
As the shopkeeper inspected the coin, his expression darkened, and he glared at Leni.
“Where did you get this fake coin from?”
“Excuse me?”
“A fake coin, huh? They’ve been circulating counterfeit coins around the market, and now we’ve got a scammer here.”
The shopkeeper grabbed her wrist, and Leni was startled.
“Scammer?!”
“You’re not a scammer? What’s this then? Trying to deceive me with this junk!”
The shopkeeper shoved the coin right in front of her face, shouting angrily.
“Open your eyes. What’s this?!”
“What do you mean, it’s 1 Shallis… huh?”
Leni stopped mid-sentence, realizing something was wrong.
The coin looked strange.
If it were truly 1 Shallis, it should’ve been a gold coin with the king’s face on it, but what was in her hand was a cheap-looking copper coin.
“See it now? Are you still going to insist it’s 1 Shallis?”
The coin, which had a red tinge and sun motifs on both sides, was definitely not 1 Shallis.
“How did this happen?”
Leni was flustered.
She had traveled across borders of several kingdoms, but she had never seen such a coin before.
“Don’t ask me! You scammer!”
“Please calm down and listen to me. I didn’t try to deceive you on purpose.”
“Who do you think you’re talking back to? Caught red-handed trying to scam me!”
“If I give you 1 Shallis, will you let go of my wrist?”
“Ha! You think you can escape just by letting go? Hey, you there!”
The shopkeeper turned around, glaring at Thomas, who was standing behind them with a surprised expression.
“You’re caught too! I’ve finally caught a counterfeit coin ring! Don’t think you can run away. Hey, kids!”