How the Disgusting Suitor Met His End - Chapter 60

Cecilia checked on Margaret and stepped out of the elevator. The interior was ordinary. Fitting for the floor above a bookstore, it was full of books, and a desk stood in front of a large window.

The man naturally perched on the desk. Cecilia looked around the room, searching for a chair to sit on. But there were no chairs anywhere.

The man smirked at her search.

“It’s the principle for guests to stand, so stop looking for a chair.”

“Oh, really?”

Was he still trying to maintain a power struggle?

Cecilia snickered and abruptly perched next to him. The man, who had been standing with his arms crossed, jumped in surprise and shuffled his hips away to put distance between them.

“W-What do you think you’re doing?”

“My legs hurt.”

“You, you’d sit next to me just because of that?”

“Why? Does it bother you that I’m close?”

“N-No way!”

The face barely visible beneath the brim of his hat turned crimson.

“It doesn’t!”

“Hmm, your reaction is quite innocent. You’re a kid, aren’t you? I came all this way looking for a capable errand runner.”

“A kid? I’m not a kid!”

Cecilia jumped down with a disappointed look. Seeing her attitude as if she were about to leave, the man grabbed Cecilia’s arm.

“If you want to place a secret request in Erdel, this is the only place. There’s nowhere better.”

What do you mean, no? You’re barely hatched.

“That hurts.”

“Huh?”

“Take your hand off me.”

At Cecilia’s glance, he looked down at his hand and jumped back in surprise.

“S-Sorry.”

The sleeve of her dress was heavily wrinkled from his rough grip. The man couldn’t tear his gaze away from it.

Cecilia laughed inwardly. He was a chestnut-like boy. Prickly on the outside, but if you peeled him open, a sweet inner flesh would greet you.

“If you’re done with your nonsense, can I place my request?”

“What do you want?”

The man asked in a slightly softer voice.

“I need someone to take me to Martine Street while evading the eyes of my escort knights who are waiting outside the bookstore.”

“What? Martine Street? Why are you going there?”

“To meet a w***e.”

The face beneath the brim was horrified. The man couldn’t believe his ears.

“Are you crazy? That place is dangerous, especially for a woman like you!”

“Will something terrible happen if I go alone?”

“Is that even a question?”

“Then you can just assign a strong person to escort me. So, are you going to accept the request or not?”

“Ha!”

The man rubbed his head, hat and all. Seeing Cecilia’s gentle smile, he couldn’t help but feel she wouldn’t listen no matter how much he tried to dissuade her.

“Follow me. I’ll do as you wish.”

The man, after a long hesitation, yanked the elevator door open and looked back.

“I can leave your servant behind, right?”

“Of course.”

“Ah, My Lady! No!”

“This is the place you introduced me to, Margaret. It’s fine.”

Margaret looked at her with pitiful, worry-filled eyes but did not press further. Her trust in Cecilia had deepened since the incident in the forest.

She knew she was a fragile-looking young lady, but she believed that Cecilia would use this man as a shield and return safe and sound.

“Please be careful on your trip!”

The elevator door slammed shut with Cecilia’s faint smile as the last sight.

***

The ‘Errand Runners’ of Erdel.

The organization hidden in the small bookstore possessed a surprising variety of tricks.

The elevator, which she thought would head to the first floor, stopped underground, and they emerged through a tunnel into a completely different building. Furthermore, there was not just one tunnel. There were three or four different excavated paths.

“Your facilities are more extensive than I thought?”

“What exactly did you think we were?”

“I thought you just ran frivolous errands for nobles.”

The red-haired man sneered and walked ahead. Cecilia followed him, pulling the hood of the plain robe she had prepared over her head.

Thanks to the tunnel, Martine Street was reached quickly. The further they walked, the sparser the people became and the shabbier the buildings got, until a street lined with tightly packed, narrow houses appeared.

“Here it is, Martine Street.”