Chapter 3
"Just keep the change."
"Oh, my, thank you, milady."
The aroma of freshly baked hot cornbread was sweet in the air.
I parked my bicycle in front of the bakery, cradled a bag of warm bread in my arms, and strolled towards the department store across the street.
Even though Astoria Street was considered safe, leaving a bicycle or any luxury item unattended on the side of the road could invite theft.
There was still some time left before my appointment. It was a relief that the bakery was still in business. A place where my mother and I used to stop by during holidays when I was young...
The taste had changed a bit, but the nostalgia was comforting.
The streets were already tinged with a Christmassy atmosphere.
Taking a big bite of cornbread, I admired the beautifully decorated shop windows, the bustling gift shops, groups of giggling students, and couples strolling arm in arm.
"Whoah!"
Out of nowhere, someone grabbed my hand and started running, causing me to drop the bag of bread.
Oh no, my bread!
I had no choice but to run along, feeling like I was being dragged, without even having a chance to question what was happening.
The bewildered stares of passersby were directed straight at us, but it wasn't as romantic as they might have thought. I hoped Valentina wouldn't lose sight of me.
Gasping for breath, we darted through a narrow alleyway and finally arrived at an unfamiliar place that looked like a pub or warehouse.
He abruptly stopped, causing me to collide with him, and he pushed me against the wall.
Ouch, that hurt.
"Hello, dear Princess. How have you been?"
"… Are you drunk?"
"Drunk? Nah, impossible! I wish I could get drunk, but that damned alcohol is getting way too expensive. Thanks to someone."
Blaming the Serpentes for the rising alcohol prices? Regardless of the cost of the drink, it didn't concern him much, but Knoxus didn't seem drunk either.
He appeared to be intoxicated by a mixture of hia intense emotions.
"What on earth are you doing? What's going on?"
Is that your only question? Watching his purple eyes, ablaze like a volcano on the verge of eruption, I sighed and managed a bitter smile.
"That goes for both the Hyung and his younger brother."
I was surprisingly honest as if I were confessing something.
Knoxus seemed to understand the implications of my words, and his features momentarily tensed before he growled in a mixture of anger and frustration, akin to an enraged leopard.
"What did Hyung say to you when he visited you earlier?"
"Did you come all this way just because you were curious about that? I'm sure you've already guessed what our conversation was about."
"You…"
"Did you think I didn't know that damn fountain pen would end up in your hands? Your Highness is so naive that he didn't realize whom he was dealing with?"
His grip on my wrist, which had been tight, trembled and weakened. I managed to pull my hand free and turned my gaze away from him.
Knoxus stared at me for a moment, then reached out again, this time lifting my chin to make me look at him. His eyes bore into mine, a mix of anger, confusion, suspicion, and longing.
"Yup, there's no way you wouldn't have known. I figured as much. But if that's the case, why are you warning me like this?"
"Who said I was warning you..."
"Do you think I came here without gathering any information? I'm not an idiot, no matter what my foolish Hyung told you. You've been hiding an unbelievable secret all this time."
I understood his point.
"Ha, now I see it clearly. Why the Python Bank remained silent about the Imperial family's debt, and why that Serpente bastard serves as my brother's loyal lapdog... I assumed there was some kind of deal going on between them under the guise of friendship. But now it's crystal clear: you're a princess trapped in a tower, and the prince is none other than my own Hyung."
Why does that fact bother me so much? I'm not the princess in the tower. That princess died long ago and was laid to rest.
"What are you trying to say?"
"What am I trying to say? Damn it, what do you want? What are you? What kind of scheme did you use to get close to me?"
"I never got close to Your Highness. It was you who approached me."
"What..."
"If I had known you were this stupid, I would've told you earlier. I want you to leave me alone."
He flinched again, this time at my cynicism. As the anger slowly receded from his sullen face, confusion took its place.
"What is that…?"
"No, maybe we were the fools. I didn't expect that you, Your Highness, would run to your hated older brother and inquire about us so curiously. When did you two become so friendly?"
His pride seemed to have taken a hit, and Knoxus looked at me with flushed cheeks, almost as if he was about to explode in anger.
"You and those snakes... So, you've been locked up for nearly two years..."
"I was a playmate and nanny to the late young Lady. It wasn't surprising that I was imprisoned with them after their parents died of the plague."
"Back there..."
"Do you want to know how we spent our time there? Should I tell you all the tearful, nightmarish details? Is that what you want?"
"..."
"I never even thought that Your Highness would understand."
Silence hung in the air. Amidst the heavy, inexplicable quietness, Knoxus stared at me, seemingly gathering his thoughts.
He then retrieved a cigarette case from his inner pocket, extracted a cigarette, lit it, and finally seemed to realize something.
"They destroyed your life."
"..."
"Now I understand a bit. If only you hadn't been her nanny..."
I sighed heavily, my gaze dropping. It reminded me of a time when Benya had said something similar. How foolish...
"Since then, has he..."
Knoxus looked at my face with a somewhat awkward expression. I couldn't help but burst into laughter, and he misinterpreted it.
"Sending the fountain pen to Count Vivora wasn't a warning or a notification, then..."
"Does it even matter now?"
"… I didn't intend to hand it over to Hyung like that. He was so confused that he took it away..."
"Thanks to you, it's returned to its original owner, hasn't it?"
A father's belongings were returned to his son.
"… I'm sorry."
"What?"
"It wasn't my intention, but I ended up causing you trouble again."
"..."
"There's no way that human who just happens to be my older brother wouldn't tell him... Damn it. I'm losing my mind."
He raked his fingers through his black hair, seemingly frustrated, and kicked an empty oak barrel stacked to the side.
It was quite the spectacle, considering that he had pushed me around not too long ago. His face displayed a mix of confusion, remorse, and concern.
"It's only natural that Your Highness' friends wouldn't trust me. Especially the Serpente family..."
"Damn it, to hell with them all. I can't trust them either, given their guilt, but they're acting all self-righteous."
"… Can I go now, Your Highness? Lady Orsini is probably waiting for me at the department store salon by now."
Turning around, I fidgeted with my throbbing wrist, but Knoxus blocked my path with a sense of urgency.
"Wait. Are you planning to leave like this?"
"There's no need to apologize. Let's just pretend today didn't happen..."
"How can we pretend it didn't happen? How... How can we pretend nothing happened when it's clear that something might happen to you because of my stupid mistake?"
"Nothing happened to me..."
"Stop saying that nothing happened. Why don't you be a little more honest about this?"
"Please move out of the way. I really need to go."
"You can't go until you tell me what that bastard is planning to do to you."
What am I supposed to say? Come to think of it, his personality isn't as harmless as he projects it. He's furious about what he imagines I might be going through, yet here he is, eager to hear all the details.
"No matter what it is, Your Highness brought this upon yourself."
His eyes shook violently as I whispered bitterly. Meeting my gaze, he trembled helplessly, as if an earthquake had struck. I whispered again.
"Never contact me like this again."
"… Sasha, wait. Just wait a minute."
With an unexpectedly desperate plea, he held onto my hand anxiously. When I reluctantly turned back, the flickering expression on the prince's face was truly puzzling. Guilt was expected, but I also saw fear.
Almost like a child terrified of being abandoned by their mother...
"If you keep going like this, you'll wither and fade away. That bastard's Legistra... If you're getting the poison resistance effect, it means you've been consuming it for so long that it's slowly poisoning you too, rendering it useless."
He was referring to the incident at the hotel opening ceremony. That t was no different from poisoning me.
"There's someone who knows how to make an antidote."
Someone who knows how to counteract the effects of Legistra? Are you talking about Snake Eyes? I tilted my head. Indeed, the antidote to that effect wasn't only made by the Serpentes.
"If you're talking about an antidote..."
"I'll introduce you to them. Go and get the medicine. It's not from a suspicious source, so don't worry."
"…"
"Listen, I... No matter what anyone says, I'll believe you. As someone on your side, I'll remain loyal until the end."
"…"
"I won't make the same mistake as today again."
After Knoxus earnestly added that, he grabbed my shoulder one last time and left first.
I waited for a while and stepped out of the dark, musty warehouse. Where exactly was this place...?
"Sasha."
"Do you want to eat? I just bought this."
I wondered where the sweet aroma came from. I obediently took the brown paper bag that Valentina handed over, retrieved a piece of bread, and took a hearty bite.
Meanwhile, Valentina leaned against the wall, cigarette in hand, and stared at me.
After a moment of silence, I spoke up.
"I suppose you heard everything."
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