~Chapter 101~
An Unadorned Self
“…Yes.”
After a brief silence, Karsian readily accepted her suggestion — just like before, without even asking where she meant.
For him, it was obvious. If it meant being joined with her under the word “we,” then no matter what muddy pit lay ahead, he would step into it without hesitation.
“There’s a little restaurant I sometimes go to, not far from here. Let’s head there. Oh, unless you already reserved somewhere else?”
Karsian subtly shook his head. In truth, he had secured a private room at one of the city’s most exclusive restaurants — the kind only available through painstaking reservation. But he saw no reason to bring it up.
“The place I’m talking about isn’t one nobles usually visit. It’s a bit noisy, and not exactly clean. Are you sure you’ll be all right? Please tell me if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“Of course. As I mentioned before, I’ve got a strong stomach. Sitting on bare dirt with blood on my hands while eating was nothing unusual for me — so don’t worry about that.”
He regretted saying it the moment it left his mouth. There had been no need for such detail.
Would she despise him more for it? But instead of recoiling, Eleanor looked calm. In fact, she even smiled, as though she was relieved to find common ground.
“Wow, I’ve actually done something like that too. Seems we have more in common than I thought.”
A memory flashed in Eleanor’s mind — a boy at the orphanage, three or four years older, who would steal her share of bread and potatoes by using his bigger size. One day, when she’d had enough, she threw sand in his eyes and punched him square in the nose. The boy had run off bawling, blood pouring down his face.
Eleanor had sat right there on the dirt, hands still stained with his blood, eating a potato. And it tasted delicious. She remembered it even now, because it was probably the very first time she’d tasted the sweetness of revenge.
“Well then, I’m glad you don’t mind. Let’s go.”
She smiled brightly and tugged him in a new direction.
***
It only took five to ten minutes by carriage from Cardiff’s luxurious Mayfair Street to reach a place that felt like another city entirely. The grand buildings gave way to low, cramped ones; the wide roads narrowed until a two-horse carriage could barely squeeze through.
This was Delancey Street — just as crowded as Mayfair, but with an entirely different energy.
The street bustled with vendors and barkers. From nearby foreign restaurants came the scent of exotic spices. With few streetlamps, some broken, the area felt dim and shadowed. Foreign tongues filled the air, making it feel like another country altogether.
It hardly seemed like a place to “rest.”
But for Eleanor, this was exactly where she could breathe.
Here, no one paid attention to her name or to “Astria” hanging on her shoulders. Here, among strangers forming their own communities, she felt freer than she ever did on glittering Mayfair.
She couldn’t come often, but whenever her chest felt heavy and her heart stifled, she would sneak here alone. This was the first time she had ever brought someone with her. Not even Nora, once so dear, nor Ernst, her protector, had come here by her side.
It felt like showing Karsian a piece of her bare self. Curious, Eleanor stole a glance at him.
At the moment, Karsian wore a wide-brimmed hat — the one she had picked out for him at a street stall earlier. Her eccentric taste made it a bit shabby and ridiculous, though Eleanor thought she had chosen rather well.
She worried he might feel uncomfortable in such a place, but his face showed no displeasure. Instead, he looked intrigued. He pointed toward something up ahead.
“They’re doing something strange over there.”
She followed his finger. A man had set three cups on the ground and was moving them swiftly back and forth. A small crowd crouched, eyes glued to the shuffling cups.
“That’s a shell game. First time seeing one?”
“Yes. At least in person. May I watch for a bit?”
“Of course. Let’s get closer.”
So he’s never seen this before? Eleanor found his wide-eyed curiosity endearing. She didn’t know that his life had been consumed by monster-hunting from a young age, leaving little time for such ordinary sights.
“Step right up! Step right up! Where will the ball end up?”
The hustler clapped his hands dramatically, then blurred his hands in a dizzying display as he shuffled the cups.
A typical noble would have curled their lip at such “lowly gambling” and walked past. But the Astria daughter and the Duke of Royster stood still, watching closely with fascination.
“Now, make your guess!”
Eleanor’s eyes darted left and right, then stopped. At the same moment, she and Karsian whispered:
“The right one.”
“The right one.”
Their eyes met. Both exchanged a look of mutual respect — not bad.
“The answer is… the right one! Congratulations!”
“Ha! I really won double my money back! Thank you!”
A burly man cheered, taking his winnings.
“…How odd. Such an easy trick, and they really gave him double. Is this charity work?”
“No. More likely he’s the shill — that big man.”
“The shill?”
“Yes. It’s part of the setup to lure others in.”
She leaned in and whispered the explanation. Karsian nodded thoughtfully.
Sure enough, another woman, face flushed, placed down a hefty sum. Her strange clothing suggested she was a foreigner, new to Juvenile.
The hustler shuffled the cups again at lightning speed. But Karsian’s sharp eyes narrowed.
“There. I saw it.”
“Yes, it’s a trick. Once the victim bets, they hide the ball in their hand.”
The balls used were usually soft, easy to crumple into a palm. The hustler would secretly remove it, then slip it under the “winning” cup after the victim guessed wrong.
Eleanor had learned this in the orphanage, but even knowing it, catching it with the eye was nearly impossible. The man’s hands were that fast.
But Karsian spotted it instantly. Of course. A knight’s reflexes. His body really is extraordinary.
Eleanor, impressed, bent down and picked up a few small stones. Karsian gave her a puzzled look, but she only smiled playfully, as if to say, I can handle myself too.
“Since it’s for a lady, I’ll even show you one empty cup.” The hustler lifted the middle cup. “See? No ball. That leaves a fifty-fifty chance! Go ahead, pick!”
“Then… left!” the woman declared brightly.
The hustler smirked. Confident, he reached for the right cup — about to drop the hidden ball inside.
Thwack!
Before his hand even touched it, a stone flew through the air and struck the cup dead on.
Clatter. The cup tipped back, showing it was empty.
The hustler froze, then looked up to see Eleanor smiling sweetly, covering her mouth in mock embarrassment.
“Oh dear, forgive me. I was practicing juggling, and one must have bounced too far.”
“You—!”
“Eek! I was right! I win, I win! Pay me!”
The hustler’s curse was drowned out by the woman’s excited cry. He scowled. The ball wasn’t in the right cup — which meant her guess of the left was correct. In truth, the left cup was also empty, but if he revealed that, it would expose his scam.
Grinding his teeth, the hustler hesitated. At that moment, the shill stepped forward, his huge frame looming toward Eleanor. Clearly, intimidation was his real role.
But today, Eleanor had her own giant beside her.
“In the Stella Mountains, some monsters also use decoys to trap prey. Funny, this feels about the same.”
Karsian stepped in front of her. He smiled thinly, but his eyes glared at the big man with a murderous edge.
“They flail and bluff, only to end up slaughtered by my hand. I wonder… will your fate be the same?”
His low voice carried so much menace that the men instinctively stepped back.
Only then did they notice the fine cut of their clothes — and the long sword hanging at Karsian’s waist. His silly hat had disguised it at first.
They’re nobles, with a knight guard! Panic seized them. The hustlers abandoned their cups and cash, scattering like rats.
“Thank you! I nearly lost everything! Please, take the winnings — it’s all yours!”
The woman pressed a pouch of coins into Eleanor’s hand with grateful tears. Eleanor didn’t refuse.
“Karsian, looks like we made a profit. Dinner’s on me tonight.”
She winked at him mischievously. He blinked, then burst into laughter.
“Haha! I’ll look forward to it.”
Eleanor bit her lip. Maybe I showed too much of myself today… Between the memories and the atmosphere, she’d acted too much like her old self.
Should she return to playing the graceful lady again? But then she shook her head.
At least with him, she didn’t want to pretend. It was almost like a test: Can you accept me even like this?
“You throw stones well. Where did you learn that?”
“Oh, I didn’t. I just picked it up naturally. Somehow.”
“…But can you really juggle?”
“Yes. I made money with it as a kid. Want to see?”
“If it’s not too much trouble.”
“Trouble? Not at all. Hand me those stones.”
Too late, she wondered if she’d gone too far. But already, three stones were spinning from her hands, bouncing lightly into the air.
Tock, tock, tock. With each rhythmic toss, Karsian clapped his rough, calloused hands together in delight.
