♚Chapter 1: Not Even Enough Time to Enjoy a Date
♚Chapter 1: Not Even Enough Time to Enjoy a Date
ON that day, a calm dusk settled over the shantytown on the outskirts of the imperial capital.
As far as Rock knew, there’d been one case of a wallet being nicked and three pickpockets caught red-handed on Market Street during the day, and the city constables had kept dropping by her place on patrol. At Floria Clothes Shop, there’d been one custom-made order, two ready-made garment purchasers, and five mending requests.
One drunk who’d mistaken the shop for a tavern and one conman selling suspicious get-rich-quick-schemes had also come inside but were quickly driven away by Phoebe’s death glare.
It truly was a peaceful day like any other.
After closing up shop, Rock headed with Ebel to do some shopping on Market Street. They were out to buy ingredients for dinner.
“I could swear I invited you to dinner…”
Ebel cocked his head to the side, baffled by the turn of events as they walked shoulder-to-shoulder down the busy street.
“You did, which is why we are going shopping,” Rock replied, batting her eyes at him as if his comment was strange.
Ebel had certainly invited Rock to dinner when he came by the shop. That’s when Phoebe, who happened to be present, asked them to eat at his place.
It just so happened to be evening and Ebel was the day’s last customer. Rock decided to close early and take Ebel shopping with her. The plan was to go back to Phoebe’s place, where he was waiting for them, after they’d bought all the ingredients.
“Don’t worry. Phoebe’s a great cook.”
Rock was thrilled by the unexpected new plans for her evening.
She was equally looking forward to Phoebe’s home cooking and spending some quality time with Ebel for the first time in a while. She was also happy her father had invited him over. Surely, a delightful dinner awaited them.
“Phoebe can make just about everything and fast too. Probably because he had to cook on the go as an explorer. He’s not just fast either—the food tastes heavenly!”
Ebel broke out in a wide grin.
“You sound excited, Rock.”
“I am! We haven’t had a chance to spend time together in a while.”
Ten days had passed since Guido Linus had become a werewolf.
Today marked the first time Rock had seen Ebel since that night, and they both had so much to discuss with the other. Rock had a mountain of questions for him. How were the repairs faring at Mateus Manor? Had Johanna and the others recovered from their injuries? And how was Ebel feeling now? Was he able to come to terms with his feelings since then?
More than anything else, she wanted to see Ebel smile.
“I hope you enjoy yourself as well.”
Ebel seemed convinced by her explanation.
“Then I’ll happily eat at your father’s house,” he said, giving in to the change in plans.
“Please do!”
“I hope you’ll treat me to your cooking next time,” he shrewdly added.
“I better practice then.”
“You’re already great at it. That wheat porridge was phenomenal.”
Rock had served him porridge for breakfast the last time he stayed over at her place. Ebel had been stuck in werewolf form then, so she’d made something easier for him to eat.
But wheat porridge was too easy to make to call it cooking.
“I need to make something fancier if I’m going to be serving a count.”
Ebel firmly shook his head, denying Rock’s supposition.
“Please don’t think that way. I’m happy with anything made by you.” He paused, then continued softly, as if relishing the memory. “Your kindness that night and the morning after touched me in ways I’d never felt before. I’ll never forget the taste of your porridge either.”
Rock gazed up at his handsome side profile with his eyes cast down, feeling a similar curious sentiment.
That night had become an unforgettable, heartwarming memory for her too.
After walking in silence, they eventually spotted a neighborhood lined with stalls and tents at the street corner.
This was Market Street’s famous Hawker Square.
In addition to freshly harvested fish, meat, and vegetables, there was a wide range of items sold there, like black market goods, stolen goods, and smuggled goods that couldn’t be brought into the imperial capital’s commercial district. Only human trafficking was forbidden on these streets.
Rock often shopped here, but she never bought thread or fabrics for the shop from these stalls. She didn’t want to have anyone picking a fight with her later, claiming she’d sold them stolen goods.
But food was the one thing no one could contest once it was eaten.
“Ebel, let’s check out the meat at that shop first,” Rock suggested, pointing to one of the outdoor stalls.
A butcher wielding a large cleaver had set up a stall among the street vendors. Racks of lamb and pork that’d been drained of blood hung from the stall, and they’d arrived just in time to see another customer getting their cut of meat.
“Phoebe wanted me to buy chicken,” Rock continued, taking Ebel’s hand to lead him closer.
Ebel suddenly frowned.
“…I hear people arguing.”
“What? Where?” Rock asked, but even her human ears immediately picked up the sound.
She turned just in time to see someone being knocked back into a nearby stall. The wooden frame collapsed with a loud crack, and the man who’d fallen on it after being either shoved or punched was grabbed by the collar by another man as he tried to stand.
“Ya damn swindler! How’re ya gonna pay me back for this, huh?!”
His angry shout echoed, and the nearby shoppers moved away from the area faster than the tide receding, forming a wide-berthed crowd around the broken stall.
Rock doubted anyone in their right mind would want to get involved in this mess…
“Let’s break it up, shall we, fellows? I can’t have you fighting in the middle of the street like this.”
Ebel rushed in and told them to stop without hesitation.
Both men stopped dumbfounded and looked at him.
Rock plunged into the center of the crowd, following him, and realized she knew the man being held by his collar. She recognized his dull silver hair and effeminate features—and wished she didn’t.
“Krister Gionet!”
As soon as she knew he was involved, Rock had a rough idea of what had transpired without having to ask.
“Is he an acquaintance of yours?”
“Not really,” Rock answered Ebel’s question with a strained smile. “I just know him because he’s a tailor too.”
Ready-made clothes, scraps of cloth, and decorative buttons in a bamboo basket were strewn about the crushed stall, attesting to his profession.
Krister was Floria Clothes Shop’s business rival, to be exact. He seemed to have an endless supply of customers, as he worked for cheap. Those same customers tried to haggle Rock’s prices down by saying “Krister’s shop is cheaper.” So it went without saying that Rock viewed him as little more than a nuisance.
“Why, if it isn’t Rock Floria…”
Krister casually raised his hand in greeting, his cheeks swollen.
But his smugness deflated under the glare of the man who’d hit him.
“Stay outta this! I’m the victim ’ere!”
The man who yelled at them was, by all appearances, a no-good thug. Rock didn’t recognize him, but his kind were a dime a dozen in the slums.
“You’re the victim?”
“What did you do this time, Krister?”
Ebel blinked as Rock questioned Krister.
“Just doing business is all,” Krister answered with a cocky laugh. “This…gentleman here wanted a pair of trousers, so I sold them at the right price.”
“Right price, my foot! Trousers shouldn’t tear just from bending over!” The customer lost his temper and bore down on Krister. “The ladies laughed at me when they tore and exposed my ass! Ya made me a laughingstock!”
That’s some bad luck right there, Rock thought.
Krister was infamous for his workmanship being as cheap as his prices. Many people complained about how their newly bought clothes tore or fell apart at the seams right away. The only reason he continued to have an endless supply of customers was because the slums were full of people who could barely afford to get by each day. Few were wealthy enough to pay for something of decent quality.
That being said, buying from Krister was the definition of getting what you pay for.
“Sorry, friend! I’ve been busy lately and got a little sloppy.”
Krister’s apathetic apology finally caused the customer to explode with anger.
“Don’t think I’ll let ya off the hook… Gimme back my money!”
“Fine! I’ll pay you back.”
“Ya better pay extra for embarrassin’ me!”
The customer was reasonably angry, but that didn’t give him the right to demand more than he was due.
“I understand how you feel, but let’s just settle this with a refund,” Rock interjected, hoping to end things amicably. “Krister will never pay extra. You’re just wasting your time threatening him.”
“Shut up, cheeky brat!”
Ebel swiftly moved in front of Rock when the man yelled at her.
“Honor isn’t something you can buy with money. If you want to rinse away your shame, stop threatening people and start acting like a gentleman.”
Whether the count was trying to advise or provoke with that sound argument—
“What the hell did ya just say to me?!”
—it caused the man to finally lose it.
He tossed Krister to the side and charged straight at Ebel.
He pulled out a dagger but was no match for Ebel, even with a weapon. In the blink of an eye, Ebel knocked the dagger out of the man’s hand, twisted his wrist, and slammed him down to the ground.
“Damn swindler! Curse you!”
The customer staggered to his feet and ran away, cursing them. He shoved his way through the crowd and quickly disappeared down the street.
“Well…that was child’s play.”
The sound of things being roughly scooped up off the ground drowned out Ebel’s exasperated voice. Rock turned around just in time to see Krister gather the last of his wares from the broken stall before making a break for it.
“I owe you one, Rock Floria! Thank your buddy for me too!”
“Huh? Tell him yourself—wait, where are you going?!”
“I’m not stickin’ around for the constables! Take care of the rest for me. Ta-ta!”
Krister Gionet disappeared into the crowds ten times faster than the thug had.
All that was left was a trashed stall, decorative buttons scattered on the ground, and the crowd surrounding Rock and Ebel.
“Are you hurt, Ebel?”
Rock returned to her senses first and offered Ebel her handkerchief, but he gently refused it.
“I’m fine. But do you think I shouldn’t have gotten involved?”
“Krister would have been stabbed if you hadn’t intervened, Ebel.”
Rock was sure of it. At least his life was saved, if nothing else.
Sadly, she knew this wouldn’t be enough to make Krister turn over a new leaf. He was bound to cause trouble again soon.
“I would like to think I helped too…” Ebel sighed, unsure how to feel about it all. “There’s all sorts of people in this city, huh?”
The slums were the stomping grounds for people who’d been forced out of the imperial capital. And even with quarrels like this, it was considered business as usual—just another peaceful day.
“I’m sorry you had to see that.”
Ebel’s golden eyes widened at Rock’s apology.
“Why are you apologizing? Besides, I didn’t find it the least bit upsetting.”
“Really? But…”
“I might even call it thrilling. This district continues to amuse me,” Ebel said with ease, offering Rock a gentle smile. “Now then, why don’t we get on with our shopping? Eating delicious food is the best way to change the mood.”
Rock felt like she finally understood what it meant for someone to touch your heart. So she returned his smile with a genuine one of her own.
“…Okay. Let’s go, Ebel!”
♚♚♚
“THAT punk Krister got himself into trouble again?” Phoebe sighed as soon as he heard what happened from Rock and Ebel when they got to his house. “I knew he’d get stabbed someday doing business that way.”
“He avoided getting stabbed this time thanks to His Excellency,” Rock responded wryly, handing Phoebe the meat and vegetables she bought at Hawker Square.
Phoebe accepted the ingredients and carried them to the kitchen while checking to make sure they got everything.
He had returned home first to remove his makeup and change out of his dress into a pair of slacks. He normally wore comfortable, feminine clothes at home too, but now that Rock thought about it, he might’ve changed to come across as more “fatherly” in front of his daughter’s beau.
Ebel already knew about Phoebe’s two identities, so he could’ve stayed in whatever outfit made him most comfortable, but Rock didn’t say anything because she wanted to respect her father’s choice. Just as she’d respected his decision when he asked her to specifically refer to him as “he/him” rather than “she/her” as she’d grown accustomed to.
“Does he always do business like that?” Ebel asked, sitting on the sofa like a proper houseguest.
Rock and Phoebe nodded in perfect unison.
“He’s the type to try to make the most money possible with the least amount of work.”
“He’s an underselling business rival, I’d say.”
“…Oh dear. It sounds like I helped someone I shouldn’t have.”
Ebel rubbed his temples with mixed emotions.
But Count Mateus was not the kind of man to let Krister get killed in front of him, even if he knew the truth about him. He had something to him the people of the slums didn’t, and that was exactly what drew Rock to him.
“Let’s forget about him,” Rock chirped, trying to brighten the mood. “His nastiness will leave our minds once we get some delicious food in us.”
“That little punk wouldn’t learn any better even if he got a knife to the gut,” Phoebe added, purposely trying to sound mean. “Knowing him, he’s already drowning the memory with a bottle of ale. We’re just wasting our time thinking about that troublemaker.”
Ebel finally smiled after both Rock and Phoebe put it like that.
“In that case, I’ll forget him as well… On another note…” His golden eyes took in the room and widened in awe. “This is my first time visiting your home, and it’s…not what I was expecting.”
“What were you expecting?” Phoebe asked.
“Something more feminine,” Ebel answered honestly.
Phoebe’s apartment was located down the alley behind Market Street.
Brick apartments counted as fairly good dwellings in the slums, and his castle was located on the top floor, where the rent was the cheapest. It was a five-story building, so you wouldn’t want to live there unless you were a brave soul with strong legs.
He had a one-bedroom apartment where the kitchen and living room shared the same space. Phoebe’s prized possessions decorated the living area the three of them were in. Jewel-encrusted ceremonial swords, frayed ancient imperial textiles, beautiful agate and ivory vases, well-used iron armor—all items Phoebe had collected in his mercenary days.
All those items he used to stuff into his room to hide them from Rock now served as decoration for Phoebe’s whole apartment. In return, his bedroom was outfitted with Rock’s tailored dresses and Phoebe’s favorite makeup and accessories.
Every time Rock visited, she asked to hear about his life, and her father regaled her with stories of his exciting adventures. She also had him teach her how to apply makeup and perfumes, making spending time together as parent and child more fulfilling than ever before.
The three of them were enjoying dinner together in that very living room Phoebe prided himself on.
Tonight’s menu was three-bean stew, pickled cabbage, and chicken roasted on lightly baked bread. They were also having the pomegranates and apricots Rock had splurged on. She thought they should have a proper meal with the count in attendance.
Phoebe also pulled out all the stops to make a first-class meal, which Ebel praised with every bite.
“Your food is really fantastic.”
“You honor me with your compliments, Your Excellency.”
Phoebe gave a prim and proper reply, but Rock knew that was just to hide how shy he was to receive a compliment.
“I told you it would be delicious. Father is an amazing cook,” Rock declared proudly.
Phoebe grew even shier and looked away, earning an amused smile from Ebel.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself. There is nothing better than delicious food served at a lively dining table.”
Rock didn’t know how Ebel normally took his food. He was the last Mateus alive and had only a handful of servants, resulting in what must’ve been quiet mealtimes—well, maybe not with Johanna there.
Since the maid came to mind, Rock decided to ask after her.
“Are Johanna—and the others—feeling better?”
“Yes, thank you for asking.” Relief clearly showed on Ebel’s face as he nodded. “Their injuries have healed, and everyone’s finally getting back to their normal routines. House repairs are also underway. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“Really? I’m glad to hear that…”
Rock was especially worried about Johanna, the maid close to her own age. She must’ve been left with such a scary memory after the incident with Guido Linus and had been physically injured too. It wouldn’t have been strange for her to take some time off, but she’d kept working at Mateus Manor like nothing had happened. Perhaps she was tougher than Rock gave her credit for.
“Speaking of Johanna, she wanted me to invite you over,” Ebel said as if he’d just remembered the maid’s request. “Apparently, she’d like to serve you again since she couldn’t treat you to a good meal during your last visit. She incessantly badgered me to bring you home.”
“Should a maid be badgering her lord…?”
Phoebe sounded exasperated with them, but Ebel didn’t seem to mind at all. He calmly countered Phoebe’s snide remark.
“Johanna is a hard worker with a good heart. I often haven’t a clue what she’s saying, but I have no complaint aside from that.”
Apparently, even the count who’d hired her didn’t understand a lick of what Johanna was saying when she rattled on with stars in her eyes. Rock fully agreed with him on her pleasant personality and was also intrigued by how fancy a feast held at Count Mateus’s house might be.
“So, how does a dinner party at my house next time sound?”
Rock accepted without hesitation when Ebel extended a formal offer.
“I would love to. I’ll come with my father.”
“Me?!” Phoebe let out a rare flustered groan.
“You don’t want to, Father?”
“I’m not against it, but…it’ll be a headache deciding what to wear. We’d be going to a count’s mansion!”
“Why not wear the same thing you did last time?”
Phoebe looked bothered by Rock’s suggestion. Perhaps he was opposed to wearing a dress when officially accompanying Rock as her father.
“Dress the way you feel most comfortable. It’s not a formal dinner,” Ebel said. Then his golden eyes gleamed mischievously. “But I must say I am extremely interested in how two tailors will dress up for the occasion.”
Both Phoebe and Rock suddenly felt pressured to find the right thing to wear when they heard that.
By the time they’d mostly finished dinner and had started on their after-dinner fruit, their conversation took on a serious air.
“How is Lord Linus faring?”
Rock felt like she was touching an old wound when she brought up his name. Ebel’s expression briefly darkened, his fingers freezing around a pomegranate aril. He immediately strained out a smile and quietly answered.
“He’s calmed down some, according to Michaela. She said he spent the first few days holed up in his room but has recently been joining her for walks in the garden.” Ebel brought the aril to his mouth and continued after he savored it. “But…he will need time to get used to being a werewolf, I’m sure.”
“Yes, it can’t be easy…” Rock responded with a lighter tone than the complicated feelings she actually had. After all, she knew even Ebel hadn’t happily accepted that fate.
“I’ve been going through my contacts to find out anything I can about those statues,” Phoebe said in a quiet voice as he peeled an apricot. “Sadly, I haven’t gotten any good leads.”
Rock knew that her father was collecting information on the cursed statues.
Unfortunately, they hadn’t found any since Guido’s. At least Lady Trilian promised to contact them if anyone sold her another one, but Rock doubted they’d find more just waiting for it to come to them.
Oddly enough, what seemed like an endless deluge of hearing about one statue after another had now dried up completely, like a storm had passed.
“I haven’t had any luck either. I’m still visiting antique dealers in hopes of finding one.”
Ebel had sighed, but urgency had yet to enter his voice or facial expression. Perhaps he also sensed it—that when the time came, the statues would surely reappear in front of him. Like fate.
“Please don’t push yourself past your limits, Ebel.”
Rock could only worry about him.
“Thank you, Roxy.”
Ebel flashed her a delighted smile while Phoebe made a face.
“What’s this, Roxy? You care only about His Excellency?”
“What’re you talking about? I’m worried about you too, Father. Obviously.” Rock laughed then continued, as if to remind herself. “The same goes for me. We need to stay healthy and energized at all times if we want to take on supernatural curses and the like.”
The curse strikes when you’re at your weakest, she thought.
They learned that from Guido’s experience.
“True. We’ll get the jump on it next time,” Phoebe declared, as if challenging the curse. Ebel nodded alongside him.
“At least I’m not alone. I’m very grateful for that.”
Rock felt the exact same way.
She wasn’t alone, so she wasn’t going to lose to some curse.
♚♚♚
AFTER dinner, Ebel and Rock said their goodbyes to Phoebe, as they were both heading out to their respective homes in the aristocrat district and the slums. Phoebe saw them off with a smile and—
“Your Excellency, I humbly request that you see my daughter home untouched.”
—a touch of his usual sarcasm, making sure to drive his point home.
Ebel parried his quibble in the same vein.
“Don’t you worry, I shall keep unscrupulous fellows far away from her.”
Rock had a rejoinder of her own but wisely kept silent.
The sun had set, and flames danced inside the oil streetlights dotting the sidewalks.
The slums were a distorted, lawless corner of the imperial capital. People who were forced out of the capital for lack of citizenship had constructed shacks on the capital’s outskirts, starting the initial foundation of what eventually became the slums. As the shacks grew in size and number, even the House of Lords and the emperor couldn’t ignore their existence.
Thus, streetlights were put up along the intertwining alleyways, low-quality housing was constructed, and the constables patrolled the roads, albeit lazily. Some said that one day the walls surrounding the imperial capital would be destroyed, and the slums would be incorporated into the capital as another district. Others feared that the emperor would send troops into the shantytown to carry out a clean-up operation.
Whatever the future might hold, people still lived on these overcrowded gloomy streets, and warm light filled the windows of their rundown houses.
“I had fun tonight,” Ebel told Rock as they walked down the dimly lit street.
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”
The corners around Ebel’s eyes softened when Rock smiled at him.
“I would love to hear tales of your father’s adventures when I have the opportunity to visit his home again.”
“Please do ask him about it. His stories are so riveting,” Rock boasted, as if talking about herself. Then she bashfully told him, “…To tell you the truth, he asked me to live with him.”
“As father and daughter?”
“Yes. He said he wants to live together as long as we still can, since we went so long not being part of each other’s lives.”
After she said that, Rock suddenly realized Phoebe had said that because he was planning for a future where she’d move away. It was only natural for a child to eventually move out to live their life, but it was embarrassing to say such a thing to Ebel, given their relationship.
“What might happen in the future plays less of a part in my decision than wanting to be a good daughter,” Rock quickly amended, lest Ebel misunderstand.
“I see.” Ebel chuckled, hinting he knew what she was trying to beat around the bush about. Then, his expression softened. “I think it’s a great idea. Family should be together as long as they can.” His voice darkened as he muttered, “I can’t be a good son now even if I want to be…”
Rock gasped and pressed her lips together.
She stole a peek at his face beside her. His eyes were staring off into the distance.
Rock only knew what Ebel had told her about his father. She often wanted to ask him about what kind of man his father was and what their relationship had been like. But she felt like those were old wounds for him, and she didn’t want to go poking at them.
They walked for a while in silence.
Rock’s apartment wasn’t that far from Phoebe’s. Whether they spent the time chatting or walking in silence, they would arrive in no time. At the end of the road, where the streetlight flames swayed, Rock saw the storefront of the familiar antique shop and immediately wanted to extend their time together.
She stopped in the middle of the road and timidly offered, “Um…would you like to come up for tea?”
Ebel stopped in sync with her, his expression puzzled.
“How should I interpret your invitation, Rock?”
“I-I didn’t mean anything by it! I just wanted to offer you tea!” Rock insisted, but her voice cracked, betraying her intentions.
Ebel’s golden eyes gleamed in the night, seeing right through her. His gaze accelerated her embarrassment.
“You don’t have to…if you don’t want to…”
Was that move too bold…? Rock wondered, doubting her decision.
Ebel slowly leaned toward her. Her breath caught in her throat as his shadow cast on her face.
“Your offer is most tempting,” he whispered in her ear. “But you have a guest to deal with first.”
Rock’s head shot up at that unexpected answer.
Ebel’s golden eyes were fastened on the road ahead. Someone was standing in front of the spiral staircase leading to Rock’s room beside Lady Trilian’s shop.
It was the silver-haired tailor, Krister Gionet.
“Hey, Rock. Thanks for your help this afternoon,” Krister casually greeted her. His eyes widened when he saw she was with someone, but he immediately cracked a smile when he recognized the face. “Oooh! You’re still with my gallant hero!”
“Hero…?”
“You saved me this afternoon, remember? Thank you very much, Count Mateus!”
Krister stuck out his hand toward Ebel. Ebel answered him with a smile that didn’t leave his lips.
“I only did what anyone else would have. By the way…why are you here?”
Rock snuck in a glance at Ebel to find his golden eyes weren’t smiling at all. Whether Krister realized that or not, he replied with a toothy grin.
“To offer my thanks for this afternoon, Your Excellency.”
“To thank me?”
“Nay. I am a lowborn man of the slums, and you are a noble and highborn count. I’m too lacking to even dare offer a meager word of thanks to someone so great, which is why I came to bring my overflowing words of gratitude to your acquaintance, Rock Floria!” Krister spouted pleasantries as he gripped Ebel’s hand. His theatrical display made him look drunk on his own words.
Rock’s opinion of Krister grew frostier the more he kept speechifying.
As a saleswoman, Rock was accustomed to using some flattery on her customers. But Krister’s word choice was overly embellished and deliberate, having the opposite effect of putting the person off.
Case in point, the corners of Ebel’s lips were twitching. He seemed to be trying not to let his displeasure show.
Even Rock wanted this nuisance to hurry up and get lost.
“We don’t need your empty thanks, Krister,” Rock said curtly to get rid of him. She pried Ebel’s hand free of Krister’s and purposely treated him coldly. “You’re only being a nuisance, coming at this hour. Go home.”
“What the hell? And here I was tryin’ to bring you a good job.” Krister leaned forward and lowered his voice suggestively. “You okay if I just leave and take one of your favorite things away: the chance to make good money?”
Rock was always up for a good business deal, but she trusted Krister less than she loved money.
Phoebe often said, “The better a job sounds, the bigger of a catch it has.”
“I’m not interested in any jobs coming from you.”
Krister seemed unfazed by Rock’s glare.
“Don’t be that way, buddy! I’ll introduce ya to my customers.”
“Why would you do that?”
“To tell ya the truth, I’ve been busy handlin’ a huge order from a wealthy customer.”
The way he bragged about it only incensed Rock further.
“So, I’ve been turnin’ down most of my regulars, and I still can’t keep up with all the work. I’ll start sending all my other customers your way.”
What’s more, he was even acting like he was doing Rock a favor when he was really just making her life more difficult.
“No good will come from dealing with your customers,” Rock snapped back.
Krister didn’t even seem to hear her.
“Don’t hold back on my account. Now ya know what’s up, so handle the rest on your own!” he announced and turned on his heel, hot-footing it away from them.
“Hey! Krister!”
Krister didn’t look back even when Rock shouted after him, disappearing into the black of night faster than a sewer rat fleeing a hungry cat.
Basically, he’d come to push all his problems onto his rival.
“There he goes, making my life difficult…!” Rock groaned, but there wasn’t much she could do after he’d left.
As it was, she wouldn’t be able to make a profit off of his customers, so she’d be turning them away at the door anyway. She wanted nothing to do with bad customers who’d complain about the price, comparing it to Krister’s, only to get the evil eye from Phoebe until they ran away with their tail between their legs, cursing her business.
“He isn’t trustworthy, is he?” Ebel asked, frowning.
“That he is not. Anyone coming by way of his introduction isn’t worth doing business with.”
Rock sighed, but Ebel meant his question another way.
“I’m more bothered by the man himself. Did you see his eyes? They were bloodshot and his face was withdrawn.”
Rock didn’t notice since she was trying not to look at Krister’s annoying face. He did say he was busy working on a huge order.
“I’m most concerned that he knows where you live.”
“Ah, now that you mention it…”
Rock had no personal relationship with Krister beyond knowing his face and name as a business rival. She doubted he felt as fondly of her as his attitude had implied, and Rock would turn right around and leave if she saw him eating at Justia’s bakery when she meant to go inside.
So it was more than a little strange for Krister to visit her house.
“…How did he know where I live?” Rock tilted her head, puzzled.
“Want me to tail him?” Ebel quietly offered.
“Tail Krister?”
“Yes, I’ll sniff out the details. He might bring trouble to your door after all.”
Krister had already dropped a bucket full of trouble on her, but Ebel’s concerns seemed to lie elsewhere.
“That’s dangerous! There’s no reason for you to go so far—”
Rock tried to stop him, but Ebel only smiled before leaping onto her rooftop from the road below. He turned around after he softly landed and nodded down at her.
“You needn’t worry. I’ll stay in the shadows.”
“B-But you don’t have to do that, Ebel!”
“I do for you, Rock Floria,” Ebel said, winking at her. “I’m off! I’ll let you know right away if anything comes up.”
Ebel took off at a run without waiting for her answer.
Rock’s eyes followed him as he nimbly leaped from rooftop to rooftop. She was swamped with loneliness the moment he was out of sight and sighed.
“Damn you, Krister…” she cursed.
Her first chance at a date with Ebel after everything they’d been through was ruined by her obnoxious rival.
I worked up so much courage to invite him in, too…
This was the moment Rock’s opinion of Krister dropped as low as it could go, and then some.
Rock’s restlessness continued for hours.
Ebel didn’t return that night. He said he’d let her know if anything happened. Maybe he’d just gone home without incident, but with how suspicious Krister was acting, she was worried. She wished she’d asked him to stop by no matter what after he finished.
She rolled over and over in bed, wasting the night away tormented by sadness and apprehension.
In the end, Ebel came knocking at her door just past dawn the next day. Rock flew to the door as soon as his knuckles hit the wood, already dressed after a restless night.
“My apologies for returning so late.”
Ebel looked awfully tired himself when Rock opened the door. Unable to bear seeing him that way, she invited him inside before questioning him.
“Don’t tell me you’ve been at Krister’s until now?”
“I was,” Ebel confirmed, tired and annoyed. “I followed him home. He’s a more industrious man than I gave him credit for. He was tailoring all night long.”
“Krister was? I don’t believe it!”
Rock couldn’t believe her ears.
If he was such a hard worker, he wouldn’t get into scuffles like the one from yesterday, she thought.
“It’s true. Though his work was far from thorough…” Ebel started, then continued in a more serious tone. “I spied on him through the window. He was cutting large quantities of blue fabric and sewing them one by one with needle and thread. His huge order seems to be real as he appeared to be making clothes of the same design. He was at his work table the whole time from when he came home until day broke.”
Apparently, Krister really was busy with work. Such a big order must have come from some factory asking for uniforms or some such.
Rock felt a tad jealous that he’d landed a profitable job she hadn’t.
“I planned to leave once he slept, but since that never happened, I ended up there longer than I wanted.”
Ebel shrugged. So that was why he hadn’t returned until after dawn.
Knowing why brought relief but also made her want to sulk.
“I was worried because I didn’t hear from you.”
Rock’s pursed lips caused Ebel’s sleepy eyes to widen.
“Really? I guess I should’ve said I would drop by even if nothing happened.”
“Yes, you should have! You went too far, even if it was for my sake! If you hadn’t come this morning, I would’ve spent the whole day worrying about you to the point I couldn’t get a lick of work done!”
Her voice grew angry out of real concern for him, but it only made a delighted smile blossom on his tired face.
“You were that worried about me, Roxy?”
As he spoke, his hand wrapped around Rock’s back, pulling her to his chest. Still pouting, she put up a measly struggle until his warmth instantly took the fight out of her.
“I was…worried… I always am.”
“I see. Thank you. I’m happy to know that.”
“What’s even worse is that you spent the whole night with him instead of me…”
Her bout of unreasonable jealousy finally got a laugh out of him.
“I also think I did something truly regrettable. I wasted a much-awaited invitation to tea from you.” Ebel brought his face close to hers and spoke with a serious gleam in his eyes, as if making a binding oath. “I swear I will make this up to you.”
“…It’s a promise.”
“It is.”
He sealed it with a kiss.
After sharing two, then three, brief kisses, he gave her a tight hug as if he were loath to leave.
“I only hope this doesn’t negatively affect your work.”
“Don’t worry. You helped reenergize me some,” Rock whispered into his broad chest.
Maybe she was too easy to please, but her sleepiness went right out the window the moment she knew he was safe.
♚♚♚
AFTER that, Rock saw Ebel off as he left for home.
Then she headed to her shop, where a whole bunch of unwelcome customers came in droves after she opened her doors—as she feared.
“Krister Gionet told me to come here.”
The lowest of the low came crawling out of the slums into Floria Clothes Shop as if they had conspired together to do so beforehand. Their orders varied from cheap custom-made pieces to the purchase of ready-made garments, but whenever Rock told them the price, they looked uniformly dissatisfied.
“Krister doesn’t charge that much!”
“This is our standard price. We won’t keep a tab or give discounts either,” Rock decisively stood up to the customers’ dissatisfaction—she wasn’t going to undercut herself. “Of course, we confidently guarantee the quality of your purchase.”
“Ya talk big for a little brat. Yer ripping me off, aren’t ya?!”
As for the customers who started throwing around threats, Phoebe would roll up his sleeves and show them out—peacefully or by force. Anyone who dared badmouth him found themselves chucked out the door the next second, yelping in pain. Thanks to him, Rock wasn’t directly harmed.
Her shop, however, suffered huge losses just by having that sort of customer lined up out front.
In addition to wasting her valuable time, they scared away decent customers who actually paid.
“…What the bloody hell?! They’re obstructing business!”
Phoebe was reasonably annoyed by having to deal with dozens of unwelcome customers all morning. Complaints flew left and right from his rouged lips.
“Damn Krister! You sure that little punk isn’t lying about being busy? What’s the big idea, sending all his trash our way?!”
“But His Excellency saw him working through the night.”
Rock had already told Phoebe all about her run-in with Krister the prior night. They could complain all they wanted, and it still wouldn’t get them out of this one.
“My little girl is the better tailor by a mile! That customer must be a crazy cheapskate to place an order with that bastard instead of you!” Phoebe huffed in an indignant tone, his parental bias showing. “I can’t stand for this a minute longer! Let’s go take our complaints directly to the perpetrator!”
“That’s not a bad idea. Our shop is doomed if this keeps up any longer.”
Rock was all for it.
It was really going to damage business if she couldn’t get him to at least stop sending his nastiest customers her way.
♚♚♚
ROCK and Phoebe closed up shop just before nightfall and headed for Hawker Square on Market Street. That was where Krister usually set up his stall. They searched for their frustrating business rival in a frenzy but couldn’t find him for some reason.
“Krister? He packed up his things just past noon,” another stall keeper told them. He seemed surprised by it too. “He almost always hawks his wares, even if he has to set up in the middle of the road. He seemed distracted and closed early today.”
“…I wonder if he got the jump on us,” Rock whispered in Phoebe’s ear.
“You got away this time, Krister,” he snorted. “Tomorrow, you won’t be so lucky!”
They returned to the shop discouraged, vowing to get vengeance the next day.
But Rock and Phoebe never got a chance to level Krister with their complaints.
Despite visiting Hawker Square every day for a week, they never saw the silver-haired tailor again.
♚♚♚
“WHERE’D he run off to…?” Rock grumbled, wearily resting her cheek on her arms on top of the table at the bakery located on the first floor of the public bathhouse.
A whole week had passed without any signs of Krister. Rock and Phoebe spent every free moment they had searching for him along Market Street and Hawker Square. They tried changing the time they searched from evening to early morning to late afternoon to no avail.
If that wasn’t bad enough, even the other street vendors at Hawker Square told them they hadn’t seen him either.
“Never expected him to be the type to hole up without making coin on the side.” Phoebe’s shoulders drooped with exhaustion. He was fed up with searching too. “And here I had grand plans of wringing his little neck next time I saw his ugly mug.”
“He’s not staying out of sight just to avoid us, is he?”
“Isn’t he just busy filling that big fat order of his?”
Rock and Phoebe were tired of him outstepping them at every corner, and griping about him became a part of their daily routine.
Floria Clothes Shop was bustling with business every day, even after Krister’s disappearance.
Of course, not all of the customers were the welcome type, and there was an endless supply of hagglers trying to knock down Rock’s prices. It was becoming commonplace to get an earful or be threatened when she told them her standard pricing.
But as the days went on, the new customers had a definite change in attitude. For the first three days, they came saying “Krister recommended you,” but since the day before yesterday, they’d started saying “I’ve got no choice but to shop here, since I can’t find Krister anymore.” Rock found that reasoning just as annoying, but she also found the whole thing strange.
Did Krister really have such a big order he couldn’t open up shop for a whole week? Was it really just work that was keeping him from being found?
Rock was beginning to have doubts.
“What’s got you two so down?” a cheerful voice asked Rock and Phoebe. “You must be depressed because you’re hungry. C’mon, eat up!”
Justia appeared with a pile of potato bread.
The smell of freshly baked bread breathed some life back into Rock. Her stomach immediately stated it was hungry, and she sank her teeth into a roll with delight.
Seeing that brought Phoebe back on point, and he questioned Justia as she was walking away.
“Justia, have you seen that punk Krister?”
Justia stopped and gave him a blank look.
“Krister? Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen him around lately.” Then she called out to her husband, who was standing in front of the oven. “Cargus! Do you remember how long it’s been since he last came?”
Her taciturn husband didn’t turn around but answered on the spot. “He hasn’t been here in a week or so.”
“A week…it fits.”
That matched exactly with when he’d disappeared.
“He makes himself known when he comes, always asking for our unsellable bread or to give him a loaf for free since he’s a regular.” Justia scrunched up her nose. “That’s why I decided to never buy anything from him. Someone who doesn’t know the value of things can’t be selling anything of quality.”
Thankfully, Justia was a regular at Floria Clothes Shop. Her words were truly encouraging and healing for Rock, who’d become exhausted from the last few days’ craziness.
“Come by the next time you want a new apron. I’ll make you another good one,” Rock said, hoping to convey her gratitude.
“With your tailoring work, I rarely have to buy another,” Justia replied with a hearty laugh.
“That’s because we’re a high-quality shop,” Phoebe boasted, getting a laugh out of Rock next.
However, Krister’s whereabouts remained a mystery.
If he wasn’t showing up at his usual haunts, then that’d mean he was devoting everything to his work at the expense of sleeping and eating.
“So, why’re you asking about Krister?”
Rock and Phoebe explained the situation to Justia as they ate their bread. After they detailed everything from his disappearance to him dumping his worst customers on Rock, Justia gave them a sympathetic smile.
“That sounds like a headache to deal with.”
“Tell me about it. He’s making real trouble for us.”
“But it’s unusual for him to take time off work,” Justia said thoughtfully.
Everyone knew Krister’s obsession with making money. It was only natural for them to find it strange for him not to be out hawking his shoddy wares.
“He said he’s busy with a specific job.”
Rock heaved a heavy sigh. She was haunted by this vague sense of unease.
A woman just so happened to enter the bakery while they were talking.
She was a woman with brown skin, which was rare in these parts. Rock had heard stories about a territory far to the south of the capital, where it was summer all year long, and that’s where people who looked like her resided. Looks aside, she was someone Rock had never seen before.
Even if Rock didn’t recognize her, she was able to get a general idea about her profession. Her richly colored dress had a deep plunging U-neck, and the hem was short enough to see her knees. Heavy makeup drew attention to her exotic facial features in direct contrast with her short black hair, which sported a casual cut.
Ninety percent of women with those looks worked at the pubs. They never came on to Rock because she looked like a poor young man, but they did have a tendency to tease her. Maybe because they thought she was the innocent and shy type. That was why Rock tried to avoid them.
The woman neither searched for a seat nor sat down and instead made a beeline for Rock’s table. Once she arrived, her scarlet lips pulled up in a smile.
“You were just talking about Krister, weren’t you, boy?” she asked. “Do you know him?”
Rock was already twenty years old, even if her male attire made her look puny for her age. She was understandably put off by being called “boy.” And besides that, she wondered who the other woman even was.
“I know him… Who are you?” Rock returned her question with a question just as Justia frowned.
“Nisha, no shopping for customers in my store.”
“I’m not trying to. I just wanted to talk to this kid here.”
The woman called Nisha pointed at Rock without an ounce of shame.
“Rock’s got no experience. Don’t pick on him,” Justia enjoined, worriedly returning to her work.
Nisha promptly sat right beside Rock without asking.
“We didn’t say you could sit with us,” Phoebe warned, not hiding his wariness of her. Nisha jumped in her seat.
“Your voice! You’re a man?! Why in the blazes are you dressed like that?”
“Because I like to dress this way, thank you very much.”
Phoebe’s scowl deepened.
“Hmm…you’re weird,” Nisha muttered, not the least bit apologetic.
Apparently, this woman had no manners.
It wasn’t uncommon for Phoebe to be ridiculed and scorned. But still, Rock wanted to expose him to as little of that nastiness as possible. His life choices were none of their business anyway.
So, Rock decided to take a harsher approach with her.
“Um, Nisha, was it? We’re in the middle of a meal. Do you mind?”
“I won’t get in your way. Go ahead and eat.” Nisha didn’t get the hint. She batted her lashes at Rock. “Anyway, won’t you answer me? Do you know Krister?”
She rested her elbows, and her breasts as well, on the table. She casually pressed her bare upper arms against Rock’s.
“Your name…was Rock, right? You’ve got such a pretty face…and a manly name to boot,” Nisha whispered with a seductive expression, putting her seduction skills on display.
It didn’t matter how skilled she was—it wasn’t going to work on Rock.
“There’s no one in the slums who doesn’t know him,” Rock answered calmly. Nisha blinked as if that was news to her.
“Really? Then that means Krister is famous!”
“…It’s my turn to ask a question. Who are you?”
“I’m Krister’s lover,” she answered without hesitation.
Rock was startled by her answer.
If that was true, then she should know where he was. Now Rock could finally lay into the rotten tailor.
“I haven’t seen him around lately,” Phoebe immediately joined in, drawing the same conclusion as Rock. “What’s he up to?”
Nisha cocked her head. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him in forever either.”
“How long is ‘forever?’”
“About a fortnight, I think. Haven’t seen him since he said he’d be too busy with work to meet up for a while.” Displeased, she moved in a way that made her body jiggle in all the right places. “Krister said he’d be too busy to go on dates. But he’s been neglecting me too much for that! He hasn’t even come by the shop lately!”
Every time she squirmed in her chair, her layered bracelets chimed as they hit each other. They were handcrafted bracelets made of shells, beads, and little gemstones.
“Aren’t you lovers? Why not visit him at home?” Phoebe pointed out, seemingly hitting a sore spot for her.
“I don’t know where he lives! We always met at my place or at work.”
Phoebe looked like he had a whole lot he wanted to say about that, but he bit his tongue. Meanwhile, Nisha closed what little distance was left with Rock.
“Do you know where Krister lives?”
“I don’t. We aren’t close.”
Rock shook her head.
Whether he was the secretive type or not, Krister hadn’t even told Nisha where he lived.
He’d stopped setting up shop on Market Street, where he made his living, and even his lover didn’t know his address. It wasn’t going to be easy to get a hold of his whereabouts now.
But his sudden disappearance seemed an awful lot to Rock like he was running from something.
A man who always made his presence known went a full week without being seen by anyone. Something was strange, even if he was just confining himself indoors for work.
“Let me know if you see Krister.” Those were Nisha’s first and only sincere words. “It’s important to make money, but I’m lonely when he doesn’t come to see me. Besides, I worry when he doesn’t show up to let me know he’s alive and well.”
“All right. I’ll let him know if I see him,” Rock agreed, sympathizing with her.
Phoebe stared closely at Rock. But he said nothing as he munched on his bread in silence.
“Thank you, boy.”
Nisha smiled sweetly and took Rock’s hand in hers. Her soft hands closed over Rock’s. She was probably trying to convey her gratitude, but the suddenness of it made Rock uncomfortable.
“Nisha?”
Nisha also seemed puzzled despite being the one who initiated the touch.
“Your hand…”
“What about it?”
“Nothing, I just thought it felt calloused like Krister’s.”
Nisha gently pressed down on Rock’s calloused middle finger with the pad of her fingers.
Callouses were an inevitable part of sewing, and Rock had a few on the back of her middle finger and in the palm of her hand. Her mother Vale had had them in almost the same spots, and it made Rock happy to know her hands were coming to resemble her mother’s.
“Are you also a tailor, boy?”
Rock was surprised by her question.
“You can tell just by looking at my hand? That’s incredible!”
“My job consists of looking at men’s hands,” she said, releasing Rock’s hand and standing from the table. “See you next time, Rock. Make sure to tell Krister about me if you run into him.”
She sashayed out of the hash house without ordering anything.
“Krister has a lover, huh…?” Rock muttered shortly after Nisha departed. “He’s a real jerk, leaving his lover in the dark for a fortnight.”
“If she’s actually his lover, that is,” Phoebe quietly insinuated.
“What’s that supposed to mean? You think Nisha’s lying?”
“I don’t.” Phoebe softly shook his head. “I’m saying Krister might not view her that way.” Then he shrugged. “That girl hasn’t been in the capital long. I haven’t seen her around, and she knew nothing about you or me. It’s painfully common for girls from the countryside to be trapped and snared by city boys.”
Phoebe’s explanation was strangely convincing. But not wanting to accept that was true, Rock argued back.
“You don’t know that. Krister could feel the same for her too.”
“If he did, he would’ve told her where he lives, especially when he can’t see her for a while.”
“I…guess so, but—”
“Not telling her the truth shows where his feelings are at. Period,” Phoebe declared flatly, a hint of sadness edging into his features.
Even Rock knew Phoebe had a valid point. But knowing something and accepting it are two different things.
“I’d rather see things in a more positive light…” Rock mumbled, getting a look out of Phoebe like he saw right through her.
“What’s this, Rock? Do you see yourself in her? Hmm?”
“WHAT?! N-No way!”
“You just saw him a week ago, silly!”
Her father saw through her lies.
For a woman in love, a week can feel like an eternity.
Rock also had no time to go on dates. Work had been hectic lately, and she wasn’t making much progress on the court uniform Ebel had ordered from her. She couldn’t summon him to her shop until she got it to a certain stage.
Hence why Nisha’s sadness hit close to home, and Rock had vowed to tell Krister the moment she saw him.
♚♚♚
ANOTHER week had passed.
Missing person posters had been put up around the slums. Nisha had posted them.
And naturally, the missing person was Krister Gionet.