I Reincarnated as the Daughter of a Runaway Sub Heroine - Chapter 83

“Only… person?”

Jakar wore a wry smile on his lips.

“I mentioned before that I grew up on the streets. I had never received kindness without a price. To get a single loaf of bread, I had to work myself to the bone, and behind every unexpected helping hand, there was always a dirty and ugly face hidden.”

Jakar continued speaking in a calm voice.

“That day, I was on my way to receive bread after finishing a task assigned by the organization I was part of. I was in such a hurry that if I were even a little late, there wouldn’t be any crumbs left. I had been starving all day, and my stomach was very empty. Then, I bumped into a noble lady on the street. The situation afterward was exactly as you witnessed, my lady.”

Jakar lowered the sleeve he had rolled up. As he fastened the cufflinks, he continued.

“A back-alley doctor examined my wound and said that if I had been even a little later, I would have had to amputate my arm. So, this arm is attached to my body thanks to you, my lady.”

“Then, you were well aware of the situation with the Grand Duke…”

He gave a faint smile.

“I couldn’t help but pay more attention. I wondered how the child who saved me had grown up by then. Did that fiery temperament remain the same? Because of that, I learned more about the Grand Duke’s circumstances. And in a dream…”

He suddenly stopped speaking and looked at me.

“Anyway, this is why I worried about you, my lady. I truly don’t want you to be in danger. After learning that Duke Ashil Myura was behind this incident, I sent someone to keep an eye on you, fearing you might get involved in something dangerous. To repay your kindness, albeit late.”

“To repay kindness…”

I stared at him with a stern expression.

“Is that your way of repaying kindness? Acting however you want without asking for my opinion? If that’s the case, I don’t need such selfish repayment at all.”

Jakar widened his eyes slightly and then lowered his gaze. Then, he bowed in the most polite manner I had seen so far.

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“If you really want to repay the kindness from that time, then do what I’m about to say.”

And I had no intention of letting this opportunity slip away. After all, I was someone who acted more with reason than emotion.

“Find a person and bring them to me. I don’t know their name, face, or where they are.”

Jakar stared at me, then opened his mouth as if he found it somewhat ridiculous.

“So you want me to find someone whose name, face, and whereabouts I don’t know?”

“They used to work as an apothecary in the royal palace a long time ago, but they disappeared when my grandfather passed away. Now, they’re with Princess Cassia. That’s all I know.”

I hadn’t forgotten about the incident involving Princess Cassia from last time. Given the situation, I intended to get my hands on the apothecary who knew everything. For that, I needed Jakar’s abilities.

“If you can pull this off, I’ll consider it worth one of your arms.”

Jakar looked at me in disbelief before suddenly bursting into laughter.

“My lady, you truly exceed my imagination. I never expected you to propose such a condition!”

“To be honest, don’t you think it’s quite a bargain for just one arm?”

“Are you suggesting we trade my arm?”

“Exactly. That arm will be mine until you pay off your debt.”

Jakar let out a hollow laugh.

“I should have just kept my mouth shut.”

“If you had, you would have died by my hand today.”

“My lady, you are the most malicious of all the guests I’ve encountered so far. Are you aware of that?”

“I’ve always had a reputation for being malicious. Did you just realize that?”

At my shameless remark, Jakar pressed his forehead. After letting out a deep sigh, he said,

“Understood. I’ll look for them. However, I can’t guarantee anything. We have to be cautious when dealing with royalty.”

“I’m not asking you to do the impossible. Just do it to the best of your ability.”

“That’s what’s more frightening. If I can’t find them, you’ll blame me for being incompetent.”

“You understand well, don’t you?”

I turned around with a smile. As I was heading to the door, a sudden thought crossed my mind, and I looked back at Jakar.

“While we’re at it, do me one more favor as a service. This one is much easier than the previous request.”

At that moment, Jakar was making a face that Derek often wore. It was the expression of someone who felt it was too much to handle.

—

Part 8: The Masquerade Ball

A bright full moon rose in the dark sky.

Feigning sleep, I began to move as the surroundings fell silent.

I put on the men’s clothes I had purchased while Bell was distracted last time and donned a short brown wig. It was my first time dressing as a man since childhood.

I worried it might feel awkward, but when I looked in the mirror, I thought I looked quite decent. Though it felt strange to say this about myself, I looked somewhat like a pretty boy. As long as I kept my voice in check, I wouldn’t be discovered as a girl.

However, I wasn’t satisfied with the mask. As I hastily picked something to avoid Bell’s notice, I ended up choosing a butterfly-shaped mask.

Since I was dressing as a man, I wanted something cool like a leopard or a lion, but here I was with this silly butterfly.

Sigh.

Letting out a small sigh, I tucked the fabric mask into my pocket. Then, I opened the window.

Thanks to the time I had spent at the Duke’s residence, I was well aware of the guards’ patrol times. I confirmed that no one was around and quickly climbed down the wall. After that, I chose a spot where the shadows were thick and moved silently.

Tonight, I planned to attend the masquerade ball where I had gathered information from the painter last time. I intended to gather information about those individuals directly.

The reason I made this decision was that I didn’t want to miss this opportunity, which might not come again. The masquerade ball was held every fifteen days, and by the time the next one took place, I would likely no longer be here. So today was both my first and last chance.

After meeting Jakar, I delivered a letter to the Grand Duke.

It wasn’t my place to judge what attitude the Grand Duke would take between the Empire and the Kingdom. That was entirely my father’s decision. Whether to seek revenge or to give up on it again was all up to him.

So, I wrote the information I had gathered through Jakar, sticking to the facts. It would take about ten days to reach the Grand Duke by carriage, but if they rode quickly, it could arrive in five days.

In the meantime, I planned to do what I could here. However, the problem was that it involved sneaking over someone else’s fence at night.

“Damn it! If I had been at the Grand Duke’s residence from the start, none of this would have happened!”

If I had stayed alone at the Grand Duke’s residence in Rosen, I could have come and gone freely at any time. But here, there was clearly a different homeowner.

If I told the duchess that I was going to a masquerade ball, she would not only deny me permission but would probably think I was crazy. The masquerade ball was a place to enjoy entertainment while hiding one’s identity, and it had a poor reputation in society. So, the only option I had was to sneak out of the house.

As I navigated through the large mansion, avoiding the guards, I finally arrived at the wall I aimed to scale. I just needed to climb over that wall to get outside!

Just as I was about to start climbing, I suddenly heard barking from somewhere. I froze and turned around. In the distance, Hyperion and Rose were walking this way.

What? This isn’t their usual walking route. Why are they coming here?

I quickly hid under a low bush, hoping they would pass by without seeing me.

However, peeking through the branches, I saw Rose, who had been playfully wandering around, suddenly start sniffing the air intently. Then she tilted her head several times.

“Hmm?”

“Rose, what’s wrong?”

Noticing something strange, Hyperion asked.

With her ears perked up, Rose now buried her nose in the ground. Sniffing, she slowly approached the direction where I was hiding.