Chapter 156

We dashed up the stairs two at a time.

We reached the room without incident.

I leaned against the old shoe rack, breathing hard.

"Hff — hah. The old gentleman is very kind."

"He really is. And he didn't charge us a thing — even for the deluxe room."

Emily stood at the entrance and surveyed the room. Then she arranged the shoes with perfect neatness and stepped inside.

I took off my shoes tidily and followed.

"…That said, Emily. Was it all right to use your mother like that? Because of me, you—"

"Oh, that. I'm an abandoned orphan, so it's not as though I had a mother to speak of. Using someone who was never there in the first place — that should be fine enough."

"Still… I'm sorry, all the same."

In my filthy state, I scrubbed myself clean as quickly as I could.

I kept the…