Chapter 17
Iris decided to share the VIP suite with the Crown Prince.
The suite had no less than four bedrooms, but to others, it would simply look like they were sharing the same room—nothing more, nothing less.
“What are you planning to do, Your Highness?”
“Wandering around isn’t exactly desirable behavior for me, so I’ll likely stay in the suite.”
“Then is it okay if I go out?”
“Is there something to see?”
“I’ll have to find out from now on.”
While the servants were unpacking, she opened the suite’s door and loudly called for Jack.
“Jack!”
“What… is it?”
“Get ready to go out!”
“…Always wandering around. Fine.”
The Crown Prince let out a soft chuckle.
“I think I heard some impertinent words.”
“It’s just your imagination. I’ll be back!”
Dressed lightly, Iris briskly walked with Jack down to the first floor.
Generously, the Crown Prince had provided Jack with a regular room, so he could stay comfortably as well.
“What’s your impression of seeing the Crown Prince in person?”
“What am I supposed to think?”
“He’s handsome, isn’t he?”
“He’s handsome, sure. So what?”
“Oh, come on. Jack, you’re not bad yourself. Cheer up.”
“Don’t annoy me.”
Giggling, she passed through the lobby and left the hotel.
From the terrace, the Crown Prince watched as Iris and Jack headed into the bustling street.
“Shall we look into it?”
“Hmm, that would be best.”
The Crown Prince found the tall man with bronzed skin and a sharp nose bridge extremely irritating. He also seemed strangely familiar.
“I’m curious why our fiancée, who doesn’t even keep a maid, insists on having that guy by her side.”
“Understood.”
Whether she knew of the Crown Prince’s resolve or not, Iris was slightly excited.
The area was close to the capital, so the scenery wasn’t vastly different, yet it felt oddly unfamiliar.
“It’s strange. It’s similar to the capital, but it feels kind of worn out.”
“That’s how it is.”
The street was lined with vendors selling street food, stalls with cheap trinkets, and people loudly advertising pubs and restaurants.
As they passed the street where the grand hotel stood and reached the center, a large plaza with a giant clock tower and fountain came into view.
Unlike the capital, it seemed poorly maintained, with moss and grime visible in places.
“Still, it’s not bad.”
Coins thrown into the fountain by passersby gleamed in the water, and the sweet aroma of snacks wafted through the air.
“It feels like a place where people live.”
A breeze blew through. Iris pressed her hat down to keep it from flying away.
People glanced at her as her dress hem fluttered. Jack’s gaze lingered on Iris as well.
‘If she’d just keep her mouth shut, she’d be really pretty.’
It was perhaps inevitable that Iris, after her debut in high society, was called the empire’s most beautiful woman. She sparkled as if carved from light and salt.
“What are you looking at?”
“You ruin it the moment you open your mouth.”
“I only act like this around you, so don’t worry.”
Smiling playfully at Jack, Iris seemed to be in a particularly good mood today. Jack said nothing more and kept quiet.
She wandered the streets with Jack, looking around but not buying or eating anything.
When Jack subtly asked, her only response was that it was a waste of money.
“The hotel will prepare a proper meal when we get back, so why bother buying food?”
Perhaps because she was used to a life of paying off debts, Iris seemed quite frugal even to Jack.
He wasn’t sure whether to admire or dislike this trait. Letting out a small sigh, he matched her pace.
The two passed through a street filled with people. As evening approached, the area grew crowded with those out for dinner.
“This is getting boring. Should we head back?”
“Yeah, there’s not much to see.”
Just then, someone bumped into Iris. Looking down, she saw a scruffy girl glaring at her before quickly walking away.
“Hmm…”
Iris watched the girl’s retreating figure before checking her pocket.
“Wow, she’s quick.”
“Should I catch her?”
“No need. It’s just a few coins. Besides, she’s just a kid.”
Jack frowned, clearly not understanding.
“As I always think, you’re too soft on kids.”
“What’s it matter?”
“There are plenty of cunning kids out there.”
“Cunning kids just end up being used by bad adults. Come on, let’s keep going.”
They passed through the plaza, heading back to the hotel. But then—
“Eek!”
“You thief!”
A small scream and a man’s shout rang out from somewhere. Iris and Jack exchanged a glance and walked toward the noise.
*Thud! Thwack!*
“You thief! How dare you touch someone else’s money!”
“Ow, ouch!”
The pickpocket girl Iris had let go earlier was being beaten by a balding man.
It seemed she’d been caught trying to steal from him, just as she had with Iris.
“Poor thing.”
Iris clicked her tongue and passed by the crowd gathered around the scene.
“Looks like I was the only lucky one today.”
She could overlook the girl stealing her money but had no intention of helping her out of trouble. In moments like this, she was cold as ice.
Jack quietly watched Iris’s retreating figure as she turned away, then followed her back into the hotel.
“Eek!”
The girl’s screams, her hand being stomped on, echoed through the street.
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‘It hurts.’
That’s what the girl thought.
Her whole body ached, and something felt broken.
This kind of beating was common on unlucky days, but today it was especially brutal.
‘That balding guy looked like bad news from the start.’
Collapsed on the cold stone ground, the girl thought this. Blood from a cut somewhere warmed her forehead, but her body was chillingly cold.
‘It’s cold.’
When she’d stolen the purse from that angelic-looking woman, she thought she’d gotten lucky. Opening it to find only a few coins, enough for a piece of bread, was disappointing, but even one loaf was precious to her.
‘Even if I had more money, the boss would just take it…’
The girl, Aster, had lived on the streets since she was very young. She didn’t know who her parents were or even her own age.
She guessed she was around sixteen based on how she’d grown, but that was it. The name Aster was one she’d given herself.
No one on the streets gave names to orphans. Even the old beggar woman who raised her just called her “this girl” or “that girl.”
“She’s not going to die, is she?”
“Tch, a corpse on the street? That’s unsightly.”
No one would help a parentless pickpocket girl on the verge of death. They just grimaced and passed by, as if she were a filthy insect.
‘I’m getting a bit sleepy.’
Some passersby accidentally kicked her as they walked by, but no one offered a helping hand.
‘Well, living long in a place like this is impossible anyway.’
Resigned, the girl closed her eyes. As night fell, she drifted into a faint sleep. A deep darkness settled over her body.
As the crowd thinned and the plaza emptied, only the filthy girl remained. Just as the god of death seemed ready to claim her—
*Click, clack.*
The sound of heels echoed from somewhere.
“Well, I don’t even keep pets.”
It was a beautiful voice.
‘I haven’t done anything worthy of going to heaven.’
The girl thought this in her hazy state.
“Life is tough, little one, and taking responsibility for someone else’s life is even harder.”
The beautiful voice began to say something, but Aster couldn’t make sense of it. Still, the voice continued as if it didn’t care.
“Even if it’s an animal like a dog or a cat. Imagine how much harder it is if it’s a person.”
Aster barely opened her swollen eyes. Through her narrow vision, she saw a white skirt hem, pure as an angel’s wings.
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By Anna 💓
