Chapter 17

The next day. Although the head butler jumped at Latil's plan, Latil eventually succeeded in coming out onto the street dressed as a noble's daughter. Only a few knights followed him closely. The other disguised knights kept a slight distance, but from the outside, it seemed as if only the few knights and Latil were in the group. As soon as they reached the bustling area, Latil slowly looked around. A month ago, when he and Tella had fought, the aftermath was still visible on the streets. The atmosphere was chaotic, and people were talking about the two royals everywhere. Tella's supporters and Latil's supporters often argued and even fought with each other. But now, it seemed that the atmosphere was gradually returning to normal.

‘Feels good. I must be doing well, right?’

Latil was satisfied as he looked around the street, but then he saw a child fall on the ground, which reminded him of his original purpose.

“Ah. Sir Seunghun, which way is the Grandier Hotel?”

“Are you going to meet the heir of the merchant guild first? It's that way. I'll guide you.”

The Grandier Hotel was the most luxurious and expensive hotel in the capital. It was so expensive that even nobles couldn't stay there for long. According to the application documents, the current candidate for the concubine, Tashir, had rented half of the hotel and was staying there with the merchants.

‘Indeed. He is the heir of one of the top merchant guilds.’

Latil had dressed as a noble from the start, considering that he would enter the Grandier Hotel. It would be more noticeable to enter in civilian clothes. Once inside the hotel, Latil thought he had made the right choice to dress up a bit. As expected, everyone inside was wearing flashy clothes. Latil sat on a long chair in the hotel's entrance hall and nodded to one of the knights disguised as a wanderer, who was to play the role of a 'reckless young master.' Before coming here, Latil had already prepared a few actions with the knights. This was a signal to start one of them. The knight playing the 'reckless young master' nodded slightly to indicate that he understood, and the other knights dispersed to find Tashir's current location. Meanwhile, Latil crossed his legs and picked up a gossip magazine provided as a service.

‘Oh my.’

It had been a while since the harem was announced, but the gossip magazine still focused on Latil's harem. The news that the Duke of Artax's eldest son and the Prince of Carisen were entering the harem had exploded, and the journalists were excitedly creating a narrative of 'Ranamon vs. Prince Klein.' They analyzed in detail who would win the emperor's favor, who was more beautiful, who was more charming, and the strengths and weaknesses of both.

‘Where do they get all this information?’

Latil clicked his tongue as he flipped through the gossip magazine.

‘It's quite entertaining.’

He glanced at his watch, but only 10 minutes had passed since the knights had dispersed. Latil lowered his gaze back to the gossip magazine he had already read. After about 15 minutes, some of the dispersed knights returned, but most of them came back to the lobby after 30 minutes. However, none of the knights who returned approached Latil. Only the one who found Tashir's location was to report, and the rest were to act independently. It seemed that none of them had found Tashir.

“Sir Seunghun. Has he gone out?”

“It's possible. It's still midday.”

Latil nodded, repeatedly folding and unfolding the gossip magazine he had already read.

‘What if he's gone out? Should I book a room and wait? That would be more natural. If I sit here for too long, I'll stand out.’

At that moment, the knight playing the 'reckless young master,' who had been quiet all along, suddenly started mumbling as he climbed the stairs. When Latil looked up, he saw Tashir Anges, today's target, at the top of the stairs. Tashir was coming down, reading a newspaper in one hand. Latil was impressed. He had thought Tashir looked quite good in the portrait, but in person, he looked even better. However, as expected, he didn't have an intellectual image...

‘Hmm. He looks like someone who does something scary?’

He looked like he could be dealing drugs or something from behind. But this made Latil even more curious, so he subtly covered half his face with the gossip magazine, fixing his eyes on Tashir. The plan Latil had set up with the knights was as follows: the knight playing the 'reckless young master' would try to start a fight with Tashir, pretending to be drunk. If the situation didn't allow it, another knight would do it. The purpose was to see how Tashir would handle the situation. Finally, the disguised knight passed by Tashir. Tashir hadn't noticed the knight yet, as he was focused on the newspaper. When Tashir was almost at the bottom of the stairs:

“Hey! Why the hell did you push me?”

The knight, who had climbed the stairs, came back down and spoke to Tashir in a drunken voice. The knight seemed to have a talent for acting, as he looked like he had really drunk a lot. At first, Tashir didn't think the knight was talking to him, but when the knight pushed his back, he slowly turned around.

‘Yes! Got him!’

Latil's eyes sparkled as he gripped the gossip magazine tightly. Good. Show me, the intellectual crisis management of the merchant guild's heir! However, the moment Tashir fully turned to look at the knight:

“What the hell are you saying, you damn brat?”

Instead of a clever and agile response, an unexpected and cold curse came out. Moreover, his pronunciation was so clear.

“Wow...”

Latil involuntarily put down the gossip magazine. Where did the intellectual charm go? Where did the handsome intellectual go? The knight also seemed taken aback by the unexpected curse. But then he scowled and stepped forward, grabbing Tashir by the collar.

“Why did you push me, you bastard!”

The knight, trying to avoid a fight on the stairs, came down to grab Tashir. But for Tashir, this was not a considerate act. It was just a random person starting a fight and grabbing him. Tashir laughed in disbelief and immediately grabbed the knight's wrist, throwing him to the ground.

“Ugh!”

The knight almost rolled on the ground before falling. He seemed to have used a falling technique, but it still looked quite painful. Latil was impressed again.

‘Oh. He's quite good with his body?’

The hotel security, who had been watching the situation, finally rushed over.

“Stop it!”

The knight who had started the fight glanced at Latil. Latil nodded to signal that it was okay to back off. If he continued to cause trouble, he would be taken to the security, and if he was taken to the security, his identity as a knight would be revealed. It would be a very embarrassing situation for the knight. It was better to stop here.

“You little... I'll let you off. Consider yourself lucky.”

The knight, as if letting Tashir off, stepped back at the right moment. The security guards, relieved that they didn't have to physically restrain the customers, looked reassured. Such a fight could be resolved if one side backed off. But this time, Tashir grabbed the knight by the collar.

“What? Let me off? Let me off with what?"

Latil looked at Seunghun, unsure of what to do.

“I'll step in if necessary. Your Highness, please stay here.”

Seunghun whispered and sat at the far end of the sofa. Latil picked up the gossip magazine again and watched the situation. Meanwhile, Tashir was shaking the knight by the collar.

“You pretended to be drunk and started a fight, and now you're trying to back off? Huh?”

But what he said was even more unexpected. Latil was surprised. What, this guy. How did he know the knight was pretending to be drunk? The knight's acting was so good that even Latil, who had seen countless plays, was impressed. The knight also seemed taken aback by this unexpected situation. Seunghun narrowed his eyes and watched Tashir.

“Mr. Tashir, we will take care of the drunk customer.”

“Mr. Tashir, please calm down.”

The security guards, believing the knight was really drunk, tried to stop Tashir from fighting with the drunk. But it was in vain.

“What do you mean, drunk? A drunk doesn't even smell of alcohol? Besides, his steps are fine when he goes up and down the stairs, but why does he stagger only when he comes to me? Huh? Do you think I would think you're drunk just because your tongue is twisted? Does your alcohol only come out when you start a fight? Huh?”

Tashir was now yelling at the knight, still holding his collar. He didn't even respond to the security guards. Then, he suddenly lowered his voice and asked:

“Who told you to act like this?”

The knight, who had been pushed around by Tashir, was startled by the question.

“What are you talking about! Who told me to do this!"

“Pupil reaction, facial expression, lip response, excessive denial. You were told to do this.”

Tashir, chuckling, let go of the knight's collar and looked around.

“Let's see. The only person who would dare to do this to me...”

Latil quickly lowered his gaze to the gossip magazine. He pretended to be very interested in the content, reading the text over and over. The words didn't register, but he continued to act as if he was reading. However, the footsteps that started from a distance gradually came closer, and soon a low laugh was heard right in front of him. Latil took a deep breath. Even though he was looking down, he knew someone was standing right in front of him. Most likely, it was Tashir.

‘Is he in front of me? Is he really in front of me?’

Latil slowly lifted his head. Indeed, Tashir, who had been standing near the stairs, was now leaning down so close that their faces were almost touching. When their eyes met, Tashir smiled with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh.”

It was clear he had been caught. Now, would he curse me too? Am I going to hear a curse? Latil looked at him tensely.

“You should have stopped here if you didn't want to be caught.”

‘Huh?’

But Tashir's voice was completely different from when he was dealing with the knight. It was gentle and affectionate. Moreover, from the way he said, "if you didn't want to be caught," it seemed he had guessed Latil's identity. Seeing Latil's bewildered look, Tashir straightened up and whispered:

“Hiding your face with a newspaper or magazine is not very efficient. If you want to put on a show, hire an actor. If not, use a real drunk. The knights, even when pretending to be rough, can't hide their true nature.”

With a smile, he picked up the newspaper next to Latil and left the hotel. Latil, still holding the gossip magazine, stared blankly at Tashir's back until he disappeared through the glass door, then clicked his tongue.

“He should have been hired as a police officer, not a concubine.”

Although he was different from the expected intellectual image... he seemed to be quite smart. * * * The next place Latil visited was the tavern where the mercenary king, Kalani, was staying. Unlike the Grandier Hotel where Tashir was staying, this was a common tavern. However, Latil was surprised for a different reason when he entered. Not only Kalani but the entire mercenary group he led had been staying there for a few days. As a result, there were no ordinary customers. Only the black-clad mercenaries filled the tables, drinking. The waiter, assuming Latil and Seunghun were ordinary customers, was almost in tears with relief to see them.

“Oh! Welcome! Please come this way! This way!”

Latil sat at the only empty table and looked around at the mercenaries. Usually, 'mercenaries' are associated with a noisy and boisterous image. It's a stereotype, but most of them were like that. However, these Black Death mercenaries were all silent. While knights laughed and chatted when they gathered to eat, these mercenaries drank with expressionless faces. The scene, where not a single word was spoken, was almost frightening.

‘No wonder the waiter is scared.’

Moreover...

“He's not here.”

The mercenary king was nowhere to be seen. Latil waited until evening but never saw the mercenary king. When he asked the waiter, he learned that the mercenary king had indeed come, but the waiters hadn't seen him since the first day.

“At first, some people came looking for him, probably having heard rumors. But no one managed to meet him.”

“Why?”

“He doesn't go to the bathroom, doesn't come out to eat, and doesn't leave his room at all.”

The waiter shivered and added:

“To be honest, I'm scared that he might have committed suicide or died suddenly. Can a person survive without eating for so long?”

“He might be going to the bathroom secretly. Maybe he has a lot of dried meat in his bag...”

“No. He has definitely not gone to the bathroom even once. Besides, it's strange. Think about it, sir. Why would he come to a restaurant and just stay locked up, chewing on dried meat?”

* * * After completing his incognito trip, Latil returned to the palace, where the worried nanny immediately came running. The nanny, as if Latil had just returned from a battlefield, made him drink warm milk and take a bath with bath salts. After Latil had a full meal and got into the bath, she finally asked with a smile:

“What did you think of the concubine candidates, Your Highness?”

She seemed both worried about Latil going out with fewer guards and curious about the future concubines.

“Did they match your expectations? Or were the portraits overly idealized?”

To the nanny's hopeful face, Latil could only say one thing:

“I didn't see one, and the other one's portrait was a fraud.”

“Pardon?”

“It's not that it was idealized, but the atmosphere...”

“Pardon?”

“I'm worried about Gestha.”

“The Chancellor's second son?”

“He's so gentle. He's very shy. That gentle guy, I'm afraid he'll be suppressed. I wonder if he can hold up...”