Chapter 2

Chloe, the agent of the Kingdom of Hagl, that's my name within the organization.

At the tip of a cliff overlooking the sea, I spread out a picnic blanket, placed stones at the four corners to keep it from flying away, and opened the lunch basket. An old farmer passing by in a cart called out to me, so I waved back to make an impression.

I took a bite of a sandwich, poured tea from a thermos into a cup, and placed it on the blanket before standing up. After confirming that no one was around, I lay down at the edge of the cliff. I extended my arm and tied the string of my hat to a pine branch just below the edge of the cliff.

I took off my sandals and threw them down to the rocks below. I removed the pendant I had cherished until today, reconnected the clasp, and then forcefully tore it off, throwing it at the rocks. I cut my inner wrist slightly, collected the blood in a dish, and sprinkled it on the rocks.

"Alright."

There's no point in staying too long. I bandaged my wound, put the blood-stained dish in my backpack, and put on a pair of laced boots. I turned my back to the cliff and started walking towards the mountain on the other side of the road.

...

That same night, in the Central Management Office of the Special Task Force of the Kingdom of Hagl.

"Dan, can you go check out the Matur Cliff? Jacob, check with the guard if they have any information."

Two muscular men quickly left the room. Watching them go, Director Rancome sighed and pressed his forehead.

"Rancome, Chloe often went to the Matur Cliff, didn't she?"

"Yes, Mary. I warned her many times that it was dangerous because there's no fence."

The woman called Mary covered her mouth with one hand.

"Did something happen to Chloe?"

"Don't worry. Nothing happened. I just sent them to check, just in case."

"She seemed shocked by our marriage."

"Stop it. That's not it. We don't know for sure if anything happened to Chloe."

"But it's so late and Chloe hasn't come back."

It was almost eight o'clock at night. The area around the cliff would be pitch black.

"Don't worry. It's probably a misunderstanding. Chloe is a strong person."

Rancome hugged Mary and patted her back to comfort her. Yes, the Chloe he knew was a strong woman who never showed weakness, no matter what.

...

The next morning, I was a passenger on a long-distance stagecoach leaving from a small town three towns away. I hid my straight brown hair under a bright red wig, applied heavy makeup, and stuffed my blouse to create a voluptuous appearance. I even drew a mole on my lip to complete the transformation into a seductive and experienced woman.

There were five passengers on the long-distance stagecoach, including me. All the other passengers were men, who kept glancing at me with my slender figure and seductive aura. Eventually, one middle-aged man spoke to me.

"Miss, where are you going? To get on a long-distance coach so early in the morning, you must have an important reason, right?"

"Yes. My mother is not feeling well, so I'm going to check on her. She lives alone, so I'm worried."

"That's understandable."

All the men were listening intently.

"Yes, I'm worried. But there's nothing I can do until I get there. I'm trying not to think about the worst."

I said this and took out a silver flask from my bag.

"Oh, that's nice. Is it distilled liquor?"

"Of course. It's a long journey, even though it's early. Would anyone like some?"

The silver flask contained a special blend with a higher alcohol content than regular Calvados. When I offered it to everyone, they eagerly started passing it around. When it was my turn, I only pretended to take a sip and passed it on.

Soon, the coach was filled with men mumbling to themselves, and one of them fell asleep. This way, my impression would be limited to a short time. If they remembered me, it would only be the bright red wig, heavy makeup, and the mole on my lip. Oh, and maybe the chest.

I got off the coach late at night in the town of Sarshton. There was a border checkpoint in Sarshton, and from there, I would enter the neighboring Kingdom of Randall.

I passed through the border checkpoint without any problems using a forged identity document. The document was in the name of "Maria," a red-haired woman. The name Maria was disposable.

Once in the Kingdom of Randall, I found a secluded spot and removed the wig. I quickly removed the mole and heavy makeup with a makeup remover and put away the chest padding in my bag.

Looking in a small hand mirror, the flamboyant and seductive red-haired woman "Maria" had transformed into a woman with brown hair and a forgettable face, though still in the same clothes.

Having successfully entered the Kingdom of Randall, I continued to change coaches, staying at hotels only at night when the coaches were not running. It took me twenty days to cross the Kingdom of Randall and enter the next kingdom, Ashbury. At the border, I presented a different identity document with the name "Victoria Sellers."

Victoria Sellers was a real person in the Kingdom of Randall who had gone missing. She was about my age, and her appearance was similar to mine, though not distinctive. She had been missing for ten years, and her family was scattered. When I saw her information in the list of missing persons, I thought it might be useful for a job someday, but I never imagined I would use it like this. Now, on paper, it would appear that this person had left the country.

Chloe no longer exists. From today, I will live as Victoria. The physical characteristics on Victoria's identity document are listed as brown hair, brown eyes, age twenty-seven, and height 165 cm, which are my true features. The real Victoria was slightly shorter. The identity document from the Kingdom of Randall looks like a legitimate document to anyone.

I entered a restaurant right after the border checkpoint.

"Good morning. What would you like?"

"Black coffee, pancakes, two sausages, and two over-easy eggs, please."

"Very well. Please take a seat wherever you like."

After placing my order, I sat in a corner with my back to the wall and sighed. At my old workplace, they probably think I fell or jumped from the cliff.

"Here you are."

The table was set with scalding hot coffee, sizzling sausages with char marks, and steaming pancakes with melting butter. A small glass pitcher was filled with maple syrup.

I poured all the syrup over the pancakes, picked up my knife and fork, and started eating with a hearty appetite. The eggs were perfectly over-easy. It had been a year since I decided to leave my life as an agent, and for eight months, I had restricted my diet.

"Ah, delicious. From now on, I can eat whatever I want."

During the time I reduced my food intake to create the impression of suffering from a broken heart, I was always hungry. The hunger became even worse when Rancome, worried about me, made me take appetite stimulants, but I endured it. I had lost eight kilograms.

Finally, I can eat as much as I want.

I took my time finishing a man-sized meal and then set out to walk through the capital to find a hotel. I needed to regain the muscle I had lost.

I entered a large hotel on the main street and approached the counter.

"I'm Victoria Sellers, I made a reservation by letter."

"Ms. Sellers, we've been expecting you. Your room is on the third floor, and we have prepared a corner room as you requested."

I plan to use this hotel as my base for the time being and plan my future life. I have many options. I can take my time. I plopped onto the bed.

Will Director Rancome continue searching for me? Will he extend his search to the Kingdom of Ashbury, two countries away? Or will he give up quickly?

"Stop it. Worrying here is a waste of time."

From now on, I intend to live freely without being bound by anyone.