Chapter 30

In a square near the royal castle, a 'Free Market' is held once a month. The Free Market is a place where ordinary citizens who are not registered with commercial guilds can sell whatever they like using small plots of land. As long as they pay a low participation fee, anyone can become a shop owner for a day.

The Free Market is not only held in the capital but also in local cities of a certain size. The country also encourages citizen participation. Indeed, it is a commercial kingdom.

I bought three delicious-looking baked goods, handed them to Lord Clark and Nonna, and we ate them while walking. After taking a few steps, I suddenly looked at Lord Clark, who was eating while walking with a tense expression.

(Perhaps this is the first time he has done something so unrefined as eating while walking. I apologize, but life is all about experience.) I thought as I walked.

There are probably about seventy to eighty shops. There might be more. The calls of the vendors are flying around, and it is very lively.

The three of us visited shops in order, such as bread and pastry shops, vegetable shops, second-hand books, second-hand clothes, handmade toys, various dolls, fresh flowers, and accessories.

"Vicky, look at that!"

The shop Nonna pointed to was a walnut button shop. Walnut buttons of various sizes, wrapped in fabric, were neatly arranged on a black cloth. It was a lovely shop, like a small flower field.

The seller was a woman of my age. She was wearing a simple, straight-cut gray dress. The dull pink buttons sewn in a row on the front of the dress were all small walnut buttons. Very stylish.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Isn't it? Please take your time looking."

Nonna and I squatted down and looked with excitement.

"These buttons would be cute as hair accessories. Miss, how about this one?"

She held a large walnut button, wrapped in dark blue silk and stuffed with cotton, next to Nonna's head and said, "See?" She was a woman with long, dark blonde hair tied in a single braid, with no makeup, and her clear, unblemished skin was beautiful.

"Vicky, can I buy some?"

"Sure. Which ones do you like?"

Nonna pointed to a walnut button in a bright aqua color, like a clear winter sky. Indeed, if this button were sewn onto a white dress, it would be cute.

"I'll take five of these buttons and five of the deep green ones."

"Sure, thank you."

After buying the buttons, Nonna's steps became like a dance. She must have been very happy.

Lord Clark peeked into a second-hand bookshop and bought two books. I also wanted to buy something and looked around.

Then I found it. Something I wanted so much, it was almost a miracle. It was hair. Beautiful, long black hair tied with a thin leather cord.

Glossy, straight, beautiful black hair is hard to come by. I bought it immediately. The children said, "Wow" and "It's creepy," but with this, I could make a black wig.

I went home with a satisfied heart. I wouldn't lack for late-night work for a while.

The Free Market is the best.

That night.

"Vicky! Vicky!"

"Okay, okay."

I jumped up at Nonna's voice. Did I oversleep? But the room was pitch black. Huh?

"Are you okay?"

"Why? It's the middle of the night, right?"

"Vicky, you were screaming."

"...What did you scream?"

"Stop it!"

Ah, again.

"I'm sorry. I had a scary dream. I must have woken you up with a loud voice."

"It's okay. Do you want to sleep with me?"

"Would you?"

Nonna slipped into the bedding. We covered ourselves with the blanket, but I was wide awake. After confirming that Nonna was snoring, I slipped out of bed.

I went to the kitchen, lit the lamp, filled a glass with water, and drank it.

I was breaking out in a cold sweat, and my nightgown was sticking to my skin, making me feel uncomfortable.

Although I was praised by a psychiatrist as having a strong spirit that Chloe rarely sees, even I have scars from my work. If I was screaming "Stop it," it was probably about that incident.

When I was twenty-two and my colleague Mary was twenty-one, we were assigned to steal 'records of corruption by the elders' hidden in a certain noble's mansion. Hans, who was fifteen at the time, was part of our team.

Lancome spoke to Mary.

"This time, Mary, you're the leader. It's your first time, so be careful."

"Yes, sir."

Then, on the night in question.

Just before the operation, Mary changed the positions.

"Chloe, Hans and I will infiltrate, so I'll ask you to keep watch. Hans, you come after me."

"Yes."

"Wait. That's not what we agreed. Hans was supposed to keep watch."

When I said this, Mary made a visibly unpleasant face.

"I'm the leader. Follow my orders."

"But it's Hans's first job. He should keep watch."

"No."

Considering the tense atmosphere between Mary and me, Hans said,

"I'll go. Chloe, I'll be fine."

I was tired of the situation and agreed to the change.

After the two of them entered the house, there were loud noises and shouting inside the mansion. Then Mary jumped out of a window, followed by Hans a short while later.

A large man who had been chasing them apparently decided he couldn't catch them and threw a heavy sword. The sword pierced Hans's chest, and he fell forward, motionless, with the tip of the sword protruding from his chest.

I don't know what happened inside the mansion, but it's a fact that Mary left Hans, who was on his first job, behind and escaped first.

Mary and I ran as fast as we could, jumped on the horses we had prepared, and fled. When we returned to the central management office, Mary immediately confronted me before I could report.

"Chloe, if you have something to say, say it."

"Stop confronting me."

"You always act so perfect. It really irritates me. You get all the big jobs because Lancome favors you! You act so superior because you're the favorite! It's annoying!"

I usually ignore such insults, but when I stood up, the other team members in the room tensed.

"If you have a problem with Lancome's decisions, you should talk to him. Complaining to me is pointless. You're the one who flatters Lancome, not me. Have some shame."

Mary suddenly lunged at me.

(Fool. The one who strikes first is the one who gets punished.)

I dodged Mary's punch and hit her in the face with my elbow. Her face would be bruised and swollen tomorrow, but I didn't care. Hans was killed, and we couldn't recover his body. It was our fault, Mary's and mine.

I whispered in Mary's ear as she groaned, holding her face.

"A bad leader is someone who pretends to be a leader but runs away first when something happens and leaves their junior to die, like you."

The men held Mary back as she tried to lunge at me again.

"You get excited easily. That's why you never get big jobs. If I were the boss, I wouldn't give big jobs to someone who can't control their emotions. Why did you suddenly change the positions? Why did you leave Hans behind? Before you take out your frustration on me, you should kneel and beg for forgiveness from Hans. No matter how much you apologize, Hans won't come back!"

If Mary hadn't changed the positions and I hadn't given in, Hans would have stayed as the lookout and wouldn't have died. Once someone dies, it's over. No matter how much you regret and apologize, the dead don't come back. Hans lost all his future possibilities because of Mary and me.

I couldn't sleep tonight, so I started my late-night work. I would make a wig from the long black hair I bought at the Free Market. Some people in the team bought their wigs, but I made my own.

I washed and dried the bundled hair, then took a few strands at a time and knitted them into a fine net with a very thin crochet hook. I knitted a net that fit my head perfectly, then threaded a few strands of hair through it and tied them. It was a tedious and time-consuming task, but I didn't dislike it.

As I concentrated on the work with my fingertips, my mind gradually calmed down. Then, memories that I usually don't recall came to mind.

Tonight, I was thinking about Hans.

Hans laughing.

Hans eating meat with relish.

Hans who liked a girl from the same year.

Hans who boasted about his beautiful sister.

Hans who said, "I want to get promoted."

Not forgetting Hans is my way of apologizing to him, who ended his life at fifteen, and a warning to myself.

I was raised by the country to do illegal work and have lived by receiving rewards. Even so, I have things I want to protect. I want to prevent deaths that can be prevented. I have seen more 'once you're dead, it's over' than ordinary people.

"Forget all the completed jobs. Regret is nothing but poison."

Lancome said this to me. At the time, his words were a comfort.

But now, it's different. If I forget Hans's death, I feel like I'll lose something important as a person.

I can't forget Hans.