The Perfect Plan for a Fairy-Tale Ending

Chapter 9

“Well… I think he’ll be there to rescue you, at least,” I added, a hint of uncertainty creeping into my voice. “But you won’t have to worry about anything once you meet him. You’ll be able to eat whatever you want for the rest of your life! They’re an extremely wealthy family.”

My voice grew in conviction as I spoke. Larissa’s husband had to be rich—filthy rich. He also had to have a title, as well as immense pride and dignity.

That way, he won’t obsess over a diamond tear or two. There’d be no need for him to beat jewels out of his wife, and he definitely wouldn’t be tempted to reveal her secret to anyone, even if it were to the king himself.

“He won’t need to take anything from you if he has enough already. He won’t need to hurt you. That family is on a whole different level than ours…”

Hmm… I could feel someone else listening in on our conversation, and I stopped mid-sentence to whip my head around. The two men seated at the other table were looking our way, their forks frozen en route to their mouths. When I met their gazes, they hastily turned back to their plates, as if nothing had happened. But in that short moment, I’d gotten a glimpse of one man’s face.

Whoa, he’s so handsome…! Both of them were clad in filthy clothes, like they’d been rolling around in a dust pit, but the man’s incredibly good looks couldn’t be disguised.

A statue is still a work of art, no matter how dirty it gets. His beauty shone through the dirt covering his well-defined face, and there was a powerful, almost electrifying aura about him that nearly sent shivers down my spine.

Generally, I was rather immune to others’ good looks. Thanks to my fairy blood, I possessed a rare loveliness myself, as did my villainous brother, Bilain. Since the people I saw regularly were so visually blessed, it took quite a striking appearance to catch my attention.

But that man is handsome, even to me! And even when covered in dirt. I momentarily forgot what I was saying to Larissa.

But why was he looking at us? Good-looking or not, I was about to shoot him a glare as a sign to mind his own business, but I decided to just turn away. It would cause trouble if I deliberately picked a fight and made a scene.

Suddenly, I heard an enraged growl. “That little b*tch…”

It wasn’t anything I hadn’t heard before, but my heart still jumped. I couldn’t believe I’d been marveling over his looks while he thought this of me. I flinched and stole another glance at their table, but the two men were conversing in low voices with forks in hand.

I heard another vicious thought. “Dammit, where has that wretched girl gone? I’ll grind her into dust myself when I find her.”

The voice wasn’t coming from inside this room… And it was horrifyingly familiar. It was none other than Igor.

How did he find us this quickly?! I felt as if all the blood was draining from my body. If I could hear his thoughts, it meant that he was nearby. Sure enough, a moment later, I heard the clamor of footsteps approaching the restaurant door.

What do I do? We couldn’t escape through the entrance now, and the door that led to the kitchen was too far. Everything back there was still visible from the front of the eatery, anyway.

There was no time to think. “Larissa, come!” I hissed, pulling her down under the table.

Praying that the dirty tablecloth covered us completely, I hugged her tightly to my chest. The door slammed open at the exact same moment we dove under the table, and I heard loud footsteps entering the room.

My heart hammered with their every step. I knew the men at the next table had witnessed everything, and we were as good as dead. But there was nowhere else to run.

“Welcome! I’ll be right out!” I heard the owner shout from the kitchen along with the clatter of plates. It seemed that she was too busy preparing my order to come out immediately.

“You there, good sirs.” It was a rough male voice, one both Larissa and I had heard many times. There was no doubt now that it was Igor. He was panting, slightly out of breath, as if he’d been running for hours. “Have you seen two girls? One is thirteen, and the other is seventeen. The younger one has silver hair and is about this tall, and the older girl is a blonde. They are my daughters who’ve both disappeared.”

I felt as if my heart would burst out of my chest. At the sound of his voice, Larissa had begun to tremble wildly, as if she was about to have a seizure. I held my breath and grasped her tighter.

“The younger girl… is not so healthy,” Igor continued. “Her life is in danger if she does not take her medication. I must find them as quickly as possible.”

Medication? I’d never heard this before and gave Larissa a questioning look. She shook her head silently. All lies, huh…

Igor sounded appropriately sorrowful as if he were a genuinely distressed father searching for his daughters. I knew he was indeed distressed, but not out of fatherly affection. He won’t care what happens to me, but he’s desperate to find Larissa and keep her downstairs for the rest of her life.

If the men gave him a hint or even gestured to the table we were hiding underneath, it was all over. I had to think of what to do. Judging from the footsteps, Igor was on his own, but he was still a grown man.

There’s no way I can overpower him, I thought. Perhaps it would be difficult for him to shake me off if I clung to him with all my strength. Would that buy Larissa enough time to run away? He wouldn’t kill me for helping her escape, would he…? No, he probably would. He would totally lose it if he saw his personal diamond mine escape on her own two feet. Even if Larissa successfully managed to flee, there was no way she could survive on her own. She had lived her whole life underground and knew nothing about other people or the world.

I nearly let out a hollow laugh. If he lifts this tablecloth, then I’m going to start screaming for help and say that he’s a liar, I thought grimly.

Perhaps if I offered the handsome man and his companion a fistful of jewels, they would be inclined to help us. There weren’t many people who could keep their cool in the face of money. If that didn’t work, I would roll up Larissa’s sleeves and show them evidence of her abuse. Although I’d be sorry for exposing her that way, perhaps they would be sympathetic if there was proof that she had truly been beaten nearly to death.

I silently reached out and pulled my bag of jewelry closer to me.

“Those girls—” Igor continued.

“We haven’t seen them.” I heard a low voice for the first time. There was a short silence, then the voice spoke again. “We haven’t seen them. We are the only ones here.”

“You didn’t happen to pass them outside?” asked Igor. “Others told me they spotted them coming into this establishment. I am beside myself at the mere thought that something may have happened to my daughters. Think…” he pressed. “Have you really not seen them?”

Igor was as tenacious as a dog growling over a bone, but the man’s reply was the same. “What a pity, but we indeed have not seen them.” His voice didn’t sound as if he pitied Igor in the least.

Why is he helping us? Not that I’m ungrateful… I stroked Larissa’s back, trying to relax. Suddenly, I smelled the mouth-watering aroma of roasted chicken and potatoes.

“Oh?” The owner sounded surprised. I nearly hit my head on the bottom of the table. What great timing for our dishes to arrive now…

The woman seemed to be utterly confused. The customers who’d placed the order had disappeared, and a new arrival seemed intent on picking a fight with the other diners. This is it, I thought, closing my eyes.

“Where did they—”

The stranger’s voice was stiff as he interrupted the owner. “Ah, finally. You really kept us waiting. You can put those down here.”

“S-sir?”

“What’s the matter? Why aren’t you bringing us our food?”

I heard the sound of shuffling plates, which I assumed to be the woman setting them down at the men’s table.

Now came Igor’s voice. “But you gentlemen already have dishes in front of you.” He sounded deeply suspicious.

I heard the other stranger’s voice for the first time. “Look at us,” he said, sounding irritated. “Of course, one plate of food isn’t enough for the both of us. We took the liberty of ordering more.”

“Yes, that’s right. They placed another order,” the owner chimed in.

The first stranger spoke again. “Instead of wasting your time here, why don’t you go back outside and look for your daughters? Do you not know what sort of neighborhood this is?” The man’s low voice had a threatening edge.

“I… I understand. Please contact me right away if you see my daughters. I am offering a generous reward. I am Igor Blick of Nostrand.” With that, his heavy steps thudded out of the premises. The shouts and insults in his mind finally faded away.

The first man’s quiet voice spoke into the room. “Feel free to come back out, ladies.”

Larissa was still shaking, and I saw that she was clutching at my dress. “He’s gone. It’s okay now,” I whispered. With a few more encouraging words, I lifted the edge of the tablecloth, motioning for her to see for herself.

Slowly, we crept out from under the table as both men and the owner stared down at us. Then, the handsome man began to speak.