The Perfect Plan for a Fairy-Tale Ending

Chapter 10

“You can take the food you ordered. We haven’t touched it.”

The owner took the plates from the men’s table and placed them on our table instead. I knew now that the low voice belonged to the handsome man.

So, he’s the one who decided to help us. In this world, women were seen as nothing more than the possessions of the men around them. A wife belonged to her husband, and a daughter to her father. But he still took the side of two female strangers…

I was rather touched. It seemed like kindness came alongside beauty, after all—and upon examining him now, he was even more handsome than I thought upon first impression. As his companion had stated earlier, each of them was built enough to be eating two portions, and even when he was seated I could tell his arms and legs were long. His shredded, worn clothes hardly disguised his wide shoulders and firm chest muscles.

“Thank you very much,” I said, putting heartfelt emotion into my words as I bowed.

The handsome stranger only looked me over coldly before turning back to his plate. “I merely wanted to avoid a disturbance, and I did not care to be subjected to the sight of two little girls being dragged away. Why don’t you finish your food and then make your way back home?”

I stared at him. “What did you say…?”

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. Did he just say… he didn’t want to be disturbed while eating? Like it would ruin his appetite? Not only that, but he’d called me a “little girl.” I felt heat spread across my face. To think of how many young men were dying to even hold Marcia’s hand…!

“If you raise your voice, I’ll call that man straight back inside,” he said. “I suggest you sit and get back to eating.” He didn’t spare me another glance before he dug back into his food. His spectacled companion quietly tucked back in as well.

What the hell is up with those two? I was seething, but when I turned back around, I saw that Larissa hadn’t even made her way out from under the table. I decided to hold myself back on her account.

“Please let me know if any of you need anything else,” the owner said pleasantly before vanishing into the kitchen.

I sighed and helped Larissa back to her feet, sat her down, and placed a fork in her hand. “Quick, let’s eat,” I said. “We’ll get a carriage as soon as we’re done. We need to get on that train today, no matter what.”

I’d completely lost my appetite. Larissa surely felt the same way, but we still had to fill our stomachs. I cut a few slices of chicken and transferred them to Larissa’s plate, then took a big mouthful of the potatoes. While we ate, the two men finished their meal and left without another word, and no other customers entered.

Once we were done, I asked the owner if she could call a carriage for us.

“There’s a place where rental carriages gather at the end of this road. If you go there, you’ll be able to hire a covered one. Unfortunately, I can’t leave the shop myself…” The woman looked apologetic, but it was understandable. She ran the place all by herself. I paid triple the price as a token of thanks, and we left.

The only descriptions that Igor gave about us were our height, age, and hair color. Although we couldn’t hide our heights, we could at least hide our hair. I made sure to wrap Larissa’s bright silver hair under a handkerchief before placing the bonnet on her head again. I was still wearing a large headscarf, the same kind that many commoner women wore when heading to the market.

We’ll be fine as long as no one is on the lookout for us. Since I could hear others’ thoughts, I would be able to prepare if I heard anyone plotting against us. I strained to listen to our surroundings, moving purposefully toward the end of the road. I held the bag of jewelry in one hand, and Larissa’s hand tightly in the other.

We were walking for some time when I suddenly heard a voice. “I’m scared… Can I really do this?”

Eh? My eyes grew round. It was someone’s inner thoughts, but the voice did not seem to belong to Larissa. Just in case, I looked down at her, but her face was blank as she walked briskly by my side.

While everyone’s inner voice sounded different, it was hard to recognize the speaker right away, unlike when they spoke aloud. I didn’t “hear” the voices in my ears, to be precise. Rather, they were more like words I felt with my heart.

I should pay no mind. I don’t even know that person. We were busy enough as it was, so I ignored the voice and walked even faster.

But the same voice spoke again. “This won’t kill him. He’ll definitely survive, all I have to do is stab him once and run away.” The speaker was fraught with stress, fear, and apprehension.

I frowned. In Marcia’s frivolous life, filled with endless parties and mindless pleasure, she’d never heard a voice so desperate. But just one trip outside the mansion, and this was what I was faced with.

I could have passed by, but now that I’d heard the words “kill” and “stab,” there was no way I could turn a blind eye. I glanced toward the source of the voice, trying to appear nonchalant. It turned out to be a small boy around Larissa’s age—a street urchin, judging by his appearance. A worn, striped newsboy cap sat on his head. In one hand, he held a wooden bowl that he probably used to beg for coins, and the other hand was tucked into his pocket. He was staring in a particular direction.

“It doesn’t have to be a deep wound… All they said I need to do is draw blood. I’m not trying to kill him. If I do as they say, I won’t have to starve. It will be okay, but… but I’m so scared.” He seemed to be making excuse after excuse to try to make himself feel better.

Every time I paid attention to the voices around me, my life got worse in some way, which was how Marcia had become such a terror in the first place. I could recall it vividly through her memories. I wanted to walk by him and pretend I hadn’t heard a thing—and I would have, if the people he was staring at hadn’t turned out to be the men who’d rescued us in the restaurant.

Why, of all people… I felt a lump form in my throat. There could be no mistake. It was the two tall men wearing ragged clothes, one of them was undeniably handsome despite the dirt streaked across his face, and the other donning glasses. They were deep in conversation while standing beside a broken-down vehicle, similar to a carriage.

I peered closer and momentarily did a double take. Huh… Is that a car? There are automobiles in this world? It was a two-seater that very much resembled a carriage without a roof, but no matter how much I rubbed my eyes, there was no denying what I saw. It even had a steering wheel, and it looked much like the old cars from my original world.

Well, if they have trains here, it was only a matter of time before they developed cars, too… I guess they got into an accident. It appeared that the automobile was a prototype that had crashed mid-journey, hence why the men were covered in dirt and wearing tattered clothes.

So after they got into an accident, they decided to stop for lunch? I shook my head at how ridiculous it was. Well, even though their clothes were ripped, neither of them seemed harmed. I guessed they had decided to eat before deciding what to do.

As they were engrossed in their conversation, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for the boy to catch them off guard and stab them. I’ll consider this my repayment for your good deed.

I spoke loudly, intending for the men to hear. “You, boy!” The child flinched, but he didn’t look my way. “I’m talking to you in the striped cap. You heard me, right? I know you did. Come here!” I deliberately mentioned a specific trait, making sure they knew whom I was addressing.

The boy hesitated, then glanced my way. “Dammit,” I heard him curse to himself.

I stopped myself from laughing out loud. “Dammit?” You’re damn right. “What are you doing? I told you to come here,” I ordered, raising my voice even more.

The two men finally seemed to hear me, as they abruptly stopped speaking and glanced my way. The boy saw them as well. He won’t be able to catch them off guard now, I thought.

The boy’s shoulders slumped, and he trudged over to me. I pushed Larissa behind me as I took a step forward. “Take this and buy some bread for yourself.” I took a copper coin from my purse and handed it to him.

The boy let out a choked gasp. “Th-thank you!” he said.

“Yeah, yeah. Wait, are you just going to hold out your hand and wait for me to drop it in? A bit arrogant for a beggar, aren’t you?” I held the coin out teasingly and adopted the mocking tone Marcia had often used. “Take your hand out of your pocket. I want to see you hold that bowl like you mean it. I guess you don’t need to eat, huh?”

I deliberately pronounced the word “pocket”, hoping that both the boy and the men understood.

The child slowly pulled his hand out of his pocket and held his wooden bowl out begrudgingly. I dropped the coin inside with a clatter. I gave him another coin out of pity, then turned and walked away without glancing at the men.

With this, we were even. It was a relief that I’d repaid the favor so quick, as I hated being indebted to anyone. But the back of my head tingled, and I could hear someone screaming with vitriol. “It’s all ruined because of that damn woman! I was going to get rid of that kid after he stabbed them, but now everyone on the street is staring.”

Oh, dear… It was probably the person who had given the boy his weapon, and they were watching from somewhere nearby. Perhaps the boy would be beaten if he failed to accomplish this goal. At the same time, the boy began thinking insults against me as well. My head spun with the torrent of curses being sent my way.

You stupid little boy. I saved your life. If it hadn’t been for me, his ridiculous actions would have gotten him killed—either by the men from the restaurant, or eventually, by whoever it was that had given him the order in the first place.