When I got back to the inn near the Leaky Tavern, I imdiately sent a ssage to Ophelia through the magical communication projector.
The device flickered to life, displaying bright letters:
[Julian: Alive. Recovered all shipnts.]
Her reply ca almost instantly.
[Ophelia: 👍 Good job! Please listen next ti!]
I sighed at her casual dismissal. So typical.
At least I was alive, and it was my fault after all. I didn't really have the right to argue back this ti.
Just as I thought she'd forgotten about , another ssage popped up.
[Ophelia: You're relieved of all your missions this coming month. Return to the main house ASAP.]
A rush of surprise caught off guard. Relieved of all my missions?
She never let off that easily.
I quickly typed back an [Ok.] then collapsed onto the bed, exhaustion finally taking hold.
…
The next morning found at the Leaky Tavern, ordering a chicken risotto at the bar.
The sa waitress attended to , her smile as welcoming as ever.
"One chicken risotto," she said, setting the plate before with a graceful smile.
"Thank you," I replied, eager to dig in after what felt like ages since my last decent al.
The aroma of herbs and spices filled the air as I ate slowly, savoring each bite.
My mind wandered back to Ophelia's unexpected order, wondering what it ant for to return so soon.
When I finished, the waitress approached again, her presence almost elusive—a ghost in plain sight.
"Anything else you'd like?" she asked brightly.
I drank the last of my water and set down the glass with quiet determination.
"Princess Aziel," I said, locking eyes with her, "when will you return to the kingdom?"
Princess Aziel's eyes widened, and for a mont, she seed too stunned to speak. Then the color rose in her cheeks, and she glanced away, fumbling with the edge of her apron.
"I... I didn't imagine you knew who I was."
How could I not?
Her beauty was impossible to overlook, even beneath the humble disguise of a tavern server.
In the original novel, her unmatched beauty made bad makeup look like top products in Elandria's market. Though disguised, Princess Aziel stood out like a gem hidden among pebbles—her divine elegance was too striking for any ordinary person to comprehend.
But there she was, growing shy under my gaze, unable to et my eyes. It was endearing to see such bashfulness from soone of her status.
"You weren't as inconspicuous as you hoped,"
"I thought... at least here..."
***
The tension between them was thick enough to choke on, filling the air with a silence so awkward even Julian struggled to find words.
Princess Aziel's eyes glistened with tears that sparkled like jewels, threatening to spill over as she bit her lip in an attempt to hold them back.
The sight tugged at Julian, a siren call to his protective instincts.
It took everything he had not to reach out and comfort her—a move that would surely have ended with his head on a pike.
Because…
Laying a hand on a princess ant death, no matter how innocent the intent.
He steeled himself against her divine beauty and nearly irresistible charm, reminding himself of Ophelia's warning: [Please listen next ti!]
However… for Aziel, she must have taken his question as an ultimatum.
In her eyes, it probably sounded like sothing a Royal Agent would say: Return now or I'll drag you back myself!
Her misunderstanding was painfully clear, but Julian simply wanted to know why she had left the palace in the first place.
As her gaze swept over him again, he could almost see the gears turning in her mind. The brown cloak draped over his muscular fra, the decent attire beneath it, and most incriminating of all—the half-mask hiding his face—made him look every bit the secret operative of Elandria.
But what seed to throw her off was how relaxed he appeared. He wasn't in any rush to leave or report back; if anything, he looked content just being there.
Maybe too content.
She began fidgeting with her apron again, nervously considering whether she should explain herself before he forced it out of her.
"Over the few months I've been here, I never knew that you'd run off for this long, but I'm sure your family is worried about you."
Aziel remained silent. It certainly sounded like sothing a secret agent would say.
"Is there any reason why you'd run off like this? I an... your father even put up money just to find you."
She knew her father would do sothing like that—typical of him. And now that soone had found her, he was surely going to bring her back.
"Okay, I'll tell you why I ran off..." she spoke extrely shy. "But please don't tell anyone about this..."
"The reason is..."
Just as Julian tilted his head to lean in closer...
WHOOOSH!
She dashed out of the tavern.
It almost felt like her presence was still there, an afterimage so vivid that Julian didn't even realize she had left.
Outside, Aziel sprinted through the streets of Starleaf City, desperate to put distance between herself and the impossibly calm 'Chief'.
She wove through the bustling eastern district, where the marketplace sward with traders and townsfolk.
The noise and clamor enveloped her as she dashed past stalls and carts, maneuvering with a dexterity that left bystanders gawking.
Determined, she leaped onto the rooftops, seeking a vantage point to ensure he wasn't close behind. Her silver hair stread like starlight in her wake as she scanned the ground below.
If there was a comparison to the second fastest person within the kingdom, it would be like comparing a cheetah to a snail.
To catch her, they'd need an army of a thousand just to lay a finger on her.
WHOOOSH!
The sound ca again, closing in at an alarming speed.
Despite the massive lead she gained, when Aziel glanced back, Julian was there—trailing only thirty ters behind.
An opponent not ordinary by any ans.
"...!"
Aziel's eyes widened as her face grew extrely pale at her opponent chasing after her.
He traced her movents as if his life depended on it.
When he reached the rooftop tiles of the high tree houses, the true chase had finally begun.
Not only was Julian in her ho, but he was playing in her environnt and territory.
"AHHH!"
She scread as she leapt higher into the houses above.
Even for a well-trained soldier, they would've given up past the second house.
But not Julian. He was more persistent than anyone in this world; if he didn't get what he wanted, he would simply try again and again, because he refused to accept defeat.
But even as he chased her, the altitude they were reaching beca so high to the point where they were reaching the halfway point that equaled to the level of the 10th floor of the Elandria royal kingdom.
Desperate to escape, Aziel rummaged through her apron, the fabric bulging with items in preparation for such a flight. She began hurling them one by one at Julian, hoping to slow him down. Bottles of ink smashed beside him, splattering like dark rain as he dodged with remarkable agility.
Mana stones ant to cast light whizzed past his head, exploding into blinding flashes as he swerved effortlessly.
Her aim was accurate, but his speed and reflexes were inhuman.
The chase raced across the towering tree houses of Starleaf City, forcing Aziel into a straight path.
She knew that any hesitation—a single mont spent dropping down—would allow him to catch her.
Julian's pursuit was relentless. For an ordinary man, keeping pace with her at these heights would be impossible; balance alone should have sent him tumbling long ago.
But then...
Aziel threw her final weapon: A full roll of coffee beans spun through the air towards Julian.
Caught in mid-leap, he couldn't react in ti. The beans scattered beneath his feet, and though he twisted skillfully in the air, montum betrayed him.
He slipped on the treacherous spheres and plumted straight toward the ground below.
WHOOOSH!
Her breath hitched as she glanced back.
She saw him vanish from view—a shocking end to what began as a harmless escape.
"…!"
Panic surged through her as she realized the fall could result in serious injury or worse.
"I didn't an for this to happen...!"
Aziel's heart thundered with fear and guilt.
Her unintentional attack had spiraled far beyond anything she intended. Anyone who fell from that height was surely going to die.
"Oh no… what will I do-"
SLIP!
Aziel panicked so much that she stumbled, her trembling body failing her at the worst possible mont.
She tripped backward and felt herself fall, plumting towards the ground.
Despair was what she had felt at that mont.
-Maybe this was only deserving.
She closed her eyes, bracing for what was surely to co.
WHHOOOOOOSH!
But then, warmth enveloped her—a steady embrace that defied her expectations.
Her eyes snapped open.
And the man in the half-mask was there, holding her securely in his arms.
They landed softly on a rooftop, his descent cushioned by a miraculous burst of mana that sent ripples through the air like rings on water.
"Seriously… you're… haah… quite… haah… a handful…"
He was catching his breath after running for 10 consecutive minutes at top speed.
-Good heavens… he's alive… I'm alive… we're both alive…
Aziel could barely breathe. She felt relieved that no one had to lose their lives today, but was also confused about how he managed to regain his footing.
"I thought—I thought you—"
Her lips trembled as she struggled to find words.
Julian's grip tightened reassuringly. There was no hint of reproach in his piercing red eyes, only an unwavering focus that left her stunned.
It seed he'd known all along she would fall.
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