1.
I walked out of Grizel Park and continued for about two blocks.
There was a grocery store on Indar Street near where I lived, but the place I was heading to now was much cheaper and carried a wider variety of goods.
‘I’ve been so busy lately that I couldn’t stock up on groceries, so there’s more to buy than usual.’
Because I arrived right at opening time, the store was quiet. I filled my shopping basket step by step.
“That will be 1 gold and 47 silver.”
‘It cost that much?’
I had bought a bundle of eggs for 2 silver, plus potatoes and tomatoes for stew, and a few other things—but I didn’t think I’d bought anything that expensive!
However, when I did the mental math, the total came to exactly 1 gold and 47 silver.
‘I still can’t get used to the fact that ten 10-silver coins make 1 gold.’
Since my job involved dealing with numbers, a deep sense of skepticism set in.
‘No, but as recently as the year before last, eggs were only 1 silver.’
Feeling the inflation that seemed to rise every time I came out to shop, I paid the price and left.
‘Now that the war is over, grocery prices should go down a little.’
As I trudged along with my heavy basket, for some reason, my cheek felt itchy.
‘What is it?’
It was a sensation I couldn’t ignore. I set down my basket and stood there, scratching my cheek. As I did, I looked around out of habit and met a pair of eyes that looked as if they were made of molten, pure gold.
“Wow…”
An exclamation escaped me before I could help it.
‘Again?’
I wondered if the capital was just that small. ‘Is this happening because I prayed to be given more chances to cleanse my eyes by seeing Everett Rohas?’
Maybe there was no one else in the capital as handsome as him, which was why I kept bumping into him. We both stopped unnaturally after realizing each other’s presence.
There was a store specializing in rare, old books two buildings down from the grocery store, and it looked like Everett Rohas was just on his way out. We had crossed paths several times, but we weren’t particularly close enough to exchange greetings.
“Haha.”
I gave an awkward laugh, then picked up the shopping basket I had set down. I marched toward home as vigorously as if I hadn’t seen him at all.
‘I didn’t like how you avoided me earlier like I was some weirdo.’
I felt a gaze, presumably his, on the back of my head, but I didn’t look back.
‘This time… I beat you to it!’
Savoring that trivial victory, I felt the corners of my mouth curl high. My thoughts about the repeated coincidences scattered as I filled the pantry. All that remained in my mind was the thought of finishing the overdue cleaning and getting to bed.
* * *
Edwin watched the back of Ri-Na, who was disappearing into a tiny dot, for quite a while.
Until her figure vanished completely from his sight. It was several minutes later that Edwin, who had been standing there like a sailor bewitched by a siren, finally began to move again.
He had been planning to return to the Imperial Palace, but he changed his destination and headed to a small café with an impressive floor-to-ceiling glass window.
“You’re here?”
As a small bell chimed, a man wearing a brown apron came out to greet him. With brown hair that seemed to hold the sunlight, warm green eyes, and a pleasant smile, he matched the cozy atmosphere of the café perfectly.
“Yeah.”
Edwin replied perfunctorily and sat down at the nearest table. The man hovered restlessly around the Emperor, who was sprawled out in his chair in a lax posture.
“We haven’t finished compiling the data for the matter you mentioned yet.”
“I didn’t come here for the Duke Camelot affair.”
Kyle, Edwin’s old friend and head of the Emperor’s secret intelligence unit, finally let out a sigh of relief.
“But I would like to see the results of that within a few days as well.”
As Edwin added that, Kyle mentally tallied his workload for a moment and replied.
“Four days should be enough. I will enter the palace as soon as it’s finished.”
Edwin gave a light nod. After sitting in silence for a moment, he asked, “Kyle.”
“Yes?”
“Do you believe in coincidences?”
“Coincidences?” Kyle asked, struggling to grasp the context.
“Yes. For example, running into a certain woman over and over again.”
Edwin’s gaze, which had been directed toward the wall, turned to Kyle.
“Are you perhaps suspecting that woman to be an assassin or a spy?”
Was there a spy he hadn’t noticed? Kyle’s voice lowered slightly.
“Who knows.” Edwin hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Looking at how she acts, I don’t think so.”
The woman’s arms were soft, as if they only had the bare minimum muscle needed for survival. ‘I knew she had no intention to attack the moment I grabbed her wrist.’
Her defensive instincts seemed weak; the way she would impulsively grab him and stare intently at his face was, how should he put it, like a small, white puppy raised with nothing but affection by a noblewoman.
“But I run into her every single time I step out of the palace.”
Edwin began to explain his encounters with Ri-Na, one by one.
“The first was the day I entered the capital to make it in time for Bliss’s memorial day.” He hadn’t wanted to go empty-handed while visiting his only younger sister for the first time in eight years. The first meeting occurred while he was walking around trying to buy the freesias that Bliss liked.
The second was when he was heading to Grizel Park, where Bliss was laid to rest, after choosing a toy a little girl might like; he had bumped into her nearby.
“And the third time was while I was returning to the Imperial Palace after stopping by here. Though, I don’t think she saw me that time. Regardless, I suppose I should count it.”
She had hopped on a shared carriage with a pale complexion and vanished right away, so it was a bit ambiguous. Up until then, Edwin had assumed the capital was simply small.
“But I ran into her twice today as well.”
It was five times in total. It was an excessively high number for a mere coincidence.
“That is certainly a bit strange,” Kyle agreed, stroking his chin.
“I must confirm whether these coincidences are the will of the gods or the will of man.”
At Edwin’s command, Kyle bowed his head with precision. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
While Kyle went to write a letter to his informants, a couple of customers entered. Kyle, who was quite sincere about his side business, greeted them with a gentle smile. As soon as he turned around, the young ladies shrieked and whispered to each other. The gist was that the owner was delicious and the coffee was kind.
“Here is your drink.”
Kyle smiled even more sweetly, as if he were just a kind café owner.
‘That guy, he acts like he can’t hear despite having such sharp ears.’
Edwin mercilessly mocked his old friend’s hypocritical smile. After serving the coffee and sugary cakes, Kyle offered a cup to Edwin as well.
“Never mind the coffee, do you have whiskey?” Edwin refused instantly.
“For one thing, my shop is a café,” Kyle grumbled.
“You forgot to add ‘the horribly tasteless’ in front of it.”
Edwin gestured toward the customers, who were making faces as they took a sip.
“It’s not ‘horribly’ anymore, it’s improved a bit,” Kyle protested with a pout, his last shred of pride showing.
Edwin, unbothered, continued to attack with a smirk. “I really thought all coffee tasted like dishwater.”
It had been about ten years since coffee was first imported from the Southern Continent, and it had only recently begun to gain traction in the capital.
“Even if the Empire is a barren wasteland for coffee compared to the Southern Continent, this level is too much.”
Kyle, who looked like he was born under the star of a barista, was incredibly clumsy. Before opening this shop, he had learned for months from an immigrant barista, yet it hadn’t improved much.
“I don’t know why you didn’t just open a pub like everyone else. You’re suffering for nothing,” Edwin whispered.
Kyle, whose prices were 2 silver too expensive, teared up.
“Still, it was a decent choice in terms of unexpectedness, at least.”
Edwin attempted to make amends. “The fact that drifters don’t come in here is all thanks to your coffee.”
That did not help at all. Kyle, who had hoped his side business would hit it big, looked even more miserable.
“I, I really have improved, you know.”
Kyle disappeared, grumbling that he would show off his skills. Edwin watched him go and laughed like a rascal, preparing himself to drink the surprisingly ‘tasteless coffee’ even though Kyle used expensive, high-quality ingredients without stinting.
* * *
Having enjoyed three days of holiday, I returned and became a cog in the wheel once again.
‘Still, once the Ministry of Finance’s progress report is over today, that’s one big mountain crossed.’
Early in the morning, the head of the Ministry of Finance headed to the conference room with a stiff face, carrying documents that had the souls of the employees topped onto them like garnish. The remaining employees were praying for it to pass safely.
‘Please, let it pass quietly! I don’t want to go to work this weekend!’
However, the prayers were not answered.
“I shall arrest the criminal who helped Duke Camelot with his bribery and the creation of a slush fund!”