Don't Touch My Thorn (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
“Argh!”
Even as I was flung backward, I didn’t let go of the silver coin.
“Nosebleed… no, it’s not.”
Wiping my nose, I looked at the person who suddenly blocked my path. A plump man grinned triumphantly.
Ugh, the smell.
His tattered clothes and yellowed teeth, layered with all sorts of mismatched garments, made him look like a beggar.
“I picked it up first! My hand was lower!”
“No way! If it’s in my territory, it’s mine.”
The man glared fiercely.
Oh, really?
I wasn’t about to back down and widened my eyes in return.
You think I’ll lose? Without this money, I’ll starve too!
Crackle. Crackle.
It was a tense standoff, sparks practically flying.
“Tch…!”
The man, perhaps intimidated by my glare, hesitated. Then he shoved my shoulder hard.
“Ah!”
I tumbled backward.
Watching me, the man leisurely picked up the coin and slipped it into his pocket.
“Don’t mess with my territory, newbie.”
“N-Newbie? I’m not a beggar!”
“You sure look like one.”
“What? That’s ridiculous.”
Saying that, I glanced down at my clothes.
Oversized garments, dirt smudged from the chase with Idrish…
Fair enough.
“Dress like a beggar, and everyone thinks you’re one.”
“What’s the difference? Got a home?”
“A home? …No.”
“Got money?”
“A little.”
“I’ve got a little too.”
I hung my head glumly.
Now that I think about it, I really am a beggar, aren’t I?
“B-But I picked it up first!”
“You little rat!”
The man raised his fist. Ugh, he’s so much bigger, and he’s going to hit a frail girl!
I squeezed my eyes shut.
But the pain never came. When I opened my eyes, a stranger was lightly holding the man’s wrist, stopping him.
“Who are you?”
The beggar asked, quickly scanning the stranger’s attire.
“It looked like the lady was in trouble, so I stepped in, even though it’s not my business.”
“Lady? What lady? She’s obviously a beggar. This is a fight over scraps between us, so you, fancy noble, stay out of it.”
Indeed, the tall, slender man looked like the son of a wealthy family.
The man turned to me.
“Lady, do you need help?”
As if the beggar’s words didn’t matter.
I nodded quickly.
Yes! Help me!
“You little pest!”
At the beggar’s shout, I hid behind the man.
The beggar huffed for a while but, unable to challenge the nobleman, eventually left.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, thanks to you, I’m saved. I really thought I was done for.”
“Good to hear. Actually, I followed you because you dropped this earlier.”
The man held out his hand. In it was the crude fake ruby necklace left by the con artist.
“Thank you. For this, and for earlier.”
At my words, the man smiled brightly. Only then did I see his face clearly. A breathtakingly handsome face, like a prince from a fairy tale.
“You’re welcome. It was only right.”
His voice was smooth, almost melodic.
Wait a second. A blond, handsome man?
Sparkling features, perfectly aligned teeth in a kind smile, emerald-green eyes that seemed to melt.
Even though I looked ragged enough to be mistaken for a beggar, he called me “lady” with such courtesy.
A strong premonition hit me. I didn’t need to hear his name to know who he was.
The male protagonist of this novel, the snake beastman who’d conquer the world, Ozarr Sedora?
Of course, such a stunning appearance could only belong to a main character.
The most handsome man in a novel is either the villain or the hero.
Since Idrish is the villain, this man must be the hero.
“May I?”
Before I could answer, he stepped closer to me.
Wow, he even smells nice. Are male protagonists always this fragrant?
“Pardon me.”
With that, he moved behind me and fastened the pure necklace around my neck.
Ugh, cold.
I flinched involuntarily when his hand touched my neck. His hand was surprisingly cold.
Is it because he’s a snake beastman?
“All done.”
He smiled brightly. My neck, which had tensed from his cold touch, relaxed again.
With a face that handsome, who cares about cold hands? This is what a perfect man is.
All my hardships seemed to melt away.
He tilted his head, perhaps finding my dazed staring odd.
“Anything else I can help with?”
“Oh, no. I’m fine.”
He gave a gentle smile at my response. A beautiful smile.
“But your pants are covered in dirt.”
Ozarr pointed at my pants, still caked with unbrushed soil.
“It’s fine. It’ll brush off quickly.”
“No, take this, beautiful lady. No need to return it.”
Ozarr handed me a handkerchief. Embroidered on its edge was a purple snake, confirming my thoughts.
“Thank you. For saving me, for the necklace, for the handkerchief.”
“Don’t mention it. The sun’s setting, and it’s dangerous. Shall I escort you home?”
“No! Um, my father’s strict. If he saw me with a man, he’d probably start planning a betrothal right away.”
“I see. No choice then.”
The novel described him as a refined, principled young lord of the snake clan, and he felt exactly like that.
I gave a slight bow, and Ozarr walked past me with an air of elegance. Then he suddenly stopped and turned back.
“Lady, may I ask your name?”
“Why my name…?”
“Well, I have a feeling we’ll meet again.”
“Uh… I’m Silla. Silla Rolta.”
A gut feeling told me not to reveal my real name, so I quickly borrowed Bigus and Zeros’ surname.
“Silla Rolta.”
Ozarr repeated my name as if memorizing it, then smiled again.
“I hope we meet again, Lady Rolta.”
With that, he disappeared down the alley.
I stared in the direction Ozarr had gone.
“He was really handsome.”
Times like this make being in a novel so worth it. Seeing two unrealistically gorgeous men.
Then a question struck me.
But why is Ozarr here?
Nerun Territory is far from both Central and the snake beastmen’s domain, a three-night, four-day train journey. He wouldn’t come here without a reason.
That means…
Rodrio is going to die soon.
My heart sank at the harsh reality.
Ozarr is here to kill Rodrio.
“When a tiger with blue eyes and white fur is born, the snake will fall, and the world will belong to the white tiger.”
When Percop first heard that prophecy, he scoffed. He knew the only surviving white tiger beastmen were the old Tesmilion and the unhinged Idrish.
But the moment he learned of another young white tiger with blue eyes and white fur, he could no longer ignore the prophecy.
In the end, Percop, head of the Servian clan, ordered Ozarr to deal with Rodrio. Killing a young beastman wasn’t something Ozarr wanted, but he had no other choice.
“Ozarr, you remember how the Artigrado killed countless beastmen, don’t you?”
“Yes, Patriarch.”
“If they regain power, there’ll be immense bloodshed. Our Servian clan won’t escape it either.”
“…I’ll eliminate the blue-eyed white tiger.”
A passage from the novel flashed vividly in my mind, along with Rodrio’s face.
I slumped to the ground.
From the moment I realized I was in this novel, I knew Rodrio would die someday.
In the story of *The Rabbit in the Coil*, it was narratively necessary. Rodrio’s death sparks Idrish’s rage, setting the main story in motion to save the world.
It’s unfortunate for Rodrio, but if I interfered and the story veered in a strange direction, it could be disastrous.
After all, the white tiger clan is the villain. One wrong move, and the villains could dominate the world. A butterfly’s wingbeat could cause a storm on the other side.
So I’d sworn countless times not to meddle in the novel’s plot.
But now, thinking he’d die so soon, my heart ached.
He’s a bit rough, but there’s a soft side to him deep down.
He’s too young to die…
I clutched my head.
“But I can’t save him… Yet letting him die… But saving him… Rodrio’s so pitiful…”
Anyone watching would think I’d lost my mind, agonizing like this. Finally, I stood up.
“How about I follow Ozarr for now? Not to save him, just… it might be useful to know. I don’t have anything to do until tomorrow’s train anyway.”
Telling myself it wasn’t about interfering, I cautiously headed in the direction Ozarr had gone.
“Where did he disappear to so fast?”
I wandered, looking around, but couldn’t spot Ozarr.
Then I heard a hushed voice nearby.
Oh, he’s close!
I quickly hid behind a pile of trash.
“Is it certain?”
It was Ozarr’s voice, but the gentleness was gone. It was cold, calculating.
Then who’s the other man?
“The blue-eyed white tiger is confirmed, but the woman is not.”
One of the people who broke into Idrish’s mansion recently. So it was the Servian clan behind it. But who’s the woman?
“The guy who saw her passed out after talking and hasn’t woken up since.”
“We should still check.”
Who’s this woman they need to verify?
I racked my brain, comparing it to the novel, but nothing came to mind.
Ugh, I’m curious. Can you say it one more time? Let’s figure this out.
“Should we deal with her while taking out the blue-eyed white tiger?”
“Yes. She’s an even greater threat than the blue-eyed white tiger. We need to eliminate her.”
Who are they talking about! I didn’t wander around much there, but the only women in that mansion were maids.
“We can’t let our guard down. To think Cecilia Erizo, the one we’ve been searching for, is in the white tiger’s hands.”
Huh?
Me?
Why’s my name coming up here?
I blinked, doubting my ears.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
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Oh, the situation is so funny, he’s treating him like a horse, “Go, my horse!” 😂😂