Liz was extremely embarrassed.

The total cost would be 8 bronzes.

Even if she didn’t pay for the carriage ride, she was 2 bronzes short.

‘What should I do? I must take the carriage.’

Would they let her work off the amount she ate?

Liz discreetly glanced at the landlady’s face.

She seemed kind at first glance. But isn’t it true that a person’s face and inner self don’t always match?

She already knew that fact from two lifetimes of experience.

As her embarrassed gaze wandered, something caught Liz’s eye.

It was a silver coin that had fallen into the corner of the neighboring table!

It must have slipped out when a boy dropped his sling bag as he was leaving his seat.

The shiny silver was quite tempting even in the shade of the table…

‘No, this is no different from theft.’

Her conscience gnawed at her.

But on the other hand, she wasn’t going through someone’s bag to steal money; she was just picking up what was dropped on the ground, right?

From its position, it was likely that the boy hadn’t noticed the coin, and the landlady would probably only find it when cleaning.

Wouldn’t it be better if the coin was used by someone who really needed it?

Her rationalization was complete.

Liz cautiously scanned her surroundings.

The boy showed no signs of returning, and the landlady was preoccupied with the accounts.

‘Now’s the time!’

Liz quickly reached into the corner of the table and grabbed the single silver coin.

The cold texture of the coin brought both guilt and relief.

‘I’m sorry, young man.’

What somewhat eased Liz’s conscience was the fact that the boy was dressed in fine noble attire, and the items that had spilled from his sling bag earlier seemed quite valuable.

‘One silver coin shouldn’t be a problem.’

Liz hurriedly paid her bill and bolted out of the store.

When she arrived at the carriage depot, she found that the carriage had left just a few minutes ago.

The next one would depart in an hour.

Liz paid the 5 bronzes for the carriage fare and took her ticket before heading to the waiting area.

However, she was far from at ease, given the rather large number of guards walking back and forth before her eyes.

It was clear they had deployed as many troops as possible, believing the young lady they were looking for had the highest chance of appearing here.

Time passed excruciatingly slow.

‘Should I take a walk around the area?’
It seemed better to sit here, wracked with worry, than to continue like this.

So, Liz went outside and meandered around, eventually turning into a relatively deserted alleyway.

Wherever she went, there were no places without guards, so Liz was constantly tense. She was filled with the desire to rest comfortably in a place where no one was around.

The alley was lined with tall, forbidding stone walls that let in plenty of sunlight.

Liz walked slowly along the wall.

She had just reached a spot completely isolated from the crowd when she turned the corner.

Between the stones forming the wall, weeds had sprouted yellow flowers. Despite the harsh environment, the fact that they could still bloom fascinated Liz, and she couldn’t take her eyes off them for a moment.

It wasn’t long before she heard the rustling of clothes behind her.

For a passerby, the pause was rather long.

‘Could it be a guard?’

Liz slowly turned her stiff neck.

The person didn’t appear to be a guard. She felt a momentary sense of relief, but it was short-lived.

A gust of wind swept through the alley, lifting the hem of the robe and revealing the person’s red hair, engulfing Liz in a faint tension again.

It was the boy from the restaurant earlier.

“Give it back. My money.”

No. It wasn’t a boy.

Upon hearing the unadorned voice, Liz knew.

It wasn’t an undergrown boy but a grown woman.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“…”

“Why are you looking for your money from me?”

‘How did she know? It was in a corner where it wasn’t even visible.’

Suppressing her bewilderment, Liz tried to put on as innocent a face as possible.

It felt as though she had become a human bait, but now was not the time to feel self-loathing.

The boy narrowed his eyes and spoke.

“The 1 silver I left to pick up later was completely gone when I returned. Unless the money grew legs, you’re the culprit. You were the only one in the restaurant. And you were sitting next to me.”

“It wasn’t me.”

“It was you.”

“Do you have proof?”

It was bravado born from certainty.

“Proof?”

The woman twisted her lips into a smile and brought her hand to her ear.

“Yes.”

She detached a pendant from her earring.

Watching the woman’s round pendant transform into a terrifying saw-toothed dart, Liz was horrified.
“If I throw this and pierce your forehead, you’re the culprit. If not, you’re innocent.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

Just as Liz was feeling more confused, the shining teeth of a blade flashed in the sunlight.

“You’ll see whether it’s nonsense or not. My weapon is fairer than a judge and smarter than a sage.”

‘It’s all bluster.’

Liz thought.