Chapter 40: Go taste your own medicine
A small town located half a day’s journey from the southern plains of Marma. In autumn, this place was always bustling with merchants and workers transporting grain. Even now, as autumn was coming to an end, it was no different. A large merchant caravan had arrived to purchase low-quality grain at a bargain price and sell it in the food-scarce Odium. As a result, all the inns with many rooms or good facilities were fully booked. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
The Lion King’s subordinate had been running around trying to find an inn, so when he returned empty-handed, Adeline, who was inside the carriage, suddenly opened the door and stuck her head out.
“I told you, we can just sleep outdoors!”
“I apologize!”
The young subordinate stood at attention in front of her.
Adeline had found considerable amusement in this behavior. The Lion King’s subordinates also would retreat cautiously just from making eye contact with her. Whenever she suddenly stuck her head out from the carriage, the large warriors nearby would awkwardly disperse.
“Where are you going?”
“Nowhere, Ma’am!”
“Why are you avoiding me? Do I look like a monster?”
“No, Ma’am.”
The Lion King explained that his subordinates were uncomfortable with her.
At first, she thought they were just shy, then after a few days, she suspected they found her annoying and she felt annoyed by this. Now, she just found it amusing. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Adeline, stop bothering them.”
“I’m not bothering them.” Adeline said this while staring straight at his subordinates, who were retreating cautiously again.
The Lion King, who had been lying down in the carriage taking a nap, sighed deeply and pulled her arm. “Don’t take it personally. It’s not that they dislike you. It’s just that they felt awkward and uncomfortable.”
“So they avoid me because they’re awkward and uncomfortable?”
“They just don’t know how to act around you.”
“They can just speak informally and treat me casually, honestly, that’s more comfortable for me.”
“Don’t expect too many things at once. Once they get used to it, it will happen naturally.”
Men’s hearts are delicate, aren’t they? Adeline reluctantly nodded.
It was a funny situation. She and Nabi insisted on camping out, but the Lion King’s subordinates insisted that camping was unacceptable and now they were struggling to find an inn.
Realizing they might keep wandering endlessly, Adeline placed a heavy pouch of gold coins in Nabi’s hand. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Go handle it.”
Nabi nodded silently. She was wearing the palace maid uniform borrowed from Colin. With the white cloak and silk gloves, she looked like a maid serving a noble lady to anyone who saw her.
“Act haughty. Like when you yank the maids’ hair back in my palace. The innkeeper will probably insist that there are no rooms. If you offer to double the room rate, he might reconsider.”
Nabi looked into Adeline’s eyes while holding the pouch full of gold coins. “Then what should I do?”
“The merchants and workers are just as exhausted. It would be unfair to take their rooms like that… Give the gold to them instead.”
“What?”
“Tell them you’ll pay them five times the room rate if they vacate their rooms.”
Nabi nodded silently once again and entered the city.
The Lion King’s subordinates, who had been avoiding Adeline and backing away, followed her. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
The Lion King silently watched the scene while lying sprawled on a chair. He seemed like he had something to say.
“I’m not flaunting the money.”
“I didn’t say anything.” The Lion King smiled lazily. Lately, he seemed quite pleased with his role. He felt the same way when they left the capital, Sol-Marma, and when they passed through the central gate.
[“Would you like to be a beast infatuated with women?”]
[“Are you crazy?”]
When she first mentioned it, his face hardened, seemingly troubled. But as they headed south, he gradually got used to his role and now he acted naturally, as if he had always lived that way.
[“What about your role?”]
[“A luxurious and arrogant princess.”]
The Lion King had taken off his shirt and lay sprawled in the carriage. He opened his mouth to eat the fruit Adeline handed him.
“Open that lid on the chair.”
“This one?” He sat up. Moving the cushions and seat aside, he opened the lid to reveal a large hidden compartment. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“What is this?”
“Gold coins.”
“All of it?”
“There’s also emergency jewelry.”
He let out a hollow laugh.
Adeline held the lid of the box and opened it herself. Inside, there were bags of gold coins, just like the one she had given to Nabi earlier.
The Lion King was silent for a moment before asking her, “Can we even spend all of this?”
“What? Of course. If need be, I’ll even erect a statue of you in the south.”
“Please, don’t.” He looked serious.
But Adeline laughed at his horrified expression. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“This is the money my father gave me for travel expenses, so… I plan on not leaving a single penny unspent.”
**
Sending Nabi was a good decision.
It wasn’t long when they saw about 50 merchants happily vacate the inn and head out of the city in a flurry. They loaded large barrels of alcohol onto small carts and set off for the next town. It seemed they were planning a grand celebration with the gold coins Adeline had given them.
“The inn is completely vacated,” Nabi said as she opened the carriage door, having returned quickly.
After they were inside the city and guided by the somewhat sullen innkeeper, they unpacked their belongings in the largest and most spacious room.
“How many days do we plan to stay here?” The Lion King asked.
Adeline massaged her stiff body from the long carriage ride and replied, “There are two outposts nearby. First, we need to find the hideout where they keep the kidnapped slaves.”
“And after that?”
“We’ll kidnap the traffickers and lock them up there, then have the freed slaves guard them.”
He looked at her with a peculiar expression. When she shrugged and asked why, he just shook his head slowly. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Just then, one of the Lion King’s subordinates entered the room hesitantly and asked, “Baltica.”
“What is it?”
“Should we… unpack for you?”
Nabi, who was diligently unpacking, stifled a laugh. Adeline did the same. The Lion King’s subordinates seemed uneasy about their king traveling without any attendants and kept glancing at Nabi, who was by Adeline’s side.
The Lion King furrowed his brow and pointed outside, saying, “Stop doing things you don’t usually do and just order some food.”
“Yes!”
At first, the innkeeper didn’t realize the true identities of Adeline and the Lion King. But it didn’t take long for him to figure out who they were, thanks to Nabi addressing Adeline with the title “Your Highness” every time she spoke. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
With a lavish and burdensome dinner spread before them, prepared as if to deplete the innkeeper’s entire stock, Adeline asked Nabi, “What exactly did you say?”
“I told them that a noble person had come to visit with the hero of the South.”
Both the noble person and the hero of the South frowned simultaneously.
Adeline leaned in close to the Lion King’s ear and asked, “Is this how servants usually behave?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are they this shameless?” Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
***
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