Chapter 9
A young lady lost in an alley—caught by thugs—was a scenario as predictable as they come.
Upon closer look, it was clear the woman was a noble.
No matter how much she had hidden her face and body with a robe, the glimpses of her high-quality dress and her pale, smooth hands—hands that had never done hard labor—betrayed her noble status.
Anyone with even a little observation skill could tell, but these fools clearly had none.
In alleys like this, such events happened routinely, so no one stepped in to help the young lady. Selina was no different.
Getting involved in unnecessary trouble was bothersome. With that in mind, she intended to simply pass by.
“Help… me…!”
A melodious, delicate voice stopped her in her tracks.
Feeling a pang of conscience, she glanced back. Behind the robe, the young lady’s eyes gazed at her desperately.
Selina met her gaze for a moment but then returned her attention to the path ahead.
“Please…”
But the voice called again, catching her feet. With a sigh, Selina stopped.
“Haha! Even if you ask for help, it’s just a woman you’re trying to save. I won’t be rough.”
“Hey, if you don’t want trouble, just leave.”
The two thugs mocked her while trying to intimidate.
“Oh, not leaving?”
One of them, seeing that Selina hadn’t moved, planted himself in front of her with his massive frame.
Looking down arrogantly, he tapped her shoulder with his thick hand.
It was laughable how threatening he tried to be toward a woman. Selina snickered.
“Ha! You laughing now?”
Offended, the thug rolled his eyes and, this time using his palm instead of fingers, shoved Selina’s shoulder hard.
But Selina caught his hand before it touched her and twisted it. There was a bone-chilling cracking sound.
“Uwaaaah!”
The man screamed in pain as his fingers were twisted. Ignoring him, Selina immediately executed a throw.
In an instant, he flew through the air and crashed into a stack of wooden boxes.
His partner and the noble lady gasped in shock.
The man on the floor was unconscious before he could recover.
“W-What is… this?!”
“Hey, you.”
She sharply turned toward the thug holding the noble lady’s wrist. He swallowed nervously.
“Consider this your warning—leave nicely.”
“Ugh…”
He hesitated and stepped back. Crowds had started gathering, drawn by the commotion. Those who had ignored the alley before now peeked curiously.
Feeling eyes on him, the thug gritted his lips.
“D-Don’t make me laugh! Why should I—”
“Don’t you get it?”
Selina stepped toward him. He visibly flinched.
Looking around nervously, he grabbed the noble lady by the neck with his arm.
“D-Don’t come closer!”
Selina paused briefly. A faint smirk appeared on his face, but it soon darkened.
“I said, don’t come!”
Threatening the lady in his grasp, he saw Selina approach without hesitation.
“Do you not care what happens to her?!”
“Let go of her hand.”
Selina, now right in front, placed her hand on the thick arm around the lady’s neck. The man recoiled in terror.
“Grr… eeek!”
Taking a step closer, Selina stared him down. Trembling, he glimpsed the red hair and violet eyes visible under her hat.
“Y-You… y-you’re a w-w…”
“See? I told you to leave nicely.”
When Selina’s violet eyes glared sharply, he seemed ready to collapse in fear.
“Get lost.”
“Eek!”
He screamed and fled through the crowd. Only now did the rumor of her being a witch seem useful.
The thug abandoned his fallen companion and ran. Onlookers murmured, their curiosity piqued by Selina.
Some recognized her as a witch and quietly whispered, leaving one by one. Those who knew needed no further proof—their attire alone marked them.
All except the noble lady.
“Th-Thank… you…”
“Don’t come to places like this again.”
Selina cut off the lady’s attempt at gratitude.
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t know why a noble would come here without guards, but you seem far too relaxed. Not even panicked.”
“A-A noble…?”
If her face hadn’t been hidden, her expression would have revealed everything. How naïve, wandering into a back alley without fear.
“You’re a noble, aren’t you? Your clothes, your shoes, even your hands. No commoner here matches you.”
The sharp observation made the young lady quickly cover herself with her robe and clasp her hands.
“I’ll escort you to the street.”
Without another word, Selina moved ahead. She felt the lady would follow if she wasn’t a fool.
“W-Wait!”
As expected, the noble lady trailed behind. Selina navigated the maze-like alleys skillfully.
“Um…”
After a long, uneasy silence, the noble mustered courage.
“Thank you for saving me. If it weren’t for you, I’d have been in serious danger.”
“Hmm.”
Selina snickered at the sincere gratitude.
“You acted like I would definitely save you—as if it were a given.”
Tap, tap, thud.
The sound of footsteps stopped behind them. The lady’s hood hid her face in the dim alley.
“I don’t know if it’s because you’re a noble or because you had some hidden confidence, but even in danger, you weren’t scared or flustered. You seemed certain you could get through this unharmed.”
Despite the pleading tone when she called for help, there was no fear in her voice. She exuded confidence that someone would help her.
Ordinary people might not notice, but Selina did.
This time, Selina stopped. The noble remained in her previous spot, widening the gap between them.
“Such careless thinking will get you in trouble someday. Be careful.”
Selina moved forward again, confident the lady would not follow further.
“Once you’re out of this alley, the street is near. From here, you’re on your own.”
She waved dismissively and left. The street was close, so anyone with a sense of direction wouldn’t re-enter these alleys.
Clang, clang.
Approaching the street, a man with striking looks and two knights entered the alley. His bright platinum hair gleamed even in darkness.
The handsome man hurried, looking anxious. Watching him pass, Selina guessed why he had come here.
“Seems they’re a party.”
Having watched where the knights headed, Selina exited the alley without hesitation.
“Damn it! If you can’t find Sylvia, be prepared!”
“Sorry, my lord.”
“Hurry! That fragile girl in such a filthy place…”
The handsome man roughly swept his hair back. His luxurious platinum locks highlighted his sky-blue eyes.
He was Sylvester Hellerus, second son of the Hellerus Marquises.
Hearing his younger sister had gone missing, he had rushed out to find her. Memories of a childhood abduction on the streets came flooding back, making his head spin.
“H-Huh? Brother?”
A familiar, clear voice cut through his worry. Sylvester looked up and saw a young lady standing opposite.
“Sylvia!”
“Brother… what are you doing here?”
“Of course, I came to find you! Are you hurt anywhere?”
He inspected the robe concealing her from head to toe. Removing the hood revealed a strikingly beautiful woman with long, pale violet hair and deep sapphire eyes like gemstones.
She smiled as Sylvester exhaled in relief.
“Were you worried?”
“Of course! How could I not worry! If anything had happened like before…”
“Oh, brother. That was years ago. I hardly even remember it.”
“Sigh… From now on, always have knights with you outside the house.”
“What? But…”
“No matter how you plead, it’s impossible. Today you went out with just a maid and got lost. Knowing what happened before, letting it happen again… This can’t go unpunished.”
“Don’t scold them. It’s my fault.”
“It’s your fault for looking away. A servant must never take their eyes off their master.”
“Still, I was wrong. Don’t scold them.”
Sylvester frowned at her words. Sylvia slipped her arm through his.
“See? I’ll listen to you, brother.”
Her playful gesture made him turn his head, but he couldn’t help smiling.
“Ah… I just can’t win against you.”
He gently stroked her soft violet hair.
“Nothing serious happened, right?”
Sylvia’s expression hardened for a moment, but no one noticed. She recalled the woman who had helped her earlier.
A peculiar lady in a dark reddish-brown dress, wearing a black hat with black feathers. She had helped without speaking much, and somehow knew Sylvia’s thoughts, which had embarrassed her.
‘…And she was called a witch?’
Among the earlier crowd, someone had whispered that unknown lady was a witch.
Thinking of this, Sylvia smiled softly.
“Yes… nothing serious happened.”
Through her maid, she would learn who the witch truly was. Determined to discover her identity, Sylvia walked out of the alley with Sylvester, smiling brightly.
