Chapter 69
Solinor boldly committed the number one forbidden act around horses—patting its rear without warning.
Normally, getting kicked and sent flying into the stars wouldn’t even be considered unjust in such a case.
But Solinor had complete confidence that nothing would happen to him.
Because although no one else could see or hear it, Zephyr was currently talking to the horse.
Even though a stranger had suddenly smacked its hindquarters, the horse remained calm.
Hamilton, who had been mid-lunge to rescue Princess Muriela, managed to stop just in time.
He nearly flattened the princess himself.
Florina, too, was frozen in place, catching her breath—both of them stuck in an awkward pose, as if playing freeze tag.
Had they not undergone extensive training in bodily control, they would’ve already leapt in.
Meanwhile, Solinor had no idea what had nearly happened and was lost in carefree thought.
‘So Spirits can talk to animals too. The horse even looks happy.’
It made perfect sense. Spirits existed in all aspects of nature.
Aiorin had once said that forests were full of tree spirits.
And forests were teeming with animals. Naturally, those spirits could probably talk among themselves.
‘Tch, Zephyr never even mentioned this useful skill.’
Of course, Zephyr hadn’t told him—just as expected of a Spirit.
They didn’t communicate like humans. Cause and effect didn’t link the same way.
Even if you asked “Why didn’t you say so?”, the answer would be something like “You never asked.”
As Solinor thought that far, he finally noticed something was off.
Just a moment ago, people were chatting and working around him.
‘Didn’t Hamilton and Florina just call me “Princess”?’
Now, the conversations had all gone silent, and everyone was frozen awkwardly in place.
All eyes were locked on Muriela.
‘Wait, what? Are we under some kind of spell?’
Time-freeze magic? Group paralysis magic? Nothing short of a Grand Magician like Sylvius could cast that.
And there was no way such a powerful magician would be here.
Fortunately, people began moving again after a moment.
“Are… are you alright, our dear Princess?”
“Oh no, our little Princess, you weren’t scared… uh…”
Hamilton and Florina quickly slipped back into their roles—but struggled to recover.
Having blurted out “Princess” earlier, they now had to pretend it was something they always said.
It was a mess—but they had no choice but to try to patch it up. Even if it was exhausting.
Thankfully, the man who had escorted them from the counter was an experienced spy.
In fact, he was the manager of the entire rental station. So why was he at the counter?
Because when spies came in to rent carriages, he had to process them quickly himself.
Everyone else on staff were ordinary people.
With years of managing the station, he instantly grasped the situation.
He swiftly pulled Florina aside and whispered in her ear.
“Betchi, what the hell is going on? Why did you call her ‘Princess’?”
“Well… it’s a long story…”
Florina kept it short to avoid raising further suspicion.
After hearing the gist, the man let out a deep sigh and returned to his post.
Meanwhile, Hamilton was busy pulling Muriela away from the horse and trying his best to scold her.
“Um, our Princess… you mustn’t approach such large animals on your own. You could get hurt, okay? And touching them is absolutely forbidden. Got it, our Princess?”
As a beginner actor, he kept repeating “our Princess” in an attempt to make it seem normal.
Meanwhile, Solinor played his part like a natural child.
“Hmm. Okay. I’ll be careful next time, Daddy.”
She may have had the body of a child, but inside, she was not.
Her acting was far more convincing than Hamilton’s.
Though she didn’t fully understand what he meant, she went along with it.
The key to acting was keeping your lines consistent. If they didn’t match, the cover could be blown.
Her smooth performance came from experience—particularly the time she nearly got stabbed when her identity was exposed during a past infiltration.
Eventually, Florina and the rental manager got the staff back to their posts and restored order.
It took a while, but Muriela’s group was finally able to board the carriage and set off toward their destination.
“Mm… zzz…”
When they said it was a premium carriage, they weren’t kidding—the ride was exceptionally smooth.
Muriela, tired from all the walking, began to nod off.
The coachman drove skillfully, and before long, they arrived.
“My dear, we’re here. Time to wake up.”
Florina gently called her, and Muriela rubbed her sleepy eyes.
“Mm… already?”
Solinor looked around but realized it wasn’t the residential area he expected.
They had arrived at a plaza and shopping district near their actual destination.
Since the coachman was an ordinary civilian, they had instructed him to stop nearby instead of giving the exact location.
Hamilton and Florina helped steady Muriela, who still hadn’t fully regained her balance, as she stepped out of the carriage.
Since they would have to ride back after the visit, they arranged a meeting spot and headed toward their real destination—the residential area.
“Ooh, now this place looks nice and modest.”
Just as Patrick had described, the neighborhood seemed to suit an honest official.
Most of the homes had simple, unadorned designs—nothing fancy or extravagant.
Judging by that, persuading him probably wouldn’t take much time or effort.
Grrrgle—
Right on cue, Muriela’s stomach growled.
The neighborhood was quiet enough that no one was around to hear it.
Still, just to be safe, Florina leaned in close and whispered gently to the princess.
“Are you feeling hungry, Princess? Would you like to eat something before we go in?”
Solinor’s answer, of course, was already decided.
Strike while the iron is hot—this shouldn’t take long, and there was no need to interrupt it midway.
“No, it’ll be over soon. Let’s eat at the palace. I want to have a proper meal from the royal chef.”
“Understood.”
“Well then, shall we begin?”
Knock knock knock!
Princess Muriela marched up to the front door and knocked confidently.
Up until now, she had been barging in unannounced, but this time was different—so her method should be too.
If he truly was an upright, conscientious official, he deserved to be approached with courtesy.
“Who is it?”
A middle-aged man’s voice called from inside.
“Ahem, is this the residence of the budget department official in charge?”
Judging by her obviously youthful voice, the man paused in surprise before responding.
“Um… yes, but who are you?”
“I can’t say my name, but I’ve come from the Royal Palace.”
“…What?”
“If you open the door, I’ll explain in more detail.”
Florina watched this unfold and clicked her tongue silently.
‘Isn’t this way too suspicious?’
A kid who knows someone’s title and says they’re from the palace? That screams scam or ambush.
But unexpectedly, the door opened without issue.
The man who appeared had neatly trimmed facial hair and looked to be in his middle years.
He glanced at Hamilton and Florina, then spoke casually.
“So three of you came. It’s a small place, but there’s enough room. Come in.”
“Then, pardon the intrusion.”
The three of them gave a brief greeting and followed the official inside.
As expected from the outside, the house wasn’t large. But the layout was rather odd.
For instance, there were rooms immediately to the left and right of the entrance—a very unusual design.
Most houses didn’t place doors in such a location.
The official led them to the living room.
The entrance to it was so narrow, only one person could pass through at a time.
The hallway connecting the entrance to the living room was flanked by two rooms, which made the structure even stranger.
Solinor assumed the house was small because the official was so frugal.
His own childhood home had been cramped too. These things happen.
But Hamilton and Florina were both feeling increasingly uneasy.
Hamilton found it odd that, for a single man, there seemed to be multiple presences in the house.
Florina was bothered by the peculiar house layout—and the strange bulge beneath the official’s clothing.
They exchanged glances, quickly realizing something was off.
Just then, the official spoke.
“So, will you now tell me what brings you here?”
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