Holly could discern a sinister intention in the innkeeper’s eyes.

‘Even innkeepers who sell guests to thugs exist…’

The innkeeper’s plan to separate the party one by one while they were asleep and then attack was evident.

‘The night won’t be easy.’

Holly pitifully looked at Cahill, who was blissfully unaware and eagerly anticipating something. His mind was undoubtedly filled with vivid and enjoyable fantasies about Holly.

“Then, please give us four single rooms.”

Holly gave the coins to the innkeeper, pretending not to know his thoughts. Cahill, who was displeased, turned to her as she spoke. Holly faced him and raised the corners of her mouth.

‘Not using the rented rooms after paying is up to the person who paid.’

Cahill’s expression softened as he saw Holly’s smile. However, the innkeeper, unaware of her true intentions, remained happily oblivious. Handing the keys to them, the innkeeper looked at them with satisfied eyes as if they were caught fish in a net.

Cahill accepted the keys from the innkeeper’s hand on behalf of Holly.

“We’ll have our meals on the first floor here.”

Before the innkeeper could speak, the innkeeper’s expression twisted as she quickly interjected.

“…Wouldn’t it be more comfortable to have meals in your rooms?”

If they agreed to have meals in their rooms, he could charge them extra. Meeting eyes with Holly, the innkeeper quickly adjusted his expression. He glanced at Cahill’s handsome face, impossible to conceal even in shabby clothes.

“We’re waiting for the rest of our party to arrive.”

The innkeeper, who lost the opportunity to earn extra money due to Holly’s decision to dine on the first floor, couldn’t conceal his disappointment.

“Oh, yes. Then, please have a seat wherever you like.”

However, he quickly gave up, perhaps because he already had plans to attack and rob them in the middle of the night.

Holly, holding Cahill’s arm, took a seat at a table right next to the stairs. Cahill, checking the chairs at a distance, pulled her closer and sat down.

“Even though I lived nearby, I’ve never had the food here.”

Excited at the thought of eating familiar Centuria cuisine after a long time, Holly unfolded the menu and ordered various items.

“My chef’s cooking is really delicious, too bad.”

After placing the order, Holly leaned toward Cahill and whispered in a low voice, not wanting the innkeeper to hear. His expression immediately furrowed.

“My?”

“The person who treated me like family.”

His face became even more wrinkled upon her response. Holly realized that Cahill knew about her parents leaving her with debts and running away.

“Like a family In a good sense.”

As if excusing herself, she explained, and Cahill’s lips slightly twitched. There was a confused expression on his face as if he himself was unsure if it was appropriate to feel jealous. Holly, looking at him with a helpless gaze, smiled.

“He treated me like his own child because he has a son around my age.”

The son of the chef had left home to become a knight when he came of age and hadn’t returned yet.

‘I wonder if he came back while I was away from Centuria.’

She recalled Marron, the chef’s son, who treated her like a younger sister and a faint smile crossed her nostalgia-tinted face. If Marron had heard about Holly’s situation, he would likely have expressed his displeasure as if it were his own concern.

Observing Holly’s face, tinged with longing, Cahill spoke up.

“If you want to eat, should I tell Adam to buy you some?”

As she nodded, unbound strands of hair fell down.

“It’s a bit strange to bring food from elsewhere to an inn with a restaurant.”

Moreover, Holly was not yet accustomed to delegating tasks to someone else.

Cahill gently brushed the strands of hair that were tickling her cheek away and tucked them behind her ear. At that moment, people around them, who had been glancing at them discreetly, began to watch them more intently.

Unlike Holly, who was unaware of these stares, Cahill paid them no mind.

“Perhaps they misunderstood my intentions.”

Holly raised her head at Cahill’s apologetic tone.

Badin and Adam returned unscathed, with no visible injuries on their fair faces. Feeling remorse for sending them on a challenging journey without much explanation, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Are you back? I ordered food as I pleased. Is that okay?”

Feeling more at ease, Holly asked in a light tone.

“That’s fine. After using my strength for a while, it feels like my stomach has tightened.”

Badin nodded wearily with his exhausted voice. Holly, feeling a sense of relief, sighed inside.

“By the way, what do you mean by intentions?”

“That attire of yours.”

Adam pointed at Holly, who was dressed in men’s clothing.

“I never expected to pass through quietly anyway.”

Badin spoke, waving a fork in his hand. Wanting to quietly traverse Centuria as much as possible in a male disguise, Holly narrowed her eyes at his words.

“There’s no one who isn’t affected by Your Highness’ appearance! But aren’t rumors of that kind a bit much?”

Adam, shouting as if it were obvious, shrugged and licked his lips.

Holly turned around to see it herself, and Cahill was so close to her that their shoulders almost touched.

“Cahill, you…”

As she was about to say something, Cahill looked at her with confusion. Unable to say anything to his gaze, Holly realized that her arm was in his armpit, clutching his bicep, while Cahill, with his other hand, was lightly playing with her earlobe.

‘I shouldn’t have said anything to Cahill…’

As she moved to pull her arm away, Cahill closed the gap, making it impossible for her to escape.

“It’s strange not to have rumors when two guys show such an affectionate scene.”

Adam commented with a tongue click as if it were embarrassing. Feeling awkward, Holly avoided his gaze.

“Enjoy your meal!”

The ordered dishes arrived just at the right time.

“Wait a moment.”

Badin, who was scrutinizing the table with a twinkle in his eye, frowned.

“Did they bring the wrong thing?”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

As the waiter who brought the food looked confused at his question, Badin prodded the salad with the tip of his fork.

“Is this really something people eat?”

The vegetable dish brought as a salad was all wilted. The meat was so charred that its form was unrecognizable, and the fish’s eyes were dry and shriveled.

“There’s at least one fresh thing here.”

Badin, searching through the food, muttered, and Adam suddenly spat out what he found. On his fork was a smooth-bodied snail crawling. Holly felt disgusted and covered her mouth.

“I brought freshly baked bread just in case. Let’s go with that for dinner tonight.”

Holly muttered in grumbling and promptly cleared the table, standing up without any hesitation. As the group got up immediately, the waiter looked confused, groping the air with his hands.

“No, you should pay for the food…”

“If you want payment, you should really prepare something resembling food tomorrow.”

Holly, scanning the table with a cold gaze, shuddered again when she saw the snail.

“If you ordered food, you should pay for it…”

“Where do you dare lay your hands on?”

The waiter, who was about to grab Holly, was suddenly silenced by a chilling sensation around his neck. Adam had a dagger pressed against his throat. Holly, who had been observing the surroundings, noticed the restaurant guests flinching.

‘It seems like they’re all in on it, not just the waiter.’

She let out a deep sigh. However, they didn’t show any movement to avoid a bigger problem.

* * *

Entering the room, she headed straight for the window. The latch on the window creaked and didn’t properly go up.

“As expected, the window won’t lock.”

Holly licked her lips as if she had expected that. To minimize noise when entering, it was better for the window not to lock.

Following Holly into the room, Cahill immediately locked the door.

“Let’s do it now, Holly.”

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