Mistaken For a Couple

Chapter 9: “Have a Meal With Me.”

“Who are you? You’re not the real Priscilla, are you?”

Priscilla’s expression hardened.

At the moment, she was disguised with reddish-brown hair and black eyes.

Yet this man somehow knew her identity, name, and that everything was fake.

Priscilla recalled the stares she had felt since entering the amusement park.

She’d brushed it off, assuming it was just another man mesmerized by her beauty.

But this guy had bitten into something he absolutely shouldn’t have. Her expression turned cold.

She thought for a moment, then asked:

“Could it be… are you from the Herchil family?”

She pieced together fragmented clues to arrive at a plausible theory.

A stranger who knew her full name. Trembling lips like someone reunited with a long-lost loved one. A face unable to hide its shock.

“I asked first! How do you have Priscilla’s exact name and surname? Who are you?!”

‘A government scribe?’

Priscilla’s eyes shifted to the bag he carried.

Bad luck.

She had thought the entire Herchil family had perished in the purge ten years ago.

Did Naifel intelligence have a blind spot?

Should I kill him?

But there were too many people—and Imperial soldiers, no less.

Killing wasn’t an option.

“Yes. You’re right. My name isn’t Priscilla Herchil.”

“Ah…”

The man looked disappointed.

He had secretly hoped—just maybe—that she was the real Priscilla.

“Then… what happened to the real Priscilla? How did you come to use that name? Were you related to her?”

His eyes were filled with sorrow.

The kind of sorrow someone feels after losing someone they loved.

Priscilla let out a long sigh.

“You saw everything, didn’t you?”

“W-What?”

“You followed me. You saw me meet with that other agent.”

There was no point hiding it anymore.

Sometimes laying things bare was better than poorly hiding the truth.

“Yeah. I saw. You’re a spy, aren’t you?”

Though he couldn’t fight with swords or cast magic, Kallado had trained his observational skills as a scribe.

He could tell something was off about her.

“Smart. Not sure that’ll help you live, though.”

“What?”

“Spies, you know. When their cover’s blown, they usually kill the person who figured it out. Like this.”

Click.

She pointed a small handgun at Kallado’s forehead.

He gulped, feeling the cold barrel on his brow.

“T-There are too many people here! If you kill me now, you won’t get away…”

“Maybe I’ll shoot first and think later. I hate attention—but I hate being exposed even more.”

Creak—

The trigger was halfway pulled.

She wasn’t planning to kill him—just scare him enough to keep his mouth shut.

But—

“…If you kill me, the picture of you in my mana-powered capture device will be revealed to the world. You okay with that?”

“……”

Priscilla lowered the gun.

“So you're not completely dumb.”

“Phew… I almost died.”

Kallado exhaled in relief, clutching his chest.

Priscilla asked,

“So what you’re saying is, as long as I don’t kill you, that photo won’t get out?”

“Of course. That’s the price of my life, right?”

Tch.

She clicked her tongue.

Even if she took the bag, she couldn’t delete the photo—it was locked by biometric authentication.

He probably had a backup too.

“You’re lucky today.”

“……”

“I’ll be watching. If you breathe a word, your head will roll.”

Kallado trembled.

Priscilla dropped his bag on the ground and stomped on it, shattering the device inside.

Then she spun the strap and flung it into the manmade lake.

She burned her wig and lens.

Kallado could only stare at the space she had vanished from, rubbing his sore neck.

“Priscilla… you’re irresistible.”

He looked genuinely shaken.

***

Rahan sat on a bench, no longer wearing his disguise.

The spy from the fountain had been handed off to Jerid, and sent to the Imperial underground prison.

“So the other one got away… That spy won’t talk, either. Damn it. The mission succeeded, but it feels incomplete.”

He crossed his legs and leaned back on the bench.

Women passing by stole glances at his face.

“Huh? Rahan?”

Walking nearby, brushing her golden hair with irritation, Priscilla spotted him.

“Priscilla?”

“What, you're still here?”

“I was just about to leave. Thought it’d be a waste to leave too early. What about you?”

“Same. Thought I’d linger a bit more.”

She sat next to him.

He smelled like sweat—not unpleasant.

He’d clearly played hard.

“Oh! Did you see the soldiers at the fountain earlier?”

Rahan flinched but didn’t show it.

“I did. What was that all about? Were you there too?”

“Yeah. I was going to watch the parade when suddenly soldiers with guns appeared. It was scary.”

‘She was there? That gorgeous blonde… no way I missed that. Must not have seen her.’

Rahan stood up from the bench.

“Since the carriage fare’s the same anyway… Shall we return together? Unless you have more to see.”

“Sure. Splitting the fare sounds perfect.”

They walked side by side.

In the silence, Priscilla thought:

‘I’ll request a full dossier on that man as soon as I get back. Might have to override the primary mission. Dangerous.’

Rahan thought:

‘That spy was elusive. I need to escalate the alert level and report it to the higher-ups immediately. Even though I passed the USB to Jerid, this isn’t over yet.’

Two people. Same steps. Different thoughts.

***

The next morning, after Rahan left for work.

Priscilla opened her wardrobe and decoded the cipher from an old radio device.

A Morse code message.

[Kallado Herchil. Scribe of the Bayrn Empire. Cannot be assassinated. Must be recruited by any means necessary.]

“Shit.”

She bit her lip.

She had reported the breach as soon as she returned home.

And this was the response.

He was someone whose death would cause greater damage than his survival.

He was lucky.

But now that she knew who he was, recruiting him wouldn’t be difficult.

She wasn’t such a psychopath that she’d kill someone just for being a nuisance.

How should she recruit him?

Seduction?

Maybe kindness?

Suddenly—buzz, crackle

Another message came through.

Priscilla tore out the paper and read it.

[Information transfer via traitor Kilo has failed. Imperial officer was present. A new extraction plan will be shared once drafted. Stand by. Also, thanks to intel from Agent Papa, we are identifying spies within Imperial command.]

Mission failure.

She crushed the note.

‘That bastard… who was he? I saw his face—but I can’t remember it. That means… he was using a mana-powered disguise mask.’

She bit her lower lip until she tasted blood.

Then she changed clothes and stepped into the living room.

Today’s outing was for Kallado.

She dressed sharply and elegantly, then left.

***

East wing of the Imperial capital, Bayrn Palace.

Home to the Imperial archives and scribe offices.

A graceful woman arrived.

All the male scribes in the courtyard turned to stare at the beautiful stranger.

One scribe carrying a chest-high stack of papers asked:

“Miss, what brings you here?”

Priscilla smiled sweetly.

“I’m here to see Kallado Herchil.”

“Kallado?”

“No way… how did a guy like him…”

The other scribes began murmuring.

“What’s your relationship with Kallado?”

“Could you call him, please? I don’t know your name, but you’re a very handsome scribe.”

When she flirted with a charming smile, the papers in the scribe’s hands toppled to the floor.

“Y-Yes! I’ll call him right away!!”

“Thank you.”

A few moments later—

Kallado approached her, fidgeting.

“How did you know my name? You came to kill me? You’re gutsy, walking around the palace like it’s nothing—”

Thwack!

She kicked him hard in the shin.

He hopped on one leg, groaning.

“Keep your mouth shut. If you want to live longer.”

“Wow. You’re fiery. Ugh.”

“Did you tell anyone?”

“I might work for the Imperial press, but I’m not so loyal I’d risk my life.”

“Good.”

“So if you didn’t come to kill me, what do you want?”

Looking down at him clutching his leg, Priscilla replied.

“A warning.”

“A warning?”

Kallado chuckled.

Her left eyebrow twitched.

“You’re smiling?”

“You’re clearly anxious.”

“Want to die?”

“It’s obvious. If you wanted to kill me, you’d wait for me to go home. But coming here, to the palace, in broad daylight? You’re nervous I might’ve talked, right?”

Half-right.

But Priscilla wasn’t anxious.

She was simply prioritizing the mission.

If he so much as whispered anything, she’d kill him without hesitation.

The highest priority mission.

Live as an ordinary citizen to support espionage.

Any command that contradicted that could be ignored.

“Stop pretending to be clever. You’ll die young.”

“Alright. I accept your warning.”

Kallado got up, limping slightly, but still smiling.

“Then… have a meal with me.”

…What?

“What?”

“Let’s have a meal together.”

…Is he insane?