NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 26
“Mommy!”
Tia immediately called out for her mother in a loud voice from where she stood.
An impossibly resonant voice for her small frame echoed throughout the shop.
In an instant, all movements froze and people turned their gazes toward Tia.
With a composed face, Tia toddled up to the mysterious young man who had his arms around her mother’s waist.
“Ho there. So you’re Tia, are you?”
“Get away from Mommy!”
“What a bold little one you are.”
As the young man’s hand stealthily approached her head, Tia took a step back.
Seeing this, the young man smiled faintly before speaking.
“Mommy said I could…”
“Why should she say otherwise? I have paid a completely fair price for your mommy’s time.”
“Uhm… Mommy wants to rest!”
Confused by the complicated language, Tia stumbled over her words. Though unsure of the situation, one fact remained crystal clear—her mother was in a difficult predicament. Mom’s expression didn’t even fake a smile; it was visibly unpleasant, starkly different from her usual demeanor when greeting ordinary customers.
“Julia, does this displease you?”
“No…”
“If your mother consents, right?”
“Muwwhh…!”
Tia’s frustration boiled over. Why was Mommy acting this way? She’d always heard stories of how Mommy would outright refuse customers she didn’t like, even going so far as to hit them on the back of the head. Yet somehow, these tales clashed with what she was witnessing.
When the young man touched Julia’s sideburns, a crash echoed through the room as the town councilman suddenly yelled in protest. Having been struck on the back of the head with an ashtray by Julia in the past, the councilman had since become an ardent admirer. Unable to contain himself any longer, he stood up from his seat.
“My Julia would never engage in such low behavior like an amateur courtesan!”
“Amateur courtesan…?”
At this, the employees swiveled their heads and shot the councilman sharp glances. Though trembling momentarily from fear, he refused to back down. However, the young man paid him no heed, continuing to whisper something quietly to Julia.
“So, will you not come upstairs?”
“I will come…”
And there it is, thought the councilman, his whole body stiffening. The Julia in his arms, with what could only be described as an unenthusiastic expression, nonetheless ascended the stairs without any resistance. That day, the councilman’s world came undone. And so did Tia’s.
…
Another troublemaker attached themselves to the place, it seemed. Woken from a nap in the waiting room by the sound of something shattering, I sighed deeply. Right now, the last thing I wanted was to leave my seat. Just the thought of appearing and sitting next to the nuisance was enough to make me cringe. Reluctantly, thinking the innkeeper would handle it well, I closed my eyes again for five minutes.
“Hey, I want someone called to me! Where are the waitresses? Why isn’t there a lineup?!”
“Shit…”
How had they not yet thrown out this glass-throwing troublemaker yet? I got up, shaking my head in annoyance, planning to ask the innkeeper for an explanation.
“Hey, innkeeper, what’s going on?”
“Uh… We might have a bit of trouble today.”
“It would be easier just to boot him out, wouldn’t it?”
“Hmpf. It’s complicated…”
The innkeeper, scratching the back of his head in difficulty, explained.
“It seems this guy is a renowned drinker from the lower village. His martial arts prowess is remarkable—two dozen people have been left half-dead because they picked fights with him. On top of that, the Dragania family apparently watches over him. The safest move, apparently, would be to pacify him and send him off. Luckily, he doesn’t cause much trouble beyond breaking a cup or two. So…”
“So you want me to deal with him?”
“No, not necessarily. Who knows? Maybe the lineup will result in him picking someone else besides you…”
“Guys, step aside. No lineup needed! Hey there, silver-haired woman! You, come and sit next to me.”
“…I apologize.”
At the familiar voice from behind me, I squeezed my eyes shut. Knew it. After hearing the innkeeper’s pathetic apology, I whirled around to see the staff rushing back into the waiting room. Beyond them, I spotted a man seated with his legs crossed at the bar.
He looked rather young, but the eye patch suggested he’d been injured in some fight. The continuous smirk plastered on his face made me instinctively frown.
Some kind of pimp.
“Come on, quick. Sit next to me. Don’t worry; I’ll give you a generous tip.”
“Thank you for calling me, sir. My name is Julia.”
“Julia? Hmm. Beautiful name. Julia. Julia…”
The man’s fingers tapped his beardless chin and his smooth complexion made me wonder—did they have permanent hair removal here? A guy like him, so polished in appearance, maybe even wore makeup.
I suppressed my twitching mouth and moved to his side.
“Splash!?”
Suddenly, the chair shifted and ended up perfectly adjacent to his. Instinctively, I slapped away the hand that dared to approach my thigh.
Such a creepy guy.
When I glanced back at the innkeeper, his lips moved silently.
“I’m truly sorry!!!”
His head repeatedly nodded as he mouthed the apology.
I endure this for the innkeeper.
Sighing heavily, I tried to calm my rising anger.
Being too close to him made his thigh brushing against mine unpleasant. I should keep things strictly professional. Maybe someone else could come.
“Although I appreciate the call, I would prefer we avoid physical contact. Employees are not allowed to have physical contact unless they consent according to the rules.”
“Haha, sorry. So, if you consent, it’s fine, right?”
The man was watching me with an irritating grin plastered all over his face. He may be handsome, but there was no way I would fall for his tricks. I, after all, used to be a guy.
While regular customers might receive service, this one-off acquaintance deserved no special treatment from me.
“Yowch?!”
“Do we now have your consent?”
“No.”
With a sudden move, the man wrapped his arms around my waist, forcing an embarrassing cry out of me. My frustration showed blatantly on my face, but it didn’t faze him. He continued with that infuriating smirk.
“Let go, or I’ll make you leave.”
“Make me? Who will? Go ahead and try.”
“I’ll report you to the guards.”
“Call the guards to evict a customer? That’ll get this place flagged. The protection tax to the guards will rise. Let’s not do that. That’s a hassle for the owner.”
I warned him, “Alright, if you don’t let go soon…”
I felt around with my hand on the bar for an ashtray. The sensation of our bodies brushing against each other sent shivers down my spine.
I can’t handle this anymore. Every nerve was on edge; if I continued like this, I’d lose control.
In an instant, my hand swung toward the ashtray, eyes squeezed shut. That’s when his question stopped me.
“What would you do if I didn’t let go, Holy Maiden?”
“…”
My body froze, paralyzed as if struck. Holy Maiden?
Surely, that was just a joke.
“Julia is a beautiful name. The church doesn’t know about you because you used such a name. They don’t even know your eye color. The village that went up in flames because of a dragon—what did you do that angered the beast?”
“…”
This wasn’t a bluff. I sensed it wasn’t. He knew. Not necessarily me, but the original Julia before I possessed her—her acquaintances from her previous life. Friends who knew the Julia tied to the title of Holy Maiden.
“Whatever you’ve been up to lately, why is the church searching for you?”
“Ah… Uh….”
“Anyway, it’s smart of you. It was correct to hide instead of running straight to the church. If you had done that, you likely wouldn’t have survived.”
“…”
His grip around my waist gave me goosebumps.
Was he from the church?
What did this man know about me, or rather, the Holy Maiden? Clearly, far more than I.
If responding to the church’s call means certain death, then the chill ran down my spine.
“You’ve been raising a child too, haven’t you? Tia? A child of the demon race.”
“…”
I wanted to say something, but my lips trembled, unable to form words.
I was terrified.
Terrified not just by this stranger’s knowledge of my secrets but by the growing realization that, unknowingly, I had lived on the edge of danger all this while.
“How about now? Do you feel like consenting to some physical contact?”
“…”
I lowered my head, answering because I had no other choice.
“Yes…”
I had no choice but to recognize the truth.
That this man held the strings of my life.
Knowing at any moment he could drag me off to the church.
‘Then, keep your wits about you.’
I had to stay sharp. His reluctance to betray me to the church implied I still had some value to him.
I needed to figure out exactly what that value was.
Only then could I negotiate with him somehow.
“Too obedient all of a sudden?”
“You appear intimidating, so I was afraid.”
“Ah! Yeah, I almost forgot my character. Why does all the alcohol here taste so bland? Bring something different!”
With a sudden and unexpected move, this guy who was talking so nicely threw his glass against the wall, shattering it.
“Really. Acting violent is a pain.”
“…”
It didn’t seem like he was acting.
My mouth wouldn’t stop forming these thoughts.
Anyway, what does this guy want from me?
Engaging in quiet whispers like this has its limits.
We need to be alone.
I should suggest we smoke a cigarette or something.
Just as I opened my mouth to say that—
“Mommy!”
An all-too-familiar voice made me look over. There was Tia, brows furrowed in anger, walking slowly toward me.
Oh no, not now.
The man shifted his gaze from me to Tia, inspecting her thoroughly with apparent interest.
A smirk slowly faded from his face as his expression soured.
“You’re not a demon. Are those horns… Hmm. Perhaps from a dragon?”
“…”
His tone turned rough, brimming with anger. Taken aback, I stiffened. When I almost fell backward, he grabbed me firmly, preventing it.
I’ve totally screwed up. I underestimated him.
Not only was he aware of my identity as the Holy Maiden, but he had also seen through Tia’s origins.
This guy had to go.
“Since we’ve got company, how about we head upstairs, Julia?”
“…”
We must go upstairs. Only there, alone with him, could I find out what he wanted. Maybe I could get a chance to kill him.
As his grip on my wrist tightened, I frowned.
“So, will you not come upstairs?”
“I’m coming…”
I answered promptly, even though it tore me inside to show Tia such a scene. Her expression mirrored that of someone who had seen the sky fall. Ignoring her shock, I headed upstairs with this pimpish man to resolve this between us alone.
—