Sophia had worked at the Underground Brothel for two years, thus becoming the Senior for the newest batch of workers. She remembered when she was first recruited, her dusty cheeks were wiped harshly until all that remained were rash red.
Thus, all the others thought she was a sensible and shy child who liked to blush.
After the red subsided, Sophia still could not overcome the old perspectives. She still liked to stutter, blush, and avoid eye contact.
"You can entertain the guests in room 201," the young brothel worker had pointed to a newcomer, "Pour them a cup of tea and introduce them to our Senior's upcoming performances."
The newcomer rushed off.
Sophia stepped to the side, then her eyes twitched. She noticed another newcomer, who was idly standing in the corner, their body tense and their hands clasped together. This reminded Sophia of when she first arrived and had to serve here. Such strong nostalgia.
"Hey there, newcomer. Don't you have any tasks to do right now?" Sophia was about to continue rambling on, but stopped in her tracks. Her voice was caught in her throat, unable to budge any further. Rather, she was at a loss for words. The newcomer in front of her looked away shyly, her eyes resembling the jewel picked up from the Royal family's gold mine.
Her hair was blacker than the night, silhouettes intertwining into one scarf of liquid obsidian. The newcomer's face was fairer than the melancholic moon, her lips coated in red rouge, her nose bridge was slender and high, and her eyebrows raised like a dancing piece of silk.
Sophia couldn't help but stammer on the spot, her face burning red, "A-Ah, if you need a-any help, I am here to a-assist a-as your s-senior!"
Th newcomer glanced at her, surprise written over those enchanting eyes. A smile fell on her lips, and she gently shook her head. Her pink maiden dress swayed to her gesture, revealing the white tights worn on her delicate legs. Every movement of hers seemed to be imbued of nobility and elegance, like a Princess strolling through her rose garden, gently brushing noses with the petals.
Sophia could not handle it anymore. Any longer and she might faint! "Well, if you need help, I am here!" She hurriedly rushed out, leaving nothing but dust in her trail.
Meanwhile, Lucilline: ... ( ﾟдﾟ) Could it be that I've frightened her? Have I already been figured out? Does she know that I'm not a girl? Or is it that she suspects I'm a spy because I'm not talking?
The black-haired nobleman became agitated.
He really wished to rip off this dress, shake off the black heels, and chase after that stammering brothel worker!
Instead, Lucilline quenched his heart in cold water. I must calm down. First, according to the details given by Layla, the bandits are predicted to arrive in ten minutes. I have some time to prepare... The strategy was simple.
He remembered Layla's silly smile.
The Tenth Princess of Miriam had flicked her finger around, "Simply put, use whatever methods you have to force the bandits in the room we're in. Then, we'll ambush them! They'll be captured, I'll send them to the Queen as proof, and I'll be richly rewarded! Oh, but don't worry. I'll make sure to split my reward to the rest of you."
Lucilline's teeth gritted. He'd rather have no reward than to participate in such felony!
But it wasn't like he hadn't dressed in women's clothing before. Scarletta often dressed him on her clothes, so Lucilline wasn't as perturbed as he would've been.
Rather, the risk of getting caught played with his heart.
"Welcome dear fellow guests! I see that it's the same old taste?"
"Yes," a muffled groan sounded from the entrance.
Lucilline held his breath. Here they come. The bandit leader was dressed in dark leather robes, the ceiling lights shining upon the pliable fabric, beaming rough to the eyes. The lower half of his face was covered in a scarf, with a long yet fading scar underneath his cheek.
Behind him entered his group of bandits.
It is confirmed. That is him. Everything about him matched the descriptions which Layla gave.
Their loud footsteps clamoured the Underground Brothel, forcing the floorboards to shake, and the ceiling lights to sway.
"I've been waiting for you!" A hitch-pitched voice cried out. One of the regulars in the brothel had walked out from a curtain, her heels click clacking upon the floorboards. She wore a brilliant smile, one enough to outshine even the disjointed ceiling lights. Her long brown hair looked around her shoulders, and she placed a hand upon the bandit leader's taut and muscular arm.
She smiled, "Let's go, shall we?"
Their arms hooked, the brothel worker and the bandit leader had entered one of the rooms upstairs. Lucilline did not bother to tail them, but instead focused on the sounds.
The Underground Brothel did not have stable floorboards, with the footsteps upstairs transparent enough to leak him the locations.
Additionally, the heavy clothing that the bandits wore... and their heavy leather boots were more than enough to give them away.
Lucilline studied the sound. He made a note in his heart, They're in room 205.
Once the footsteps and the shaking of the floorboards stopped, he confirmed that the bandits have settled in.
The black-haired nobleman stealthily snuck upstairs.
It didn't take too long for another brothel worker to come up the stairs as well. Sophia was carrying a tray of tea, the pot still hot and the cups made of fine porcelain jade. Her eyes widened when she noticed Lucilline, but her face burned hotter than the teapot.
"...h-hello there, newcomer." Sophia intended to bypass Lucilline, but the newcomer suddenly took a step forwards.
Sophia: ???
Suddenly, the beautiful newcomer took out a slip of paper from her sleeves. She unfurled it, holding it up for Sophia to read. The latter read the words, Could I serve the tea? I am new here, and I want to make a good impression for my first time.
Sophia understood immediately.
This pretty newcomer certainly had the looks, but lacked a voice! She was mute! No wonder she was afraid of being overshadowed by the other newcomers...
Sophia nodded politely, "Here you go. This is to serve to room 205. The guests might be busy inside, so try to be as... open-minded as you can. Don't be scared, you can do it."
Lucilline nodded, her lips raised up in a grateful smile.
Upon seeing that, Sophia felt her heart surge in adrenaline. "T-That's it! I'm going back downstairs! Serve our guests well!" She quickly ran back down the case of stairs, her figure gone in an instant.
Lucilline: ...Could it be that my smile wasn't friendly enough? Did I scare her away again?
He shook his head subsequently. No matter, I must continue on.
Too bad that Sophia was so blinded by the newcomer's beauty—she did not even realize the problem behind the newcomer's notes. Clearly, there was no paper and no ink in the brothel. Just how could she have possibly written anything without bringing in stuff of her own?
Lucilline opened the cap of a bottle, pouring ink inside the teapot.
It wasn't poisonous, but enough to cause a mild stomachache.
The tea served was black tea, disguising the ink hidden inside. He added a few blocks of sugar, dissolving instantaneously in the hot tea. Lucilline forced the edge of his lips to curl upwards, then walked inside room 205 with a smile—deceit flashing behind it.
"Have some more cakes~" The brothel worker picked a slice of cake by her two fingers, the slender knuckles poised as if holding onto a calligraphy brush. She fed the bandit leader, who gladly ate it. The scarf wrapped by his mouth was taken off, thrown on the couch they sat on.
The bandit leader's eyes flashed upon seeing Lucilline.
"Serve me the tea." He ordered.
Lucilline walked over, his steps picking up speed when nearing the target. He set the tray down, then pouring tea in a cup. Nothing appeared wrong.
Steam had risen from the black liquid.
The bandit leader smiled flirtatiously, sweeping the cup and downing it in one gulp. It was as if the heat did not scold his tongue—rather, it almost was as if he could not feel any sensation in his mouth.
"Leave now!" He batted Lucilline away. "Continue to serve me," he nodded to his regular server.
Lucilline bowed, then left the room, closing the door behind.
It did not take long for the bandit leader to suddenly rush out, clutching his stomach in pain. His face brimmed in cold sweat, and he blurted out angrily at Lucilline, "Where is the washroom!"
Lucillline hurriedly locked arms with the bandit leader, gesturing, follow me.
The two figures dashed across the hallway, thus arriving before the bathroom. It was a large spacious room, consisting of several closets, which contained cleaning supplies inside. The sink was cleaned prettily, the marble stone shining like diamonds.
The bandit leader quickly darted in, still clutching his stomach, and his face pale.
Lucilline bowed, well, I'll be leaving now—
All of a sudden, he was pulled inside, the door slamming shut. The bandit leader wore a ferocious grin, as if his mouth was eating up all the flesh on his face. "Don't go now. I am rather quite curious with what you've placed in my drink!" His thick calloused hands had grasped on Lucilline's wrist, tugging forcefully, leaving behind a dark red bruise.
The newcomer flinched in pain.
However, the bandit leader did not intend on finding out the answer. He viciously threw a punch at the newcomer—
The sound of an arrow flew in the bathroom.
In an instant, an arrow lodged straight into the bandit leader's shoulder! Strangely, the latter fell over, just a meter beside Lucilline.
The black-haired nobleman sighed. "You used paralyze toxins, right?"
"Sure did," Percival nodded. The brown-haired nobleman had crawled out of the closet, his noble figure shrouded in dust. He softly coughed, "He didn't hurt you, did he?"
Lucilline shook his head, "Of course not."
The place that the group ambushed was in fact the second floor bathroom. Lucilline had managed to lure the bandit leader, and Percival awaited there, thus successfully capturing him. Everyone else were in room 205, waiting for the perfect chance to capture the others.
Percival lowered his eyes, focusing on the ugly bruise spreading on his wrist.
He frowned, "You liar."
Lucilline was taken aback. He raised his head, meeting the pair of rather aggrieved eyes of Percival. The brown-haired nobleman had a good upbringing, often showcasing a spirit of nobility. It was rare for him to throw a temper tantrum.
A smile fell on Lucilline's lips.
He gently patted Percival on the head. If he were to massage the scalp more, Lucilline felt that he might even feel a pair of sagging puppy dog ears.
This made him want to laugh. "I'll brush your hair."
Percival did not respond.
"Then I'll braid it."
Percival looked away, still angry.
"Hmm... then I'll let you touch my hair?" Lucilline tilted his head. To his surprise, this managed to gather the attention of the aggrieved nobleman.
Percival's eyes lit up like a candle.
He smiled, "Deal."
*****
Later that night, the group of bandits were sent to the Royal Palace. Layla had worn a triumphant smile when he returned back to the group.
He laughed, "Here is your share of the reward!" It was a box of gold coins.
Lucilline didn't wish to receive it. He was already a nobleman—just a few more gold coins would not make him anymore richer.
Instead, Layla pushed it in his arms. The pink-haired Prince winked, "Think of it as my heartfelt gift."
Lucilline felt his hands shaking, almost unable to calmly receive the box of gold. A blush spread from his cheeks, his soft earlobes burning the crimson red colour too. His face seemed to be illuminated in shame, and this only made the pink-haired Prince even more joyous.
"I knew that Lucilline would accept my gift!" He chided in, about to break into song.
This managed to gather all the deadly glares onto his person. Azalea, Percival, Dimitri, Jacques, and Augustine had all glared at him intensely.
"Huh?" Layla shook his head. "Is it just me or is it cold?"
Farrah off-handedly remarked, "It's just you."
After completing the mission given by Layla Agerico, the group found themselves packing up for the rest of their adventure. Lucilline had changed out of the brothel dress, watching the pink maiden dress with disdainful eyes. He will never be able to overcome these heinous memories.
He returned back in his black waistcoat and suit, with his heeled boots snuck on.
"Ah, how did you even find information on the bandits in the first place?" Lucilline became curious, so he questioned with a look of naivety.
Layla smirked. "It's because I have a spy from the bandits!" He gestured to the timid young man standing beside him.
Everyone's gaze on Noah was burning mad. IT WAS YOU THE ENTIRE TIME!?!
The next morning, the group decided to set out. They have stayed long enough in Miriam Kingdom. There was still Farrah's lost memories that they needed to seek.
The group followed the pathway laid out for them, the forest surrounding their sights and blocking the horizon. Some spillages of sunlight fell across the leaves, bringing a sense of peace to them. The rustling of leaves sung like a choir of birds, their voices like a breath of fresh air.
Their footprints lodged in the loose soil, the roots arching out.
"We should be able to arrive in the snowlands this evening," Percival concluded, being the guide as usual. The snowlands—were also known as the territories of the ice people—creatures of the ice, who were all slain by the demons from Ubel Kingdom.
Farrah blinked, reacting slightly to the mention of the snowlands.
She no longer had any memories of slaughtering the ice people. It was strange to think that centuries ago, her people were so bloodthirsty for colonization.
"Well," Willow noticed the haywire emotions beneath her cold exterior. "You'll remember soon enough, especially with the help of my Young Master."
"I am also quite curious about your lost memories," Layla whistled, "How could a demon as cold as you possibly allow yourself to be hurt by others?"
Farrah huffed. She twisted a strand of her brown hair around a finger. Although this was fake hair, but she'd long since gotten used to it. "I'm curious too."
All of a sudden, she fell still. "What are you doing here?"
The bold pink hair in the forest was like fire setting aflame upon a surface of water. Layla—who did not bother to disguise himself as a girl—had hopped on along the adventure.
"Don't you remember?" Layla smiled, "I decided to tag along because I am still hung over Lucilline! Our marriage still hasn't been established!"
Five dark glares stabbed at his back again.
"Oh, I remember that." Farrah nodded absentmindedly. Of course she remembered everything about Lucilline's love life, and especially about the man himself being as dense as a rock for not realizing this all. "I just didn't think you'd be shameless enough to repeat it again."
"Shameless!?" Layla laughed. "This is not shameless! I am merely stating the truth!"
The feeling of five dark glares oppressing him had returned again.