Chapter 240
Chapter 240
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 240
Chapter Title: Chapter 6-1. Iris
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The mute waitress resumed moving once Yuda's group vanished from sight. With light footsteps, she approached the table and set down the strawberry juice she'd been carrying on her tray. It was made with heaps of sugar and honey, especially popular with female patrons—no matter if they held rough jobs like mercenaries.
"Thank you! I'll enjoy it."
She bowed politely.
It was just her job to bring it over, nothing worth thanking, but polite customers like this popped up now and then. Instead of replying, she dipped her head in return and hurried back toward the counter, her steps quick and light. Behind the counter stood a man with sharp eyes, mixing cocktails for the guests. Drinks, meals, desserts... the shop offered a wide variety, all guaranteed delicious. Thanks to that, business was booming, far beyond the original intent when the place was set up.
?
Returning to the counter, she pulled out her notepad and scribbled with her pencil. The soft scratch-scratch of writing settled pleasantly in the ears.
-I'm taking a short break.
Just because she was mute, every action drew attention. The man at the counter sensed the guests' eyes turning her way. He didn't like how they stared, but he couldn't show it. Reading the note she held out, he nodded.
"Sure."
His reply was curt. Hearing it, she set her tray down inside the counter and headed to the kitchen. The kitchen wasn't visible from the counter. It was bustling. All sorts of dishes were being prepared at once—stir-frying meat, chopping vegetables, artfully plating everything. It hardly looked like the kitchen of an ordinary inn.
As she entered, the cooks all gave her slight bows and went back to their tasks. She passed them—polite to a mere waitress—and entered the room at the back of the kitchen. It was a rest area for the staff; once the door shut, the cooking noises from outside vanished entirely, turning it into a cozy nook.
Scraaape—
She dragged out a chair noisily and sat, letting out a breath.
"Hoo..."
It wasn't tiring at all. Her job was simply taking orders and delivering food—that was it. It never got boring or exhausting. The work was fun enough, in its own way.
Her time as a mute waitress was a kind of game, where she shed her role as queen of the Shadow Kingdom to become an ordinary staff member.
She liked playing the part of the mute waitress. It let her experience things she never could as queen. That's why it fascinated her. And it was the perfect role for finding the man she sought.
Today, a promising one had appeared. When a band of brutish mercenaries mocked and harassed her for being mute, refusing to help despite everyone watching, he'd stepped in himself. Like fate sent from the heavens, he was a young man with the same black hair and black eyes as hers.
He seemed decent.
His actions, his voice, his gaze, his looks,
Even the way he looked at her.
Everything about him checked out. All the others had always fallen short of her standards, but this was the first perfect match.
Of course.
The woman at his side and questions of personality and trustworthiness would need more observation.
Knock-knock.
Someone rapped on the door. She stared silently at it without answering, and it opened to reveal another waitress stepping in, holding a sweet shake called cookies and cream.
"Iris, ma'am~ May I come in?"
She nodded.
"Here. Catern said to bring it up, so I did."
She accepted the large glass with both hands, nodding in thanks.
'So cute~'
The waitress, Robelia, watched their queen Iris with a fond smile. Pink straw between her small lips, she sipped away, looking delighted by the taste. Her face brightened at the sweetness.
"Oh. Right, Iris, ma'am."
?
"Those mercenaries who dared hassle you earlier—what do you plan to do with them?"
"......"
Iris tilted her head. Who? The ones who'd hassled her?
Ah, the ones who'd thrown the bottle. Straw still in her mouth, she reached into her pocket for her notepad. Then she pulled the pencil from the small pocket at her chest and wrote.
-Handle it yourselves.
"Should we kill them?"
-Yes.
-But no traces.
Robelia beamed brightly.
"Of course. The moment they leave the castle, we'll slit their throats and dump them in the mountains—no need to worry. Wild beasts or monsters will devour them before the bodies are even found. Not our first time."
-I trust you.
Robelia's smile wouldn't fade as Iris showed her the note. If she weren't their queen, she'd have hugged her and pinched her cheeks by now. Every little gesture was so lovable. As a subordinate, it was torture to hold back.
It'd be even better if she spoke in that lovely voice of hers.
Even with no one watching, she didn't speak—it wasn't about immersing in the mute role.
Iris had always been the quiet type. When the former king of the Shadow Kingdom brought her in. When she became queen. Even when she inherited the fragment Ginnugagap. She rarely ever spoke.
It wasn't because her voice was ugly. Just a habit. That's why playing the mute waitress was no hardship—just avoid talking and mind her actions, easy as that.
Robelia watched Iris suck down the shake's contents, cheeks puffed like a doll, then remembered something with an "Ah!" Iris's eyes naturally turned her way.
"That guy who saved you from the mercenary earlier—how is he? Do you like him?"
"......"
Iris paused mid-sip, glanced sidelong at Robelia, blushed, and nodded.
"Oh! Really? That's great, Iris, ma'am! Finally!"
Was spring finally arriving for their queen after so long? It was the best reaction yet among the men so far.
The Shadow Kingdom's secret "Find the Prince on the White Horse" operation might soon conclude—provided he passed the trials.
Who could've guessed that she, an elite assassin among the kingdom's elite, would end up playing shop owner or mere waitress? And she wasn't alone. When others of similar skill were first assigned under the queen, they'd been thrilled.
But no.
The queen wielded power, magic, and skill beyond their reach, yet she seemed starved for affection—or chasing some dream—like a naive maiden with an impossible fantasy.
No matter the situation.
No matter the schemes against her.
She sought a man who'd trust and help her. Bonus points if love came with it—the perfect package.
Any other assassin spouting that would've earned sneers. But when their capable, lovable queen dreamed it, no one could mock her. They just supported silently.
Truth be told, her dream and waitress act never made her neglect her duties. So the others saw it as her quirky hobby.
The staff working the shop to assist and guard her couldn't do much anyway—just create scenarios or observe.
But no man had passed her tests yet. Robelia hoped this silly mission would end soon.
"Right. And that guy—he might've come here on someone's recommendation. So."
-A guest from the kingdom?
"Yes. High chance."
While Yuda's group talked earlier, she'd been clearing a back table. Occupational habit—she'd overheard without meaning to.
-Is that so? Excellent.
Iris wrote in her notepad. Robelia didn't know what was excellent, but she just hoped the man their queen had sought for years had finally arrived.
-A capable man. Don't approach rashly out of eagerness and raise suspicions. Just leave him be.
-I'm no fatalist, but if it's fate, you'll cross paths anyway without forcing it.
-Ah, but don't sabotage or interfere. Be prepared if you do. You don't want to spend nights with just your head sticking out in the wild hills...
Robelia nodded as she read the rapidly scrawled lines. She always thought: wouldn't speaking be faster than writing novels like this? Wishing to hear the queen's voice was tough, but she could only smile awkwardly.
Meanwhile, Yuda's group had gone upstairs to an empty room to talk. The double room was surprisingly spacious, filled with furniture far nicer than the price suggested. Yuda and Arhil sat on one bed, Lime on the other.
"Good heavens, this place is one of the Shadow Kingdom's bases?"
Lime blurted in shock, then realized how loud he'd been and clamped his mouth shut, glancing around warily. It felt like someone might be eavesdropping through the walls. Even as an archmage, he feared the Shadow Kingdom's assassins. Most tales he'd heard were grim, many sounding like distant legends—which only heightened his subtle dread.
"Don't worry. No one's listening nearby. Not sure about the room's soundproofing..., but no need to fret too much."
