Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Frozen Tears
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Like in any city,
Larphentia had inns where travelers could handle both lodging and meals.
Among them, the most famous was Brown Inn, run by a man named Camel Brown. It was a longstanding name in the industry, having been in the business since his great-grandfather's time.
In addition to the free porridge anyone staying could eat their fill of, their thrush roast was especially renowned. Of course, the thrush itself wasn't free.
Word of mouth spread, and it became the go-to spot for merchants or coachmen passing through on long journeys. Even the princess stepped into this place.
"So, back in Fibron..."
"Hey, innkeeper. The usual for three."
"That catfish on the hearth looks tasty. Get me one with cheese."
Laughter, chatter, and cheers echoed everywhere.
As those embarking on long trips often did, rough-looking men had set up a table of drinks and were getting happily drunk while sharing stories. It was only natural they'd gathered near the hearth.
"What will you have?"
A bit away from the fire, in a spot not crowded with people.
The server approached the princess, who had plopped down there.
"A meal and a room, please."
"Then you've come to the right place. No one in town knows that business better than us."
Camel Brown was a man of character. He regularly donated to the poorhouse, claiming he'd made too much food. He was always kind to staff and guests alike, and never once delayed a paycheck.
For a mere server to take such pride in Brown Inn
was simply because he earned more than servers at other establishments and was treated well.
The princess set down a single silver coin and said,
"The cheapest room. For food, the quickest stew you've got."
Only someone in perfect health with strong digestion could grab a hunk of meat and gnaw away when starving.
Even bread needed to be chewed slowly, thoroughly, or it burdened the body.
Ordering a hot stew was, in a way, an inevitable choice.
"Right away, then..."
The server noted the order and reached for the silver, only then noticing the princess's mask.
No one wore a mask just because it was cold, and even if a chill wind had made her put it on upon entering, it was proper to remove it once inside. Yet she hadn't.
The server's face stayed neutral, but his eyes flickered with changing light.
"I hate to impose, but guest... could you remove your mask?"
"Do I really have to? It's not a face you'd want to see."
"If a criminal were hiding their identity and slipping into an inn, it could bring dishonor to the place. It's your choice to refuse, but if you do, you'll have to leave."
As if by chance, or pretending not to notice,
a few glances turned toward the princess. She hid her tension and shot back.
"I'm not refusing to pay, and I've offered upfront coin. Kick me out for that?"
"Just as you're free to choose your inn, we're free to choose our guests."
As the server opened his mouth to speak, Camel Brown, who had been tending to some porters in the distance, hurried over. He nodded to the server and spoke.
"Our inn is called the best in town with so many regulars because first, the facilities are top-notch; second, the food quality is excellent; and third, incidents don't happen here. That's because we turn away anyone who might cause trouble, even if it means forgoing immediate profit."
He wanted to keep operating without accidents,
and he didn't want to let in anything that carried even a hint of potential problems.
"Just show us your face once, and that's it. If it turns out we're wrongly suspicious, we'll comp your meal and stay. We'll even give you our best room for the night. Will you cooperate?"
Camel Brown was wary of wanted criminals or fugitives sneaking into inns.
He was truly a model citizen. Of course, the princess wasn't a criminal or fugitive.
But her face was more horrific than any of them. Naturally, she couldn't remove the mask.
As she hesitated, Camel's eyes narrowed.
"Please leave."
Without needing another look, he issued the eviction.
"Or I'll call the guards."
"Don't you even feed weary, lonely travelers? Or those who've come far and are exhausted—not even a meal before sending them away?"
"That's fair, but I have to think of more guests than just you."
Camel declared firmly.
"We can't take in someone as suspicious as you. Remove the mask or leave."
The princess trembled with humiliation. But she couldn't say Camel was wrong.
Proof of that: not a single sympathetic glance came her way. Everyone thought the innkeeper's judgment was sound. If that woman turned out to be a political criminal, the fallout could splash onto them for eating and drinking at the same inn.
If soldiers grabbed her and started investigating, even if they weren't punished, time needed for their livelihoods would be wasted on questioning. No one, from Camel onward, wanted that.
If she weren't guilty, she could just take off the mask. That's what they all thought.
So what could the princess say?
*I'm Ardaine von Illumida.*
She wanted to reveal her imperial status,
but it would be pointless. Leprosy was God's curse, heaven's wrath.
People called the disease incurable by divine power that way. The whole body rotting away truly looked like divine punishment, so they believed it all the more.
Catch leprosy, and even a princess got no royal treatment;
nobles were immediately quarantined to a tower for life.
Continental churches, led by the Triad Faith, wouldn't help either. They believed lepers had committed evil deeds to earn God's anger.
If this got out, getting chased away would be the least of it.
In the end, the princess slowly rose and left through the inn door. Camel Brown clamped his mouth shut.
His expression was deadly serious. He called over the server from earlier and handed him a note after scribbling something.
"Go to town hall. Tell Inspector Franton at the security bureau a suspicious person showed up—use my name—and have them tail that woman. She's clearly an outsider; if she causes trouble, it'll be too late."
A true model citizen, he reported the suspicious person right away.
The inn's patrons murmured too. That woman had looked plenty suspicious no matter how you sliced it.
Rumor spread faster than a galloping horse across the whole city. Camel had lived here long with wide connections, respected even among fellow innkeepers. Word he chased out a suspicious person flew everywhere. Before the princess could even try the next inn.
"Welcome. What can I get... You're her! The one Camel kicked out!"
Model citizen Camel had sent his server around to every inn, spreading what happened.
He emphasized they needed a united front. Naturally, the next innkeeper recognized the masked woman from the rumors. He demanded she remove the mask too, and she had no choice but to leave quietly.
"You there, halt. We're conducting a search. Take off that mask. Otherwise, we'll take you in for questioning."
The soldiers tailing her on Inspector Franton's orders stopped her.
She looked suspicious to anyone. Kicked from one inn? Fine. But the second for the same reason? It was reasonable to assume she had cause not to show her face.
"Take me in...? What crime have I committed for such insolence!"
Humiliation and rage hit her not once but twice in a row, and the princess lost her reason.
She spat words she'd never say normally.
"Do you even know who I am? How dare scum like you..."
"Doesn't matter who you are. Our duty is protecting our home."
But one guard's words snuffed her fury cold.
"We can't let someone as suspicious as you wander free. Please remove the mask. We don't want to haul you in and lock up someone innocent."
"Citizens are uneasy about a shady outsider roaming around. We're not here without cause. If you won't unmask, we'll have to take you to headquarters for investigation."
The princess fell silent. She was wronged, wronged, and wronged again.
But there was no outlet.
She knew venting rage at them would change nothing.
She just laughed like a madwoman. Laughed and laughed. Laughed in lament.
"What's going on...?"
"Some suspicious person. Guards are checking her."
"They're doing fine work."
Countless people watched her,
but not one took her side.
"Can't be helped. We'll cuff you and take you to headquarters."
"Submit to arrest... What?!"
The guard grabbing her arm for cuffs recoiled as if he'd fallen on his rear.
His face filled with horror. He let go instantly and backed away far. His fellow guard asked in alarm,
"What's wrong? Hurt somewhere?"
"Th-this woman... her arm's soft. Like rotting meat, all squishy. Wh-what is this? B-back away, everyone! She doesn't feel human."
"Damn it all! An undead?!"
Hearing that, another guard swung his spear shaft to knock off her mask.
Gasps shattered the silence. People pointed fingers.
Some were too shocked to speak. The guard who'd grabbed her arm, even through her clothes, washed his hand over and over as if he'd touched filth.
"L-leper! A leper's here!"
"Hide the kids! She'll eat their livers!"
"Monster, get out of our city!"
Thwack.
A stone flew and hit her back. The princess spewed blood and fell.
One threw a stone, and everyone grabbed theirs. As they reared to throw, the guard stopped them.
"Calm down, everyone. Easy now. If the leper dies here, we might get cursed too. Go home, lock your doors tight, and don't look outside. We'll close headquarters for the day too. Whoever she is, no food or water—if she doesn't get any, she'll go elsewhere. Just wait it out."
To the people, lepers were under God's curse.
It was natural they thought the blood carried it. Legends even said a leper's blood on a field ruined the harvest for a year.
They realized it quick and dropped their stones.
The crowd dispersed like mist. The street emptied in moments.
In the silent city, only she and the guards remained. Only then did the princess realize she'd been wrong. Now she truly knew how the world saw lepers.
Back in the palace, she'd thought herself fallen,
but that was just ignorant babble from someone clueless about the abyss.
Below the floor waited hell.
"Wait. I'm weak now, starving too."
Good thing her tears had dried. No need to show them.
Thinking that, the princess pleaded with the guard.
"Take me in for questioning if you must—just give me a place to sleep? Even a cell's fine."
"Our post isn't a leper den."
The guard refused coldly.
"Even if you committed a crime and got caught, you wouldn't see a cell. My comrades will bring a noose, slip it around your neck, execute you on the spot, then burn the corpse. So don't commit any crimes."
Truly alone, the princess just lay collapsed.
She couldn't even feel her body growing cold. Her heart had frozen solid already.
Really, it was a mercy her tears had dried. So she thought,
but one tear trailed down her cheek and froze into icy shards.
Her face had long lost sensation,
so she hadn't even noticed it flowing.
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