The Smell of Destiny in the Night Market
I yawned long and lazily, rubbing my face vigorously with my two still-unfamiliar human hands.
As awareness slowly trickled back, one crucial fact suddenly flashed through my mind.
*Oh… I have to deliver the letters.*
“Where did all my letters go?!”
I kicked the blanket aside, scanning my surroundings with wide eyes, and shouted.
The princess who had been sitting at the desk, chin resting on her hand, watching me, burst into a quiet laugh.
“Ah, those? The kids came and took them all while you were sleeping like the world was ending. Rosalia and Lumia were so moved they looked like they were about to cry?”
“But I was going to deliver them myself!”
I flicked my tail angrily, sticking my lips out in regret.
I had wanted to see their reactions while handing them over one by one with my own hands…
My schedule had been completely ruined because of Kailian.
“Don’t sulk too much. Since they were your first letters, everyone was super excited. Next time, write more, and I’ll hand them to you myself. How’s that?”
“…Yeah. Now that you mention it, I guess so.”
I nodded in agreement with Kailian.
*It’s not like it’s hard. I’ll just write them again next time.*
My heart felt at ease, so I turned my head to look out the window.
The sky was already dyed in a deep indigo.
“It’s night now?”
“Yeah. You slept so soundly that I didn’t wake you. You skipped dinner and slept straight through. Are you hungry?”
At Kailian’s gentle question, I sat on the edge of the bed, dangling my legs, and fell into thought for a moment.
I was indeed hungry… but if I went to the restaurant now, everything would probably have been sold out.
“Let’s go to the night market like last time.”
“Huh?”
Kailian stopped her paperwork with a snap, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Only the two of us, without Lumia or the others?”
“Yeah, just the two of us. Why? You don’t want to?”
“Ah, no! It’s not that I don’t want to!”
Kailian’s face flushed bright red the moment she realized what I meant.
*…Why is she turning into Lina?*
Kailian shot up from her seat, hurrying to the mirror to fix her hair and straighten her clothes in a flustered panic.
*Why is she acting like this?*
“Umm… going out just the two of us isn’t bad either.”
Kailian gave a deep, sweet smile.
“I’ll just let my dad know I’ll be out for a bit and come right back! Do not leave first, okay?! Got it?!”
Without waiting for my answer, Kailian flung the door open and dashed out into the hallway.
A short while later, we had slipped out of the palace using the illusion spell Rosalia had cast.
My white hair had been changed to ordinary black, and the white tiger ears and tail behind my hips were cleverly hidden by the illusion magic.
Rosalia was really skilled.
Kailian also looked completely ordinary with her striking face hidden.
*To my eyes, it’s still obvious.*
The night street of the capital was shrouded in darkness, but the alley where the night market was open was brighter and far noisier than daytime.
Colorful magic-stone lanterns and red lanterns lit up every corner. Merchants’ lively hawking voices echoed everywhere.
Above all, the pungent smells of all kinds of street food filled the air.
*Hehe… The smell is amazing, really.*
I twitched my nose instinctively, excited, and wagged my fluffy tail.
Kailian held my hand tightly, warning me not to get lost in the crowd as we walked side by side.
“Blanc, do you remember when we came to the night market secretly just the two of us last time?”
“Huh? Of course. When we got caught by grandpa at the end.”
“Not that. Back then I put an illusion spell on you so you’d look like a normal neighborhood dog.”
Kailian recalled the past with a mischievous little giggle.
“You were really cute then. Can we do it again sometime?”
“Are you starting a fight again?”
*That’s just what she’s doing.*
I was offended to the point of my pride stinging, I swatted Kailian’s hand away and let out a fart.
Just as I was sticking my lips out and turning my head away—
A sweet, savory aroma suddenly slammed into my sensitive nose on the wind.
*This scent…!*
I snapped my head up in surprise, following the direction the smell was coming from.
Far ahead, I spotted a small stall with a long line of people.
On a huge iron plate, a sweet-and-savory bread filled with a sunny yellow yolk.
*Egg bread!!*
“Kailian! That one! Let’s eat it right now!”
I grabbed Kailian’s hand and pulled her toward the stall.
Kailian, who had been dragged along, checked the stall’s sign and the scent, her eyes sparkling.
“Oh, that one? It’s all the rage lately. You know it’s called egg bread, right?”
*I’ve eaten hundreds more than you have.*
I nodded.
We cut through the line and finally arrived in front of the iron plate.
The closer we got, the more the rich scent of baking pancake batter mixed with savory bacon aroma assaulted my nose.
The kind-looking auntie at the stall greeted us with a gentle smile.
“Oh my, what a cute little young master. You’re out exploring the night market with a pretty lady? We just finished frying them, so they’re piping hot and delicious. How many egg breads should we pack for you?”
Kailian, a little pleased by the “pretty lady” comment, gently stroked my head.
“My little brother eats like he’s starving. Auntie, pack all twenty of the ones on the plate.”
“T-twenty?!”
The auntie, about to flip the bread with her iron spatula, nearly dropped it and her eyes widened.
*Why do all of them eat that much? I haven’t even eaten dinner yet.*
“Ah, miss. Our egg bread has a whole egg inside each one, so one is plenty filling. This tiny little guy eating twenty would probably end up throwing some away. It’s a waste of money.”
Despite the remaining business, the auntie worried that the food would be wasted and tried hard to dissuade us.
*A good person. Honest business… but I’m still hungry.*
At that, I furrowed my brows and stepped forward from behind Kailian.
“I-I can really eat all of them!”
The auntie stared at my confident words with an incredulous look, then suddenly burst into laughter.
“AHAHAHA! Yes, yes! The young master says he can eat that much, so the auntie must be the loser! Okay, I’ll stuff them full of the biggest and tastiest ones!”
The auntie hummed happily while packing two hot, crispy egg breads into paper bags.
“Thank you. Here’s the money.”
Kailian took some silver coins from her pocket and added a tip to pay.
I carefully took the warm paper bags from the auntie with both hands.
I couldn’t hold back any longer and grabbed the top one, still steaming.
“Ah, it’s hot! Huu, huu!”
I stuck my lips out, blew on it, and opened my mouth wide to take a huge bite.
*Whoaa—!*
“…!!”
The moment I bit down, the soft, melting pancake batter, the rich butter aroma and flavor that teased my nose—
followed by the bursting texture of the egg and corn, with bacon on top—were simply delicious.
*Mmm… It’s so tasty!*
Blanc jumped in place with joy, cheeks puffed out like he might burst, shoving the egg bread into his mouth.
Kailian, watching from the side, had a soft smile on her lips too.
*Yeah, seeing our Blanc eat this happily… I’m glad I said yes.*
Kailian carefully wiped the bread crumbs from Blanc’s cheeks and mouth with her fingers and let out a small laugh.
Right as I took the second egg bread and bit into it with a huge crunch—
“…Following the guidance of the stars of destiny, you have halted your inevitable steps.”
A very unpleasant voice came from behind us.
“……?”
Kailian and I both turned our heads.
In front of us stood an unidentified person wearing a pitch-black, tattered robe from head to toe.
The face was completely hidden in the deep shadows of the robe, and a hazy crystal ball dangled from the pale, bony hand.
*What kind of suspicious guy is this?*
“You both possess a rare and intense aura. How about it—would you spare a moment for me to read your fortunes? I will tell you your futures.”
It was the standard pitch-foreteller speech one often hears at markets.
But the atmosphere was different. Something strangely unpleasant and sticky hung in the air, chilling it.
Kailian instinctively sensed danger and stepped in front of me, refusing in a cold voice.
“It’s fine. We don’t believe in superstitions. Move aside now. We have places to be.”
Just as Kailian was about to drag me past the robed man while ignoring him coldly—
*Thud.*
My foot stopped dead in its tracks like a stone.
*This scent…*
Among the greasy food smells of the market, I caught a very faint one I had smelled before.
“Blanc? Why aren’t we going?”
Kailian tugged at my hand with a puzzled expression.
But I shook her hand off roughly and walked forward again, blocking the path of the robed man.
“You…”
My hair, which had been hidden by magic as black, began to tremble slightly, gradually turning faint white from the tips.
I bared my fangs and growled at the robed man.
“You… You’re the one carrying those scales.”