The Suspicious Commoner
As soon as I set her down on the bed, Einy hugged a pillow and fell into an even deeper sleep.
She must have been exhausted. Even if she came from the jungle, sleeping rough would have been hard on a child.
Still, I couldn’t forgive the ridiculous tantrums and whining she’d thrown earlier.
“Thanks. I would’ve had a real headache if it weren’t for you.”
“I’m glad I could be of help.”
The room was a little too dark to be alone with a man I didn’t know.
The only light came from a single candle on the table, and the man remained almost completely still, as if he felt awkward.
Even so, I could tell his eyes were fixed on me.
Those dark brown eyes weren’t the color I remembered Ash having, yet I couldn’t shake the suspicion that this man might actually be someone I knew.
So I took a step closer and asked outright, leaning my face into the candlelight.
“You wouldn’t happen to know any blondes, would you?”
“I know quite a few blondes, but…”
“Well, they are pretty common. Then… does my face look familiar at all? Because you look pretty familiar to me.”
“Not many people would find this face new.”
“That’s true.”
It really was the kind of face that looked like it had been born with the deliberate intention of being ordinary.
The Second Prince Ephiros had rare black hair and striking golden eyes.
They were features that made him instantly recognizable—features with more than enough reason to be deliberately hidden.
I didn’t know the exact details of the Path of the Trial that the imperial princes had to undergo, but it seemed highly likely they would use disguises or transformation magic to conceal their royal traits.
With the imperial family’s resources, that would be easy enough…
“Hmm. You really do look… incredibly ordinary.”
“Is that so surprising?”
Once you started suspecting someone, everything about them seemed suspicious.
If I touched his face, I might be able to tell whether magic was involved, but that would be far too strange. Especially between a man and woman who had just met.
Whether because I had gotten too close or because my gaze had grown too intense, Ash took a step back and cleared his throat.
It was obvious he was deliberately putting distance between us.
“Ahem. If you’ll excuse me asking… what is your relationship with the child?”
“Einy? She’s the daughter of an acquaintance.”
“I see. I didn’t think you were siblings.”
“Obviously, with skin colors that different. We’ve only known each other for two weeks and we’re not close. Besides, she kind of hates me. Maybe because she thinks I separated her from her mother…? Well, it’s true, so I can’t really blame her for hating me.”
If it hadn’t been for the condition of exchanging her for the spirit stone, I would never have done it.
Traveling with a child was mentally exhausting.
In this harsh world, just taking care of myself was already a hassle.
“Now that I think about it, you said you were hungry. Shall we head down?”
I stared intently at Ash’s back as he turned toward the door, avoiding my gaze.
It seemed he found being in the same space with me quite burdensome.
Strange. Maybe it really wasn’t him. If it were the real Ash, he should have recognized me.
Then again, neither Rasshamu nor Robenin had recognized me either. Speaking of men being oblivious… though I hadn’t recognized Rasshamu either.
That was a bit embarrassing.
I had recognized Robenin, so maybe it was just a matter of interest.
“Ash.”
At my short call, which carried a flash of realization, he quietly turned around.
We weren’t close, but I had no choice but to use his name. It was the only thing I knew about him.
“Come to think of it, we never properly introduced ourselves, did we?”
Most commoners only had first names. Some had meaningless surnames, but hiding them was the norm.
Revealing one could lead to being mistaken for nobility, making them targets for thieves, kidnappers, or random attacks. It was practically suicidal.
That was why nobles always traveled with escorts.
“Nice to meet you.”
When I offered my hand, I felt a scar in his palm as he took it.
“It’s late, but it’s nice to meet you too.”
“My name is Jeanie. Or Jinny.”
It was an incredibly common name, but a blonde named Jeanie wasn’t all that common.
I smiled brightly and watched his eyes waver.
Through our clasped hands, I could clearly feel the tension running through his body.
“Jeanie…”
“Food’s here. Enjoy your meal.”
The table was overflowing with dishes Chad had ordered in advance. It was obvious he had gone all out ordering things he normally couldn’t afford since it wasn’t his money, but I had mountains of gold, so I didn’t mind.
What I thought would be turkey turned out to be lamb hind legs, along with steamed fish and thick beef steaks all arriving at once. The server had to stack our food three layers high using trays.
It wasn’t a fancy restaurant, so the dishes weren’t particularly refined, but the generous portions were extremely satisfying.
Above all, I was starving, so I didn’t hesitate to grab a fork, spear a huge piece of meat, and drop it onto my plate.
Bread could wait. Bread was dessert—something you ate if you still had room.
“This… are you sure it’s okay for us to eat all this…? Chad! When did you order so much?”
“She said it was fine to order!”
“Even so! This is clearly not for four people!”
Lox looked horrified as he glared at Chad, but the food was already here, and I was already slicing meat and putting it in my mouth.
Chad was the muscle-brained type I disliked, but judging by his order, he knew what he was doing.
Ordering such a good variety of meats!
I had to acknowledge that he knew how to eat.
“Um… thank you for the meal. Now that I think about it, we haven’t properly introduced ourselves.”
“I know. You’re Ash, Chad, and Lox.”
Too busy eating, I pointed at each of them with a turkey leg as I spoke.
Lox seemed to be the light eater type; he adjusted his glasses more often than he used his knife.
“You have a good memory.”
“It’s nothing special. And my name is Jeanie. I’m on my way back home.”
“Where is your home?”
“Dmitry.”
“Oh, Dmitry? Same as Chad. What a coincidence. All the way out here in Moran…”
Ugh, of all people, that big oaf?
“Huh? With that rude woman?”
“Look who’s talking.”
“What! You wanna go? I don’t go easy on women!”
“Is that a duel challenge?!”
“Yeah!”
“You do realize the meat you’re eating right now was bought with my money, right?!”
“Uh… yeah. Sorry.”
What an idiot.
Chad had shot up as if ready to flip the table, but after my brutal fact-check, he sat back down meekly and tore into his meat.
Lox, who apparently hated fighting, looked disgusted and fidgeted anxiously.
“Um, please don’t fight. I can’t tell if you’re serious or joking. Why do people from Dmitry like duels so much?”
“They value honor, I suppose. It is the land of knights, after all.”
“Chad challenges people to duels over the smallest things.”
“Hey, I’d appreciate it if you dropped the prejudice that everyone from Dmitry is like that. I’m not. Though I do know about a dozen people who are.”
I’m quite elegant, you know.
I look aristocratic enough to only be able to hold a fork, don’t I? Even if the turkey leg I’m holding is the size of my face.
“Sigh… People from Moran are aggressive, people from Dmitry have way too much pride…”
“And people from Baylan are full of themselves.”
I laughed and lightly played along. It was the kind of national stereotype people used to tease each other. Even though they all spoke the same common language and interacted without borders, their inherent traits didn’t change easily.
Many travelers could easily identify someone’s origin from their speech patterns, eating habits, or way of thinking.
“That’s right! Exactly! People from Baylan really are full of themselves. I see you agree with me, Miss Jeanie.”
“Lox, where are you from? Let me guess. Elan, right?”
“How did you know? I didn’t think it was that obvious.”
Up until then, the atmosphere had been warm and friendly. I sipped the fruit wine that came with the meat and casually continued.
“Your common tongue pronunciation is exactly like that. It’s the accent often used by Elan’s nobility. Intellectual and somewhat slow. On the other hand, your numbers are pronounced sharply. For example, when you say ‘four portions,’ the difference is clear.”
“…Pardon? No, I’m… not a noble.”
When I suddenly hit the mark, Lox became visibly flustered and quickly glanced at Chad, his eyes wide enough to show the whites.
Chad looked like the typical commoner who would dislike nobles.
And right now, he seemed completely absorbed in eating and hadn’t heard our conversation.
“Haha… Thank you for thinking so highly of me, but my name is Lox and I’m just a humble traveler. I serve as the guide for our party. I often get told I speak rather politely.”
“Oh, so you’re good at reading maps?”
“Something like that.”
“To be good enough at maps to act as a guide, you’d need quite a high level of education.”
Oh dear, the corners of Lox’s eyes were twitching so obviously. I hadn’t even struck that hard of a nerve.
“N-no, not at all. Ash and I have been friends for a long time. We’re from the same hometown… and we’re both commoners, right, Ash?”
His voice was shaking too. This guy would never make it as a spy.
I still didn’t have a clear sense of things, so I was just poking at anything that seemed suspicious.
That was because I suspected Lox might be an escort.
Long ago, when I learned about the Path of the Trial at the academy, it was mentioned that princes always traveled with escorts.
They assisted and protected the prince, while simultaneously ‘monitoring’ whether he was truly hiding his identity and taking the trial fairly.
It seemed there had been quite a few princes in the past who cheated or did underhanded things during the trial.
Things like bribing companions with money, or sending subordinates ahead to identify talents, uncover weaknesses, and recruit them.
‘After all, what wouldn’t someone do to become emperor?’
Becoming the crown prince meant eventually ascending to the throne.
There wasn’t a single fool who didn’t know that, and Elan’s unique method of selecting the crown prince—the Path of the Trial—was famous enough to appear in textbooks.
It was common knowledge among nobles, and even most commoners who had little education knew about it.
That was why, once the trial began, secrecy was more important than anything.
“Ash? Say something. Why are you so quiet?”
Deciding he couldn’t handle it alone, Lox desperately dragged Ash into the conversation.
Ever since we had come down from the room, Ash had remained silent with a subtle expression on his face.
The only thing on his plate was a single piece of bread, and even that he had torn apart but not eaten.
“That’s right. Lox and I have been friends for a long time.”
“Yes! Yes, our hometown is a small mountain village called Tokalam. We grew up there. It’s so remote you’ve probably never heard of it. I was lucky enough to receive some education. The village chief was very knowledgeable and generously shared his learning with all the children.”
So that was their story?
The more Lox added details about their past, the more certain I became.
“Hmm. Was that village chief also skilled in swordsmanship?”
“What do you mean?”
“Just look at Ash. His body clearly belongs to someone who has trained for a long time. His muscles are well-defined and dense. His steps are elastic and quiet, yet his reactions are instant and light. His wrists are thick, and he has the calluses typical of sword users… He must have received very systematic and professional training.”
“……”
“He’s probably much stronger than Chad, right? Am I correct?”
It seemed Lox had underestimated me, because he looked quite shocked now.
He would be even more surprised if he knew I suspected Ash of being the Second Prince Ephiros of Elan.
I watched Ash with narrowed eyes.