Chapter 35
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Chapter 35 I had intended to simply pretend ignorance and let the matter rest. But after hearing Ishuel's story, my pride was thoroughly wounded. 'And those bastards dared to steal what was mine!' Since they had taken the hat Hata had made, I couldn't possibly leave things as they were. Regardless of which house they belonged to, I had to dress in something far more magnificent than them and humble their arrogance. Not in clothes they had already worn, but in something entirely new. 'When I meet those thieves who stole clothes at the banquet hall, I won't let them off easy.' It wasn't a decision made purely on emotion. 'Going to the Underworld with the twins is also something I need to do.' If I went to the Underworld with the twins under the pretense of visiting the Hat Shop and the Costume Shop. I might be able to uncover clues about how House Basilian was entangled with the Underworld. Thus, the next day, Chesa sought out the twins of her own volition.
"What's this? The baby's come?"
"Isn't it your younger sister who came first?"
Karha and Ishuel felt awkward in this unfamiliar situation. It was because the twins always came to find Chesa first. They would show up in her bedroom every morning to torment her. Chesa raised one hand before the twins and spoke.
"I want to go too."
"Where?"
"Where you brothers are going today."
"Uh... the Underworld? You're going too? It's dangerous there."
Karha nudged Ishuel with his elbow. It was a signal for him to try to dissuade her. Ishuel spoke to Chesa with genuine seriousness.
"No. A small child like you could get into serious trouble in a place that dangerous."
Yet Chesa was the very demoness who had earned notoriety even in that dangerous place. Chesa dropped her dignified demeanor and spoke.
"But my brothers will protect me, won't they?"
It was no exaggeration whatsoever. Chesa had already witnessed Karha and Ishuel's abilities. With both twins together, they could handle most trouble in the Underworld with ease. They were more than capable of resolving any situation and escaping cleanly. The twins seemed to share the same thought.
"Well, that's true, but..."
Karha and Ishuel exchanged glances. Not missing the moment of the twins' hesitation, Chesa drooped her eyes in the most pitiful expression. She pouted her lips and manufactured a sorrowful voice.
"I really want to go... I want to go with my brothers..."
"...Ugh."
Karha groaned under the assault of Chesa's pitiful plea to go out with her older brothers. He deliberated for a long moment before reaching a decision.
"Let's take her!"
"Have you lost your mind?"
When Ishuel recoiled in shock, Karha launched into earnest persuasion.
"What's the harm? Now that I think about it, we've never properly taken the little one out before."
"Her first outing being the Underworld..."
"Isn't that very House Basilian of us?"
"Sigh."
Ishuel exhaled deeply. Though he seemed reluctant, he wasn't actively objecting either. It appeared Ishuel harbored his own desire to go out with Chesa.
"It would be good to fit her with a hat in person."
He had ordered hats for Father and his older brother many times and knew their preferences well, but this was Chesa's first order, so he still lacked a sense of her style. As Ishuel's inclination shifted toward taking Chesa along, Karha glanced around Chesa's vicinity before asking, "By the way, little sister."
"Yes!"
"Where's the dog?"
The puppy had gone to open the shop. By now, she was likely busily preparing hats. Chesa smiled brightly and lied.
"The puppy just went out to play for a bit!"
"Is that so?"
Karha subtly expressed his hope that, since she was already out, she might stay gone. Though he had agreed to keep her for Chesa's sake, the lingering resentment from being swatted by Hata's front paw had not yet faded.
"Since she's a puppy we picked up off the street, she must find it suffocating to stay only within the mansion."
Ishuel added his own analysis of Hata's outing. Chesa enthusiastically agreed with Ishuel's logic. Karha, indifferent to canine psychology, yawned before suddenly widening his eyes.
"But taking the little one to the Underworld... Belzeon is going to have quite a lot to say about this."
"...Ah, our older brother will scold us."
The twins looked at each other simultaneously. Then they grinned wickedly. Wearing identical mischievous smiles, they exclaimed conspiratorially, "As long as we don't get caught!"
*** It just so happened that today was one of Belzeon's days away from the mansion. Kieran, as always, had left the house. Since they had mentioned their outing the day before, the twins stepped boldly through the gates. The servants fluttered about at the sight of the young masters suddenly whisking away the young lady, but none dared to stop them. They could only gaze at Chesa with desperate eyes. Chesa could almost hear the silent pleas in their hearts. 'Please say you don't want to go, Miss!' But Chesa, whose desire to go had soared to the heavens, pretended not to notice. The twins used a hired carriage rather than the House Basilian's private one, which they had arranged in advance. When they boarded the hired carriage on a road some distance from the mansion, the coachman showed signs of slight bewilderment. He could never have anticipated that the passenger who had reserved a carriage to the Underworld would be two small boys and a baby who looked as though she had been born yesterday. Though all three wore hooded robes, their small frames made their youth unmistakable. The coachman kept glancing back, as though he wanted to say something. But when he caught sight of the two swords hanging from Karha's waist, he quietly closed his mouth and drove on.
"You can get off here."
The coachman let his small passengers out at the entrance to the Underworld. Even as he accepted his coins and drove away, he kept glancing back. Karha shrugged and spoke.
"He must have been charmed by the baby's beauty."
It was a feeble jest. How could he have seen anything beautiful when they were all draped in hooded robes? But it seemed only Chesa took it as a joke.
"Well, of course."
Ishuel countered as though Karha had just stated the obvious. Then he walked forward, holding Chesa in one hand and a parasol in the other. Even with the hood on, carrying a parasol as well seemed somehow quintessentially Ishuel. Karha scurried along behind Ishuel. The Underworld was a vast circular expanse, clearly demarcated. As if someone had drawn a sharp line, the path lined with wildflowers and weeds transformed into barren wasteland the moment one entered the circular boundary. Though no sign reading "Underworld" had been erected, one became aware of it the instant one's feet touched the parched, divided earth. This was the Underworld. The shops of the Underworld began opening their doors one by one as the sun started to set. With the dusk only just beginning to fall, people were now slowly appearing on the streets. The shop owners too were beginning their preparations for business.
"Follow me."
Karha strode ahead with confidence. Chesa, cradled in Ishuel's arms, observed the twins' demeanor carefully. Both moved with composure, as though walking a familiar street. For first-time visitors, the streets of the Underworld could only inspire wonder and amazement. The atmosphere was entirely different from the world above. Bizarre, peculiar, uncanny. The Underworld was a space that suited every manner of suspicious descriptor. The storefronts themselves bore a distinctly unusual appearance, unlike anything above. Save for Hata's Hat Shop. The twins came to a halt before the storefront, craning their necks in unison to examine the sign. 【Hata's Hat Shop】 Decorated to match Hata's tastes, the shop stood apart from the other Underworld establishments with their ominous iron bars and grim embellishments—this one radiated an almost endearing charm. The jarring contrast seemed to catch even Ishuel off guard; his eyelashes fluttered with the rapid succession of his blinks.
"This place?"
"This is it."
While Ishuel surveyed the shop's exterior, Karha thrust the door open with a decisive shove. A small bell suspended above the frame swayed violently, its chime ringing out as though it might shatter. The twins stepped inside. The shop, which had been in disarray, was now meticulously organized. Ishuel's eyes widened at the sight of the hats displayed within.
"Is anyone here?"
Ishuel called out, his voice slightly raised, and a hesitant response drifted from the back room.
"Welcome...."
Then Hata emerged, slipping quietly through the inner door. The moment Chesa laid eyes on Hata, she bit back a laugh. Hata had dressed herself to resemble a distinguished hat shop proprietor—a tuxedo, a bow tie, and a top hat all in place. A small boutonnière fashioned from evening primrose was pinned to her chest. Since Karha possessed such a keen sense of smell, the floral fragrance served to mask Hata's natural scent. The flower was one Chesa had conjured with her fae magic, far fresher and more fragrant than ordinary blooms. Though the scent was more than sufficient to conceal her, Hata's eyes darted about nervously. She seemed anxious about being discovered.
"Hm?"
Karha's eyebrows shot up the moment he saw Hata. He strode forward deliberately, looking down at her. Towering over her with his greater stature, Hata let out a strange sound and froze. After staring at Hata intently for a long moment, Karha spoke abruptly.
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