Chapter 50: An Unwanted Assignment
A woman was screaming at a man who had just stolen her purse. Her face was horrified, as though the thief had taken something far more precious than a simple purse. Her ocean-blue eyes widened in disbelief as she watched him run.
Then, without hesitation
The blonde woman suddenly grabbed the heel from her foot. She threw it.
THWACK!
The heel struck the thief directly on the head. He immediately fell to the ground, clutching his head in pain.
For a moment, the entire street went silent. Everyone stared at the scene in complete shock. It was probably the most bizarre turn of events anyone had witnessed that day.
Even the siblings were stunned. Then Alina let out a quiet laugh.
Nuri glanced at her. He tried to hold it in. He really did. But after seeing the ridiculous expression on the thief's face, he couldn't help himself. The two siblings started laughing together. What began as a soft chuckle quickly turned into genuine laughter as neither of them could control themselves anymore.
The warm sunlight shone down on them, making the moment feel almost peaceful.
Almost.
The blonde woman noticed them. Her expression immediately darkened, as if black lines had appeared across her face. She clearly wasn't amused.
After retrieving her belongings, she walked straight toward them. "You two!"
The siblings immediately stopped laughing.
The woman pointed at them. "You're knights, right?"
The two looked at each other, then back at the woman. They didn't really know how to respond, so they simply nodded.
The woman's eyes narrowed. "Hah. Is this how knights act nowadays?" She looked them up and down. "But then again, it seems like you two are commoners." Her expression became even more disdainful. "It really doesn't surprise me."
The siblings' eyes widened. They weren't sure what to say. They knew that some people didn't particularly like knights, but this was the first time someone had openly shown their displeasure toward them so shamelessly.
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Alina's mouth opened, clearly about to say something. But before she could, Nuri quickly stopped her.
"Ma'am, we're sorry if we somehow offended you." He bowed slightly. "I apologize. It won't happen again."
The woman narrowed her eyes, looking like she wanted to say something else. But by then, a small crowd had begun gathering around them. She glanced at the people watching, and after a moment, simply turned away. The crowd, seeing that nothing else was going to happen, slowly dispersed.
"Nuri!" Alina turned toward her brother with an accusing expression. "How could you just let her go like that?"
"I know, I know." Nuri sighed. "But did you see her behavior and attire?" He lowered his voice. "She was definitely a noble. And not a minor one either. If we get on their bad side, who knows what could happen?"
Hearing his reasoning, Alina couldn't help but sigh quietly. She understood what her brother was trying to say. Getting into a conflict with someone of higher status wasn't exactly a smart decision.
So, with no other choice, the siblings decided to return and rest. They had no idea that the following morning would bring them yet another unexpected problem.
The next morning.
The siblings stood directly in front of Caelan. But this time, there was an additional guest.
The same woman from yesterday was sitting comfortably on the sofa. She quietly sipped her tea while looking at the siblings with a mocking smile.
Nuri's heart sank. Oh no.
Caelan smiled innocently. "Guys, this is Countess Talia." He gestured toward the woman. "She needs two guards for a few days, and I thought you guys would be perfect for the job." His smile broadened. "I'm sure you don't want to go into the field anytime soon after what happened. So I thought you could take this job instead!"
The siblings stared at him. Neither of them said anything, but internally, they were cursing him.
Why is he being nice now?! The one time we don't need him, suddenly he wants to do us a favor?!
And just like that... they were now assigned to follow the very woman they had desperately wanted to avoid.
Talia looked the siblings up and down, then turned toward Caelan. "Are they even any good?"
"Hmm?" Caelan smiled. "Of course. They're two of the best we have."
Talia raised an eyebrow. "Hmm. We'll see." She stood up. "Come on. Follow me."
With no choice left, they followed Talia out of the room.
As they walked away, Talia glanced back at them. "I really don't like you two," she remarked casually. "But I have to make use of what I get."
Nuri's face twitched. This is going to be a long few days.
The rest of the day didn't get any better. In fact, it somehow got worse.
The siblings had to follow Talia around like two personal dogs. Whenever she bought something, she would casually throw the bags at them.
"Hold these." More bags landed in their arms.
Then came the food. Talia occasionally ordered something for them to eat. Unfortunately, some of the food looked questionable enough to make even Nuri hesitate.
The siblings stared at the strange-looking dishes and tried a bite. Both immediately gagged.
Talia watched their reactions and paused. "...Never mind." She took the food away. At least she wasn't completely unreasonable.
Although the siblings desperately wanted to escape this assignment, they couldn't. They had been ordered to protect her, so they had no choice but to endure it.
Nuri sighed as he carried yet another bag. Alina looked equally exhausted.
This day really couldn't get any better.
Or so they thought.