len࿐

——Thief’s POV——

[LONDON - ALLEYWAY - NIGHT]

(I’m gonna die...he’s gonna kill me...!)

I ran haphazardly through the night streets of London.

Plain thief: Haah...hah— dammit...!!

I could no longer hear the sound of footsteps, so I probably managed to shake off my pursuer.

The thought gave me leeway to relax, but hiding in the alleyway and trying to peek out to assess the situation was a mistake.

Well-dressed blond man (Darius): Fooound you.

Plain thief: Eeek...!

Wait, no, the mistake may have actually started long, long before this moment.

[BLACK]

Right...it all started when I ended up dreaming of that woman—

——Flashback——

[LONDON - CITY STREET - DAY]

When was the first time she first drew me in?

She was a lovely girl who put all her energy into her job as a letter carrier.

(If she could be my lover...)

(Or not. I don’t stand a chance.)

I was just another thief on the streets. I’d steal poor goods and meager amounts of money for a daily income, then splurge it all on booze. That was the sort of shit life I was living.

I didn’t have anything on me to catch such a pretty girl’s eye.

Just looking at her was enough for me. And then, all of a sudden, she disappeared.

(Did she get moved to a different sector as a letter carrier? Hopefully she didn’t fall sick...)

Just when the thought passed me...

Kate: How is it, Darius? This place has gotten quite some praise...

Well-dressed blond man: Hmm...I guess it’s okay. But I think the one you made before tastes better.

Kate: Huh? Th...thank you.

(Who in the world...)

She was together with a pretty man who was very well-dressed, enjoying a Baumkuchen at a café.

(What the...and here I was worried over her. So she found herself a good man and quit her job?)

The pair were like a painting, even when looking at a distance: beautiful, perfect, befitting of one another...

Plain thief: Dammit...dammit, dammit, god dammit!

(I could probably sell that man’s cane for a fortune.)

Plain thief: ...I’ll steal it.

[BLACK]

I found an opening when the man stood from his seat and the girl was looking away to steal the cane that was leaning against the table.

And then, without them noticing, I ran to the alleyway. Or that was the plan—

[ALLEYWAY - DAY]

Kate: Haah...w-wait...!

Plain thief: Wha...!?

(S-she chased me!? That woman...chased me?)

Kate: Um— about that...I’d really suggest returning that...! If it’s now, you’ll still be safe!

Plain thief: Hah?

Kate: It’s for your own good! If you value your life, then let’s return it! Okay?

Plain thief: For...me...?

(...It must be love.)

Plain thief: Ahh, I-I’ll return it.

Kate: Thank you so much.

The woman gave me a smile from the bottom of her heart.

(Ahh...she’s like an angel.)

[BLACK]

Ever since that day, my days of love began.

[PALACE - EXTERIOR GARDEN - DAY]

(So she comes in and out of the palace. She must’ve changed jobs then...she’s so cute today.)

[LONDON - CITY STREET - EVENING]

(She goes to this café a lot. Is it her favorite? ...I love her.)

[LONDON - CITY SQUARE - NIGHT]

(Ahh, she’s being dragged around by that man again.)

Well-dressed blond man: ... (¬_¬)

Well-dressed blond man: Kate, you get on the carriage first.

Kate: Wah— what’s going on all of a sudden?

(I see now, this is all against your will.)

(Don’t worry, I’ll save you. ...I love you.)

[LONDON - SIDE STREET - NIGHT]

Plain thief: Shit...I hate that guy so much...every time, every damn time, he gets in our way.

Plain thief: If only he wasn’t there!!

I decided to kill that man who went in and out of the palace.

All to set her free.

——End flashback——

[BLACK]

—Little did I know, though, that would be the trigger to my downfall.

[LONDON - ALLEYWAY - NIGHT]

Well-dressed blond man: Fooound you.

Plain thief: Eeek...!

He had blond hair and honey-colored eyes.

But in contrast to his sweet appearance, the killing intent coiled around him made my entire body freeze up.

(This guy’s bad news, I don’t know why, but something’s telling me he’s really bad...!)

Well-dressed blond man: That girl went out of her way to extend some compassion to you, so I turned a blind eye once.

Well-dressed blond man: But then as if all that disgusting stalking wasn’t enough, you dared to show your face before me...

Well-dressed blond man: She told me to not kill you over just a single theft, and it was a load of trouble anyway, so I was thinking of letting you go anyhow.

Well-dressed blond man: But I guess not, seeing as how foolish and shallow you humans are. The moment you’re given another chance, you let it get to your head.

The man held his cane, an extension of his luxurious attire, before dragging it up.

That seemingly-harmless cane started to turn into a brutal weapon, and I could only stare at it with tears flowing.

Well-dressed blond man: To be clear, that girl is my favorite.

Well-dressed blond man: And every time I take her out, your revolting stare and odor was so unpleasant...

Well-dressed blond man: So, I’m going to need you to die, okay? ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )

(Ahh...this man is detestable, but—)

(If nothing else, his smile is just like hers...)

[WHITE]

—It was like that of an angel.

——Kate’s POV——

[PALACE - CORRIDOR - DAY]

Darius: Kate.

Kate: Darius? What’s the matter?

Darius: Have you noticed anything different recently? 𐔌˙.

Kate: Recently...? Umm...ah.

Kate: A little bit ago, there were times I would feel someone’s look and would find the same person when I turned around...or wait, it actually happened a lot.

Kate: But recently, I haven’t felt anything like that.

Darius: Hmm, I see.

(That man was the one who stole Darius’ cane...but I felt it best to keep quiet about that.)

That day, Darius of course noticed that his cane got stolen,

and thinking the thief would end up killed, I chased after him in a panic to convince him to return it, and all ended without incident.

(At that time, he did return it without resisting...but could it be that he was still targeted?)

While it was too late now, I couldn’t help but worry, and on instinct I pulled on the hem of Darius’ clothes.

Kate: Darius, did you...did you also feel him staring?

Darius: Me? Ahaha, are you worried about me now? You really are an interesting one, aren’t you.

Darius: There wasn’t much of note.

Darius: Just that some evil influence stirred up thanks to you, so I took it in my own hands to end it, I guess.

(Evil influence...?)

Darius: So shouldn’t you be thanking me riiight about now?

Kate: I’m not really sure for what, but...thank you very much?

Darius: You’re very welcome. ( ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ )

Darius gave me a sunny smile, in a good mood, before patting my head.

[BLACK]

For some reason, the feeling of his hand felt very comforting, and I found myself narrowing my eyes in response.

Fin