CHAPTER 057
"Right now?"
I was startled by Bella's sudden suggestion. Bella, however, remained composed despite her words.
"I've been there, and despite the rumors, it's just another neighborhood where people live."
"I'm curious about it."
Oh no, even Charlotte?
"See? Lady Yaniels says she's curious too. You're more adventurous than I thought, my lady."
"My brother often tells me to stay put."
Charlotte shyly admitted.
With Bella urging us to go right away, we ended up heading there together as a group.
Getting there wasn't difficult, probably because of 40th Street's convenient location. It wasn't far from where we were.
"It should be around here."
We followed Bella as she led us to the shop.
"Isn't this area a bit too secluded?"
"Are you scared?"
Bella laughed, as if dismissing my concerns.
"I'm telling you, it's just rundown buildings. Even if some thugs show up, I'll take care of them."
With Bella around, what was I worrying about?
But, of course, timing is everything.
"Where are you ladies going?"
Barely had Bella finished speaking when some thugs blocked our path. They looked us over and grinned.
"Three young ladies, all by yourselves."
Thugs...!
I wasn't too alarmed, though. They didn't seem nearly as dangerous as the assassins from before, and there were only two of them.
Just some low-level street thugs, probably.
In fact, we had more than just Bella on our side. Three bodyguards were following us at a distance!
Maybe Philip might even show up. There was an episode where Charlotte was saved by Philip when she encountered thugs on the street.
It made sense; why else would thugs appear out of nowhere when Bella was with us?
With Bella around, neither Philip nor the bodyguards were really necessary.
"You're the ones who are out of your minds."
As expected, Bella.
She immediately grabbed one of the men's collars.
The bodyguards rushed to intervene.
"My lady, let me handle this-"
"Stand down."
Before the bodyguard could do anything, Bella had already knocked the man out. His attempts to fight back were futile against Bella.
Wow... She took down a thug without using any magic!
"What, what's happening?"
The remaining thug, startled, looked between Bella and us before quickly making a decision.
"Let's get out of here!"
Leaving his companion behind, he fled. A betrayal in action.
"Chase him."
"Yes, my lady!"
Bella's bodyguard promptly pursued the fleeing thug.
But it wasn't over yet.
The thug on the ground scrambled to his feet and started running in a different direction.
"You think you can escape?"
Bella glared at him and ran after him.
One of the bodyguards quickly followed her.
"My lady! You shouldn't go alone!"
I shouted after Bella as she ran off.
"Bella, be careful!"
"Don't worry!"
Her voice faded into the distance.
Now it was just me, Charlotte, and one of her bodyguards left.
"Oh my, how did this happen...?"
Charlotte seemed genuinely shocked. She probably didn't expect such an encounter.
But it wasn't over yet.
"Is the scary lady finally gone?"
Two more thugs appeared, looking rough.
"Seriously?"
The bodyguard quickly stepped in front of us.
Why did I suddenly feel uneasy? Just as I was starting to miss Bella's presence, a long sword emerged from a nearby alley.
"Ugh!"
Without a sound, the blade pressed against one thug's throat, ready to strike at any moment.
Could it be...?
"You're safe now."
A familiar voice.
Philip emerged from the alley.
Philip actually showed up!
Even if it wasn't exactly like in the original story, the pattern of Philip appearing when Charlotte was in danger remained the same.
These extra thugs were easily handled. Fortunately, they were just low-level thugs.
Philip spoke to them in a calm voice.
"These ladies are not to be trifled with. Leave now, and I'll spare your lives."
Realizing they were outmatched, the thugs exchanged looks before deciding to flee.
Philip turned to us.
"Are you alright? That was a close call."
"Your Highness..."
Charlotte looked at Philip, overwhelmed.
"Run!"
The thugs fled.
Why did they even appear in the first place? Goodbye, extras! I mentally bid farewell to the minor characters for the sake of the protagonists.
Bella returned shortly after the situation was resolved.
"Did His Highness save Selina and Lady Yaniels?"
"Yes. Thankfully, the ladies are unharmed."
Bella looked puzzled. 'Why intervene when I could handle it?' her expression seemed to say.
Thanks for the thought, Bella. Better not to voice it!
With Bella back, we moved to a café on the main street.
Once we were seated, Philip asked,
"So, how did you end up in such a place?"
"I wanted to show them where I bought the magic potion. But what brings you here, Your Highness?"
Bella asked.
"I was investigating something separately."
Ah, so he had something to investigate!
I had no idea what that might be.
Philip expressed his concern.
"Regardless, it's not safe to roam around such secluded areas."
"We didn't expect those thugs to show up. Just our bad luck."
Their conversation seemed a bit off...
Who was Bella considering in her remarks?
As I watched silently, the waitress brought water to our table.
She saw Philip and looked wide-eyed. 'Is there someone this handsome?' her expression seemed to say.
I suppose it is rare to see such a face.
But she stared at Philip for too long. While serving us water, she accidentally knocked over the glass in front of Bella.
"What the!"
"Eek! I'm so sorry."
Being handsome can be hazardous.
The waitress ran inside, presumably to get something to clean up the spill.
Bella was the first to stand up, followed by Charlotte, leaving me alone.
"Let me help you, my lady."
Charlotte quickly took Bella to clean up, leaving me behind since I was seated by the window.
Before leaving, Charlotte said to me,
"Lady Elsner, please wait with His Highness!"
"Uh, wait!"
And then they disappeared in an instant.
I should have sat on the outside.
I ended up alone with Philip. Not Charlotte, but me, alone with him... Why?
"Lady Croft is quite lively."
Philip commented.
"Haha, she is, isn't she?"
"It's been a while since I last saw Lady Yaniels. I didn't expect to meet here."
So it had been a while since they last met. These two...
While I awkwardly smiled, Philip asked,
"Have you ever heard Lady Yaniels speak about me?"
"Not really. She just mentioned that she doesn't get to meet you often."
"That's true."
Philip admitted calmly.
"It's hard to find an opportunity to be alone with her. She's always so busy."
"Didn't you see her in the palace?"
I asked out of curiosity, and Philip replied,
"I did meet her. But her only interest seemed to be in books."
"Oh..."
What kind of male lead is this? Philip's bitter smile looked truly pitiful.
But did he notice my pity? He said,
"Do you also think I'm pitiful, my lady?"
"What? No, of course not! How could I think that?"
"It's fine. I'm human too. I can suffer from love."
His acceptance of his hardship was straightforward.
As a crown prince admired by all, being in love with someone unattainable must be humiliating.
Especially with someone he's not particularly close to, like me?
"Have you ever experienced similar hardship, my lady?"
"No... I've never pined for someone like that."
"Is that so? Your love life must have been smoother than mine."
But why does he look surprised?
The brief silence felt awkward.
Philip changed the subject.
"So why haven't you been visiting the library lately?"
"Oh, well."
Initially, I visited the library after hearing about Louis' father. I wondered if there were similar cases with others.
That curiosity was resolved during my visit to Bowden, and naturally, I started visiting the palace less often.
Bella had been delighted about that.
"I've read all the books I wanted. Once I get the urge again, I'll visit."
"I enjoyed running into you there. It's a shame."
I wouldn't call it a shame.
I was silently smiling at Philip's words when Charlotte and Bella returned.
"What did you talk about?"
"Uh, nothing much."
Just a little about love?
With Charlotte present, it felt inappropriate to mention the topic.
Anyway, with everyone back, the main conversation began.
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