“If he’s that uneasy, we can just go together.”

Holly mumbled as she watched Cahill vanish through the crowd.

Left alone, she glanced around.

“It’s still the same here.”

People from the notorious crime area ‘Across the Bridge’ glanced at her bare feet with disapproving faces.

“Well, it hasn’t been that many years since…”

At that moment, a man caught her eye as he was about to dash into an alley. His skin, hidden beneath the robe, was of a dark shade. Even at a glance, he seemed like an outsider.

“This place is really dangerous…”

Watching the man jump into the alley, oblivious to the danger, Holly bit her lip before her expression soon turned determined.

“Shiver!”

As she called the name, a strong wind blew, knocking the man over. Holly quickly ran towards him before he could get up.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, thank you. Well then.”

The man hastily replied and tried to leave, but he felt a tug on his clothes.

He looked down.

“What’s the matter?”

Despite the fact that the man looked impatient and kept glancing towards the alley, he didn’t resist her grip.

“It’s dangerous over there.”

Holly uttered, holding onto the man’s clothes tightly. The dark alley was filled with various criminals, and even if the man were skilled, it would be challenging to handle the approaching crowd.

“But I have to go. A child has my portrait…”

The man, looking at her with earnest eyes, spoke with a perplexed expression.

Holly cut him off.

“They lure people into the alley by pickpocketing. If you follow children, women, or small-framed men, armed thugs appear. No one comes out of there unscathed.”

Even mercenaries known for their skills in Centuria returned with one arm missing when they ventured into the infamous ‘Death’s Forest.’ While Holly had only heard rumors about the place, she had met mercenaries who had entered the alleys of ‘Across the Bridge.’

She heard the story through a drunk mercenary firsthand.

“If your portrait is more precious than your life, go ahead.”

She spoke firmly as she let go of the man’s arm. She had given him enough warning, and meddling further in the affairs of an unknown man would be overstepping.

The man looked at Holly intently.

“No, I won’t go.”

He nodded shortly.

“Thank you for saving me.”

“I should be the one thanking you for trusting me.”

Holly smiled coolly at the man, who even expressed his gratitude. Even if the man ignored her warning and entered the alley, it was no longer her concern. Still, it would have made her uncomfortable and disturbed her dreams.

“I have a long-lost cousin who disappeared when we were children.”

The man, who was about to hurry into the alley, revealed his circumstances to Holly.

‘He was desperately searching for a relative?’

Surprised by his words, Holly’s eyes squinted. The man’s anxious expression as he looked at the alley made her think that he might be searching for a lover who had left.

“Then, the portrait is of that brother of yours…?”

The man nodded to the cautious question.

“No. While I was searching for my brother, I met someone who claimed to have seen a man taking a child. The portrait is of that man.”

Upon hearing the man’s serious words, Holly unintentionally showed a hint of envy.

‘Are my lost family members also desperately searching for me like this?’

Lost in thought with her eyes cast downward, Holly was startled. The man was giving her a curious look.

“If you remember any distinctive features, how about trying to draw the portrait again?”

As she asked in a cheerful voice, she hoped the man would find his cousin.

“Do you happen to have any paper?”

While the man looked embarrassed, Holly pulled out the hem of his clothing.

“Is this okay?”

She gazed at the man with a puzzled face.

“If you’re going to draw a sketch, use this. It won’t come off if you use it on clothes, right?”

“Well, I guess I have no choice.”

The man nonchalantly shrugged and spoke. Holly, looking at him blankly, took up a pen.

“What is this?”

As he, who had been silently watching Holly move the pen diligently, asked her, Holly held the pen before looking at him and answering.

“The fountain we’re in!”

Her fingers moved around, crossing two lines drawn side by side, and then moved here and there until they stopped at a square.

“What’s this?”

The man, who had been silently observing her, asked as she lowered her hand.

Holly looked at the pen in her hand and replied.

“If you go to the Deer Antler Guild here, you’ll find someone who specializes in drawing portraits. It’s not expensive, and it’s talented because it’s for commoners!”

“Ah, the Deer Antler Guild…”

The man, who had been nodding repeatedly while mumbling the guild’s name several times, smiled as he looked at Holly. Realizing that if he didn’t remember the name, he might wander around for a long time, he had an intuition.

The man gazed at her face intently. Her face filled his brown eyes, and he scanned her features as if searching for something.

‘He hasn’t figured out that I’m a woman, has he?’

She felt increasingly uncomfortable under the man’s intense gaze.

“…Is there something on my face?”

Holly deliberately lowered her voice while pretending to be a man. The man seemed startled by her question. His eyes flickered as if searching for an answer.

“Ah! I’m sorry. I must have done something rude…”

The man’s cheeks turned red in embarrassment.

Holly, worried that he might discover she was a woman, gestured that it was okay, and she was not offended at all. Glancing around, she leaned towards the man and whispered as if sharing a secret.

“By the way, it would be better if you didn’t mention that I recommended you to the Deer Antler Guild.”

Hearing that, the man, seeming to want to say something, raised his voice.

“Ah!”

Her shoulders turn stiff as the man lets out a realization.

‘Should I knock his head and make him forget?’

Holly quickly rolled her eyes, scanning the surroundings for something to hit the back of the man’s head. Finally, she spotted a cherub-shaped statue attached to the fountain.

“My name is Rashid Jafarzadeh.”

The man belatedly introduced himself, realizing he hadn’t even mentioned his name while trying to call her. Holly sighed with relief. Glancing at the man with a newfound ease, she looked at his face. His gentle demeanor, complemented by a soft smile on his lips, made a warm impression.

‘His appearance, the tone of his name… Is he also from the desert?’

Holly had met someone with a similar accent and appearance before — Ahmed, the First Prince of Sharif Kingdom.

The man, Rashid, seemed to hail from the desert, much like Ahmed. Her first inclination to help Rashid unknowingly was from the thought that they might share the same birthplace due to the similarity in their skin tones.

“I’m Holly.”

She took Rashid’s offered hand.

Was it because she was familiar with Cahill’s body temperature? Rashid’s palm that she touched felt surprisingly warm, enough to startle her.

“Holly…”

Rashid repeated her name in a contemplative tone, seemingly lost in thought. Despite the handshake nearing its end, Rashid didn’t release her hand. Noticing this, she discreetly withdrew her hand, stealing a glance at Rashid.

‘Perhaps I should have chosen a new name?’

Holly belatedly regretted sticking with her real name as Rashid continued to repeat it. She couldn’t resist her curiosity about what Rashid might be thinking.

“…Rashid?”

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