Chapter 2
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“Hack, ptuh!”
“Hey, you! If you’re gonna spit phlegm, go do it somewhere else!”
“It just came up right then, what was I supposed to do!”
“You want to go back in?!”
“Oh, is this a hotel?! You’re gonna throw people in for every little thing? Whatever, I’m leaving!”
“You’re the one treating this place like a hotel! Always coming in here! Get out of here, you fool!”
After leaving the holding cell, Maddie roughly dusted herself off and started walking.
She fearlessly wove through the narrow alleyways, twisting up her long brown hair as she headed toward her regular bar.
The faded green sign made an eerie creaking sound whenever the wind blew.
Stray hairs escaped from her messily tied hair.
She confidently brushed back her falling hair and threw open the bar door, shouting,
“Mister! Beer for me! Over there!”
“You just got out and you’re going straight back to gambling!”
“I’m just trying to lift my spirits! Am I drinking for free? Why are you nagging!”
“Haaa… This kid, this kid…”
The bar owner grumbled but started pouring the beer.
By then, she had already claimed her seat.
Everyone at the table holding cards greeted her.
“Isn’t that Maddie?”
“Hey, is the holding cell your bedroom or something?”
“Maddie! How long were you in for this time?”
Maddie dug at her ear as if annoyed and banged on the table demanding her cards.
“Just one day! I drank too much and completely blacked out. Damn, I was only planning to have one bottle and go home.”
“I thought you got caught stealing wallets again.”
“Please, I never get caught doing that~”
“You brought money to bet?”
“Ha, does a soldier go to war without bullets?”
Maddie pulled out money from her pocket with a smug expression.
But there was an unfamiliar face at the table.
Maddie glanced at the stranger while fiddling with the cards dealt to her.
“Haven’t seen that face before?”
Just then, the owner brought over beer and a wet towel, giving Maddie a light knock on the head.
“Are you the owner here?! Why are you acting familiar with every customer who comes in!”
“Don’t hit! Thanks for the towel though.”
Even while squawking complaints, Maddie immediately switched to a grinning face and winked at the owner.
“You brat…”
The owner kept complaining but still helped dust off Maddie’s clothes before returning to the counter.
After roughly wiping her face with the wet towel, Maddie gulped down her beer.
All the while, her eyes never left ‘him.’
Though disheveled, his noble silver hair looked soft, and with blue eyes and a strong jawline – his aristocratic features were unmistakable even if he fell backward.
Maddie sniffled once and asked him,
“Just by looking at you, I can tell you’re not the type who should be playing cards?”
“Mind your own business and keep playing.”
The man’s brow furrowed.
But Maddie wasn’t one to be intimidated by mere glares.
She was the sly and audacious rolling stone who had suddenly appeared in these territorial back alleys a few years ago, breaking through people’s cold treatment to establish herself.
The people in the poor outskirts secretly called her ‘Crazy Maddie.’
From small errands to finding items, or even moving dangerous goods – somewhat illegal work.
Maddie would do anything if you paid her.
More precisely, there was nothing she couldn’t do. She had the tenacious determination to complete whatever task she took on.
She had quick hands too.
Just like now, when switching cards under her palm.
“Ah, maybe jail is just my natural habitat. I always win money after coming back from there?”
“You punk, did you pull something?”
“People always say this when they lose money. Here, look! Look!”
Maddie boldly patted down her tattered clothes, inviting them to search her.
The young noble, seemingly unable to stand watching anymore, stood up from his seat.
“New customer leaving already? Give me more money before you go.”
Ignoring Maddie’s casual remarks, the man quickly paid for his drinks and left.
Constantly glancing at his retreating figure, Maddie put down her cards.
“I’m out. Leaving.”
“Already? You just got here!”
“Ah, I stayed out all night yesterday! Gotta sleep in my own bed. I’m out!”
“What family do you have, what do you have! Hey! You brat! Leave the money you won! Hey!”
Maddie completely ignored the calls trying to stop her and burst out the bar door. She immediately looked around with sharp eyes.
He couldn’t have gone far – the moonlight reflecting off his silver hair quickly caught her eye.
“Ahem! Hem!”
Maddie followed behind him, deliberately making obvious fake coughs.
The man, sensing her presence, spoke first.
“If you’re thinking of extorting money, forget it. I’m not in the mood.”
“My, how crude. Why speak so harshly? Young noble sir?”
The man whirled around to glare at Maddie.
His tall height and broad shoulders were clearly threatening, but Maddie didn’t flinch.
“I don’t have time to deal with a crazy woman, so get lost.”
The young noble looked Maddie up and down with fierce eyes.
She wore layers of tattered dresses that looked ready to tear apart in the wind, worn gloves with holes, and her haphazardly tied hair was already a mess.
“Why are you staring so intently?”
Maddie blushed shyly and waved her hand, appearing to affect modesty.
Maddie smiled, but the man didn’t.
Just then, a large man appeared from the corner of the alley, letting out a roar.
“MADDIEEEE!”
“Whoa, geez. You startled me. Who are you again?”
“I’m Josh from Haldikan Hardware! You dog! Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you!”
“For me? My, what an honor.”
Having been drinking, Josh’s breath reeked of alcohol with every heavy breath he took.
As the young noble tried to step away from them, Josh pulled out a butcher’s knife from his chest.
“Give me back my wife while I’m asking nicely!”
Maddie shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. It was a dazzling neck isolation that would aggravate anyone.
“What wife are you talking about? Sorry, but I don’t have that kind of relationship with your wife.”
“You crazy little! I know you helped her escape! Tell me where my wife went, right now!”
“Well, maybe you should have treated her better when you had her? She always had bruises on her face. Oh my, my heart breaks.”
“What business is it of yours!”
“Just shut up and accept that she ran away if she ran away. Why come make a fuss with me? You’re not even worth my effort.”
The young noble couldn’t believe his ears.
Not worth the effort? The opponent was a robust grown man holding a large knife.
Compared to him, that woman was… just a madwoman with hay from the holding cell stuck all over her dress.
Josh seemed to share the young noble’s thoughts as he snorted derisively.
“Keeping my wife in line is my business, who are you to interfere!”
“If you’ve got a problem, let’s fight it out. I’m busy here.”
The young noble wanted nothing more to do with this fight.
It was common for slum dwellers to fight and get hurt among themselves. The security patrol didn’t even come around.
As the young noble turned away completely, Maddie grabbed him urgently.
“Wait! Come have a cup of tea with me somewhere quiet!”
“Get lost. Someone like you…”
The young noble, who had been spitting out words with an angry voice, suddenly squeezed his eyes shut then opened them again.
He covered his ears with both hands as if hearing a ringing sound.
Finding it difficult to even continue speaking, the man opened his mouth but quickly closed it again.
Maddie narrowed her eyes and quietly observed his behavior, recording it in her mind.
He was a precious person who might become a ‘client.’
Meanwhile, Josh, oblivious to the atmosphere, started raging wildly.
“Tell me where my wife is right now! Before I cut up that precious body of yours!”
“My, you’re being very loud, I like it!”
Maddie rolled up her sleeves and quickly continued.
“I can beat someone like you with just one finger. If I win, you give up cleanly.”
“Haha, this crazy woman. Cutting her own lifeline.”
Josh instantly rushed at Maddie with his knife. The young noble had no time to stop them.
At that moment, there was a ‘BANG!’
When he blinked once, Josh was already on the ground, having dropped his knife.
He’d been shot in the thigh, and the ground was getting soaked with blood.
Josh clutched his thigh and wailed at Maddie.
“AAAGH! Cheating! That’s cheating! How can you use a gun!”
People started pouring out from the surroundings, having heard the gunshot.
While Josh screamed that using a gun was cheating, Maddie remained calm.
She dramatically fanned away the smoke rising from the gun barrel while coughing.
Maddie slowly walked over and crouched in front of Josh.
She pressed the still-hot gun barrel against the back of his hand.
“GYAAAH!”
“Josh, look carefully. What pulled the trigger? My cute index finger. Just this one, right? I told you one finger would be enough for you. Was I wrong?”
After finishing her words, Maddie frowned as if disgusted by the gun, wrapped it in a white cloth, and tucked it back into her clothes.
“Having to carry such an ugly thing makes me want a drink.”
The slum dwellers who had been silent burst into loud laughter.
“Maddie’s right!”
“Of course! She won with her index finger!”
“Yeah, won with her index finger! Hahaha!”
Maddie searched the now-unconscious Josh’s possessions and held up his wallet high.
“I’ll buy drinks with his money!”
“WOOHOO! Maddie! Great! Great!”
Among the vagrants cheering with flying spittle, yellow teeth, and alcohol breath, only the young noble watched her with disgust.
‘Completely insane.’
He turned away as if fleeing from her.
