Chapter 10
Calliope tilted her head with an innocent expression. Her face looked so much like a child’s that the auburn-haired man let out a deep sigh.
“Right. That man tried to hit you. And you don’t exactly have the strength to stop him.”
“That’s not exactly true.”
Before the man could respond, the mercenary, still standing nearby, seemed offended at being ignored and raised his voice again.
“Hey! I was talking to—ugh…!”
Before he could finish, a loud smack rang out across the room. Jack had gotten up from his seat, still chewing his food, and was now standing with a chair in hand. It was obvious from the scene: he had just hit the man with the chair.
The auburn-haired man stared in silence, momentarily stunned.
“Jack.”
“Yes?”
“Swallow before you answer.”
Jack moved his jaw a few more times, then gulped down the rest of his food.
“Yes, my lady.”
“We’ll hand this one over to the town guards. His companions can cover the damages.”
“Understood.”
Looking tired, Calliope rose from her seat. She turned to the auburn-haired man, who still looked a little dazed, and spoke as if offering a bit of advice.
“You shouldn’t assume someone’s situation or scold them without understanding. I get it—you thought I needed help. And honestly, I do appreciate that you stepped in. So, thank you.”
Without waiting for a response, she walked past him and headed upstairs.
Jack Beckham, despite how he looked, was stronger than he appeared. He had never received formal sword training, but when it came to brawling, there wasn’t a knight around who could beat him. It was funny, really—put a sword in his hand, and he moved like a broken puppet. But anything other than a sword became a weapon in his hands.
Feeling drained from everything that had happened, Calliope made her way to her room. As she climbed the stairs, she noticed several inn staff and the head chef rushing in to deal with the collapsed mercenary.
Calliope glanced down at the scene and muttered under her breath, lips curling in frustration.
“The chef’s bald…”
As usual, Calliope woke just before sunrise. After calling a staff member to help her wash up, she changed into the new clothes she’d bought the day before. For a moment, she debated what to do with the worn, rough clothes she’d been traveling in. She decided to leave them hanging in the room. Someone would probably throw them out.
She ran a towel through her thick white hair a few times, but it still hadn’t dried properly. Normally, it would take two maids working together to fully dry her hair, and no matter how much she rubbed at it, it still clung damply to her neck.
Of course, there were magic tools designed for things like that, but even after being adopted into the marquis’ household, she rarely used them. Magic, even in small forms, still felt like a luxury.
Calliope stood in front of the mirror, adjusting her clothes. By the time she was finished, the sun was already fully up, and the inn had begun to stir with morning activity. She stepped out into the hallway—and found someone waiting.
“You seem to have a lot of free time,” she said flatly.
“Not really,” the man replied. “That’s why I’m up early. Going to breakfast before the day gets busy.”
It was the auburn-haired man from the night before. He looked relaxed, leaning outside his room. A moment later, his red-haired younger brother came rushing out of the room next door, shirt buttons still undone.
“Ah, shoot—er, I mean, brother! You’re up early. We’ve got a pretty chill schedule today.”
Instead of replying, the older brother simply shrugged and glanced at Calliope again.
What, does he want a medal for waking up early and being efficient?
Calliope rolled her eyes and turned her head sharply, then walked down the stairs. The two men followed.
“New clothes?” the older brother asked. “They look great. So, you’re a noble young lady after all? I wasn’t quite sure yesterday because of what you were wearing.”
“Yes, they’re new. And thank you. But you really shouldn’t judge people based on clothes.”
Now walking besides, her, he kept up the conversation.
“That’s true—but honestly, the way someone dresses and acts can tell you a lot about them. People who make bad judgments usually only look at one or the other. But if you pay attention to both, like I do, it’s not a problem.”
It was true that, even when she’d looked like a commoner, he had addressed her as a young lady. Though he clearly hadn’t realized she was a noble—given how casually he kept speaking.
Actually, now that he’d seen Jack, he should know she was a noble. So why was he still using informal speech?
Calliope turned her head and studied him carefully. His reddish-brown eyes met hers with an easy smile.
Could he be a noble himself? That might explain why his voice had sounded familiar—maybe they had crossed paths in the past. Seeing a young girl with no visible guards might have made him assume she wasn’t from a high-ranking family.
Calliope considered it for a moment, then shook her head. His voice might ring a bell, but she didn’t recognize his face. He probably wasn’t anyone important.
“You have quite the observant eye. I’m jealous,” she said politely. “Anyway, I’ll leave you to your breakfast.”
As they reached the dining hall, she clearly signaled that this was where they should part ways. The older brother looked a little disappointed.
“What? We meet like this and you don’t even want to share a meal?”
“I don’t eat with strangers.”
“My name’s Glenn. And this here’s my little brother, Dellen.”
“Ah, yes. Dellen. Pleased to meet you,” the younger one chimed in awkwardly.
Calliope shook her head slightly as she watched the man introduce himself right after being called out.
“What’s the point in me knowing your names if you don’t even know mine?”
“But I do, Lady Calliope!”
At Jack’s loud interruption, Glenn grinned. He wasn’t bad-looking, but when he smiled like that, he really did resemble a bandit. Calliope turned her head away in clear distaste.
“Great. That’s settled, then.”
Truthfully, Calliope didn’t actually dislike Glenn. He seemed like a good person—or at least, not bad. Of course, judging someone’s entire character from a brief encounter would be rash, but for one casual meal and a short conversation, he wasn’t the worst company.
As Jack approached and recognized the man who had helped them the night before, he gave a polite nod. From the looks of it, Jack hadn’t known Glenn beforehand either—so Glenn must not have been someone particularly well-known, even if he was a noble.
“If you take a seat over there, your meal should be brought out shortly.”
“What about you, Jack?”
“I’ve already eaten. I need to check on a few things before we head out, so it looks like you’ll be dining alone today.”
Glenn’s shoulders squared up confidently at that. His eyes lit up with obvious excitement, so Calliope deliberately avoided looking at him and walked over to the table Jack had prepared.
As soon as she sat, the two brothers naturally joined her at the table. She saw them ask a server for extra cutlery and cups, and place their orders.
Calliope took a sip of water from her glass and asked calmly, “Are you a noble?”
“Oh? Did it show? I guess my natural charm and noble glow are hard to hide.”
“That’s not it,” she replied flatly. “It’s just that even after realizing I’m a noble, you keep speaking informally.”
“Sharp, aren’t you?”
His tone was playful, like he was teasing a child. Calliope frowned slightly. She had been very intentional with her words, but he was still treating it like a game. Then again, she reminded herself—on the outside, she looked like a 14- or 15-year-old girl. It was hard to expect people to take her completely seriously.
“Let’s not play games. You assume your family outranks mine, don’t you?”
“And which house are you from?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“How stingy. But if I’m right, isn’t that why you’re not correcting me?”
Calliope didn’t answer. Instead, she took another sip of water.
Only a duke’s family or royalty would outrank a marquis. But there was no one in the high nobility that matched Glenn’s face—at least not anyone Calliope remembered.
She had no desire to clarify her identity just yet. She hadn’t officially been adopted into the marquisate, and it was easier not to draw attention. So instead of pushing the point, she changed the subject.
“Where are you coming from? Doesn’t seem like a regular trip.”
“We had to investigate one of our vassal lords. His tax records were looking suspicious, so I went to check things out.”
“Ah, so you disguised yourself as a traveler and went undercover?”
“Exactly. If I’d shown up with a carriage and a full escort, they would’ve cleaned up the evidence before I even arrived.”
“So, how did it go?”
Just then, the food arrived. Glenn picked up his utensils and roughly sliced into his steak. Calliope glanced down—her plate held steak too. She resisted the urge to comment.
Despite her delicate appearance, Calliope was a meat lover. In this life, she’d learned how to hunt, so she didn’t survive on greens alone like before. But she could never quite shake her obsession with meat.
Glenn took a bite of his steak, chewed, and then replied.
“I’ve got all the proof I need. I’ll be heading back today to have the lord removed.”
“What about his replacement?”
“I’m still looking. Doesn’t need to be perfect—just someone competent who won’t skim off the top. Easier said than done, though.”
“People always try to take advantage when they see the opportunity. Instead of looking for someone flawless, appoint someone capable and place a monitor.”
“They’d probably be offended if I told them they were being watched.”
Calliope responded while slowly cutting her steak.
“Then give them a reason. Don’t make it obvious—find a good excuse. That way, you’re still applying pressure without it feeling like surveillance. They’ll be more careful, even if it doesn’t completely stop them. The clever ones always find creative ways to misbehave.”
She had already cut the entire steak into bite-sized pieces, clearly ignoring etiquette, and now picked them off the plate one by one. Glenn smiled quietly at the sight.
Focused on her food, Calliope didn’t notice his expression.
“What kind of excuse would work?”
“You want me to come up with that too?”
She sighed, furrowed her brow slightly, and popped another piece into her mouth. As she chewed slowly, her mind went to work.
