YNSYM 2

Chapter 2

I had boldly run out of the house, but once I was actually outside, I had nowhere to go.

My mother had died not long after giving birth to me, and my father, who had raised me with even more love to make up for my mother’s absence, had suddenly passed away in a carriage accident three years ago.

Now that I was living with my uncle, who had inherited my father’s title and fortune, there was nowhere else I could go besides his house.

‘It can’t be helped. I’ll wander around for a while and go back once Uncle has fallen asleep. At least if I make it through tonight, I won’t have to worry about being dragged in front of that foul-smelling Marquis again.’

Having sorted out my thoughts, I tightened the ribbon of the bonnet on my head.

It wasn’t enough to keep out the late-March night chill, but it was the best I could do.

Of course, I knew this was hardly a fundamental solution.

Judging by how desperately my uncle had recently been trying to marry me off, he might bring an even more horrible man next time.

‘It’s not like I can run away like this every single time.’

Still, it wasn’t as though I was acting so foolishly because I was genuinely hoping to find a man with my ideal ‘scent.’

‘An ideal scent is just an ideal scent. Where in the world would there actually be a man who smells like a sunset? And even if such a man existed, there’s no way he’d like someone like me.’

All I wanted was to marry someone I loved, even if he didn’t have my ideal ‘scent.’

‘How did things end up like this…?’

That was when I heard it.

“Meowww!”

At the sound of a cat crying somewhere nearby, I instinctively turned in that direction.

Sure enough, I saw a cat sitting quietly and staring straight at me.

But somehow, it looked familiar.

It wasn’t an ordinary ‘meow.’ It had that distinctive, drawn-out cry.

‘Wait. Could it be…?’

I quickly approached the cat.

The moment I got closer, a soft exclamation escaped my lips.

“Oh my goodness, it can’t be!”

Beneath the flickering gaslight, I could clearly see its silver fur and the white crescent-shaped marking on its forehead.

It was definitely the stray cat I had occasionally fed three years ago when I used to accompany my father on his volunteer visits to the poorhouse.

“You’re still alive!”

Come to think of it, hadn’t Father and I even given it a name back then…?

‘That’s right, Luna! We named you that because of the adorable crescent moon on your forehead!’

I hurried over to the cat—or rather, Luna.

“Luna, how have you been? How are you still exactly the same? It’s almost as if we’ve gone back to the past…”

But at that moment, Luna, who had been staring intently at me, suddenly got up and began walking along the wall.

“Where are you going, Luna?”

I hurried after her.

But Luna didn’t stop.

She wasn’t walking too quickly, though, and every so often she even looked back at me, almost as if she wanted me to follow her.

But perhaps that was just my imagination.

Just when I thought I had nearly caught up, Luna suddenly leaped onto a tall wall.

“Luna!”

I desperately called her name while looking up at the wall, but Luna disappeared into the bushes without leaving so much as the tip of her tail behind.

‘Ah, I lost her…’

I had been so happy to meet my old friend again after all this time, and now I had lost her almost immediately.

A disappointed sigh escaped me.

‘But where am I?’

After Luna disappeared, I looked around, my eyes widening.

‘I think I’ve come quite a long way.’

I hadn’t noticed it while I was distracted by Luna, but suddenly, the stench of decay and filth began creeping into my nose, followed by the musty smell of smoke.

That was when I immediately realized where I was.

‘No way… Is this Black Street?’

Yes.

It was.

Although I had never been here this late at night, I had visited several times during the day for volunteer work.

Even though it was in the same capital city, this street was the complete opposite of Main Town, where the nobles lived, in every possible way.

There was no doubt about it.

This was Black Street, the dark underworld of the capital.

‘What should I do?’

I had come much farther than I had expected.

My original plan had simply been to wander around nearby for a while before returning to the mansion.

And now that I recognized the place, Anne’s earlier words suddenly came back to me, making my spine grow even colder.

‘You saw the articles in the newspaper too, didn’t you, Miss? There’s been a string of murders in Black Street lately! I heard there are already five victims…’

‘This won’t do. I need to go back quickly.’

Surely just because I had come to Black Street didn’t mean I would immediately run into a murderer.

Still, I decided it wasn’t a good idea to stay here any longer and hurriedly turned around to leave.

Rustle!

A suspicious sound suddenly came from somewhere, and I quickly turned around.

“W-Who’s there?”

Fortunately, there was no answer.

‘Phew. I guess it was just the wind.’

I finally let out a relieved breath, but that didn’t mean I wanted to stay here any longer.

At least when I had first spotted Luna, there had been the flickering glow of gaslights.

But perhaps because I had wandered so deep into Black Street, there wasn’t even a trace of gaslight in this foul-smelling street.

Not even a single ray of moonlight managed to seep through.

And there was an even bigger problem.

For some time now, my body had been growing hotter and hotter.

My vision was spinning, and my head felt hazy.

Apparently, the alcohol from the champagne I had drunk earlier was finally kicking in.

‘But it was only one glass. Why am I like this? Is it because I drank it all at once?’

If I had known this would happen, I never would have downed it in one go.

Regret came rushing in, but it was useless now.

‘Never mind that. I need to get out of this street before I feel even worse. As soon as possible…’

However, my determination was shattered almost immediately.

Tap-tap-tap!

It was because of the distinct sound of footsteps in hard-soled shoes that reached my ears before I could even take another step.

In hindsight, I should have run away without a second thought.

But the sudden sound had frozen both my feet in place.

At that moment, the only thing I could do was slowly turn my head.

To see the disaster that had suddenly descended upon me without warning.

Without hesitation.

Without fear.

“Ugh.”

I opened my eyes as the midday sunlight streamed directly through the window and struck my face.

At that very moment, as if she had been waiting for me to wake up, Anne’s frantic voice rang in my ears.

“Miss! You’re finally awake! Are you feeling all right?”

Hmm.

Well, I didn’t think there was anything particularly wrong with me…

But before I could answer, Anne hurriedly came over and sat down right beside me.

“Why on earth did you go all the way to Black Street last night? I told you! I specifically told you that there had been a string of murders in Black Street lately, so you absolutely mustn’t go there!”

At that moment, a bell suddenly seemed to ring inside my head.

Ding!

At the same time, the memories I had temporarily forgotten came rushing back in a blaze.

Right.

Black Street.

I had definitely been there, just as Anne said.

I had accidentally followed Luna, and before I knew it, I had wandered all the way there.

Then, after realizing belatedly that I was in Black Street, the alcohol that had suddenly begun to affect me made me hurry home.

But at that moment, I had heard the sound of footsteps rushing toward me and turned around…

Strange.

Why couldn’t I remember anything that happened after that?

And how had I even made it home?

“Anne. Was it you who followed me yesterday? Is that why you brought me back here…?”

But my guess was completely wrong.

“No. How could I possibly have known where you were and gone to get you? Phew… I suppose the shock was so great that you don’t remember anything. Though, perhaps it’s better that way.”

Anne bit her lower lip for a moment before continuing in a troubled voice.

“You almost suffered a terrible ordeal last night, Miss.”

“Me? Why?”

Of course, I still didn’t understand.

When I asked again, looking even more confused than before, Anne answered as though it were obvious.

“Why else? Because you ran into him.”

“Him…?”

At my question, Anne let out another deep sigh.

“Oh, goodness! It really seems you don’t remember a single thing. All right. I’ll explain everything to you slowly.”

Anne took a deep breath before continuing.

“First of all, you came back this morning. Perhaps because of the shock, you were unconscious when you were carried back here on the Chief of Police’s back.”

I had been carried here on the Chief of Police’s back?

And I had been unconscious the entire time?

That alone was unbelievable enough, but it was still too soon for me to be shocked.

“Even so, it’s an absolute miracle. Until now, not a single person who encountered him had survived. But you managed to survive and return safely.”

At the mention of him once again, I frowned, wondering if my suspicions were correct.

Then Anne finally said the name.

“That terrible serial killer.”

For a moment, I was completely dazed.

How should I put it?

Even though I had heard the exact words, they didn’t feel real at all.

But judging from Anne’s firm expression, it seemed there was no doubt that what she was saying was true.

My mind went blank, and soon my heart began pounding rapidly.

I desperately steadied my trembling breath before asking,

“Th-Then… did the Chief of Police save me? Did he save me from that serial killer…?”

But Anne’s answer was completely unexpected.

“No. There was someone else who saved you.”

Someone else had saved me?

At that unexpected answer, I desperately tried to recall the events of the previous night.

But I couldn’t even remember encountering a serial killer.

There was no way I could possibly remember the face of the person who had saved me.

Eventually, I gave up trying to remember and looked at Anne.

Then, as though answering the question for me, Anne finally revealed the answer.