"Don't you want to talk to that girl?" Darren, who had just come out of the bathroom, looked at Richard, who had also just come out of the bathroom next to his. There were three bathrooms beside the row of bedrooms on the first floor, and two of them had just been used by the two of them.
"I'm waiting for the right time. If you notice, she still looks upset about her younger sister's death." Richard nodded in agreement.
Just by glancing at Luna, both Darren and Richard knew what was going on with her. Especially after seeing how Mia and Thalia didn't seem as close with Luna as they usually were. It felt like they both understood something was off between the sisters.
"How about after we return to the camp? Isn't that the right place?" Richard suggested, which Darren immediately agreed to. Today, they had already decided to stay here for a full day. So, they planned to return tomorrow once everyone felt better.
"Luna?" A knock was heard from the second floor. The voice wasn't very clear due to the distance, but it was enough to break the silence and draw their attention. It was Thalia—she seemed to be calling out to Luna in her room before turning the doorknob. "Luna?"
Darren walked toward the stairs, leaving Richard behind. Richard immediately became agitated since they were still in the middle of a conversation outside the bathroom. "Darren, I'm not done talking to you! Hey!"
Darren's gaze followed Thalia, who exited Luna's room and walked toward the balcony. She ignored Darren, too busy looking for Luna, who wasn't in her room.
She opened the balcony door and observed something for a few seconds. Darren, who initially intended to go into his room, decided to postpone it when Thalia came back inside.
"We lost a horse!" said Thalia, leaving both Darren and Richard equally confused. Thalia couldn't hide her concern. She didn't say much, but everyone could tell she was panicking. "Guys, do you know where Luna goes now?"
****
Luna had made her decision now. Today, the moment she saw Tom and Finn, she would stab them with her knife. She wouldn't let them live peacefully after killing Rhea.
Thalia and Mia would probably never forgive Luna once she was revealed as the murderer. If losing Rhea was the karma she had to face, Luna was willing to carry that punishment for the rest of her life, after she killed Tom and Finn.
The night sky was already dark, and the music for tonight's party had begun playing. Things would get livelier once Finn appeared with dozens of palace guards.
Luna knew what she was about to do was a death wish. But in the end, she would only return to her world. There was nothing she'd lose—except maybe missing this peaceful game world. At least, she considered this game a memorable short vacation.
It had been over four hours since Luna started observing from a three-story inn built in Mierre-Park. She rented the inn at a steep price, especially during a festival event in Mierre-Park.
Of course, the price would triple or more. Especially with a room facing the street, offering a perfect view of the bustling park and various street performances. The cost was outrageous, and Luna had to pay more than usual.
During the harvest season, many farmers came to the city to sell their crops. Often, they also brought the taxes they owed to the kingdom, which they paid during harvest time.
It had become a tradition for most traders, so it was no surprise that the main road of Mierre-Park turned into a temporary market filled with visitors buying and selling various affordable crops.
One reason the Harvest Festival got even more crowded was that the kingdom provided entertainment right in the middle of the pop-up market.
Some of the city's musicians were invited to perform, along with dancers who brought life to the week-long celebration.
But Luna wasn't going to stay that long. She only needed one day to turn Mierre-Park's joyful Harvest Festival into a day of mourning—the day their king would die.
Becoming the next emperor? Luna thought Finn should keep dreaming, because now his worst nightmare was coming.
Out of the corner of her eye, Luna spotted a luxurious state landau carriage with an open roof, revealing Finn and several of his wives from a distance. Who knew how many wives he had—Luna couldn't even count from her window.
The perfect timing. It was time for Luna to make her move.
By her estimate, Finn and the royal guards would pass the inn she was staying at in about ten more minutes. It wasn't far, but the carriage was slow, and Luna had to be patient.
Luna stepped out of her room, the knife hidden where no one could see it. It wasn't big, but Luna knew exactly how to turn this small knife into a kingdom's nightmare.
She passed through the third-floor corridor that led to the stairs. The building was made of stone and coated with natural cement from volcanic ash, lime, and seawater. It looked sturdy enough that Luna didn't expect it to be decades old.
Once she exited the inn, Luna merged into the busy crowd. Some lined up to get a glimpse of Finn in his landau carriage, others were browsing the street vendors, and a few were dancing to the music.
For now, Luna didn't spot anyone monitoring the area. She wasn't under surveillance, at least not yet. She was safe—supposedly.
This mission might be the final chapter of her short vacation in the game world. On the bright side, she was wearing her best silk pink dress. She also wore a thin face veil.
If today were her death, at least she wouldn't die looking ugly in front of all these people.
Luna walked further into the crowd, closing the distance between herself and Finn. Still a bit far, but she wanted the perfect spot and timing. She glanced sideways occasionally, estimating how long it would take for Finn to be right in front of her.
Almost there, and damn—Luna couldn't wait to kill that man.
Maybe she'd improvise her plan. First, jump onto the carriage from the coachman's seat. Then she stabbed Finn as fast as she could before escaping.
Shouldn't be too hard—just imagining it made her giddy. Soon, she would go home and finally rest without ever wanting to continue her work again.
Luna moved in closer, nearly at the moment she had waited for—until her body suddenly lost balance. Someone had pulled her arm, and she fell against his firm chest. The man kept her from chasing after the landau carriage.
"Let me go! I need to go—now!" Luna felt Darren's hand trying to shield her face, but her hair brushed against his shirt. She tried several times to pull away because she wanted to chase Finn, but the man wouldn't let her go at all.
"Not a good idea to stir things up, Luna Everglow." Just hearing the voice, Luna already knew who had come. Somehow, he had found her, even dressed up like this, in clothes she'd never wear at the camp.
Luna tried to step back again, but this time she couldn't. Her hair was caught, and the more she moved back, the more it hurt.
"Ouch! My hair!" Luna couldn't move away—her hair had somehow gotten stuck in Darren's shirt buttons. When she touched it, it felt tangled, and it hurt to pull. But Luna didn't have much time. The convoy had already passed, and she had to catch up. "I have to hurry, Darren!"
"I can't undo it either." Darren could do it, but he let Luna struggle with her tangled hair. He watched the royal convoy growing distant from both him and Luna. That made Darren more relaxed—unlike Luna, who only grew more frantic.
"You're not even helping me, you jerk!" she protested, seeing how calm Darren was while she desperately tried to untangle her hair.
Once her hair was finally freed from Darren's buttons, she caught him watching her, totally unimpressed. That hostile look in Luna's eyes returned. Darren was not the kind of friend she could cooperate with.
"You made me lose my golden chance!" Luna complained, though Darren didn't seem to care. Luna had spent a lot of money to make this plan succeed, only for him to ruin it.
"There'll be other golden chances." Luna pinched Darren's side, making him groan in pain. How dare he ruin all her hard work? "You dressed this fancy just to kill Finn?"
"Why not?!" Luna shot back.
"You want to die in pretty clothes?" Darren countered with another question.
"I just want to enjoy Mierre-Park. Why would you think I want to kill him?" Though Darren was right, Luna still denied it. Darren flicked her forehead lightly.
How dare he act like this in front of her? What a rude man!
"Instead of killing him, let's use Finn inside this game." Luna covered her ears like she didn't want to hear him. "I know who you are."
"If I'm a killer? Everyone knows that. What other nonsense are you saying now? You don't know anything!" Luna shot back. Even with her hands over her ears, she could still hear him.
"Not that one," he said.
"Then what this time?" she asked.
"Sasa Sasa?" Luna noticed everyone had suddenly stopped moving. In her confusion, she uncovered her ears. No music played. Everything had gone silent—even Finn's carriage wasn't moving.
[Hello, Darren. Do you need my help?]
Luna heard the voice she usually heard when receiving missions. She was no stranger to it. But this was the first time she realized Darren could summon that woman, and suddenly everything around them had frozen.
"What did you do, Darren?" Luna was confused—the world felt like someone had pressed a 'pause' button.