"Ouch, ouch, ouch! It hurts! Shit! It did not look like you had any strength in your thin arms, but your punches hurt a lot. I think I broke something in my stomach."
Dimitry complained while clutching his middle and acting all weak.
'Liar! I can tell that you are not hurt. I doubt that my attack even winds you. You are just trying to make me let my guard down.'
Sui had felt that hard stomach and had instantly concluded how much Dimitry had trained in his life.
The test earlier was to see if Sui would be able to figure him out or not.
"You don't trust me and have no intention of trusting me either. But how can you attack me outright like that? I thought I was about to die."
Sui clutched her fist while looking at Dimitry.
It took her a few seconds to realize that she had spoken her thoughts aloud, and now Dimitry had every reason to punish her if he wanted to.
However, instead of punishing Sui, Dimitry made an interesting face.
"Well, excuse me! I just wanted to see if you were some kind of spirit or not! But then again, I doubt even spirits could bewitch our queen's cold heart."
Dimitry commented as he shivered in fright at the notion. He could not even believe the words he was saying.
Sui could not figure out if this man's distress was real or if he was acting to make Sui let her guard down.
'I cannot figure out what this man's deal is. Is he doing this to catch me off guard? Or is this a real character? What about his frequent mood swings?'
"I am not a spirit or even a magician. I assure you that I am 100% human."
Sui quickly assured Dimitry and the man nodded. But he still did not look satisfied with Sui's answer.
"Think of the current situation, Sui. Princess Yunjin is a blood-trusty demon who does not care about anyone. But her behavior today was weird and unlike herself. Won't you think something is fishy if the princess you knew so well suddenly changed one day?"
"She was almost…. kind."
Dimitry asked, but his example did not help Sui understand the situation.
Luckily, Dimitry continued to speak.
"Princess Yunjin has never cared about anyone's well-being before. She's someone who only cares about her amusement. But she considered your safety today when she sent you with me. Don't you think it's weird?"
Dimitry asked, now sounding more than sure about his theory.
"Ahhh! So, you think that the princess is acting strange because I cast a curse on her?"
Sui asked, and Dimitry nodded with certainty.
"Sorry to tell you, but I don't have such capabilities. If I had such magic, then I wouldn't have spent years as a slave. Besides, have you considered the fact that the princess might be sick? Or that she's a nice person deep down inside?"
Dimitry could not have looked more shocked than he did at that moment.
His eyes flashed with disbelief before acceptance and fear gripped them.
"Oh god! Are you seriously asking that question? Now, I am beginning to wonder if you are the one who's cursed. Oi, listen well because I will not tell you this again. No matter how kind or compassionate Princess Yunjin looks to you, never depend on her."
"You will be disappointed if you trust her and give her your all."
That was a warning to Sui, and it was given wholeheartedly.
'There was weight behind those words. I am sure that Dimitry is speaking from experience. No, let's not focus on what happened to him. Knowing his past will not help me deal with the present.'
Sui opened and closed her mouth, unable to decide whether to ask the question in her mind or not.
"We are here. Remember, we are here to investigate the local happenings, but we don't want anyone to discover that we are from the Imperial Castle. So, let's get to our first order or operations."
Dimitry plastered his cheerful look on his face and walked toward the city's entrance gate.
"You are a new face. Why do you want to enter our city? Are you a person of Minister Xiao?"
The guard asked in a tense voice.
Rumors of Minister Xiao getting arrested must have already spread, and people were careful not to get entangled with that minister.
"Minister Xiao? Who's that? Is that the local lord here? We just came from another country, so we have no idea who. Did we need permission from the minister to enter the city?"
Dimitry asked in a confused voice.
The guard looked at Dimitry's rich attire and Sui's covered face, concluding that he was a traveling young master.
"Oh no! It is nothing like that. I was just trying to make small talk. You both are free to enter the city now."
The guard welcomed the pair into the city, and Sui quickly entered.
Dimitry's pace was slow, and he slipped a few gold coins to the guard after winking.
Sui only said about this when Dimitry joined her.
"You have that guard gold coins. Won't he get suspicious about your identity if you show yourself being this generous?"
Sui asked once she felt safe enough to speak.
"What's that? I thought you were a cunning ally cat, but you were more innocent than I expected. Those gold coins I paid were a tribute to get the guard to keep his mouth shut. It would be too troublesome otherwise."
Dimitry explained casually before instantly realizing that Sui did not understand what he meant.
"Oi! I was joking about you being innocent but did not realize you were this innocent. Listen here: a young master from far away enters a town with his young maid alone and does not want to be found out. What conclusion can people draw from this?"
Things finally clicked in Sui's mind, and her whole body shuddered in disgust.
"I should head back now. I do not want to give the wrong impression-"
"Hey! Wait! It's too late to go back. And this rumor will not spread anywhere. That was why I paid the entrance toll in the first place."