Chapter 38 -

 Without paying attention to my bewildered expression, Amon nonchalantly continued speaking.

“Do you remember the name of the pawnshop?”

I shook my head blankly.

“No, I think it was written on the small sheet of paper, but I left it behind…”

“But you remember the location, right?”

“Well, sort of.”

“Let’s start by heading to the inn you were staying at.”

Amon strode ahead without hesitation. Following him absentmindedly, I replayed his earlier words in my mind.

'Having lots of money isn’t exactly funny, but let’s say he was joking. What about the other thing he said?'

The idea that it would be better to retrieve the old necklace rather than buy a new one—wasn’t that essentially him saying he wanted to buy me a necklace?

'Does he want to give me a gift? Why?'

I trailed behind Amon, deep in thought, when I suddenly bumped into his back.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Glancing around briefly, Amon asked, “Where do we go from here? As far as I know, there are two pawnshops in this area.”

“Uh, well…”

Standing in front of the familiar inn, I tried to estimate where the pawnshop might have been. But I couldn’t hold back any longer and turned sharply to face him.

“Really, what is this? Why are you suddenly bringing up the necklace I sold off?”

Amon, startled by my abrupt question, looked flustered.

“Pardon?”

“It’s so out of the blue. You didn’t seem to care much when I mentioned it before.”

“Well… wasn’t it a necklace you wore before you lost your memory? I thought it might help you remember.”

“That’s true.”

I had initially resolved to find the necklace for the same reason. However, after learning more about Julia thanks to Amon’s investigations, it had dropped in priority.

I doubted it would be any different for Amon. With new leads surfacing, there was no reason for him to suddenly care about my memories at this point.

“But earlier, you sounded like you just wanted to buy me a necklace. Are you sure there’s no other reason?”

I stared up at him, determined to recieve an answer.

Amon furrowed his brow slightly and averted his gaze. Whether it was from the glaring sunlight or my pointed question, I couldn’t tell.

“Well…”

He casually extended a hand to shield my face from the sun before continuing.

“It’s not the best time to say this, with three people dead and a trusted colleague revealed as a traitor, but… I felt a bit happy.”

“What?”

“The undetectable poison, the existence of the true culprit—all those vague suspicions finally came into focus. It feels like proof that my efforts weren’t in vain.”

“Oh…”

“So, I hoped something good might happen for you too. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have found the traces left on the body.”

In his clumsy but earnest way, Amon was trying to express gratitude and offer comfort.

Having lost his parents at the hands of someone else, he had always identified with me. Perhaps he felt guilty for making progress alone.

'Really…'

He was so genuinely kind it left me speechless.

Looking up at Amon, who stood under the blinding sunlight, I asked, “Aren’t you hot?”

When I mirrored his gesture and shaded his face with my hand, his blue eyes regained their true color.

“You’re wearing all black; the sunlight must be unbearable.”

“I don’t feel the heat much,” he replied straightforwardly, making me chuckle.

“It’s this way.”

“Pardon?”

“The way to the pawnshop.”

Leading him, I stepped into the shade of a narrow alley.

Upon leaving the pawnshop, I thanked him awkwardly.

“Thank you.”

“No need.”

The pawnshop owner, who had initially refused to hand over the necklace without the note of charge, quickly relented after seeing the Blue Knight’s brooch Amon revealed from his coat.

Thinking back to my first visit to the pawnshop, I couldn’t help but keep touching the necklace. I hadn’t thought much of it before, but now that I had it back, my chest felt tight.

Even though it was just a meaningless trinket to me.

“I’ll pay you back someday.”

“When?”

“What?”

Amon asked as if he had been waiting for me to say that, his expression unreadable—neither serious nor playful.

“Well… I only have half left because I’ve been spending money on lodging. But if that’s okay…”

“Only half?”

“Well… a little more than half, actually.”

I had planned to save the rest as emergency funds, but I confessed honestly. Amon finally broke into a smile, laughing.

Hearing him laugh for the first time, I stared wide-eyed. His usual faint smile was rare enough, but this was something else entirely.

The gentle curve of his eyes and the dimples in his cheeks—it was a stark contrast to the stern commander who had issued sharp warnings just yesterday.

“I’m joking. Don’t worry about it. Didn’t I already say I have plenty of money?”

His voice, tinged with laughter, was boyish and carefree.

“…That wasn’t a joke?”

“That part was sincere.”

Still smiling, Amon added as he walked ahead, “Let’s go buy what we need now.”

Following him, I found myself in front of a shop unmistakably selling women’s clothing.

“This place…”

I hesitated, and Amon nodded.

“You’ll need funeral attire for today.”

“Funeral attire?”

“Of course.”

He gestured towards his own black uniform. I’d thought it was just formal attire, but apparently, it was the designated outfit for such occasions.

“If we hurry, we’ll arrive just in time. Let’s go in.”

Without hesitation, he opened the door and entered. Inside, the shopkeeper quickly brought out several black, modestly designed dresses upon hearing we needed funeral attire.

After swiftly changing and having minor adjustments made, the shopkeeper handed me a veil.

“This is to be worn just before entering the funeral hall. It might be inconvenient to do so now.”

“Thank you.”

When I stepped out after changing, I saw Amon browsing the dresses hanging on a rack with great interest.

“What are you looking at?”

“Oh, you’re back. I was considering if this design would suit you.”

He held one up under my chin.

“I think this color would look great on you.”

“Weren’t we here to get funeral attire?”

“Well, since we’re already here, it wouldn’t hurt to buy a few more things.”

It didn’t seem like he was asking for my opinion. He quickly selected several dresses.

'Now he’s buying me clothes?'

Well, the worn-out frock I had on was beginning to bother me. Without hesitation, I grabbed a dress that had caught my eye the moment we entered the shop.

“I like this one.”

I had long since abandoned any sense of shame.

As the carriage approached Duke Bolev's estate for Hayden’s funeral, I gazed out the window.

“Do you think Sir Hayden would have preferred his funeral to be held at the estate where he lived?”

The thought slipped out, and Amon nodded in agreement.

“The Bolev family likely didn’t concern themselves with that. They probably chose the location for their own convenience. That is also why the funeral is only being held today.”

“Just today?”

“Yes, he’ll be buried tomorrow morning.”

I sighed. The Bolev family treated his death as a mere inconvenience to be dealt with quickly.

“I was worried they might not welcome us, but it seems that was unnecessary.”

Regardless of the reason, Hayden’s death during interrogation could have caused friction. But the Bolev family didn’t seem interested.

“When we delivered the news, their reaction was indifferent. They didn’t even seem curious over the cause of his passing."

Even if it turned out he was poisoned, no one would try to uncover the culprit. I could already imagine the atmosphere at the funeral—less mourning and more talk of inheritance.

I stifled a sigh as the carriage slowed.

“It seems we’ve arrived.”

Looking out, I saw a row of carriages in the garden belonging to the funeral attendees. As I prepared to step out, Amon extended a hand.

'What?'

It looked like he was asking for something.

"...Ah!"

For a moment, I was confused, but then I had a moment of realization and settled my hand over his. Usually, he would gently clasp my hand, but this time, he froze in place. 

Instead, a suppressed laugh leaked out.

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