Fear Not, Princess. This Time, I’ll Be the Boss Myself Chapter 49

The man’s calm question left the bartender and Tom weak in the knees.

Nolan didn’t look at Vivi again. Instead, his gaze shifted to the two men who were barely able to stand. “Anyone not involved, leave. There are things you’re better off not knowing. Consider it a kindness.”

He reached over to a low cabinet beside him and picked up a brass candlestick. It looked solid, heavy enough to do some damage. Holding the base between two fingers, he gave his wrist a gentle twist. A low, grinding creak filled the room as the metal warped. The candlestick folded in on itself, twisted into a tight knot as if it were soft clay.

Nolan set the mangled lump of brass back on the table with a dull thud. “We were never here. You didn’t see anything.” His tone remained unreadable. “Otherwise…”

He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to. The ruined metal spoke clearly enough.

“Yes! Yes! We don’t know anything! We didn’t see a thing!”

The bartender and Tom looked as though they wished they could cast a levitation spell on the spot. Instead, they scrambled out of the room in a panic, stumbling over themselves as the door slammed shut behind them with a loud bang.

Anna sat upright on the sofa, her composed expression betraying nothing. Inside, however, she was struggling not to laugh. From the city gates until now, Nolan had been bluffing his way through with remarkable flair.

With the others gone, silence settled over the room once more.

Vivi had always feared nothing and no one, yet now a chill crept into her bones. Cold sweat soaked through her clothes.

Nolan rose from the sofa and walked toward her, step by measured step.

Instinctively, Vivi retreated. After only a few steps, her back hit the wall. There was nowhere left to go.

“I don’t care about the coins.” Nolan stopped in front of her. His tall frame cast a shadow that swallowed her whole. “But that dragon scale. Keeping it is like playing with fire.”

Dragon scale.

Vivi’s entire body trembled. Her suspicions were confirmed. No wonder she had felt that strange, instinctive stirring in her blood. She stared at Nolan as he loomed over her, every muscle in her body tensed.

Once he takes it back… will he silence me?

In this gray world where people devoured one another, secrets were worth far more than lives.

Her hand, hidden behind her back, had already found the hilt of her dagger. This was how she had survived since childhood.

Just as the tension reached its peak, Anna seemed to notice something was wrong. She stood and walked to Nolan’s side, gently patting his shoulder. Then she turned to Vivi and offered a warm, reassuring smile. “Miss, we don’t intend to hold you accountable. As long as you return what belongs to us, I swear in the name of the Mother Goddess that you will be allowed to leave safely.”

As a fellow woman, Anna’s voice carried a soothing warmth that sharply contrasted with Nolan’s oppressive presence. It was a cliche “stick and carrot” tactic.

At last, some of the tension drained from Vivi’s body. After a moment of hesitation, she reluctantly took out the shimmering silver-white scale from her pocket and handed it over.

Nolan accepted it, checked it carefully, and finally felt the weight in his chest ease. Outwardly, however, his expression did not change. His fingers shifted slightly. “What, you’re not planning to return the pouch?”

Vivi froze, her cheeks flushing bright red. She muttered under her breath, “Didn’t you say the coins didn’t matter? Stingy…” Grumbling as she spoke, she still reached behind her and pulled out the flat pouch, slapping it into Nolan’s hand.

Watching her look both angry and unwilling to speak up, Nolan suddenly laughed. “You steal from me and still think you’re in the right?”

With that laugh, the suffocating tension in the room finally broke.

Relieved of the pressure, Vivi’s courage returned. She planted her hands on her hips, lifted her chin, and shot back, “I’m not a thief! I’m a nightingale—the best nightingale in Veli City!” Her amber eyes gleamed with defiance. “And… sir, with all due respect, even if the manager was scared out of his wits, you’re not actually part of the Brotherhood, are you?”

The words made Nolan’s smile falter slightly. Anna, too, looked surprised.

“Oh? And what makes you say that?” Nolan asked with interest. “Because I look young?”

“No.” Vivi shook her head, a hint of pride in her gaze. “The manager said appearances can be deceiving. But…” She raised a finger and pointed at Nolan’s left hand. “The calluses on your fingers. There’s one just below the ring finger, slightly to the right, and another at the base of your thumb. Those come from stabilizing a longsword during heavy strikes. That’s completely different from someone who uses daggers like we do.”

Realization dawned on Nolan, and a flicker of approval crossed his mind. That kind of observation… she was a natural-born top-tier scout.

Instead of answering, Nolan simply smiled at her and posed a question of his own. “It seems I’m not the only one with secrets.” He spoke slowly, each word deliberate. “If I’m not mistaken… you’re a half-beast, aren’t you?”

The words struck like a bolt from a clear sky.

Anna’s expression turned wary in an instant. Almost reflexively, she took half a step back.

That small movement pierced Vivi’s heart like a needle, igniting the anger and hurt she had kept buried for so long.

“What are you talking about?!”

She practically screamed the words, her voice hoarse with emotion as her dagger flashed free, gripped in reverse before her chest.

Seeing her fierce reaction, Nolan let out a quiet sigh. “Calm down. I mean no harm. I’ve seen true tiger-kin warriors. Your eye color, your instincts, and the balance you showed when you ran… they’re exactly the same. And that hood you always wear. It’s to hide your ears, isn’t it?” He met her furious, guarded gaze, his tone softening. “I’ve always believed that the mutual prejudice between humans and beastfolk is one of the most absurd things in this world. It’s a tragic cycle of hatred.”

As he spoke, memories surfaced in his mind. He thought of his time among the beast tribes in the southeastern reaches of the continent. There had been campfires outside Balde, where hearty warriors shared roasted meat with him, and strong liquor that burned all the way down. There had been nights at the clan altar, standing back to back as they fought off waves of the undead, buying time for the women and children to escape.

They were no different from humans. They had flesh and blood, love and hate. Only their bloodlines were different.

But to Vivi, his words sounded unbearably ironic. From childhood to now, she had been treated as a monster, pelted with stones, left alone to nurse her wounds in the dark. The memories surged up all at once. Her emotions finally broke.

“Hypocrite!” Her reddened eyes locked onto Nolan, tears trembling at the edges. “You’ve never lived my life! It’s easy for you to talk. What do you even understand!”

Nolan did not grow angry. He simply looked at her, calm and steady. “You’re right. I can’t fully understand your pain,” he admitted openly. “But by chance, I once lived in a tiger-kin tribe for three months. After they accepted me, I fought alongside them and drank their strongest spirits. Their warriors would give the last drop of their blood to protect their people. To me, they are as worthy of respect as the finest humans. Hatred is not the only bond between humans and beastfolk.”

He exhaled softly.

“I have never looked down on anyone. And when true disaster comes, we may need warriors of every race standing together. I’ve seen that possibility, so I believe in it. What I’m doing now is laying the groundwork for that day, trying to change the prejudice and tragedy within the kingdom. Aren’t your parents the best example of that?”

Anna listened, glancing between Vivi and Nolan as the tension in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by quiet thought.

But at the mention of “parents,” something inside Vivi shattered. She remembered the warmth she had once known, and the night they vanished without warning. The fear, the helplessness, the endless struggle that followed. They had been her only light, and her deepest wound.

“Standing together? Don’t make me laugh!” Her voice cracked as she spoke, like a wounded animal trying to mask its pain. “Stop talking down to me. Every word you say sounds like charity. Keep your childish ideals to yourself!”

Nolan watched her quietly. “Yes, it does sound childish and naive. But if I don’t even have the courage to dream, if I don’t take the first step, then the ‘change’ I talk about really would be nothing more than empty charity. How could I claim to understand you at all?”

Vivi faltered, unable to reply. All her defenses, all her sharp retorts, crumbled in that moment. For the first time since her identity had been exposed, she felt something she had never received before. Genuine kindness from another person.

She could no longer hold herself together. The dagger slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor. Crouching down, she hugged her knees and buried her face in her arms, her muffled sobs breaking through in uneven bursts.

Anna could not bear to watch any longer. She knew her earlier reaction had struck the deepest blow. Quietly, she walked over and knelt beside Vivi, reaching out to take her cold hand.

Vivi trembled and instinctively tried to pull away. But Anna did not let go. Instead, she held on more firmly.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice was soft, but sincere. “I want to apologize for my prejudice just now. It’s something we’ve been taught since childhood, but now I realize we’re not so different. We laugh and cry the same. We’re all just trying to live.” She gently rested a hand on Vivi’s trembling shoulder and continued, “I’ve met people like you before, people who protect themselves by closing off their hearts, hiding behind strength. I have no right to lecture you, but I want to believe that people’s views can change. And the reason I believe that… is Mr. Nolan.”

Gradually, Vivi’s sobbing subsided. She lifted her head, her tear-filled amber eyes turning toward the man who had remained calm from beginning to end.

Nolan saw the shift and knew it was time to leave.

Some wounds needed time to heal. For the sake of the kingdom, for the sake of countless others like her, he could not afford to linger.

“We’re leaving. As long as you keep your mouth shut, your secret is safe.”

With that, he turned and headed for the door, Anna following close behind.

Just as his hand reached for the handle, a voice came from behind him, thick with tears, “Wait!”