Arlan was not an ordinary human. His senses were sharp like a hawk, and coupled with his cautious nature, there were few things that could escape his notice.
This particular fragrance had been fixed in his mind since he caught a whiff of it, and even amidst the various scents around him, he could identify this particular one without a miss. He himself was surprised about this discovery.
'This kind of enticing aroma that reels people towards it… It is impossible for me to not recognize it.'
He stepped on the crowded street, allowing his senses to lead the way. His sea blue eyes looked left and right in search of a female with reddish brown hair. There were a handful of women who fit the bill, but from their height and figure he could tell at a glance they were not his target.
His search led him to the main street, and his gaze landed on a small figure walking ahead of him. Though he could only see her from behind, she appeared to be still wearing that all black attire from head to toe, the kind of baggy dark clothes that prevented anyone from seeing her body shape.
Her attire might be uncommon for a local, but given Jerusha was the center of inter-kingdom commerce, most people would not pay attention to the difference in clothing, passing it off as cultural difference.
That person was the source of that enticing scent.
'Found you, shortie.'
He smirked.
'...but why is she wearing male clothing within the city? Is she pretending to be a man?' he could not help but muse. 'Hmm, at least she is not covering her face today.'
To see what she was up to, Arlan followed her while keeping a safe distance. After a while, she stopped in her tracks as if she sensed someone was following her.
Arlan was impressed. He stopped as well, even increasing the distance between them, and when she continued walking, he kept up with her pace.
She soon left the main street, going towards the district catering to apothecaries and medicinal ingredients. She continued to walk towards another street which was visibly less crowded and stopped at one shop.
Arlan decided to observe her from a distance enough to see her transacting with the shop owner. She pulled something from her pouch and showed it to the shop owner.
The prince easily recognized the plant from its large violet-tipped leaves.
'So she sells rare herbs to herbal shops? Is she a forager?.' He narrowed his eyes at that plant. 'No wonder she trespassed the forest belonging to the Wimark Family. She is pretty gutsy to steal from the property of a duke.'
Arlan continued to keep watch on her. After striking a satisfying deal, she left the shop. She was moving so quickly that Arlan was forced to speed up to not lose sight of her. From one street to the next, the two of them were like a pair of mouse and cat playing chase.
'I know you know I am tailing you…but are you skilled enough to shake me off?'
Arlan entered another alley, but to his surprise, the alley was empty.
'Impressive!'
A brilliant smile lit up his handsome face like that of a boy finding a good toy.
'Her fragrance stops here…' He eyed the wooden crates littered on one side of the alley. 'Could she be hiding behind these?'
Arlan pretended to be at a loss, slowly moving forward towards the other end of the narrow alley.
Someone appeared behind him. Before he could even turn around, the prince was pinned face first against the wall, a delicate hand holding a knife against the back of his neck.
"Do not move."
A woman's voice rang from behind. Though it carried a threat, a warning, to someone of Arlan's caliber, her words sounded like a sweet melody to his ears.
"Why are you following me?" she asked as she pressed the blade against his skin.
Arlan chuckled inwardly. 'I thought she would try to escape, but she went beyond expectations and chose to confront me. She is truly impressive.'
"Answer me or you die!" she threatened, going as far as to draw blood on his nape.
'This is the second time my royal blood has been spilled.' It made Arlan even more amused. "Do you dare kill?"
"Don't you know that a delicate noble brat like you should not wander in deserted alleys?"
"Delicate?"
"Ah!"
The next moment, their positions were reversed. Arlan moved so swiftly she was unable to react in time. The knife in her grip moved to his hand and he had effortlessly placed it against her neck.
She was pinned this time, and with her back against the wall, the noble brat was able to see her shocked face.
"Dare say delicate again?" he commented playfully as he took in her appearance.
It was a beautiful face with a pair of expressive hazel eyes, their color mostly gold with flecks of green and brown under the sunlight. With shapely brows and a dainty nose, adding on her pink lips puckered in a rebellious way, hers was the kind of beauty brimming with youthful allure.
This kind of charming face, coupled with her interesting personality, Arlan felt the strongest urge to bully her.
On the other hand, the moment she saw his face, she began cursing herself.
'It's him, the man I stabbed yesterday!'
Whenever she landed herself in a pickle, she relied on her magic to escape. How unfortunate it was to be caught by the only person immune to her magic. This ought to be the most dangerous situation she had been in for years.
'Does he recognize me? No, that should not be possible. I had my face covered back then. Why is he chasing me then?'
Her senses were telling her to run away from him. It was a strange kind of threat, one she never felt from anyone.
Something was different about this man, but she could not understand what exactly.
All she knew was that she had to flee—and fast!
"So, my fair maiden, how about you teach this delicate noble brat about how dangerous alleys are?" he asked with a smile so angelic, it seemed evil. "Do not worry. I am not stingy. I promise to pay my teacher a pretty penny for each lesson. We can start by introducing ourselves."
She was in despair!
'How careless of me! Grandpa, I just threw myself headfirst in trouble once again.
'Why didn't I just run away like a normal person instead of confronting him. Why?!'