The Terminally Ill Villainess Goes on a Journey - Chapter 7

Huh? A pickpocket?

I turned my head. A middle-aged woman was rummaging through her bag, shouting.

“My wallet is gone!”

People nearby turned their gaze toward her.

She wore clothes made of fine fabric, but since she was shopping alone, she didn’t seem to be a noble. Still, she appeared well-off among the commoners.

Those around us, including myself, exchanged glances.

Everyone had registered the situation, but no one was stepping forward immediately.

Through the murmuring crowd, two armored knights approached.

“Excuse us, madam. Can we be of any assistance?”

Judging by their presence in such a crowded place, they were likely knights assigned to patrol the Lisman Central Market, which was prone to crime due to the heavy foot traffic.

The woman spoke with a distressed expression, “My wallet is missing. I’m certain I had it just moments ago… But looking at my bag, it’s torn. I must have been pickpocketed.”

“Did you notice anyone suspicious?” one of the knights asked.

“Did someone seem to be watching your bag closely? Or perhaps you bumped into someone? This market is known for pickpockets, madam.”

“Hmm… Ha. I was so distracted, I hardly noticed.”

The woman furrowed her brow before suddenly speaking.

“Now that I think about it, I did bump into a man. He was large and had a rough appearance.”

…Huh?

Listening to their conversation from nearby, I furrowed my brows.

A large, rough-looking man?

A particular man flashed through my mind.

The one I had seen at the entrance of the market.

The one who had seemed like a character from the novel, though I couldn’t place him.

Granted, this was a large harbor city, and there could be multiple large, rough-looking men…

‘Wait… Didn’t the original story have a pickpocketing incident?’

Was his name Dane? Or Derek…?

I vaguely recalled an episode in the novel where a minor villain appeared.

As I was deep in thought, a man’s voice rang out.

“I think I saw him.”

Huh?

I turned to my side and saw Harry raising his hand and stepping forward.

Harry… was suddenly getting involved?

I frowned slightly at the familiarity of this scene.

Then, it hit me.

‘…This is?’

Now, I understood what was happening.

This was a flashback episode from the novel.

***

A few minutes later.

I was sitting on a bench with Finn, biting into a herring.

Chomp.

The rich umami flavor spread across my tongue, filling my mouth with a satisfying taste. Chewing thoroughly, I swallowed, feeling the smooth texture slide down my throat.

Finn, his cheeks puffed out like a squirrel’s, beamed. “It’s really good, right, Princess?”

“I told you, I’m not a princess. I’m a lady.” I grumbled at Finn, but a smile lingered on my lips.

‘This herring is truly delicious…’

The stall Finn had brought me to was well-known in the market for its herring.

Because of that, we had to wait in line, but the freshly prepared fish had been worth it.

As I savored the lingering taste, I turned my head.

Harry was near the knights, diligently sketching a montage.

‘The story is unfolding just like the original.’

This scene was a past event that would later be recalled in the novel’s main plot.

The minor villain, Derek.

He was a small-time criminal who survived by pickpocketing.

One day, he would attempt to steal from the novel’s heroine, Emily.

And witnessing the act, the third male lead, Eric Hedderson, would intervene.

That was Derek’s first appearance in the original story.

‘But in reality, Derek had encountered Harry in the past, too.’

While traveling, Derek had once stolen a woman’s wallet at a market—an incident Harry had witnessed.

‘That incident is this one.’

Watching Harry, I marveled at the unfolding scene.

Seeing an episode from the novel happen right before my eyes made me realize again that I was living inside the story.

Of course, since this was just a past event, I didn’t know every single detail.

But one thing was certain—today’s chase was destined to fail.

‘I know where the culprit is hiding, but…’

I deliberately did not intervene. I had no intention of disrupting the original story.

Would I be crazy enough to interfere with the romance lines of the male leads and the heroine?

Derek had to be there for those relationships to form. I couldn’t disrupt that, no way.

‘More than anything, my goal is to travel.’

To be honest, that was the biggest reason.

I really wanted to eat herring…

I didn’t want to waste my time here chasing a criminal.

Instead, I decided to win a bit of Harry’s favor.

‘If I can avoid the male leads, that’s ideal, but since we’re already traveling together, earning some goodwill wouldn’t hurt.’

That was the reason I was focusing on Finn.

‘Though something about Finn keeps bothering me…’

“Finn, do you want to go eat something else?”

“Yes! I’d love to!”

When I cautiously asked, Finn grinned brightly. His eyes sparkled with excitement.

Lisman Harbor had plenty of delicious foods besides herring.

Honestly, I was already stuffed from breakfast on the train and two herrings.

But I couldn’t stop now.

‘Don’t falter in the face of food, Se-hee. No, Irene.’

What should I eat next?

Holding Finn’s hand, I eagerly explored Lisman Harbor.

Fried fish looked delicious, and the herring rolls were tempting.

Like someone who goes to a sushi restaurant and ends up ordering inari sushi, I even found myself drawn to the street sausages.

“Finn, is there anything you want to eat? I’ll buy it for you.”

“Really? Then… can I have that sandwich?”

Finn pointed at something—a sandwich with fish inside.

The shop seemed to be a local favorite, as a small line had formed in front of it.

“Alright, let’s do that.”

I took Finn’s hand and stood at the back of the line.

As we quietly waited, Finn glanced up at me.

I tilted my head, wondering what was on his mind.

“I just… I really like this.”

“Hmm?”

“I love traveling with you, Princess.”

“……”

Were we traveling together?

Before I could fully process that thought, Finn continued, “For my last birthday, I wished for a trip. My brother spent all his money to take me on this journey. …I have an illness. The doctor said I might not live long.”

“……”

“But now, here I am, traveling with a princess. It feels like a dream!”

Finn beamed as he squeezed my hand, his brown eyes curving into bright crescents.

His smile was so genuine, so pure, that I found myself smiling back.

‘Wait a minute.’

Listening to Finn’s words, my eyes widened.

A certain line from the novel suddenly flashed through my mind—something Harry had once said to Emily, crying.

[I was too poor, and the world kept making Finn suffer.]

[If only it weren’t for what happened at Lisman Harbor… Would my little brother have lived longer?]

“…Damn.”

I muttered under my breath as realization struck me.

This place wasn’t just where Harry and Derek first met.

Finn—because of something that happened at Lisman Harbor—would experience a worsening of his heart condition and eventually pass away.

‘Something’s going to happen to Finn soon?’

I turned to look at him. He was still smiling, completely unaware.

I stared blankly into his brown eyes, my thoughts racing.

‘What exactly is it that happens?’

I couldn’t remember.

I furrowed my brows, struggling to recall when suddenly—

A commotion erupted in the crowd.

“That’s him! Catch him!”

“Pickpocket!”

A loud shout cut through the air, and the crowd parted like the sea.

Charging straight toward us was a large, rough-looking man.

The pickpocket—Derek.

“Move!”

Derek ran straight toward Finn.

I turned to Finn, who stood frozen in shock, his eyes wide.

“Finn!”

“Lady!”

Before I knew it, I had pulled Finn into my arms and rolled to the ground.