Mistaken For a Couple

Chapter 7: Bayrn Amusement Park (2)

The imperial capital city, Karzion.

Every weekend, families and couples flock to one of the hottest spots in the city—the Bayrn Amusement Park.

As the park bears the name of the Empire itself, it's heavily supported by the Imperial Household.

"There’s an old saying—if you want to find the Von family, go to Karzion."

And now, a man had arrived at the Bayrn Amusement Park alone.

His name was Kallado Herchil.

The last surviving heir of the fallen Herchil family, now working as an imperial scribe in the capital.

As a scribe who primarily handled newspaper publications, Kallado often visited places with potential scoop value, carrying a mana-powered freeze-frame device (also called a camera).

In fact, the article about the closure of the Rungsa factory was also written by Kallado after personal investigation.

“The head scribe really knows how to work people even on weekends…”

Grumbling about his fate, Kallado approached the ticket booth.

At that moment—

“Please line up for entry, everyone!”

“Here’s my free pass.”

“Oh, a free pass? May I have your name, please?”

“Priscilla Herchil.”

“Yes, Ms. Priscilla Herchil. Confirmed. Enjoy your day at the Bayrn Amusement Park—the land of dreams and hope!”

‘Wait. Priscilla? Priscilla Herchil? That name… it’s exactly the same as…’

Kallado froze in place as soon as he heard the name.

‘Priscilla... that’s the same name as my cousin. No—it's not just similar. It's identical!’

Priscilla Herchil.

Kallado’s cousin.

…But she was believed to have died when the Herchil family was wiped out.

‘What the hell is going on…?’

Kallado looked at the long line ahead of him.

Growing impatient, he pulled out his phone and made a call.

“Hello? Chief Scribe? I’m calling because—look, I’ve got a scoop! …No, no, I’m serious, not spouting nonsense! Don't you trust me? I'm Kallado! I’ll make sure you get a medal straight from the throne. Just help me out here—yes, a free pass is all I need.”

***

Meanwhile, having left the gift shop, Rahan and Priscilla were now both wearing cute bunny ear headbands.

“Haaah. This really isn’t my style.”

“It shows. With that already scary face, you now look like a monster bunny. Are you going to rip someone apart?”

“...Did you make me wear this just to tease me? I’m taking it off.”

“Wait, wait. You remember the bet, right? If you take it off, you’re doing all the chores for a month—dishes, laundry, trash, toilet. You lost at rock-paper-scissors.”

Rahan groaned.

He had foolishly agreed to the game, lost, and now had to wear a ridiculous bunny headband.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he imagined Jerid laughing his head off.

"When I get back, it's inspection time."

Redirecting his frustration toward Jerid, Rahan resumed following Priscilla.

She seemed completely in her element, dragging the reluctant Rahan around by his sleeve, looking up at the amusement rides with wide eyes.

“Let’s ride that Viking ship!”

“The one that swings high? That’s just a cliché ride. I’m not doing it.”

“Aw, are you scared? Coward.”

Coward?

Crack.

Rahan’s pride took a direct hit.

He turned around with a bright, slightly deranged smile and grabbed Priscilla’s wrist as she tried to walk off.

“Where do you think you're going?”

“Huh? I’m just looking for a slow, safe ride for a big coward like you…”

“Ha! Sounds like you want to ride the kiddie train. No need to hold back. Let’s go ride that Viking ship.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m a governm…!”

He was about to say ‘I’m a paratrooper’, but caught himself.

“I’m a government employee. A model civil servant of Bayrn. This kind of stuff doesn’t scare me.”

“Is being a civil servant supposed to make you brave?”

“Let’s go. Now!”

And so, they boarded the Viking ride.

While the others clutched their seats in nervous anticipation—

“Tch. What’s there to be scared of?”

Rahan sat confidently. But Priscilla bounced nervously in her seat.

“Nervous? Guess you’re the real coward.”

“Cowards can still ride things, y’know. And I’m not scared—I’m just excited. This is my first time at an amusement park.”

Rahan looked at her.

Over thirty and never been to one?

“I wasn’t allowed to go when I was a kid.”

“...”

“What, feel bad for me—?”

Before she could finish, the Viking creaked and began to swing.

Rahan grabbed the bar in front of him.

“Getting nervous?”

“Not at all!”

"I’ve done parachute training! This is nothing...!”

“UUUURGH! UGHHHH!!”

***

After getting off the Viking ride, Rahan clung to a nearby lamp post, retching.

He couldn't understand how Priscilla could smile through that ride.

This was worse than parachute drills.

In training, you just jumped once and it was over. But this? It swung back and forth over and over. His insides were churning.

“First time riding? Really?”

“Pfft.”

“Don’t… laugh.”

“All that pride, gone. You couldn’t even handle one ride.”

“You said there’s nothing wrong with being scared, remember?”

“That only applies to me. Not grown men.”

“...”

Rahan looked stunned.

Priscilla, feeling a little bad, offered a gentler tone.

“There are some rides that aren’t scary. I’m not teasing, really. If you want, we can—”

“No. You said it’s your first time here, right?”

Wait, was he being considerate? Letting her choose what she wanted?

She was about to feel touched when—

“Ha! Like hell I’d lose to some dumb amusement ride. I, Rahan Ortalin, will conquer every last one. I’ll adapt. Bring it on, you soulless hunks of metal!”

Ah. Just his pride.

Of course.

“Let’s go.”

Rahan grabbed Priscilla’s left wrist.

The one she’d injured.

She flinched in pain.

“Ah!”

Rahan let go immediately.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“N-no. It’s fine.”

“Sorry, I must’ve grabbed you too hard.”

“Why are you grabbing a lady’s wrist so roughly anyway? Hmph. So violent.”

Priscilla stomped off in mock anger.

“You’ve been grabbing my sleeves and wrists all day!”

Still, Rahan followed after her.

They went on to ride the Red Dragon roller coaster, the Meteor Drop, and took a safari bus to see animals.

Eventually, they sat on a quiet bench, watching passersby and catching their breath.

People walking by gave the bunny-eared duo strange looks.

“That was so fun!!”

“It was nothing.”

“Still pretending, huh?”

“It’s true. I’ll ride even better next time.”

“Oh? Planning to come again?”

“...Well. I’ve got to show you I can handle it.”

Priscilla blinked.

That was supposed to be a joke.

Why was he taking it so seriously?

Rahan also blinked.

Was he being too serious?

Still, it was better than coming alone…

After a brief silence, Priscilla spoke up.

“I’m going to the restroom.”

“Sure.”

“Want to go home first?”

It was nearly time for the mission.

She needed to send Rahan away now.

Rahan also knew the time was approaching.

Priscilla offering the reason first made things easier.

“Alright then.”

She felt a twinge of disappointment.

‘He could’ve at least insisted on staying a little longer…’

Rahan also felt disappointed.

‘I have to do the mission, but… it feels like she’s brushing me off.’

They exchanged polite goodbyes.

As Priscilla walked toward the restroom, her pleasant smile faded into a sharp expression.

“Thirty minutes until the mission starts.”

She opened her palm and stared at the words written there.

Earlier, on the Viking ride, and then again on the Red Dragon, she had found erased coded messages.

“On the Viking: [To the sk… high… co…]”

“It pointed to the Red Dragon ride.”

“On the Red Dragon: [S… high… co… sometimes h…]. What could it mean?”

The beginning was similar, but the endings were different.

“Sometimes… hot…?”

If the first part refers to something cold, then the other part likely refers to its opposite—something hot.

“Something that can be both cold and hot… not metal, that’s already been used. Something that changes… transforms…”

Then, realization struck.

Priscilla’s eyes widened.