My Taboo Harem System

The inn door closed behind them with a soft click.

Denzel didn’t look back.

He kept walking.

The street was nearly empty now. Most of the shops had gone dark, leaving only the occasional window glowing behind drawn curtains. Their footsteps echoed against the stone as they moved away from the inn.

The Knight walked beside him.

For the first minute, neither spoke.

Denzel kept his pace steady.

Not too fast.

Not too slow.

He wanted to put distance between them and the inn without making it obvious that they were leaving because of the man across the street.

’If he’s watching, he’ll notice a sudden change.’

So Denzel didn’t give him one.

They reached the first intersection.

Denzel continued straight.

Then, twenty seconds later, he turned into a narrower street.

The Knight followed without question.

A few more steps.

Then she glanced sideways at him.

"We’re going the wrong way."

"No."

She looked ahead.

"Your room was the other direction."

"I know."

"So we’re not going back."

"No."

She smiled faintly.

"Testing him?"

Denzel glanced at her.

"Testing us."

Her smile disappeared.

She understood immediately.

Denzel kept walking.

The street opened into a small square ahead. A fountain sat in the center, its water barely audible beneath the night air. A few people were still crossing through, giving them enough cover.

Denzel slowed slightly.

The Knight noticed.

"Someone?"

"Not yet."

They crossed the square.

Denzel didn’t look behind him.

Instead, he watched reflections.

A dark shop window.

A polished metal sign.

The glass of a closed bakery.

Nothing.

They reached the opposite side.

Denzel turned left.

Then right.

Then left again.

Three turns in less than two minutes.

The Knight finally spoke.

"You’re making this complicated."

"Complicated is better than predictable."

"You’re enjoying this."

"No."

She looked at him.

"You sound like you are."

"I enjoy being correct."

"That explains a lot."

Denzel ignored her.

They entered another street.

Narrow.

Poorly lit.

Only two lamps still burned, and one of them flickered whenever the wind moved through the alley.

Denzel slowed.

The Knight matched him.

Neither said anything.

He looked at the reflection in a dark window.

Nothing.

He took another step.

Then stopped.

There.

Across the street, near the corner of an old stone building, a figure stood beneath a streetlamp.

Long coat.

Dark hat.

Same posture.

Same silhouette.

The man wasn’t looking directly at them.

He didn’t need to.

Denzel’s eyes narrowed.

’Got you.’

He continued walking.

The Knight didn’t turn her head.

"He’s there."

Denzel glanced at her.

She was still looking forward.

"How did you—"

"Your shoulders changed."

Denzel looked ahead again.

"You’re observant."

"I’ve been watching you."

He wasn’t sure whether she meant that literally.

Probably both.

They kept walking.

The figure remained where he was.

Denzel reached the next intersection.

He deliberately took the wider road.

More people.

More exits.

More places to disappear.

The Knight stayed beside him.

Then, without saying anything, her fingers slipped into his.

Denzel looked down for half a second.

Their hands joined.

Again.

He said nothing.

Neither did she.

They continued.

A minute passed.

Then another.

Denzel checked a reflection.

The figure was gone.

He kept walking.

Another window.

Nothing.

He crossed the street.

Still nothing.

Denzel stopped beside a closed storefront.

The Knight stopped with him.

"Lost him?"

Denzel looked at the street behind them.

"No."

She raised an eyebrow.

"You sound very confident."

"I’m not."

"That’s reassuring."

Denzel ignored her and looked toward the rooftops.

Nothing.

An alley to the left.

Empty.

Another street behind them.

Clear.

He waited.

Ten seconds.

Twenty.

Thirty.

Nothing.

The Knight squeezed his hand once.

"So?"

Denzel finally looked at her.

"He’s gone."

"That’s what I meant."

"I know."

"Then why did you say no?"

"Because I don’t think we lost him."

Her expression sharpened.

Denzel released her hand and folded his arms.

"If he wanted to stay hidden, I wouldn’t have seen him twice."

"He let you see him?"

"Maybe."

"Why?"

"That’s what I’m trying to figure out."

The Knight looked back toward the empty street.

"Maybe he made a mistake."

Denzel shook his head.

"No."

"You’re sure?"

"People who make mistakes don’t usually disappear the moment you start testing them."

She considered that.

"Then what does he want?"

Denzel looked toward the direction of the inn.

He could still picture the man beneath the streetlamp.

Not moving.

Not approaching.

Just watching.

’He wanted me to know.’

That was the part he couldn’t ignore.

If the man had wanted them dead, he had already had opportunities.

If he wanted to rob them, he wouldn’t have followed them for that long.

And if he wanted information, there were easier ways to get it.

Denzel’s gaze lowered to the coat pocket containing Sophia’s note.

His expression tightened.

The Knight noticed.

"This is about Sophia."

Denzel looked at her.

"I don’t know."

"You do."

"I suspect."

"That’s your favorite word."

"It keeps me from being wrong."

She smiled.

"Or admitting you are."

Denzel looked away.

"Let’s go."

"Where?"

"Back toward the location."

She blinked.

"I thought you said we were testing whether he was following us."

"We were."

"And?"

Denzel started walking.

"He was."

She followed.

"And now?"

Denzel glanced toward the dark streets ahead.

"Now I want to know why."

Chapter — The Place Sophia Chose

They didn’t go straight to the location.

Denzel took them around it first.

The street narrowed as they moved deeper into the district. The buildings here were older, their walls darkened by years of rain and smoke. Most of the windows were boarded or covered with curtains.

The Knight glanced at him.

"You said we were going back toward the location."

"We are."

"We’ve passed it."

"Yes."

She looked at him.

Denzel kept walking.

"I want to see who’s watching it."

She was quiet for a moment.

Then nodded.

"Fair."

They stopped at the corner of a building two streets away.

Denzel leaned against the wall and looked across the road.

The location sat at the end of the street.

An old stone building.

Three floors.

Tall windows.

A faded sign above the entrance that had lost most of its lettering.

It looked abandoned.

Too abandoned.

Denzel watched it for nearly a minute.

Nothing moved.

No lights.

No voices.

No pedestrians.

The Knight stood beside him.

"Doesn’t look like anyone’s here."

"That’s the point."

She frowned.

Denzel pointed toward the entrance.

"Look at the lock."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Broken?"

"No."

"Then?"

"It’s clean."

She looked at him.

Denzel continued.

"Everything around it is covered in dust. The door isn’t."

The Knight stared at the entrance again.

Someone had been using it.

Recently.

She folded her arms.

"So we go in?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because if someone wanted us to find this place, walking through the front door is exactly what they’d expect."

She smiled.

"You really don’t trust doors."

"I don’t trust obvious things."

"That’s practically the same thing."

Denzel ignored her.

He moved along the wall, scanning the surrounding buildings.

A narrow alley ran behind the old building.

Another street opened to its left.

There were three possible exits.

Four if someone climbed onto the neighboring roof.

Denzel memorized them.

Then he noticed something near the alley.

A footprint.

Fresh.

He crouched.

The mud hadn’t dried completely.

Someone had passed through recently.

The Knight crouched beside him.

"Boot?"

"Yes."

"Heavy?"

Denzel touched the edge of the print without disturbing it.

"Medium."

She looked toward the building.

"Same person?"

"Probably."

"You sound disappointed."

"I was hoping for more than one."

She looked at him.

"Why?"

"One person is easier to deal with."

"And two?"

"More annoying."

She laughed quietly.

Denzel stood.

He looked toward the building again.

Something was wrong.

Not dangerous.

Not yet.

Just deliberate.

Whoever had been here hadn’t tried very hard to hide their presence.

Fresh footprint.

Clean lock.

No lights.

No obvious guards.

It almost felt like an invitation.

And Denzel hated invitations he hadn’t asked for.

"Let’s go closer," he said.

They crossed the street.

Denzel didn’t approach the front entrance.

Instead, he moved along the side of the building until they reached a narrow passage between two walls.

The Knight followed.

Halfway through, she stopped.

"Denzel."

He turned.

She was looking down.

At first, he saw nothing.

Then she pointed.

A small mark had been carved into the stone.

Three short lines intersecting a circle.

Denzel crouched.

He stared at it.

"You recognize it?"

"No."

The Knight shook her head.

"Neither do I."

Denzel reached toward it.

"Don’t."

He stopped.

She pointed at the edge of the carving.

"The stone is cleaner around it."

Denzel leaned closer.

She was right.

The mark had been made recently.

But that wasn’t what caught his attention.

There was a second mark.

Almost invisible beneath the first.

Four letters.

Not a name.

A direction.

Denzel’s eyes narrowed.

"North."

The Knight looked toward the building.

"There’s no north entrance."

"I know."

"Then why write it?"

Denzel stood.

"Maybe it isn’t telling us where to enter."

She looked at him.

"What, then?"

He glanced at Sophia’s note in his coat.

The location.

The strange wording.

The watcher.

Now this.

Denzel’s thoughts began connecting.

Sophia hadn’t given them a destination.

She’d given them a trail.

And someone had been maintaining it.

"Maybe she’s telling us where to look."

The Knight’s expression shifted.

"For what?"

Denzel looked up.

The third-floor window.

One curtain moved.

Barely.

He froze.

The Knight followed his gaze.

"Someone’s inside."

Denzel nodded.

"Probably."

"Probably?"

"If I say definitely, you’ll accuse me of being overconfident."

"I was going to."

"Then probably."

They waited.

The curtain didn’t move again.

Denzel stepped closer to the building.

"Stay here."

The Knight immediately grabbed his sleeve.

"No."

He looked at her hand.

She didn’t release him.

"We go together."

Denzel stared at her.

Then sighed.

"Fine."

They moved toward the side entrance.

The door wasn’t locked.

Denzel pushed it open slowly.

No creak.

No resistance.

Inside was darkness.

Dust covered the floor.

Except for a narrow trail.

Someone had walked through recently.

Denzel followed it with his eyes.

It led toward the stairs.

He looked at the Knight.

She nodded.

Together, they stepped inside.

The second floor was empty.

So was the third.

Denzel checked every doorway before moving past it.

The Knight stayed behind him.

Not hiding.

Not getting in his way.

Just watching.

When they reached the final corridor, Denzel stopped.

There was a small table against the wall.

On it sat a folded piece of parchment.

Fresh.

He didn’t touch it immediately.

The Knight looked at him.

"That’s for us."

"Maybe."

She gave him a look.

"Fine."

Denzel approached.

He picked it up.

The handwriting made his stomach tighten.

Sophia.

Only four words were written on it.

If you’re reading this, she’s with you.

Denzel stared at the sentence.

The Knight leaned closer.

"What does it say?"

He didn’t answer.

She looked at his face.

"Denzel."

He handed her the note.

She read it.

Her expression slowly changed.

For the first time that night, she didn’t have a clever response.

She looked up at him.

"She knew."

Denzel nodded.

"Apparently."

"She knew I’d come with you."

"Looks like it."

The Knight looked back at the parchment.

Then at him.

"Why?"

Denzel had no answer.

And somehow, that bothered him more than the man outside.