HDFL 02

Chapter : 02

That evening, Lucrezia headed to the meeting place designated by her client.

The client had revealed neither their identity nor their status, and the rendezvous point they had chosen was an old mansion standing in a remote corner of the island.

“Of all places, they had to choose somewhere like this. They’ve got terrible taste.”

This entire district was filled with abandoned buildings after those who couldn’t pay the governor’s taxes had been made into an example—their neighborhood deliberately flooded and left underwater. To make matters worse, frequent flooding had driven away the remaining residents, leaving only rats and vagrants behind.

It was the perfect place to conduct illegal business away from prying eyes. Every dark alley was occupied by people trading weapons or drugs, and it wasn’t uncommon to stumble across corpses that looked as though they’d been lying there for days.

Wrinkling her nose at the overpowering stench, Lucrezia pulled the hood of her cloak lower over her face and quickened her pace.

“Hey, miss. Want to have a little fun? We just got some excellent merchandise in.”

“Shut your mouth and get lost. Unless you want to lose a limb.”

“Pretty voice, filthy attitude. Makes me want you even more.”

The man’s vulgar remarks trailed after her.

But the men only licked their lips after noticing the sword hanging at Lucrezia’s waist. None of them dared approach. Anyone with eyes could tell she wasn’t like the ordinary women who wandered these back alleys.

“So this is the place.”

Comparing the address on her note with the building in front of her, Lucrezia knocked on the door.

It remained shut until she’d knocked three more times.

“…What brings you here?”

A gray-haired man wearing glasses opened the door with a frown.

His pale complexion and scholarly appearance looked completely out of place in a district like this. Calmly meeting his suspicious gaze, Lucrezia handed him the commission letter bearing the Guild’s seal.

“I’m here to meet the client. This is supposed to be the rendezvous point.”

“What? But you’re… a woman.”

“As far as I know, the request didn’t specify a gender. Is there some problem with me being one?”

The man fell silent.

Apparently, because he’d hired the Underworld Guild, he’d naturally assumed a man would show up. It was the sort of thinking one would expect from someone from the conservative mainland, unlike the far more open-minded Benin.

“…Sigh. Come in for now. It’s up to my master to decide.”

Stepping aside, the man rubbed his temple as though he already had a headache.

Lucrezia silently watched him sigh over and over as she climbed the stairs.

“Master, someone from the Guild has arrived.”

“Send them in.”

The voice was low and chilling.

Entering what had likely once been the mansion’s reception room before it fell into ruin, Lucrezia narrowed her eyes.

The client she had expected to be some nouveau riche merchant or high-ranking noble turned out to be someone whose name was known throughout the Empire.

“…Duke Kallian Lanchester.”

“You know who I am? That’s unexpected.”

His tone suggested he found it strange that a mere member of an underworld guild would recognize him.

His mocking response left Lucrezia feeling slightly wronged.

Who in the Empire wouldn’t recognize Kallian, the war hero and the Empire’s one and only duke?

“There’s nothing surprising about it. The newspapers here run stories about Your Grace almost every day.”

Kallian’s fame wasn’t solely because he was a war hero.

Recently, the countless scandals he’d been causing in the capital had been decorating the front pages of newspapers and gossip magazines alike.

Most articles focused on the duke’s scandalous romantic affairs, and his partners ranged across every social class, married or unmarried alike.

Rumors even claimed he preferred men, making him an irresistible topic for anyone who enjoyed juicy gossip.

Well… with a face like that, it’s no wonder he’s popular.

His features possessed both aristocratic elegance and a decadent beauty.

Living up to his title as the Empire’s greatest knight, his broad physique and the firm muscles visible beneath his carelessly unbuttoned shirt were enough to captivate countless women.

The cold, cynical eyes that contrasted with the smile that never seemed to leave his lips, however, carried something deeply unsettling.

“Ah, those rumors. I’m honored my reputation has reached a remote city like this. Wouldn’t you agree, Derek?”

“…Yes.”

So the man who had led her here was named Derek.

Casting an accusing glance toward the duke, Derek eventually slumped his shoulders and spoke.

“Even so, I must object. Is it really necessary to hire a woman and give Your Grace’s reputation even more fuel? The incidents in the capital are already more than enough.”

“We’re not simply looking for a guide. We’re the ones pressed for time. We can’t afford to reject someone over their gender.”

“Your Grace.”

“Take off your hood. If we’re going to work together, we should at least know what each other looks like.”

Completely ignoring Derek’s reproachful stare, the duke addressed Lucrezia directly.

His tone dripped with arrogance and rudeness.

But after surviving every imaginable hardship in the underworld, Lucrezia found it hardly worth reacting to.

The moment she expressionlessly lowered her hood, the atmosphere in the room changed.

“Uh… excuse me… are you really the person the Guild sent?”

“I believe I’ve already answered that.”

“There must have been some kind of mistake. We were looking for a guide who also happens to be a locksmith—not someone to win people over with their looks.”

Derek’s painfully honest assessment drew a wry smile from her.

Even among women in their early twenties, Lucrezia was exceptionally beautiful, and she knew it herself.

But she had never appreciated her appearance.

Working in the underworld, it caused far more trouble than it was ever worth.

“You won’t find a better lockpicker in all of Benin. I can guarantee that.”

“But…”

“Someone who knows how to keep their mouth shut. Someone familiar with Benin inside and out. And the finest locksmith in the city.”

“Aren’t those exactly the qualifications you were looking for?”

When Lucrezia had decided to accept the job, Theo—her information broker—had added one more condition.

The client specifically needed someone capable of opening any safe or lock.

For Lucrezia, who had made a living robbing noble estates since she was a teenager, that was hardly a challenge.

Theo had probably tried to hide this commission because he’d realized the client was none other than the duke infamous for his promiscuous lifestyle.

“Interesting.”

The duke, who had silently observed their conversation, rose from his chair.

As Kallian slowly approached, studying her from head to toe like a predator examining its prey, an overwhelming pressure filled the room.

She instinctively shivered beneath his icy aura.

Then he tilted his head slightly.

“Have we met somewhere before?”

“…No. This is our first meeting.”

“Strange. My instincts are rarely wrong.”

What’s he trying to pull now?

She almost laughed.

The remark wasn’t even worth responding to.

But then another thought crossed her mind, sending a chill down her spine.

Could the Emperor’s closest confidant have somehow recognized her true identity?

Impossible.

Everyone who knew I was still alive is dead.

Her tenth birthday remained a nightmare she could never escape.

Every member of Lucrezia’s family had been slaughtered.

Not only her relatives, but even her nanny and the nanny’s young daughter had lost their lives.

The day after she escaped through the canals wearing ragged clothes she’d never imagined herself wearing, she saw her parents’ severed heads displayed in the public square under the accusation of treason.

From that moment on, Lucrezia’s life had changed completely.

The beloved young girl who had once been destined to become the greatest lady on the continent had long since burned to ashes upon the execution pyre.

“Whatever the case, it doesn’t matter.”

“I’ve just had a rather interesting idea.”

A handsome smile spread across Kallian’s face.

Standing close enough for their breaths to mingle, he was breathtakingly attractive.

His sharp nose looked as though it had been sculpted by a master craftsman. The crimson glow of the setting sun flowed over his pale cheeks and strong neck, making his devilishly handsome features even more striking.

Kallian spoke again just as she realized she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him.

“I have a new proposal.”

“While I’m staying in Benin… you’ll play the role of my lover.”