Chapter~02
Jade had said that to me, but the truth was that I had an indelible connection with the Elrad Ducal Family.
If I had to be more specific, it was closer to a bad relationship.
The Duke of Elrad, known as the Sword of the Lakshuten Empire, was infamous enough to make even a crying child stop crying instantly.
But I knew that he wasn’t simply frightening because of the rumors; he was genuinely terrifying.
Even after ten years, I couldn’t forget those blade-like eyes and decisions made without even the slightest trace of mercy.
Remembering that time wouldn’t change what I had to do today, though.
I looked at the enormous main building with its blue roof and white exterior, the annexes beside it, and the tall, sturdy walls surrounding everything as I went over today’s mission again.
My palms seemed to grow sweaty for no reason, so I repeatedly clenched and unclenched my hands before letting out a short breath.
I was nervous, but the thought that I had finally been recognized by the colleagues who had belittled my abilities and the Master who always excluded me from difficult missions made me feel elated.
I wanted to complete this mission perfectly, no matter what, and firmly prove my worth.
‘If I can’t earn their recognition even here, I feel like my heart will completely break…….’
I didn’t want to experience being cast aside again because I was no longer needed.
I forcibly ignored the desire that had surfaced from the depths of my heart and turned my head to inspect the guards.
‘The entire Rexion Knights Order really is here, isn’t it? What kind of guest could possibly warrant this…….’
Even though I already knew this information through Jade, my head tilted involuntarily.
There were fewer guards and escort knights stationed around the mansion than usual, but they weren’t ordinary knights.
They were all the Silver Wolves the Ducal Family proudly boasted about—in other words, the Rexion Knights Order.
‘Still, I’m confident.’
Without hesitation, I pulled my mask up to cover my face.
Then I moved the mana within my body and concealed my presence as though melting into the air, entrusting myself to the darkness.
Passing through the walls of the ducal residence in an instant as if teleporting, I crossed the vast maze garden, passed the silver wolf statue that symbolized the Ducal Family and the enormous fountain, and hid myself beside the main building.
I peered inside through a large arched window, only to find the mansion completely dark, as though it had been swallowed by darkness.
‘Why is it so quiet?’
Compared to the time several months ago when I had infiltrated the birthday party of Diana, the treasure of the Elrad Ducal Family, disguised as a maid, the place was so quiet that it was impossible to believe they were expecting a guest.
If all the guards hadn’t been members of the Rexion Knights Order, I would have thought I had come here for nothing.
Then I saw a black carriage with no insignia entering from the direction of the back gate.
A short while later, two people stepped out of the carriage, both of them completely covered in pitch-black robes.
Judging by their unusually tall stature, they seemed to be men, but their faces were hidden by the hoods of their robes.
I watched them for quite some time, trying to determine the identities of the guests, before drawing in a breath.
‘Of course, I thought the butler or attendants would come to receive the guests!’
But the person who opened the mansion door and came out was the Duke of Elrad himself.
However, I didn’t have much time to think.
The mysterious guests, the Duke of Elrad, and the butler and aide following behind him quickly disappeared into the mansion.
I immediately tracked their movements from outside the mansion.
They moved very secretly and quickly.
Toward the third floor of the main building, where the Duke’s study was located.
‘Could they be plotting a rebellion?’
That was my first thought.
I also had a feeling that I had stumbled upon something enormous.
As expected, once they reached the Duke’s study, they immediately drew the curtains and checked the security.
But without anyone noticing, I slightly opened the window and peered through a gap in the curtains.
It was then that one of the robed men began to remove the hood from his head.
I felt the sharp presence of a sword behind me.
As someone with an innate talent for concealing my presence, I was also extremely sensitive to the presence of others.
Yet someone had approached this close without me noticing.
My heart began pounding rapidly at the low voice.
With the thought of ‘No way.’ flashing through my mind, I climbed onto the roof without even turning my head, determined never to be discovered.
Soon, the sound of a flute came from behind me, and tremendous presences began moving simultaneously.
‘Damn it, he called the wolves.’
It seemed the Rexion Knights Order, filled with some of the most formidable knights in the Empire, had begun the pursuit.
And before the knights could even get close, I was caught by the person who had discovered me on the spire of the Ducal Family’s residence.
At the cold sensation against my neck, I slowly dropped to my knees.
The man who had pointed his sword at me from behind in a semicircle stepped in front of me.
At that moment, as though it were a cruel trick of fate, the moonlight slowly shifted.
Silvery hair dazzling beneath the moonlight, and blue eyes visible between the strands.
Standing before my eyes was the one person I absolutely did not want to meet in a situation like this.
An impossibly beautiful man, Lucio Elrad, the eldest son of the Elrad Ducal Family.
‘Why is he here!’
Jade had clearly told me that Lucio had left for the ducal territory today and was away from the ducal residence.
If I had known he was here, I would have prepared much more thoroughly before infiltrating the mansion.
‘Terenchium is famous for dealing only in accurate information, so there couldn’t possibly be a mistake…….’
At that moment, a thought flashed through my mind, and my head went completely blank.
‘He deliberately gave me false information.’
All the strength drained from my body from the shock and sense of emptiness.
I knew Jade hated me, but I never thought he would push me this far toward the edge of a cliff.
We had been comrades for eight years, after all…….
‘You bastard with not a shred of loyalty!’
The faces of the executives and then the Master flashed through my mind one after another.
So did all the time I had struggled desperately to earn their recognition.
Just as I felt the thin thread of belonging I had barely managed to maintain snap completely—
Lucio raised his sword and swung it swiftly.
A light breeze blew, and the mask that had been precariously hanging over my nose was cut in half, revealing my face.
Lucio’s blue eyes widened, then began trembling as though struck by the wind.
I sensed the intense agitation in his gaze and was greatly flustered.
‘Did he recognize me?’
There was no way he could remember me, with my ordinary brown hair and ordinary brown eyes.
Besides, I had watched Lucio from afar all this time, but he hadn’t seen me for nearly ten years.
To Lucio, I must have been nothing more than a beggar to whom he had shown a moment of compassion.
So there was no way he could have recognized me.
His voice was trembling.
Lucio’s bewilderment, something I had never seen before, left me unable to hide my own agitation.
The certainty that he knew me could be felt in the eyes staring directly at me.
The moment I realized that, I felt as though tears were about to spill out all at once.
Lucio had been the only person who had taught me what kindness was when I was at my most miserable and insignificant.
And I couldn’t bear showing myself like this to that person.
I hurriedly recited the summoning spell in my mind, and soon a handful of powder appeared in my hand.
‘If I sprinkle the special powder developed by Terenchium on my opponent, it will temporarily block their vision and all their senses, so I should be able to escape from this situation…….’
Thud!
At that moment, before I could even sprinkle the powder, my body froze completely.
I slowly lowered my head and saw the sword that had pierced me from behind.
I had been so focused on the person in front of me that I hadn’t even considered the Rexion Knights Order pursuing me from behind.
They were accustomed to reading mana and detecting presences, so perhaps my act of summoning the powder had looked as though I was attempting to attack the Young Duke.
Countless mistakes in judgment, moments of carelessness, and regrets flashed through my mind……
I covered my mouth.
Fresh blood dripped between my fingers.
Even as my vision began to blur, Lucio’s voice calling my name felt unfamiliar.
I had never once imagined that I would hear my name from his lips in my entire life.
Then, accompanied by a faint cracking sound, a powerful wave of mana unlike anything I had ever felt before shook my entire body.
And a moment later.
As I closed my eyes while watching the entire world flicker black, I remembered one thing.
I had never told Lucio my name……
How much time had passed?
I could feel my heart pounding violently.
‘Thankfully, I guess I didn’t die.’
I might be subjected to severe torture from now on, but for the moment, I was simply satisfied to be alive.
For someone like me, who had neither family nor anything to lose, ‘surviving’ had always been my highest priority.
But separately from that, I still couldn’t believe the betrayal of the comrade I had considered family.
I wanted to believe it had been Jade’s unilateral decision, but then again, who knew?
〈Do you really think other people will recognize you just because you do this?〉
〈I can never become a good person to you. So no matter what anyone else says, don’t misunderstand.〉
〈Remember, Ria. Never trust me.〉
Why were the words the Master always repeated coming to mind at this particular moment?
He was the person who had saved me, a street beggar dying in the rain, and given me a new chance at life.
And he was also the person who had pushed me to my limits time and time again with harsh words and training that was difficult to endure.
But I had never taken the Master’s words at face value.
I thought everything he said was meant to make me stronger.
‘But now, I don’t know.’
It was then, as I felt a single tear trickle down from my closed eyes and wondered helplessly about what I should do next—
‘But how did I survive in the first place?’
I had clearly seen the sword pierce my heart with my own eyes.
It wouldn’t have been strange for me to die instantly, so no matter how lucky I had been, was it really possible to survive that?
More than anything, it was strange that there wasn’t even the slightest trace of the excruciating pain I had felt when I was stabbed.
I hurriedly tried to sit up to assess the situation, but I involuntarily frowned at the creaking metallic sound.
It was the sound I hated most in the world.
I had hated the cheap bed I used at the orphanage when I was young so much that the very first thing I bought with my savings was a soft bed……
The musty smell, torn curtains, dust scattered everywhere, and old walls cracked in several places.
At the sight identical to the place I had never been able to forget for even a moment, I covered my mouth, then startled again as I examined my hands.
Seeing the small, thin hands covered in grime left me so dumbfounded that I couldn’t speak.
After remaining frozen in shock for a long while, my lips finally parted.
