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Elena looked at the center man through her mask. Aside from the bizarre mask, his grooming was frivolously bold. Even now, he was wearing only pants with his upper body exposed, and it was barbaric.

"… You don't look like a junkie, but you want to buy some heavenly powder?"

Elena nodded to the horn masked man's question.

"So I'm here."

"Why?"

"Why is it important?"

Elena's remark made the horned masked man laugh. But he quickly removed his laughter and looked at her with a fierce look.

"It's important. You're the first man and woman to come here together. Those who come with someone are always behind the scenes."

"That's prejudice."

"So answer me. Why do you want to buy it?"

The man in the horn mask was quite sharp. That's why he sat in the seat as a middleman distributor for the opium organization made up of point organizations. Elena spoke as she had prepared in advance.

"Okay, let's talk. I have a job from the nobility."

"Nobility? Ah, then I can't sell. Don't the customers overlap?"

"Don't worry. I'm not an Imperial noble."

The horn masked put his hands on his chin. The sexily dressed woman who opened the door put a piece of fruit in her mouth, which she chewed firmly and swallowed.

"Okay. Yes. How much? Seeing as you're nobles, I'm guessing not just one or two."

"10 kg."

"…!"

When Elena presented the deal volume, the eyes of the horn masked man widened. In the case of the currently distributed heavenly powder, ten kilograms was a tremendous amount that could be inhaled by a thousand people at once. Ever since he had been working as a middleman, he had never seen anyone buy such a large amount.

"Are you serious?"

"There's no reason to lie, is there?"

The horn masked man narrowed his eyes.

"Do you have any money to pay?"

"If not, I wouldn't have come in the first place."

Elena criticized him as if she were talking back and forth. This was to inform the horn masked man that she had come to trade on equal terms with the man and did not want to condescend to him. After a few moments of silence, the man in the horn mask's demeanor suddenly changed.

"Oh, no! I didn't recognize a big customer. Come on, sit comfortably over there."

"I feel comfortable standing up."

When Elena expressed her rejection, the beautiful woman who opened the door approached Hurelbard.

"Big brother standing there, please sit down. What are you doing standing there until your feet start to hurt?"

"Don't come near me."

Hurelbard warned. However, the woman smiled and made eyes at him as if she didn't care.

"Oh, you're awkward? Then I'll sit you down. So sit back and… Hyuk!"

"I won't stop at warning you again."

The woman froze like ice at Hurelbard's frosty warning. The woman couldn't get closer to the killing intent that Hurelbard had poured out, her whole body trembling. Curious, Elena glanced away and looked up at Hurelbard. She was curious as to why he was blocking the woman's approach in such a determined and frightening manner. Hurelbard said, without letting his calm gaze leave the woman.

"That woman is a skilled assassin."

"…!"

Elena was surprised. She thought she was just a woman on the market, but she never dreamed she was carrying such a dagger.

"That's not all. Beyond the curtain, two more assassins are hiding."

Elena looked at the horn masked man.

"Is it true?"

"…"

The horn masked man was silent as if he were mute. Silence was a positive. Elena's voice was as sharp as a blade.

"That's funny. I can't believe you're treating customers like this."

"Hey, it's a misunderstanding. Misunderstanding. There's a lot of crazy junkies out here, so shouldn't I have a few people to take care of myself?"

As if he had a different idea, the horn masked man looked around. Although his shamelessness was ridiculous, Elena didn't fall over. It was more important to get this deal done than her immediate feelings and moods.

"Let's get back to business. I'm not as patient as I look."

Elena finished with a mild warning and hurried on, as if she thought the man was right.

"Did you say 10 kg before?"

"Is it possible?"

"Let's talk openly. There's not that much here."

"Not that much?"

"Do you think drug dealers here would make such a big purchase? Why don't we set a date separately? You don't seem to have the money to pay that much right now anyway. You see the money, we see the powder."

Elena thought about the man's suggestion for a while and nodded.

"Good. Then let's set the location here in ten days and the time here."

"Alright."

After completing her business, Elena turned around as if she didn't want to stay in this dirty place anymore. Then the man in the horn mask called Elena from behind.

"Oh, I forgot to say something."

The man in the horn mask's eyes turned sour.

"If there's a prank in this deal… It won't end well. You know what I'm saying, right?"

Elena looked back and responded the same way.

"You too. Oh, I'm speaking out of concern for you, but don't even think about following me. The person next to me isn't very generous either."

Elena turned cold and left the room. Elena, who passed the hallway and came down to the first floor, hurried out because she didn't want to stay in this messy ballroom for another second.

When they returned to the carriage, they found the driver dozing. Hurelbard woke him up and got him ready to leave, then returned to Elena and opened the carriage door.

"Let's get in."

Elena, who was escorted and boarded the carriage, looked back at him.

"Sir, get in, too."

"Me too?"

"Who else is here besides sir?"

Elena smiled over the mask. Then, she recommended sitting pointing to the seat inside the carriage.

"I'm sorry."

A startled Hurelbard's hastily shook his head and refused. It was an unwritten rule that knights, with the exception of lovers, were not to ride in a carriage with a lady. The mere fact that they were together in the enclosed space of the carriage was enough to raise suspicions about the lady's morals.

"Why? No one's watching."

"No, I can't. My actions can lead to misunderstanding."

Elena smiled around her mouth.

"Did you forget you're wearing a mask? And there's no one here to misunderstand."

Hurelbard opened his eyes wide at Elena's remarks. Elena said as if nothing really happened.

"Get on. Or I won't leave."

"…"

"Come on."

Hurelbard, who was overwhelmed by the power of Elena, finally got into the carriage.

Clattering, clattering.

Eventually, the horseman whipped around and the wheels of the four-wheeled carriage began to roll. At a speed that was neither fast nor slow, they drove across the deserted capital city around dawn.

Hurelbard sat in a stiff posture on the other side of Elena, and because of his tall stature, his head was close enough to reach the ceiling. Every time the carriage rattled, the top of his head hit the ceiling with a thud, but he maintained his modest posture without changing his expression, even though it must have hurt. Elena gave a small smile.

"Sir, please loosen up. It's uncomfortable for me to watch."

"This is comfortable for me."

"You look uncomfortable."

Despite Elena's worries, Hurelbard did not relax. Elena gave up persuasion when he did not listen to her after talking a few more times.

"Sir is so prim-minded at times like this."

"I'm sorry."

"It's nothing to be sorry about."

Elena smiled and stretched her hand behind her head. Then she untied the knot and took off her mask. She also untied her hair behind her back and brushed it off.

"What are you doing?"

Elena, who was sweeping down her hair and arranging it, sat in front of him and looked at Hurelbard, who tried to take his mask off as well.

"I'm sorry. Because it's not easy to untie…"

"I'll help you."

Elena, who smiled small, stretched out her arms and untied the eagle mask tightly tied to the back of Hurelbard.

"…!"

The mask came off and Hurelbard's face was as red as a red beet. He was unable to lift his head with it deeply bowed, as if he recognized that his face was also burning. Elena placed the eagle mask on her own mask and looked at Hurelbard.

"A conversation begins with facing each other. Raise your head."

"…"

"I'm in trouble if you keep doing this. I'm going to talk about a deep topic today."

Only then, Hurelbard hesitating, barely raised his head. Even though he was embarrassed by Elena's gaze, staring at him, he finally recovered his composure. Elena, who felt that normal conversation was now possible, said.

"Sir, aren't you curious? Why am I going to a masquerade ball, why am I buying opium?"

"I'm not curious."

"Why? You must be curious. Unbearably so."

Hurelbard replied with a straight look.

"A knight only obeys the orders of their master. I think it's a virtue not to doubt or question."

"I wasn't hoping for a textbook reply. I put Sir in the carriage because I wanted to hear a more heartfelt response."

Hurelbard shut up for a moment. Elena's serious attitude, which he had never seen before, he worried about and spoke in distress.

"The reason I don't ask is because I can't fully understand Your Highness' will."

"Can't understand?"

"The princess I've seen is always looking forward two or three steps. Even if I ask her one move ahead now, it won't mean anything."

Hurelbard still remembered it clearly. He still remembered clearly the day when she had appointed him as a guard knight simply because he was handsome. But that was a deception. She had deceived other people's attention by his appearance, and she had placed her trust in Hurelbard's swordsmanship. Even though she had never seen him wield a sword before.

Today was no different. Private contact with someone who deals in opium was a dangerous business in itself. Despite Hurelbard's concerned advice, Elena kicked him off with a single word.

"Sir, I know."

Elena had infinite trust in Hurelbard, as if she had seen through his true ability, which even the members of the 2nd Knight Order didn't know much about. How on earth did she know that? He wondered, but Hurelbard didn't care. For a knight, there was no greater honor than the humanity and trust of their master.

Elena was happy and burdened by Hurelbard's words.

"Sir, you overestimate me."

"No, Your Highness is humble. I mean it. I think it's the most honorable blessing of my life to serve Your Highness."

Blessing. Elena was rendered speechless for a moment by Hurelbard's near-gold lacquer confession. Immediately, she felt a warmth in one corner of her chest. It was touching, because she hadn't expected Hurelbard to follow her so far into her heart. But.

'Will you follow me even if you know I'm not Princess Veronica?'

She wasn't sure yet. The fact that Elena was a substitute for a knight who valued honor could have been taken as a great dishonor.

'But if it were him.'

Elena didn't think she would have a chance to confess the truth to Hurelbard if it wasn't now. Elena took a breath and slowly opened her mouth.

"Sir, I have a confession to make to you."

"Confession?"

Elena nodded to Hurelbard's reaction.

Elena, who hesitated for a while, took courage and opened her mouth.

"I am not Princess Veronica."