DIRTY LITTLE SECRET

[HER BLOOD is definitely special.]

Diether watched Sonata Florin nullify the black magic around the carriage in silence.

He was wondering about how to dig deeper into Sonata Florin's background, but now he finally got a clue.

[I haven't heard of a family who could use their blood as a weapon.]

Not in the Zerua Kingdom, at least.

[That means Lady Florin might not be from this kingdom. Or, perhaps, her birth parents belonged to a forgotten household. If I look for families that deal with blood, I'm sure I'm going to find some useful information.]

As the heir to House Hexford and the king's nephew, he had access to the most classified records in the Royal Library.

[I should visit the Royal Library later. But, for now…]

"Come out," Diether said out loud, touching the scabbard of his Holy Sword. "I am not in the mood to act merciful tonight."

The night looked dead and silent.

But he could sense the presence around them.

Whoever those people were, he could tell that they were good at hiding. Unfortunately, his senses were better than their stealth.

"Good evening, Commander Hexford."

Diether's eyes widened a bit when he recognized the person who stepped out of the dark. "What are you doing here?"

Aside from the king, the queen, and the Crown Prince, only Diether and his father would recognize that face.

It was Captain Redwood– the captain of his uncle– er, the king's Secret Order.

[Is Lady Florin working with them?]

***

"WE'LL CLEAN up this place, Lady Sonata."

Sonata, who was washing her face in the bathroom, raised her head and looked at the reflection of the man standing behind her. "Thank you, Captain Redwood."

Captain Redwood was a man in his early forties– long dark green hair tied in a man bun, bearded face, bulky build. The symbol of a silver wild dog on his all-black uniform also served as his identity as the captain of the Hounds.

The 'Hounds' was the king's Secret Order– aka the group of knights with questionable backgrounds that was in charge of doing all the dirty jobs for the king.

[And the king is none other than Grand Duke Hexford's older brother.]

When Grand Duke Daniel Hexford– Diether's slightly crazy father– found out about Sonata's real identity, His Grace didn't hesitate to bring her to the king.

In return for keeping her identity a secret from the world, she was forced to agree to help the Secret Order whenever the king demanded her to do so. Fortunately, the king had a conscience. So, she was paid handsomely for every mission she would take– whether it was a success or not.

"We will take the assassin that you caught," Captain Redwood said, then he paused as if he hesitated before he asked: "Lady Sonata, what should we do about Commander Hexford? He caught us."

"Did the commander ask you anything?"

The captain shook his head. "Commander Hexford is known for not caring about things that have nothing to do with the temple."

Right.

That was a rumor that even Sonata had heard.

[That's how Lord Diether gained the title of the Avari Temple's 'Sword.' But, for people who hate the commander, he's nothing but the 'Saintess' dog.]

Even the nobles who were known to support the Royal Family criticized Diether for showing more loyalty to the temple than the throne. On the other hand, the devotees of the Avari Temple respected the commander as much as they admired the Saintess.

But Diether was yet to be accused of treason because the king himself favored his nephew.

"I'm sure Lord Diether won't be a problem," Sonata said, shrugging. "But I'll talk to him to make sure he'll keep this a secret."

Captain Redwood looked relieved by what she said, then he bowed his head towards her. "I'll leave it to you then, Lady Sonata."

***

SONATA found Diether sitting on the stone staircase in front of the restaurant.

[Surprising him won't work, right?]

She left the kids that they rescued to Madam Margo in the meantime. For now, she needed to have a conversation with the commander.

"Are you working with the king's Secret Order, Lady Florin?"

[As expected, he already noticed my presence.]

Sonata sat on the other end of the staircase, making sure that there was a decent space between her and Diether. "Are you finally curious about me, my lord?"

Diether scoffed. "You don't have to answer it if you don't want to."

She just laughed at his grumpiness. "I can't tell you everything since the Secret Order thrives in staying mysterious. But I can assure you that I can't harm your household and the kingdom. Your father and the king will kill me first before I even dare to."

"You didn't say you won't harm the temple."

"Do I have to?"

"House Hexford, the Royal Family, and the Avari Temple," he said, then he turned to her. "Those three are the pillars of the Zerua Kingdom. You said you can't harm my household and the kingdom. But does it mean you're capable of harming the temple?"

"That's a stretch, my lord."

"You're not a follower of the Goddess Avari, are you?"

"I thought you already know that I don't have a religion after running a background check on me."

He flinched, then he avoided her gaze as if he was embarrassed. "So, you already know that we ran a background check on you?"

"Is Candyfloss already the best information guild in the kingdom? If that's the case, then it's worrying."

"They're good– you're just too mysterious."

She laughed at his honesty.

"I won't apologize for running a background check on you, Lady Florin. I'm sure that if your father suddenly told you to marry a stranger, you would have done the same thing."

"You don't have to apologize verbally, but don't be stingy, my lord. Don't you think you should at least offer a peace offering?"

He turned to her as if he had already expected that from her. "What do you want this time, Lady Florin?"

"Forget about everything that happened tonight."

"Consider it done, then."

"And please treasure yourself more."

"Excuse me?"

"I know why you rushed to my rescue," she said, standing up. "It's not because you care about me, but because you just wanted to put yourself in a dangerous situation."

[In other words, this man is suicidal.]

It looked like she hit a nerve because the commander glared at her.

"And what do you know about me, Lady Florin?"

"I can tell by your dead eyes that you're only alive because you can't die, Lord Diether," Sonata said bluntly. She knew because she was in that horrible state as well a few years ago. "Don't do anything reckless around me because I might just end up saving you, even if you don't want to be saved."

"But why would you save me?"

"Because I like your face."

"Excuse me?"

"You're very handsome, Lord Diether," Sonata said sincerely, smiling at the stunned commander. "I actually agreed to marry you because your face is my type."

Diether said nothing, but his entire face turned red.

[Fascinating~]

***

DIETHER missed the Worship Service that afternoon, but he knew he would still find Francine in the Avari Temple.

Hence, even though it was already past midnight, he still went to the prayer room.

"You're just in time, Diether oppa."

'Oppa.'

It was a term that Celeste taught Francine.

[Apparently, 'oppa' means 'older brother.' But Celeste never shared with us where she learned the strange language that she would often use in the past.]

Ah, thinking about Celeste only made him miss her more.

His thoughts were only interrupted when Francine, the Saintess, turned around to face him.

Francine had blonde hair, green eyes, and pale skin. The white and gold robe that she wore only made her look even paler. But it suited her because she had a very angelic face that wouldn't make anyone question her position as the Saintess.

"Oppa, I saw it in my Vision just now," Francine said worriedly, clasping her hands together as if she was praying. "I saw Celeste unnie's last destination before she disappeared."

'Unnie' meant older sister, and that was how Francine addressed Celeste.

"Where is it, Francine?" Diether asked, hope filling up his chest quickly. "Where do I find the last traces of my wife?"