91

"Shit!"

On the outskirts of the capital city, a man was running like a madman, avoiding the moonlight that fell between the alleys. The traces of blood on the man's clothes, stained with fear, made it easy to guess how desperate he was to survive.

"I have to let them know. They got a tail."

Fortunately, he was familiar enough with the back alleys that he could find his way around even if he closed his eyes. No matter how much they flew and flew, they couldn't know the geography of this place better than he, who was born and raised in this city by stealing to make ends meet.

"Hyuk."

However, it took less than a few seconds for such internal confidence to crumble. The man who had overpowered the guards with the most overwhelming swordsmanship among the deadly hands that had attacked the darkly operated slave auction house was standing in front of him.

"The empire prohibits slavery. Do you want to trample on the lives of hundreds of innocent people?"

The look in his eyes through the black mask was the coldest he'd ever seen.

"Fuck."

The man who had already witnessed the black-robed man's dance in front of him gave up trying to compete. He had to run away and report to the top even if he had to give his self-respect and other things to the dogs.

He was just about to turn and run away with all his might.

"Give up."

"…!"

The two men who had led the unidentified black-clad men who had attacked the slave auction blocked his escape route. He was no match for the men who had been brawling in the streets.

"Damn it. What an unlucky day. I stepped in shit. Ptooey."

The man was prepared to die. If he, the head of the capital slave auction house, was caught, more torture would be waiting for him to dig a trail.

"If I knew this would happen, I would have spent all my money."

As soon as the speech was finished, he turned the dagger in his hand and fixed it to the bottom. He held the dagger tightly with both hands and pulled it to his abdomen with all his might.

Pok.

The man's eyes were bulging out. Just before the dagger penetrated the abdomen, his body fell short by a heavy pain hitting the nape of his neck.

"I'll never let you rest in death."

The man was struck in the vitals by a black-clad man standing behind him in the middle of nowhere. He struggled to stay awake, but he had already lost consciousness.

"We've achieved more than we thought we would."

The man who had been leading the black-clad people lowered the mask that had been covering his nose. The man with the elegant mustache had a grandeur befitting a middle-aged man.

"Did you find any evidence?"

"We've secured all the evidence that Duke Reinhardt has built up to the top and trafficked people."

The black-robed man who had knocked the man unconscious nodded and took off his mask. The black-haired man, who seemed to swallow even the faint moonlight, was Crown Prince Sian.

"I wouldn't have known if I hadn't looked into it. Even the four great families, called the pillars of the empire, have rotted and cracked."

"I didn't believe it until Your Highness came to me first and said everything was suspicious."

"The Count is stubborn."

"Are you reprimanding me?"

The middle-aged man was Count Lyndon, a neutral nobleman of a prestigious family. He, who had not raised his hand to either side of the imperial family or the aristocracy, stood on the side of Sian.

"The time you've stood in neutrality and turned away from me has been cruel."

"… I'm grateful for Cecilia. She's a big girl. I'm sure she wouldn't have been able to endure the suffocating life in the Imperial Palace."

"She didn't want it. That's all. Instead, I won the Count."

In order to avoid political marriages between the Grand Duke and the four great dukes, Sian had sought to crown Cecilia, the daughter of Count Lyndon, a neutral noble, as the Crown Princess. Count Lyndon neither agreed nor opposed to the proposal of Sian. Although he lost his authority, he believed it was the duty of the Imperial nobility to follow the will of the imperial family. Then Sian suddenly withdrew from his political proposal one day. Because Cecilia didn't want it.

"You've changed a lot."

"Is that so."

Count Lyndon stared at Sian, who spoke calmly. The impatience disappeared from his eyes. Previously, he was busy hiding himself from the nobles, but he didn't show that.

"Is it because of Lady Lucia?"

"…"

"The young lady who transformed His Highness."

Sian was silent. Count Lyndon knew it was positive even if he didn't say it.

"I would love to meet her if I have a chance."

"You will fall in love, too. That is the kind of woman she is."

Sian raised his head and looked up at the moon rising between the buildings. Lucia's long-lost face overlapped with the moon.

"I hope you're not too sick…"

Sian's expression darkened rapidly. Sian, who had been out of the palace to escape the surveillance of the nobles, worked with Count Lyndon to find the roots of the rotten and corrupt nobles. The imperial family, which was relatively inferior to the aristocracy, wanted to build the most necessary cause to fight against them. Then, a month ago, he couldn't overcome his desire to see Lucia, and he ordered Count Lyndon to send someone to the Academy.

However, for some reason, her chronic illness worsened and she left for the Kingdom of Belkan, a member of the Union of Three Kingdoms, which was the home of the Castol Trading Company run by her father, Emilio.

Sian was heartbroken to hear the story. When he was facing her at the academy, she didn't feel that way at all, but when he was told that her health was not good enough to take a leave of absence from the academy, he became worried. He couldn't sleep because he couldn't see how much pain she was in or how well she was eating, and he was more worried. Even more frustrating was the fact that he was stuck in the Imperial Palace and could not rush to the three countries' alliance located far to the north.

"Try to be patient. Ben, who went to the Trilateral Union soon, will bring the news."

"I should've sent a more capable person on horseback. I regret it."

"… I think I've told you a few times that Ben is from the meadow tribe, and he's the best rider in our family."

Count Lyndon repeated the same thing like a parrot, but the unenthusiastic Sian heard it in one ear and dropped it in one ear. Sian, who always listened to others in an open manner, became very stubborn whenever it came to Lucia.

"The situation has been sorted out. Let's pull out now."

"Yes."

It would be dawn soon. Before that, Sian had to go back to the palace and act as if nothing had happened, so there was no time to delay. It was time for the two people, who pulled up the mask again to cover their faces again. From the front, a man in black with a hawk on his forearm ran forward and showed respect.

"This is a message from Ben."

Count Lyndon lowered his mask again and looked back at Sian.

"Did you see that? Ben knew your impatience, and he sent you a very clever message. See for yourself."

He passed the letter he had received from his subordinate to Sian. When he received it, he read the letter with a mixture of concern for Lucia's health and anticipation of finally hearing the news.

"…"

Seeing Sian's eyes shaking, Count Lyndon asked anxiously.

"Is she not in good health?"

Sian was silent. After reading the letter several times, he stood there and asked the man in black who brought it.

"You're sure this letter was from Ben, aren't you?"

"Yes, Your Grace."

Sian was silent. It was the news he was so curious about, but there was no sign of joy.

"What the hell does it say?"

"Count, I'll go back first."

"Your Grace?"

Sian folded the letter, put it in his chest pocket, and left the Count in the alley where even the moonlight did not pass. Sian's eyes, returning to the Imperial Palace, were shaking violently.

"The Lady Lucia I know is fake?"

The contents of the letter were shocking itself. Lucia, the daughter of Emilio, the head of the Castol Chamber of Commerce, had contracted northern fever and had returned to her hometown to receive treatment as soon as she was admitted to the academy. And now she's miraculously recovered and is doing well.

If this was true, who was the woman who had been facing and talking to Sian? Was she really sick? Or was even that a lie? He didn't know. What the hell was going on? He felt as if he were possessed by a ghost.

Sian stopped walking back to the palace. The letter said that Emilio, Lucia's father and head of the Castol Corporation, had been staying in the Imperial capital for more than a year. Sian also vaguely remembered. Emilio had visited the academy in a carriage with a pattern symbolizing the Castol Trading Company, and had explained that Lucia was frequently absent from lectures for health reasons and could not spend time in the dormitory.

"If it's him…"

Wasn't Emilio aware of Lucia's identity? Suddenly, Sian's eyes, which had been thinking like that, subsided. Come to think of it, Sian knew nothing about Lucia. Despite her growing presence in his mind, nothing.

"I don't care who you are."

However, it didn't matter whether Lucia was fake or real as Sian knew so far. He was going to visit Emilio to confirm that.

"… I miss you."

***

The capital was excited about the secret salon. In particular, L, the hostess of the salon, was the center of the topic itself. The knowledge and intelligence that L showed in the open debate surprised the famous scholars in the academic world. They evaluated Elena's humanism centered on humans as an idea that was ahead of the times.

Not only that, but the curiosity about L, the mistress of the Secret Salon, was further amplified when it was revealed that she was the real owner of the large building called a basilica under construction near the site.

Intellect. Investor. It wasn't confirmed, but even her beauty could be guessed by the silhouette. As a woman who has never been seen in the history of the empire, people pointed to L as the modern woman. Many young men visited the salon every day to see L. Aside from her beauty, L, who showed off her intellectual and decisive investment, was a mysterious person who fascinated people.

However, the conservative middle-aged aristocrats did not like the existence of such L. They felt she threatened to change the views of women who took root in the empire and shake up their patriarchal vested interests. Some young women in society also criticized L. Having learned for hundreds of years by believing that it was the virtue of a woman to help her husband and calm her family, they were more inclined to reject L's existence than to accept it. They said that L was wearing a mask, in fact, to cover a scary scar, they even made that groundless gossip.

But not everyone did. Awakening young women were enthusiastic about L, who was considered the modern woman, as an object of envy. Despite efforts to overcome the limitations of women, the limitations have been clear due to prejudice and external pressure. However, L broke the framework of long-established practices in the empire. That alone was a great suggestion. Women hoped to follow in L's footsteps and become independent players in their fields and stand tall with recognition.