* * *
“I have my reasons. Pretend you don’t know.”
A rumor had spread: the Crown Prince’s fiancée had become the guardian of a dazzlingly beautiful commoner child.
She was reportedly seen going out often with the child.
People couldn’t understand why she would venture out into the city when she should be hiding in the mansion.
The child’s beauty was so extraordinary that people gossiped behind her back, wondering if Elizabeth had taken on a lover.
Martius was curious what sort of plan his brother had in mind.
Letting out a deep sigh, he decided to visit Yuri the next day, thinking back on Kelvin’s concern.
“Young master! Lord Nertian is here to see you!”
The servant knocked frantically on Yuri’s door, which hadn’t opened for days.
The youngest master had shut himself in, sulking, and the entire household was growing increasingly worried.
Perhaps the prolonged absence of the Duchess had shaken him deeply.
The Countess had tried to speak with her son, knocking on his door—but was turned away.
Now, with Lord Nertian—someone close to Yuri—arriving, everyone was hoping he would finally come out.
“W-Who did you say is here?”
“Lord Martius Nertian!”
The tightly shut door creaked open just enough to reveal a pair of eyes.
The servant felt a surge of pity at the sight of the young master’s gaunt face.
‘Our sweet young master…’
“Tell him to go―”
SLAM.
“Ugh! What the hell are you doing?!”
Martius had followed the servant inside, anticipating Yuri wouldn’t agree to see him.
Upon seeing Yuri’s disheveled state, he clicked his tongue.
The room was dark, heavy with a depressive air.
“This room looks like it could make a healthy person sick. I’ve got something to say, so wash up and come out.”
“I’m fine, just go. Hey, I said go, damn it—!”
Striding forward, Martius flung open all the curtains and shoved Yuri into the bathroom.
“If you’d wait in the parlor, Lord Nertian… I’d appreciate it.”
“Sure. Clean this place up while you’re at it.”
Despite Martius’s curt tone, the servant couldn’t stop smiling—just glad that the young master had come out of his room.
Other servants quickly began cleaning Yuri’s room.
“Haah. Just send him away.”
“He said he’ll wait until you come out, young master.”
“Then let him wait.”
“I’ve never seen such a headstrong Alpha—”
“Shut it.”
‘It’s not like that.’
Yuri scowled deeply at the servant’s remark and reluctantly began undressing.
He had tried to let go of his feelings for the Duchess.
It had been foolish of him to fall for someone who already loved another.
He tried to erase the Duchess from his mind, but just thinking about her made it hard to breathe.
It felt like he could die at any moment—but the guilt weighing on him wouldn’t even allow that.
The price for coveting what should never have been touched came back as a bitter wound.
Martius, who resembled Sylvian, was the last person he wanted to see.
“You’re finally starting to look a bit more presentable.”
Martius’ prim voice drew a hollow laugh from Yuri.
“Why are you here?”
“Are you not looking for your brother anymore?”
“…No, I still am.”
He had failed to protect him.
That meant he had to take responsibility to the very end.
“I thought it was just another idiot getting hurt and running away by himself.”
“You mean me?”
“Who knows? But if you’re going to keep going, help me out.”
Martius grinned, pleased at Yuri’s unexpectedly agreeable response.
This wasn’t about the independence army, so if he didn’t want to beg the Duke for help, he needed Yuri.
He’d wrestled with it all night and finally made up his mind.
He’d also calculated that “If it helps find his brother, maybe it’ll help Yuri sort through his feelings, too.”
“You’re not going to investigate like last time?”
“This is different. Hey… have you ever tailed someone? Or kidnapped anyone?”
Yuri’s face twisted instantly in displeasure, glaring at Martius like he’d lost his mind.
Martius just brushed it off.
“This is kind of a secret, but… I got a special mission, because of the independence army.”
“A solo mission?”
“Yeah! That’s right!”
It was something his brother had asked of him, but a mission was still a mission.
If Yuri mistakenly thought the order came from the capital, all the better.
“Is your brother’s kidnapping related to the independence army?”
“Yeah. Apparently someone hired them to abduct the Duchess. We need to find out who.”
Martius lied with a straight face, and Yuri, seeing his serious expression, believed every word.
“To dare oppose the Empire and kidnap the Duchess…”
“Well, the Duke’s always out there suppressing the independence army.”
“So they must’ve held a grudge!”
He’d never noticed it because Yuri always smiled, but now that he was angry—he looked pretty good like that, too.
Watching expressive Yuri, Martius felt a pang of injustice.
‘Good-looking people really do pull off anything, don’t they?’
“So what do we do?”
“I found a lead at the Duke’s estate.”
“A lead?”
“I think I’ve found someone who acts as a contact for the independence army.”
“Let’s go.”
Yuri sprang to his feet. Martius looked at him and smiled with satisfaction.
“That woman?”
“Yeah.”
Yuri was about to rush out, but Martius held him back.
They were now sitting at a tea shop near the maid’s house, right as the sun was setting.
He wondered if the maid his brother had pointed out would return home.
“She’s here.”
Just like the night before, she entered the house around the same time.
“Yesterday she went somewhere else first, right?”
“Yeah, to Guild Street.”
It was a major marketplace, but there were plenty of small shops near her house too.
She could’ve easily picked up dinner ingredients nearby.
There was no need to go that far unless she had another reason.
“Maybe she went to their main hideout?”
“Could be, but it won’t be easy to find a specific place in that street.”
There were many workshops, eateries, and buildings with bars on the ground floor and lodging above.
Some buildings were cheap rentals, and her modest belongings didn’t seem out of place at all.
“What are you going to do if we catch her?”
“Once we get proof, I’ll handle it. Don’t worry.”
As a knight of the royal family, he had the authority to punish the independence army.
If she really was connected to them, she could be interrogated.
If not, he’d have to use the excuse of rooting out rebels to ask the Duke for help.
“Still… I’ve got this uneasy feeling, like someone’s caught on.”
Since the day the Duke had promised to help, he hadn’t interfered at all.
But Martius couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was keeping an eye on him.
He looked around cautiously.
“Have you been inside the house?”
“Yeah. It’s ordinary. I checked everywhere someone could hide documents—in the walls, the floor…”
He’d broken in the first day before even confirming her identity.
“What about those customers?”
“Excuse me?”
“We’re closed for the night.”
The owner, who had been watching the pair chatting for hours at the most hidden corner table, finally spoke up with an apologetic look.
They probably looked like lovers meeting in secret, but unfortunately, it was closing time.
“There are other restaurants nearby with a nice atmosphere. Would you like a recommendation?”
“We’re good, thank you.”
Clueless, the two stood up and complimented the tea on their way out.
“The lights are on.”
“We’ve confirmed her face. So tomorrow, let’s check that street she visited yester—”
“No, something’s off. There’s no one inside.”
Yuri was about to move on, but Martius stopped him with a hand on his wrist.
“What is it?”
“She went in carrying a bunch of food again. Shouldn’t there be some sign of life?”
Just as Martius said, there was no human presence inside.
Opening his senses to scan the room, he confirmed that she wasn’t there.
The two of them hid in the alley and waited for her to return.
As Martius had predicted, the woman who had sneaked out earlier came back late at night and quietly slipped inside.
The two exchanged a look.
* * *
