Chapter 15
They say you meet your enemy on a narrow bridge.
But I guess I didn’t even need to reach the bridge—I saved time, at least.
“You’ve been going out quite a lot lately.”
I ran into my stepmother, Chloe, in the corridor.
Behind her stood Roosevelt and Abel.
“I’ve been doing my part for the family.”
“Did you ever have a part to play?”
Chloe curled her lips into a smirk.
“I never wanted one in the first place.”
At first, I had thought about quietly leaving this place.
For Irene, who could never escape this prison-like hell.
But now… I’ve changed my mind.
“Well, with such important people taking interest in my business, I’m quite flattered.”
Chloe’s eyebrows twitched ever so slightly.
“Have you found the real culprit who poisoned your sister?”
“That’s the Lord Patriarch’s responsibility.”
“But I worried your mother might have quite a few things to deal with too.”
At my remark, Roosevelt stepped forward and pointed a finger at me.
“Do you even know what you’re saying, you wretched girl?”
“…I’ve been learning quite a lot lately. Like how to take care of myself.”
“What kind of nonsense is this?!”
“I just thought Lord Roosevelt should study how to speak with manners. Learning doesn’t come with an age limit, after all.”
Roosevelt’s jaw dropped as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.
“You really have gone mad.”
“Perhaps something went wrong in my head after my sister died. Everyone grieves differently, after all.”
How comfortable this was.
To be able to say whatever I pleased, all in the name of mourning my own death.
I wasn’t sure if that was something to be pleased about, but still—
“There are many ways to go mad,” Chloe murmured coolly.
Cough.
But why did I always start coughing whenever I ran into Chloe?
Once again, I had to cover my mouth quickly as a tickle rose in my throat.
“So pitiful, struggling like that with such a frail body.”
Her eyes were filled with sympathy, as if telling me not to try so hard.
“Exactly. Being this weak and helpless, I have no choice but to try. Cough.”
“My lady, are you alright?”
Karlin rushed to support me as my coughing worsened.
Chloe’s eyes lingered briefly on Karlin before returning to me. Then, she began to walk away.
Passing Roosevelt, she brushed by me.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t rush toward death. You’re my only daughter now, after all.”
“……”
Honestly, if she was going to be this blatant, I’d rather she just threatened me with a knife.
Even as Roosevelt’s burning gaze seared into me, I kept my mouth shut.
There was nothing to be gained from provoking them further right now.
The last to pass by was Abel.
His dry gaze rested on me—just for a brief moment.
* * *
‘My lady, why do you keep trying to leave me behind?’
Karlin’s shrill voice still echoed in my ears.
But I needed time to myself, and she needed time with her family.
“So this kind of place can operate openly these days, huh.”
A fixer guild—famous for handling anything from clean jobs to dirty ones without questions—stood in a nice, well-lit location like a neighborhood bakery.
“The sign is… hmm.”
Anyone could tell that black skull was definitely not for a bakery.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t used this place before.
This was just my first time visiting in person.
From what I remembered, the last time I saw it, it was tucked away in some shady alley.
I glanced around to make sure no one was watching before I grabbed the doorknob.
‘Was it too reckless to come alone?’
I’d never been the cautious type, but in Irene’s fragile body, I had no means of defending myself. It was risky.
I hesitated for just a moment—just a second—when a hand brushed past my cheek.
Startled, I turned around.
And there stood an unexpected figure.
“…The Duke?”
Why is he here?
“We always seem to run into each other in the most unexpected places,”
The Grand Duke said with a cool smile.
Because he pushed the door open while I stood in front of it, it looked as though I had been drawn into his arms.
With a creak, the wooden door opened.
But my gaze was fixed on Grand Duke Lahan, leaving me no time to glance inside.
“Are you here to place a request?”
“And you? Likely for the same reason.”
“You’re really placing a request at a place like this?”
A man of royal blood, a Grand Duke, relying on a shadowy guild like this instead of using his own people?
“Why that look? From someone who was also wandering around this place.”
“No, I…”
I wanted to say: You and I are not the same.
He was someone surrounded by loyal subordinates, while I—someone with less standing than the weeds in the garden—was hardly comparable.
“I imagine neither of us wants to be seen lingering around here. Let’s go in.”
With that, Lahan entered naturally, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
And without even realizing it, I was pushed forward with him into the building.
Why does he move people along so easily?
The answer came without much thought.
He was simply someone born to rule.
“Ah, we have guests.”
Before I could exchange another word with the Grand Duke, a man appeared from within.
He was tall and lean, with sharp eyes and black hair. His colorful clothes were flashy—too flashy for someone who worked in a place like this.
“I had a feeling something exciting was coming today—Berber wouldn’t stop fluttering its wings this morning. And now, to greet His Grace, the Grand Duke, and…”
His eyes swept over me from head to toe.
“…a beautiful lady as well. What a joy. I’m Solmon, the master of this guild.”
With a flamboyant flourish, Solmon gave a theatrical bow.
“We’re here to place a request.”
“Shall we discuss the details inside? Our clients usually prefer a quiet, enclosed space.”
Naturally.
People who came to this place weren’t here for anything above board.
“Come, this way please.”
“Ladies first,”
Lahan said with a polite smile, gesturing with his open palm.
Thanks to that, I followed Solmon into the room without hesitation.
The door shut behind us with a soft click.
“Please, take a seat. The finest leather sofa awaits our honored guests.”
Solmon, the guild master, seemed light and easygoing.
His tone and gestures lacked the gravity one might expect from the leader of a guild that handled dangerous and dirty work without hesitation.
I sat down on the chair in front of a large wooden desk.
Solmon watched me settle in, then casually perched on the edge of the desk.
“Shall I state the request directly?”
“My, your personality is as brisk as your appearance suggests.”
“Aren’t people who come here usually pressed for time?”
There was no point in small talk.
“Hmmm, but noble lords of refined status do enjoy speaking in circles.”
“That’s not really my style.”
“Haha, then please—tell me. What brings the noble lady of House Mergen to a place like this?”
Solmon clapped his hands and leaned forward, resting both arms on the desk.
“So you know who I am.”
“Well, it is rather impressive to know someone who lives like the shadow of Mergen.”
He shrugged with a playful grin.
“I know a lot of things—and I don’t forget easily.”
The smile on his face suddenly gave me a chill.
Was he the kind of man who had a hundred snakes coiled up behind that charming facade?
“Well then, that makes this easier.”
I clasped my hands and rested them on my lap, sitting up straight.
In matters like this, presence was everything.
“I want one of Mergen’s vassals to be tailed. Every move, every interaction—everything.”
“Hmm.”
“His name is Vermont. He’s very interested in trade, so you may have crossed paths.”
“Planning to kill him?”
Solmon asked with a smile.
“Oh, don’t misunderstand. We just need to know how to prepare. Believe it or not, this line of work is more about storytelling than you’d think.”
“I see.”
“So… rough him up a little, maybe?”
“Not quite… That’s not what I had in mind either.”
“There must be a reason, then. If you’re reluctant to say what it is, could you at least share why you’re asking?”
Is he just naturally curious?
“Do you always ask for a backstory before accepting a request?”
“Hahaha, well, you could say it’s a personal quirk.”
“Seems like you’d be into more extreme cases.”
“Oh no, you caught me. The whole ‘cleanup afterward’ thing is just an excuse. The more dangerous and scandalous the job, the more thrilling it is. I especially love cases involving tangled romances.”
