Johannes’s expression suddenly became serious and stiffened.

The incident where his mother and Cecilia went missing after their carriage was attacked by thugs occurred 20 years ago.

Amidst the chaos of the tragic event, he was lucky enough to survive being trapped in the overturned carriage.

The Marquis’s soldiers came to their rescue belatedly, but by then, his mother and Cecilia had already disappeared along with the thugs.

Assuming they wandered and hid for about a year until they arrived in Rugbelzet after disappearing 20 years ago…

The timeline somewhat matched.

Perhaps Roselia dyed her hair to hide her identity from someone…

If that were the case, the fact that her hair wasn’t black made some sense.

His heart raced as the pieces of information fell into place.

“Roselia’s mother?”

In the urgent look of his superior, Lognen responded with a puzzled expression.

“She passed away 18 years ago.”

Instantly, Johannes’s expression hardened.

Feeling as if his heart, which had been beating wildly, dropped to the floor, Johannes let out a bitter laugh and wiped his face.

“Is that so…”

Was it too late…?

His mother had already suffered from an illness. The Marquis had been caring for her with medicine, but if she couldn’t get the medicine, the chances of her condition worsening were high.

Why didn’t his mother return to the Marquis even though she was alive?

Perhaps… even in that situation, she was being chased by someone?

So, to continue protecting Cecilia, did she need a false identity?

There was nothing he could be sure about.

Unless he went back to the past and met his mother…

It might just be a speculation about Roselia’s identity in the direction he hoped for.

But one thing was clear.

He couldn’t just leave her, possibly Cecilia, alone.

With a determined expression, Johannes, who had stiffened his expression, now calmly looked at Lognen.

“The mastermind behind the thugs who tried to kidnap her?”

“In truth, we couldn’t find any information that could be considered significant. However…”

As Lognen said that, he took something out from the inner pocket of his chest.

“I found this in the possession of the guy who seemed to be their leader.”

What Lognen presented was a badge with a black rose and a snake engraved on it.

Unlike the badges with family symbols or organization logos that people usually wear on their chests, the badge Lognen showed was as small as a fingernail and discreet.

As if leaving a small mark for those who were reluctant to reveal their existence to recognize each other.

“Do you know what symbol this is?”

“It’s not a noble family symbol.”

Since they were dealing with the symbols of Rugbelzet nobles, it was evident that the badge’s symbol wasn’t that of a noble family.

“Of course, they wouldn’t hang a family symbol when doing dirty deeds.”
Johannes’s eyes darkened as he spoke.

“Perhaps… if it’s Duke Valtezar, who operates a loan business targeting noble families, he might know the symbol on the badge.”

Externally, Duke Valtezar appears to construct and invest in public facilities such as schools, libraries, and hospitals. However, in the underworld, he engages in loan businesses targeting nobles in Rugbelzet. Johannes, who knew that his influence extended not only to nobles but also to the royal family and other countries, speculated that such a duke would likely have information about Rugbelzet’s underworld.

If he were such a duke, there was a high probability that he knew about the Rugbelzet underworld organization.

With these thoughts, Johannes, seemingly losing his mind, muttered under his breath.

“I need to meet Duke Valtezar.”

In Klaus’s guest-exclusive reception room, the two men sat in silence side by side.

The room where Klaus and Johannes faced each other was a private space with lower lighting and a more sophisticated atmosphere than the bright reception room where Closette usually frequents.

“I thought you would be busy, but you accepted surprisingly quickly.”

Johannes, sitting opposite Klaus, was the first to break the silence. Then, Klaus gruffly responded.

“I just happened to have some free time.”

While Klaus exuded a cold atmosphere, Johannes created a relaxed and upright ambiance.

However, despite the relaxed atmosphere, his eyes were so upright and confident that there was no room for weakness, like facing a giant tree.

‘I guess that’s why he’s called the pillar of Raphaelios.’

With such thoughts, the sudden image of Roselia, who had casually boarded his carriage, crossed Klaus’s mind, causing a slight tension in his forehead.

“That day… Is Roselia… all right?”

Johannes, after Klaus’s question, slowly scanned Klaus’s expression.

A man who binds Roselia with debt.

A cold-hearted person who can use people as tools for his benefit.

Johannes, who knew that he had influence not only over nobles but also reached the royal family and other countries, did not find it pleasant that his sister, possibly Roselia, was involved with such a man.

Especially when even Roselia seemed to avoid him.