At that moment, Mitchell, Ivan, and Benjamin were bidding their final farewells.

“Well, I’ll check it out.”

“Since it involves infiltrating the Hwangseong Prison, be sure to pay enough attention.”

“Ah, we’ve infiltrated places like prisons more than once or twice.”

While Mitchell spoke confidently, Ivan, who was worried unlike him, responded playfully, “Hwangseong Prison boasts the strongest security. Although the cruelty might be less since it confines nobles, the security is equally firm. Be cautious, especially since there are many wizards.”

“If the prison is the strongest, then I am the absolute strongest, so it’s fine.”

Ivan, nonchalantly dismissing unnecessary concerns, had a bright expression. Mitchell, watching him, sighed and grabbed the back of Ivan’s head, pressing it down hard.

“In times like this, just say, ‘Yes, understood. I’ll do it. A bit. Just once.'”

“Ow.”

Although Ivan made a dying sound with the pressure on his neck, there was no one around to hear it.

“Please take care, Your Highness Hwangtaeja. Going alone to meet Empress Greta Hwangbi, not anyone else. It would have been better if Kali Kyung had come along.”

“That’s not possible. We don’t know what mischief Windsor might be up to.”

Benjamin tilted his head.

From now on, Benjamin will go to see Greta alone. To obtain evidence that she is a bastard of Count Everrium. Benjamin, too, was somewhat tense about the situation, but he had no intention of being afraid or retreating.

“Then, everyone, pray for good luck.”

“Yes, we will definitely bring good news.”

“Yeah, leave it to us!”

And so, the three of them parted ways, and Benjamin headed straight to Hwangbi Palace. He had informed Yurisien, and it was through the secret passage that Yurisien had made known to him, revealing the truth to Hwangtaeja that Hyscliff is a deceitful person.

But was it because of tension?

Although the path of the secret passage was clearly laid out, it took him a little longer than expected. Wasting this amount of time may not cause a big mistake, but for some reason, he had a bad feeling.

Hurrying out of the passage as if chasing after time, Benjamin immediately sneaked into Greta’s bedroom. The wide, empty space, like a stage setting area, was filled with the corpses of rats and insects.

‘The ominous energy is strong.’

It felt like this place might be the room where the followers of the Hesperian religion stay. The air was not just heavy but chilling, as if not because someone had left the spot but rather like a room that was never used. It felt strange. The palace’s architecture was definitely consistent with Hwangbi’s residence, and it would be hard to find a more luxurious room in Hwangseong than this. Then why did it feel so empty and vacant?

‘Could this be the power of heresy?’

Rather than lonely, the feeling was more eerie. Trying to make sense of the peculiar atmosphere, Benjamin purified the surroundings just enough to ensure Greta wouldn’t detect him and prepared himself to confront enemies.

However, the intrusion into the bedroom, despite his tension, felt somewhat anticlimactic. Unfortunately, the place was empty.

‘Chilly.’

It was not because someone had vacated the seat, and the absence of the sense of life suggested that the room wasn’t just unoccupied. It felt unfamiliar. Although Hwangbi’s belongings were undoubtedly here, the emptiness of the space gave a strangely desolate feeling. Benjamin, swaying the atmosphere like this, headed back up to the ceiling.

‘If I had come at the scheduled time, I might have encountered Greta right away.’

Was this why he had a bad feeling?

Without finding anything of value while searching Hwangbi Palace while avoiding the eyes of maids and servants, he soon headed towards Greta’s dressing room.

The information that Ivan had risked his life to obtain proved to be very useful.
[Whether it’s an embedded safe or a portable safe, the fact that it is placed in the dressing room is known to everyone who has been invited to Count Everrium’s mansion. Even within Count Everrium’s mansion, the Count confirmed with his maid that the safe is kept in the dressing room.]

Therefore, there was a high possibility that Greta, who sought Count Everrium’s love, would follow this habit. Even if it wasn’t the case, searching one more dressing room wouldn’t change anything, as Benjamin had found nothing valuable while exploring Hwangbi Palace so far.

Benjamin thoroughly searched the dressing room but found only jewels in the safe. He couldn’t find any evidence that Greta was a bastard, even if he didn’t have evidence of her being a bastard.

“Tsk, I thought there would be at least something, even if it’s not evidence of being a bastard.”

Putting aside his regret, Benjamin hid again in the ceiling of the bedroom. It was a time when he thought the only thing he could do now was wait for Greta to return.