About 10km away from Hildes Street, in the outskirts of the capital.

This area, with few residents and slow development, even has poor public safety.

At the end of a particularly gloomy alley where even animals seemed unlikely to venture, there was a hidden door.

Though disguised as an utterly dilapidated wall, it was actually a space leading to another location.

After confirming no one was around, I naturally entered through the hidden door.

This was my hideout.

It’s a place I created to monitor Hildes Street or imprison the handsome men I’ve captured.

It was built to accommodate up to ten handsome men at once, but now it’s only possible for nine since I gave one room to my subordinate.

Meanwhile, as I walked leisurely down the corridor, I waved at the filming device acting as a surveillance camera.

It’s now my subordinate’s monitoring time.

He’s probably watching my appearance in real-time.

That’s when it happened.

Someone rushed out of the surveillance room.

My subordinate spotted me at once and strode towards me.

Hair the warm color of melted milk chocolate.

Skin that looked as white and soft as flour dough.

Eyes that seemed infused with the season of fresh greenery.

The face of the man exuding a refreshing aura like a pine tree wore a friendly smile.

He was Ren, my subordinate and accomplice.

“Miss Vivian, I’m sorry to bother you just as you’ve returned, but the target has appeared.”

I became gloomy at the regretful news delivered in a sweet, low voice.

Having to leave right after arriving at the hideout.

“Alright, Ren. Let’s hurry and prepare.”

We entered the room where we kept our kidnapping tools.

Ren naturally took the orange basket from my hand and then proceeded to dress me in a robe hanging on the wall.

He moved busily here and there, preparing me.

Looking in the mirror, I saw that my short hair had already been neatly tied up.

“Miss Vivian, please lift your head.”

Following Ren’s words, he reached his hand towards my earlobe. It seemed he was trying to secure an earring.

The gentle touch caressing my earlobe carefully.

Unlike his usual self who always showed a kind smile, he had his lips tightly closed. He was completely focused on me.

I quietly looked up at Ren’s face.

‘No matter how many times I see it, it’s such a pleasing face.’

His face was extraordinarily beautiful.

Although I had looks that wouldn’t lose anywhere, everything paled in comparison before his visage.

If you were to mold clean and beautiful nature into a person, wouldn’t it feel like this?

With a face so pure and refreshing, and handsome to boot, it truly felt like walking in a forest full of phytoncide just by looking at him.

‘When I first brought him, he was so scruffy that I didn’t know he was this handsome.’

Admiring my own aesthetic sense, I continued to gaze at his face.

“It’s done. Please don’t lose it this time.”

How much trouble Ren had gone through when I lost the earring last time.

I nodded my head vigorously.

If it had been an ordinary earring, it wouldn’t have mattered, but this was a special communication device. And the only pair in the world at that.

It was a legendary magical tool that only appeared in part 2 of the original work, which I had found in advance based on the content of the original, tracing my memories.

‘Once I find Callys, I should put it back in its original place.’

After glancing slightly at Ren, who was wearing the same earring as me, I stood up.

“Come to think of it, what kind of person is this target?”

“It was a man with black hair and black eyes.”

Black hair and black eyes. Suddenly reminded of a character from the original work, I rushed into the surveillance room in surprise.

Dozens of screens showing Hildes Street.

It wasn’t difficult to find the target Ren had mentioned among them. It was because of the radiance that could be felt even through the video device.

After observing the handsome man for a moment, I shook my head.

“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be that person.”

For a moment, I thought this handsome man might be the villain from the original work, but fortunately, it seemed to be someone else.

‘There’s no reason for Dietrich Belvedere to come to this neighborhood at this time.’

As soon as I realized it wasn’t the person I was worried about, I left the hideout with relief.

Vivian Schmidt, the serial kidnapper of handsome men.

It was time to set out.

The female protagonist of the original work “Flower Stained with Blood”, Ludovica Belvedere, had one older brother.

His name was Dietrich Belvedere.

He was the person Ludovica trusted the most in the work, but also the one who would stain her life with a bloody storm.

The tragedy of the Belvedere family.

Half a year from now, Dietrich will brutally murder the Duke and Duchess of Belvedere.

A man who was rumored to have sold his soul to the devil from the beginning.

When such a man committed such a cruel act of familicide, people no longer dared to even mention Dietrich’s name.

There was no reason why someone who had killed his own parents wouldn’t harm others.

Whether commoners or nobles, people tried to avoid him by any means possible, regardless of social status.

Only his long-time aide, Nils, remained by his side, while everyone else, including his beloved younger sister, had left.

And today, long before the catastrophe would occur, he was calmly by Dietrich’s side as usual.

“Young Master, I’ve been informed that the criminals have arrived.”

A calm voice was heard in the quiet office.

Dietrich lazily responded with a nod of his eyes, then picked up the newspaper lying on the desk.

Nils, seemingly accustomed to this, called in the knights outside the office to bring in the criminals.

Two criminals entered with their heads deeply bowed. With their wrists bound by ropes, they looked terrified.

It was surely because of Dietrich’s notorious reputation.

The knights soon made them kneel in front of Dietrich’s desk.

Their crime was tax evasion, but one of them had also committed the rape of a woman.

Tax evasion alone was a serious crime punishable by severe penalties.

The two were trembling, seemingly anticipating that the punishment awaiting them would be death.

Since about eight years ago when the Duke and Duchess began their seclusion, all of the Duke’s duties naturally fell to Dietrich, the Young Master.

Passing judgment on criminals was no exception.

He had meted out punishments to numerous criminals within the domain, and today was just another one of those days.

Nils glanced at the criminals before looking at his master.

Dietrich was arrogantly leaning back in his chair, with his legs propped up on the desk.

He was engrossed in the newspaper he held open in his hands, seemingly uninterested in the criminals kneeling pitifully before him.

Silence continued to fill the office.

It was unclear whether Dietrich was reading only one side of the newspaper, as not even the sound of turning pages could be heard.

The criminals slightly raised their heads to gauge his mood, but couldn’t even catch a glimpse of a single strand of Dietrich’s hair due to the newspaper covering him.

The silence continued.

The criminals couldn’t understand how the situation was unfolding.

The one before them was none other than Dietrich Belvedere, the very man rumored to have sold his soul to the devil.

Although it would have been natural for him to immediately order their execution, he was oddly quiet for some reason.

After waiting a few more minutes filled with questions, Dietrich finally spoke.

“What do you think?”

An unexpected question with unclear intentions. The criminals just blinked their eyes.

Dietrich folded the newspaper he was holding twice and then tossed it.

Nils, who naturally caught the newspaper, began to read the title on the front page in a loud voice.

“It’s the Times newspaper. ‘Those who want to prove they’re handsome, go to Hildes Street’?”

“Yes, I’m curious about what you think of this.”

With those words, Dietrich’s face, which had been hidden behind the newspaper, was revealed.

Black and empty eyes. Hair as dark as the universe. A sharp impression as if he had swallowed all the evil in the world. A decadent yet beautiful face that wasn’t overshadowed by this.

The criminals were so surprised that they momentarily forgot their own situation and gaped.

‘Was the rumor about selling his soul to the devil because of that appearance?’

It was a beauty that could hardly be thought of as belonging to a human.

One of the criminals, who had been dazed for a moment, finally came to his senses and asked.

“Wh-what are you asking us?”

Dietrich answered with his still expressionless face.

“I’m asking if you think I would be kidnapped too if I went to Hildes Street.”

The two criminals rolled their eyes.

It seemed they should give the answer Dietrich wanted, but it was difficult to know what that was.

That’s when it happened.

“I’m not particularly patient. Yes, you there, the rapist. You answer first.”

As Dietrich pointed his finger at one of the criminals, an unrefined answer hurriedly poured out.

“Y-young Master, aren’t you the Empire’s top sword master! It’s absurd to think that you, Young Master, would be kidnapped by mere kidnappers!”

The other criminal who had lost the lead sighed in disappointment. It was the same answer he had barely managed to come up with.

However, Dietrich’s reaction was different from their expectations.

“No, no. That’s not the answer you should give.”

He shook his head regretfully.

“Ex-excuse me?”

Dietrich ignored him as if he could no longer hear his words.

The criminals couldn’t understand the meaning behind this action, but Nils could easily grasp it.

‘It means to tie up his limbs, castrate him, starve him for a month, and then execute him.’

Nils immediately spoke to the knight.

“Take him away.”

“Yes, understood.”

The knights dragged the criminal away. The criminal screamed and shrieked as he was being dragged out, but Dietrich paid no attention.

“Now it’s your turn to answer.”

Dietrich looked down at the remaining criminal and spoke.

With his entire body stiff from excessive tension, he began to blurt out anything.

“O-of course you would be kidnapped! Your beauty, Young Master, can hardly be called human. If I were a kidnapper, I would kidnap you even knowing you’re a sword master, blinded by your appearance!”

Finally, the corners of Dietrich’s mouth, which had been down, slightly lifted.

“Do you really think so?”

At the different reaction from before, a small hope grew in the criminal’s heart.

‘Could this have been the correct answer?’

He answered with even more exaggeration.

“Yes, of course. Your beauty, Young Master, is comparable to that of a god. Unless the kidnapper’s eyes are on their feet, they couldn’t help but kidnap you.”

“Haha, my face is indeed quite special. You have quite a good aesthetic sense. Nils, send this one away intact.”

“Yes, understood.”

Nils had a knight escort the criminal out again.

He followed the knight with light steps.

‘Does he think he’s avoided execution?’

Nils sighed and shook his head.

Sending him away intact didn’t mean letting him live.

‘It means to send the corpse back to his family with limbs intact.’

People who didn’t know this sometimes misunderstood like that.

“Is this all for today’s work?”

At Dietrich’s question, Nils pushed up his glasses and said.

“Yes, that’s correct. Please rest today, and from tomorrow, you need to prepare for the nobles’ meeting that will be held in a week.”

The Young Master hummed and nodded his head slightly. He seemed to be contemplating something, then suddenly smiled brightly.

“Nils, I’m going out for a while.”

“Pardon? Where are you suddenly going?”

Dietrich answered while putting on the coat hanging on the wall.

“I’m going to Hildes Street.”

“Do you mean the street where kidnappings are said to occur?”

Dietrich occasionally engaged in impulsive behavior, but today, Nils couldn’t grasp at all what was going through his mind.

“Yes, I want to see what the real kidnapper thinks of my appearance.”

Nils realized that something was going seriously wrong.