While Vivian was at the imperial palace, someone visited her house.

With nimble movements, they quickly checked the exterior of the house and then, despite not having a key, opened the front door and sneaked inside.

They were subordinates of Princess Veronica, now here to inspect Vivian’s residence on their master’s orders.

After the recent massacre of the wizards who had been tailing Vivian, the princess could not rashly assign people to follow her again.

So instead, she chose to search Vivian Schmidt’s house while she was away to obtain helpful information.

The plan to summon Vivian to the palace for a direct confrontation while sending subordinates to her residence seemed perfect.

The intruders spread out and began to thoroughly examine every corner of her house.

They searched everywhere carefully yet thoroughly, so as not to leave any trace of their secret entry.

Surely something would turn up if they searched like this.

However, there was someone secretly watching the intruders’ actions from afar.

It was Ren and Master, the head of the Gerald Information Guild.

“Oh my, sir. Look at that. Those are expensive dishes, they shouldn’t handle them like that.”

Dozens of blocks away, on top of a building.

Master exclaimed dramatically while monitoring the intruders’ actions through a telescope, but there was no response.

“Sir? Hello? Can’t you hear me?”

Despite his earnest calls, Ren still didn’t answer. Judging by his expression, he seemed to be concentrating on something else.

‘I suppose he must be eavesdropping on an important conversation.’

As if resigned, Master exhaled deeply through his nose and fixed his gaze back on the telescope.

How long had it been like this? Growing increasingly bored, he sighed.

‘How did I end up here doing this….’

He grumbled inwardly, recalling the events of a few days ago.

Late at night, past midnight on the day of Veronica’s birthday banquet, Ren suddenly visited the Information Guild building.

What his boss, who had not yet fully wiped the blood from his face, urgently inquired about was information on three corpses.

Master was momentarily surprised by his master’s appearance with corpses after so long, but quickly adapted.

Come to think of it, Ren had always been that kind of person. And it was he who had chosen to follow him knowing that.

“They’re Princess Veronica’s dogs. Wait, don’t tell me you killed them, sir? Why would you do such a thing… Could it be they were following Vivian, the young lady…?”

Ren gave no answer.

However, having served him underground for over a year now, he already knew that this reaction meant affirmation.

“Princess Veronica is quite persistent. Killing them like this will make her suspicious of the young lady…”

Though still expressionless, as Ren’s aura grew strangely more vicious, Master quietly closed his mouth.

Right, this was the person he served as master. He wouldn’t have done something without knowing at least that much.

There must have been some reason. For instance, perhaps these corpses knew information about Vivian that they shouldn’t have.

“Bring me all the information about Veronica, without missing anything.”

After stating his business in a sharp baritone, Ren disappeared like a ghost.

Master, who was somewhat loyal despite his frivolous nature, naturally followed his master’s orders.

Afterwards, he relayed all the information obtained through guild members infiltrated among the princess’s subordinates to Ren without omission.

That Veronica was suspicious of Vivian because of her friendship with Dietrich.

That she planned to summon her directly for investigation.

And that in the meantime, she intended to secretly search her residence.

Upon learning all the facts, Ren immediately initiated underground operations without hesitation.

He cleaned Vivian’s house in advance to remove any traces that might remain related to the handsome men’s kidnapping.

Moreover, as if that wasn’t enough, he called Master and ordered him to observe every move and action of Veronica’s subordinates.

The reason was that if they did anything strange in Vivian’s house, it needed to be dealt with immediately.

Yet while assigning him such menial tasks, Ren himself was doing something else beside him.

‘He said he needed to eavesdrop on the conversation between the princess and young lady Vivian.’

Ren had attached a fragment of his shadow to Vivian and was secretly listening to her conversation with the princess.

It was to rush to her rescue immediately if Vivian were to fall into danger.

Of course, Vivian was completely unaware of this situation.

“Sir?”

He called out to Ren once more, but there was no answer. He still seemed to be focusing on the shadow’s senses.

Master muttered softly with his lips slightly pursed.

“If you’re going to eavesdrop on young lady Vivian’s conversations like that anyway, wouldn’t it be better to keep a shadow attached to her all the time? You never do that normally.”

Though he expected it to end as just a soliloquy as usual, surprisingly, Ren’s reply came back this time.

“I cannot engage in such gloomy behavior towards Lady Vivian.”

“?”

He was momentarily perplexed by his master’s words.

‘Is killing the guys who were tailing the young lady and pretending not to know not gloomy?

Is watching these guys who came to search the house from afar like this not gloomy?

Is secretly wiretapping under the pretext that it might be dangerous not gloomy?’

Master thought of several questions he wanted to ask, but he didn’t voice them out loud.

If he dared to ask, he felt he would immediately die by Ren’s hand, regardless of any affection built up as a subordinate all this time.

He felt it anew, though not for the first time.

Clearly, there were serious issues with Ren’s morality.

The atmosphere in the reception room within the imperial palace was so tense it seemed it might freeze at any moment.

“Vivian Schmidt. I mean to say that you are suspected of possibly being involved in the serial kidnapping of handsome men.”

At her words striking right to the point, I was momentarily at a loss for words.

‘Damn, what should I do? What on earth should I say, really.’

I tried desperately to think of what an innocent person might say, but it wasn’t easy.

Saying ‘No, I’m not the culprit’ would sound guilty, and even pretending not to know by saying ‘Pardon?’ would seem like something a culprit would do… is this because I am the culprit after all?

It was difficult to open my mouth as it felt like any answer would be tantamount to confessing that I was the culprit.

My heart was beating so fast that I felt I could hear my pulse in my ears. My vision swam from the excessive tension.

‘No. Saying nothing here would be the most suspicious.’

I needed to calm down. Somehow.

‘The fact that she’s asking like this means she clearly doesn’t have any physical evidence that I’m the culprit.’

Imperial law emphasized evidence.

No matter how strong the suspicion, without definitive physical evidence, even the princess couldn’t detain someone arbitrarily.

If there was evidence that I was the culprit, the princess would have arrested me right away rather than summoning me like this.

The interrogation could come after that.

As I became certain there was no physical evidence, my mind calmed a little.

I took a small breath and finally tried to answer.

“I…”

However, fortunately or unfortunately, my answer was cut off by a loud knocking sound.

Bang bang bang!

Feeling the urgency even through the door, the princess reluctantly ordered the person outside to enter.

“I said not to disturb.”

Her tone clearly revealed her displeasure.

It was understandable since an important moment had been interrupted, but for me, it was truly a blessing.

“I apologize, Your Highness. A major problem has arisen that must be reported immediately. A giant magical beast has appeared in the capital.”

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly.

All the gazes that had been focused on me turned to the servant who had just delivered the news.

‘A magical beast…!’

The main habitat of magical beasts was forests or caves full of magical energy where humans rarely lived.

I had heard that the number of magical beasts appearing in rural villages had increased recently, but to think they would appear in a place with so many people like the capital.

When I was young, I had almost died because of a magical beast, so since then, they had always been objects of fear for me.

But now that very magical beast had interrupted the flow…

‘Should I consider this fortunate or unfortunate?’

The princess sighed deeply at the servant’s words.

“It seems we must end our conversation here due to this emergency situation.”

Somehow the situation had come to an end.

It had been such a crisis that I was about to confess to being the culprit, but somehow I had managed to avoid the worst-case scenario.

Veronica pointed to the knight standing outside.

“Escort Lady Schmidt out. And see her safely home.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Understood.”

The knight who bowed his head approached me. The princess then issued her next order.

“Trian, you follow me.”

Veronica’s guard, who had been constantly watching me, finally removed his gaze from me. Then he followed his master with disciplined steps.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched them leave the reception room.

Finally, I could escape from this place.