Ruelra, hiding behind a column with Kite, quickly designated that location as the teleport point and pressed return.

As soon as they disappeared, the commoners rushed into the corridor.

“Gone?”

“Did we see it from this side?”

“Indeed. We were definitely standing here. It’s impossible not to recognize such a big monster.”

Despite speaking quietly, the commoners, feeling uncertain about their owner’s mood, looked around cautiously.

“What happened?”

However, no matter how quietly they spoke, they were moving busily and trying to find intruders, so it was not unknown to those inside.

The commoners reported in detail to Viscount Gart, who, despite speaking softly, tried to find the intruders menacingly.

“Intruders?”

“Yes. There was a tall man and a woman.”

Upon hearing that, Viscount Gart clenched his fists.

“What did they look like?”
Listening to the responses of the commoners, he thought that among those who boldly invaded this place, one must surely be Ruelra Romine and a man from the Pheros Guild.

Indeed, he hadn’t been wrong before.

Who else would dare to invade Duke Kuran’s chamber twice if not that fearless woman?

However, this time, there were eyewitnesses, so they would definitely not escape.

With this conviction, Viscount Gart prodded the commoners with determination.

“By any chance, did she have pink hair?”

To his question, the commoners shook their heads.

“It was brown hair.”

Viscount Gart furrowed his brow and smiled, as if understanding.

There was a masquerade ball scheduled for today.

The proposal for the ball had come from Duke Ferimont, who used the excuse of the queen’s birthday. They made thorough preparations.

In addition to the people they usually stationed, they secretly deployed more personnel to inconspicuously lurk around various places. Gart himself had entered the chamber early to be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.

It was likely that the masquerade ball was held to scheme something, like a conspiracy similar to the past, and it involved intruding into this place. Since he hadn’t come in his usual attire, it meant he hadn’t shown up in his normal appearance.

Since the color of the hair could easily be concealed with a wig, Viscount Gart, with a calm face, asked the commoners again.

“What did they look like? Could you recognize them if you saw them again? A woman with a pretty face, quite noticeable even with a white mask.”

“They were monsters. Not human.”

The witness who had encountered the intruders directly carefully corrected the misunderstanding of the viscount.

“Monsters? What nonsense! How can you tell whether you are monsters or not!”

In response to the viscount’s rage, the witness began to explain about the two people.

“They looked gruesome enough for anyone to recognize. The woman had a snake-like face and skin, and the man had a wild animal-like appearance, with the entire face covered in fur.”

“Snake and wild animal?”

“Yes. They looked like… yes, a bear, exactly like a bear.”

“Lies. How can monsters enter the royal city?”

“But we clearly saw them.”

Other witnesses also began to speak up.

“We saw them too. They were definitely not human.”

A groan, expressing dissatisfaction, escaped from Viscount Gart’s mouth.

With thoughts wondering if he might have been wrong before, he began to feel a headache.

However, he couldn’t dispel this doubt without confirming it personally.

Arriving in front of Pheros Mansion, Gart gathered his subordinates and began to interrogate them one by one about who had come and gone today.

“Three carriages left and all returned?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Did you check inside?”
“They seemed to know that we were watching, so they boldly approached, revealing themselves under the bright indoor lights.”

“When did Ruelra Romine return?”

“It’s been about 20 minutes.”

Upon hearing the answer, Gart immediately turned around.

Since the incident where Balder had struck the guards and freely entered the mansion, there had been no one guarding in front of Pheros Mansion. Grateful for this freedom, Gart muttered a thank-you to Balder silently and entered.

“What’s happening again?”

As he knocked on the mansion’s entrance, a long-haired man opened the door, frowning.

It was the Duke’s aide.

“I wish to meet Duke Ferimont and Miss Romine.”

“At this hour?”

“It’s not that late. It’s still the prime time for the party.”

“Oh well, wait.”

Responding in an abrupt tone, Hazen, curious about something, spoke to the servants who were peering out from the dining room.

“Don’t worry about it and finish your meal. Kite! Ruelra!”

Instead of simply instructing the servants to bring Duke Ferimont and Ruelra Romine, Hazen, as if conducting a demonstration, shouted towards the second floor, looking curious as he asked Gart.

“I understand him as the aide, but from the way you call him by his name, it seems like you have a casual relationship.”

“Well, we’ve been friends since we were kids…”

Hazan, who was unintentionally talking about their relationship, quickly shut his mouth.

“Friends since childhood, I see. By the way, I don’t recall hearing the aide’s name. Since we’ve met like this, how about exchanging proper introductions?”

“Why bother with my humble name?”

“Humble, you say. Didn’t you mention that you and the Duke have been close since childhood?”