“Have a pleasant time, madam.”

The coachman who dropped Jane off at the teahouse on Hausten Street bowed politely.

Jane turned around with a smile. Hailie placed a parasol over Jane’s head.

After watching Jane enter the teahouse, the Hastings’ coachman turned the carriage around.

“The madam said to come back in three hours, so I might as well go take a nap somewhere.”

The coachman hummed a tune as he left Hausten Street.

As if on cue, a black rental carriage stopped in front of the teahouse.

Jane moved.

“Hailie, you stay here.”

“Are you going alone, my lady?”

Jane nodded slightly.

“Shouldn’t I go with you?”

Hailie had a troubled expression.

“I understand how you feel, Hailie. You’re worried about me, aren’t you? But there’s no need. It’s the coachman you introduced. And the person I’m meeting… is a good person.”

Is Cedric really a good person?

He had long concealed the fact that the deaths of Count and Countess Whitney were suspicious.

“Still…”

“Instead, I’ll tell you who I’m meeting and where. If you think I’m taking too long, come to that place.”

Jane whispered in Hailie’s ear. Hearing Cedric’s name, Hailie felt relieved.

The mere fact of running a large business guaranteed that he was a safe person.

It was said that those with much to lose tend to be cautious.

The more famous one is, the higher position one holds, the more careful they are in their actions.

Though Hailie was neither famous nor had ever held a high position, she understood how the world worked.

“Alright, my lady. Please be careful.”

Jane gave money to the waiter and asked for a private space.

“We have a screened area in the back. I’ll show you there.”

The waiter responded very kindly.

“Hailie, follow him. Order whatever you want to eat.”

Hailie pouted but followed the waiter to the back of the shop.

Jane hurriedly boarded the rental carriage before Hailie could look back.

“Take me to Printing Street, please.”

Printing Street was a bit away from downtown.

As it was not a place frequented by nobles, Jane put on a shabby robe she had prepared separately over her expensive dress.

The ankle-length robe couldn’t completely hide the voluminous dress, but it would prevent drawing too much attention.

She also wore a hat borrowed from Hailie.

At a glance, she could pass for a daughter from a poor family. Just by covering her clothes and face.

Jane pondered anew how useless appearances were. And how pathetic Zexi was for planning to kidnap a child just for this shell.

“We’ve arrived, madam. But are you sure you’ll be alright alone? The street is not clean.”

The coachman called it a street, but there were various meanings embedded in that word.

Unless there was a special occasion, patrol officers did not make rounds on Printing Street. And in this place mainly used by laborers, they had their own set of rules.

In short, it was a place outside the boundaries of the law.

Jane had never mingled with the people of Printing Street, nor had she ever had a reason to visit, so this was her first time here.

Printing work was mostly done by men.

So even for Jane, who had experienced various jobs, this was unknown territory. But Jane wasn’t scared.

Nobles or laborers, people are people all the same. If you don’t pick a fight first, you won’t get into trouble.

Jane tried to lighten her heavy heart as she spoke.

“I’ll see you in two hours.”

Jane got out of the carriage, took a deep breath, and lifted her head.

Buildings with unknown smoke seeping out, narrow paths between them filled with a bustling crowd of men carrying loads.

The workers were unloading books and bundles of flyers onto carts on the main street.

“Make way.”

“Load coming through.”

They bumped into Jane as they passed by. Her unguarded body swayed.

‘I need to stay alert.’

Jane opened her eyes wide and stepped aside, looking around.

The buildings had numbers on them. Jane recalled the number Cedric had given her and moved inward.

She hunched her shoulders and passed through the crowd of people.

“Over here!”

Before she had even gone a full block, Cedric waved at her from a distance and approached.

“Was it tough getting here?”

Cedric added that he had wanted to come pick her up but thought it might not be a good choice.

“You did well.”

“Let’s go inside first.”

Cedric pulled Jane to the inner part of the street.

“Make some room, please.”

A man carrying a heavy load shouted gruffly. Despite the street being wide enough for three people to pass, Jane and Cedric had to stand close together because of the man’s load.

“Excuse me.”

Cedric pushed Jane against the wall as if to shield her. Jane stood pressed against the wall with her head lowered.

“Get a bit closer, will you?”

The man with the load complained irritably. Cedric sighed deeply and narrowed the distance. His chest was right in front of Jane’s face.

The man muttered something about the narrow street and men and women as he moved away.

“He’s gone, Cedric.”

Cedric hastily stepped back.

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? The street was narrow.”

Jane replied indifferently.

“That’s the right building, isn’t it?”

And she nonchalantly pointed to the place they were supposed to meet and took the lead.

Cedric, who had been staring at her, laughed dejectedly. While his heart felt like it was about to burst, Jane seemed completely unfazed.

Should I give up on you now?

“Cedric?”

Jane turned to look at him. The moment their eyes met, Cedric despaired.

He still couldn’t give up on her. Then he would have to wait.

Cedric, confident in waiting, smiled brightly.

“That’s right. Let’s go in.”

He strode over and opened the door. When Jane flinched at the loud noise from the printing press, Cedric covered her ears with his hands.

And he slowly moved to guide Jane to the inner office.

The people working in the printing shop didn’t even glance at them. They were all busy with their own work.

Jane took her eyes off them and scanned the empty office. The owner must be a neat person, as there wasn’t a speck of dust on the conference table.

“Where’s the office owner?”

“He’s away. He won’t be coming in today. Make yourself comfortable. Would you like a cup of tea?”

Cedric knew everything that was in the office. He had been here often because the printing shop owner was secretly supporting the Rose Faction.

Jane looked around the office and nodded.

Cedric skillfully made tea and handed it to her.

“Did you enjoy the tour?”

Was it too obvious? Jane held the teacup sheepishly.

“It’s fascinating. How letters and pictures are printed on blank paper. And the machines running are amazing too.”

It’s an era where massive iron machines called trains carry hundreds of people.

But machines were still unfamiliar to people. That unfamiliarity led to rejection and prejudice against those who handled machines.

“I was really amazed when I first saw it too. I’ll give you a proper tour later.”

Cedric asked Jane’s permission and drew the curtains of the office window. Jane wasn’t particularly interested, so she didn’t mind.

“I’m sorry for calling you to a place like this.”

Cedric apologized abruptly.

“It’s alright. I suppose there weren’t many suitable places to talk about our parents.”

Cedric gave a faint smile.

“That’s true… and lately, people have been following me too.”

“You, Cedric?”

Jane raised her eyebrows high as if hearing this for the first time.

“It’s not that serious.”

“If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”

Not knowing that the person watching Cedric was Cain, Jane readily offered her help.

“I appreciate the thought.”

Jane leaving the Hastings house would be helpful for Cedric. Although Cain wouldn’t stop watching him just because she left, it would ease his mind a bit.

But Cedric didn’t voice his inner thoughts. Jane would have to face the moment of choosing whether to stay at the Hastings house or leave anyway. And that moment was not far off.

It might even be today.

“Jane.”

Cedric wiped the smile from his face.

Jane realized he was about to speak about the truth from 7 years ago.

Just looking at Cedric’s expression, she could tell the content would be quite serious. She took a deep breath.

“I hope you won’t be too shocked.”

Jane nodded once and clasped her hands together. Her trapezius muscles rose up, tense with anticipation.

Cedric let out a long sigh before starting his story.

“The informant I mentioned last time was indeed the previous Duke of Hastings.”

Jane closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes cast dark shadows.

Cedric continued speaking without waiting for Jane’s response.

“And if supporting the Rose Faction’s bloody revolution was a crime, then the Hastings house should have been punished for that crime.”

Jane’s eyes flew open. She stared at Cedric without even blinking. Her cheek twitched slightly.

“So you’re saying the Hastings also sponsored us.”

Jane stood up abruptly. The chair fell backwards with a loud noise. Jane covered her mouth with one hand and placed the other on her waist as she paced around the office.

Cedric, who was about to stand up to follow her, hesitated.

He concluded that waiting was the best option right now.

Jane’s eyes darted around busily. Cedric, unable to keep watching her hurt expression, turned his gaze away.

Just as his gaze reached the doorway, a shadow that had been flickering nearby disappeared.

Cedric failed to notice it.