Chapter 34
A Certain Motto (1)
Whoooosh—whoooosh—
A sound, impossible to tell whether it was the wind or a bird, cut through the night air. Anze, frowning and tilting his head in confusion, opened the window.
As if on cue, a suspicious figure in a black mask leapt through the window.
“I told you to change the signal.”
“…….”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“In our neighborhood, the tits cry like this.”
“Wait… the neighborhood you mean—is it the one I know?”
A notorious slum tucked away in the backstreets of the capital. Not a tit in sight—only noisy crows flying all day long.
“Where would there even be tits there…?”
“Anyway, that’s how it is.”
Gray, stubbornly refusing to give in, carefully pulled a rolled-up scroll from his arms.
“The item you requested, here.”
“Of course!”
Anze’s face brightened with satisfaction as he took the scroll and inspected it.
Giving a thumbs-up, Anze suddenly tilted his head in curiosity.
“I believed you’d get it no matter what, but time must’ve been tight. How did you manage?”
“From the palace.”
Huh?
Anze’s eyes blinked rapidly. He must have misheard.
“Gray, my ears must be failing. Say that again—what did you say?”
“How could I possibly investigate all the personal information of the young ladies you mentioned in just a week? I thought it over and realized there was only one way.”
“Even so, the palace? You’re insane. Are you really in your right mind? Wasn’t there an easier way to say you couldn’t do it?”
“If there had been, you wouldn’t have stayed quiet. You would’ve harassed me for days, scolded me relentlessly, nagged me all year long…”
“When did I ever—”
“You did. You were a truly cruel employer.”
Gray, bluntly criticizing his cruel employer with a nonchalant attitude, glanced around the room.
Seeing the clean environment, it seemed he was living better than expected. Gray picked up an apple from the table and took a big bite.
With a complicated expression, Anze lowered his head for a moment before speaking carefully.
“You didn’t leave any traces or get caught, right?”
“If I had, do you think I’d be here? I’d have—”
Gray straightened his left hand and mimed cutting his own throat. Only then did Anze, relieved, examine the contents of the scroll.
Meanwhile, Gray, scanning Anze’s attire with a playful glint in his eyes, let out a low whistle.
“I was worried about how you’d manage. Seems like the noble lifestyle suits you after all?”
“Shut up. But why would you investigate the young ladies’ information at the palace? They’re not even heads of the family.”
Swallowing the bite of apple in his mouth, Gray replied:
“I didn’t investigate it. Those young ladies in the scroll probably came to him of their own accord.”
What?
Anze’s eyes widened, and Gray continued explaining.
“There’s a famous astrologer at the palace, named Davi. He went there for his outstanding prophetic abilities, but he still offers consultations for a decent price. Apparently, he’s fully booked until next year. Astrology and tarot readings are quite popular among young ladies lately, so I decided to check his room—just in case. And then…”
Gray gestured to the scroll with a nod, grinning.
“I found it. He recorded not just simple family ties and birthdays, but even the most private details of their families. So detailed you’d wonder if it was only for consultations. Truly impressive.”
Muttering, Anze frowned as he scanned the contents.
“If you stole it, why wait so long to give it to me?”
Gray waved his hand as if to calm him down.
“Would giving it as-is have saved my dignity? I had to supplement it a bit first.”
After finishing the remaining apple neatly, Gray stood up.
“So, when will you be back? You’re not really retiring, right? If you are, I’ll need to get my fee… including hazard pay, that’s about 20 gold.”
“You thief…”
“Hey, I just quoted the usual fee. You know that.”
Anze glared at Gray, who was pouting and playfully stretching his lips.
“I’ll be there soon, so don’t talk nonsense—just wait.”
Suddenly remembering the Duke, Anze frowned.
Nothing’s happened yet, but the longer he stayed by the Duke’s side, the more precarious his fate would become.
‘I thought I’d quietly finish my work, but now there’s a palace banquet?’
Sighing, Anze glanced down at his attire.
The beautiful dress and ornate jewelry still felt strange, but he didn’t dislike seeing himself dressed up.
Moreover, he was now getting to enjoy small daily tea gatherings with Mariana, the duchess’s daughter, and receiving kind guidance from the Grand Lady.
This was probably enough to fulfill his mother’s wish for him to experience the noble young lady lifestyle.
“When?”
“After this task is done.”
Gray nodded and opened the window without hesitation.
“Be careful! Even though I’ve reduced the troops recently, the Duke’s knights are not to be underestimated.”
“Don’t trust me?”
“Don’t be arrogant. Be careful beforehand so you don’t get in trouble. If you get caught, I’ll deny everything.”
Not only the Duke’s residence, but Primrose Hill as a whole had strict rules: no entry without permission.
Anze wanted to follow their rules as much as possible and handle his work quietly.
“Such stinginess…”
Gray winked at Anze’s complaint and leapt out the window. The distant barking of a dog reached them.
Closing the window, Anze waited nervously for Gray’s presence to fade. But just how far had he gone?
“Who’s there?”
Rough footsteps sounded, and commotion arose outside.
I told him to be careful!
Startled, Anze pressed his face to the window to see outside.
“What’s going on?”
The Duke of Side emerged from the garden bushes.
“There’s a strange presence over there. I’m checking it out.”
“Is that so?”
The Duke approached the indicated direction and bent slightly.
Gray, hiding nearby, seemed about to be caught, and Anze inhaled sharply.
—Meow!
The Duke’s hand, brushing through the bushes, held a wriggling kitten.
“So this is what you were looking for.”
“Uh, yes… that is…”
The knight, frowning, tilted his head. It felt bigger than expected—strange.
The Duke looked around and held out the kitten.
“Seems hungry. Feed it properly.”
“Understood.”
After the knight saluted sharply and left, the Duke’s gaze turned toward Anze’s room.
That eye contact—wasn’t an illusion, right?
‘…Did I get caught?’
The Duke smiled and beckoned Anze with his finger, then turned toward his office.
Anze, frowning, trudged toward the Duke’s office, having enjoyed a brief reprieve thanks to the banquet preparations.
At the Duke’s desk, he tapped the surface with a finger and looked at Anze.
When their eyes met, Anze quickly lowered his gaze and pretended to be distracted.
“So, what’s the matter?”
“…….”
“You’re not talking about a lover, are you?”
Sounds like a lover…
There’s plenty Anze could say, but he just pouted to express his dissatisfaction.
“You must remember the rules I explained before the contract… so what is it?”
“……Consider it a work secret.”
It was related to Mariana, so he could have said it, but he couldn’t reveal all the details of his job.
“How much is the penalty again?”
The Duke faked searching for the contract and turned his head.
‘20 times.’
An astronomical sum, beyond Anze’s capacity.
As the Duke’s hand groped the desk, Anze quickly grabbed it, and with his other hand, pulled out some documents from his arms.
“There was a separate investigation I requested.”
The Duke’s hand froze midair. His small hand was strong enough to resist, but strangely, he couldn’t.
Even after Anze let go, the Duke still couldn’t apply force.
Feeling Anze’s intense gaze, he finally withdrew and unfolded the documents.
“Why this?”
The Duke examined the contents, seemingly tracking some noble families, with a puzzled look.
“To explain briefly, it was as a token of gratitude to our esteemed clients.”
Anze spoke nonchalantly, and the Duke gestured for him to continue.
“All the families in these documents are of young ladies who bullied Mariana during her academy days.”
“What?”
The Duke frowned as he checked the documents again. Anze continued:
“Bullying Mariana is a problem, but I suspected they did it because they had powerful backing. Surely, anyone daring to torment a noble lady would have had a reliable protector, right?”
