Chapter 70
As Richmond’s thick hand neared Cecilia’s shoulder, as if to grab it, she slapped it away.
He looked down at his hand, now swatted into the air, then glared at her. Cecilia met his gaze with eyes that had turned cold.
“What proof do you have that the assassin you mentioned is actually Leo?”
“…What?”
“I won’t dismiss your claim about raising a slave from the Hakan tribe into an assassin as mere delusion. But there’s no evidence that this person is my knight Leo.”
Cecilia let out a scoffing sound and spoke mockingly.
“That slave certificate you used to threaten me in the letter?”
“…”
“Bring it, then. I’ll appraise it myself—if it’s real.”
Richmond’s brow twitched slightly. Of course the certificate was fake. It would have been impossible to brand a family seal on someone meant to be raised as an assassin.
He had assumed Cecilia wouldn’t know such details and would show up obediently to the meeting. But from the look on her face, it seemed he was the one caught off guard.
He bit his lip once, then shifted his approach, putting on a worried expression.
“This isn’t going how I hoped, Cecilia. I really am concerned. Do you even know what mission Leo was on just before he ran away?”
“…?”
“A murder assignment? No. He just had to retrieve an item. That’s it. I did raise him as an assassin, but I truly cherished that child. Once he completed that one job, I planned to set him free. But Leo—he couldn’t resist his murderous urges and ran off…!”
Richmond’s voice rose like a third-rate actor in a drama, but Cecilia cut him off coldly.
“Uncle.”
“…What?”
“Don’t call him Leo. I gave him that name.”
She frowned as if disgusted by Richmond uttering that name, issuing a stern warning.
In that moment, for the first time in his life, Richmond felt his spirit falter. He had always considered her unfit for the House of Niberius, but now he realized she had a formidable presence.
He never imagined he’d be overwhelmed by such a young girl.
He instinctively took a step back. Cecilia locked eyes with him and continued.
“It’s true that I don’t know Leo’s past. I think of him as family, as a friend. But if he has real family out there, I wanted to help him find them. I came here because your letter made me wonder if that might be the case.”
“Exactly. I was like family to—”
“But I didn’t expect to hear such nonsense.”
Cecilia’s violet eyes glinted coldly in the moonlight.
“If you bring up Leo again, I’ll send the Niberius private guards to your doorstep.”
Judging there was no more value in conversation, Cecilia pulled her robe hood over her head and turned away, walking toward Notsha. Behind her, Richmond called out desperately.
“Cecilia! At least answer this. Has Leo ever told you anything—or given you anything?”
Cecilia paused and looked up into the air before turning her head slightly to glance back.
“…That ‘item’ you sent him to retrieve on his last mission?”
“…Yes.”
Cecilia’s gaze sharpened.
“Uncle, did you really intend to set him free after that job?”
Cecilia gripped Notsha’s reins tightly and broke into a fast gallop.
The story about the assassin, and the “item” he was sent to retrieve—it all felt instinctively connected, like it was the key to solving everything.
She needed to return to the estate immediately, tell Pierre, and confront Leo.
That Leo may have once been an assassin didn’t matter. He was Leo now—her family.
Driven by that thought, she urged the horse faster—until thwip!
An arrow pierced the ground in front of them. Had it landed just a bit closer, it would have struck Notsha’s thigh.
Startled, Cecilia turned around.
A man in black was galloping after her. From his silhouette, she could tell—he was Richmond’s hidden assassin.
Of course, she thought. He gave away all that information—he wouldn’t just let me leave unharmed.
Notsha’s speed made it hard for the pursuer to catch up, but the arrows were the real danger.
Thwip—
Another arrow flew, aimed directly at Notsha. Cecilia swiftly drew her sword and deflected it from horseback. But they still had nearly an hour’s ride left to the mansion.
They couldn’t hold out this way for long.
If Notsha was injured, she might fall and get badly hurt.
There was only one option.
I have to deal with this assassin now.
With that decision, Cecilia gradually slowed Notsha down. The assassin also began to reduce his pace.
A tense silence settled between them.
The masked man hadn’t expected her to stop willingly. A smirk curled beneath his mask.
Cecilia, sensing his cocky nature, pointed her sword and called out:
“Are you the assassin Richmond sent?”
“…”
“I heard you were raised as a killer since childhood. I guess someone like me would be easy for you to defeat?”
It was provocation.
If he kept using arrows, Cecilia wouldn’t stand a chance. Her only opportunity was a sword-to-sword duel.
Luckily, the bait worked. The man left his quiver on his horse and dismounted with only his sword in hand.
So did Cecilia.
The assassin spoke first.
“If you don’t resist, you won’t be harmed.”
“And if I do?”
“…You’ll still be taken alive. A missing limb or two won’t kill you.”
“…How fitting for my uncle’s assassin.”
And with that, their swords clashed violently.
Each strike was sharp enough to kill. In both strength and technique, the assassin was superior.
But Cecilia was used to sparring against men stronger than her—including her uncles and Leo.
When the assassin, underestimating her, put extra force into a downward slash, Cecilia used his strength against him, redirecting the attack and countering.
“Urgh—!”
His balance broke. Cecilia didn’t miss the opportunity and swung again.
But the assassin dodged backward, as if predicting she’d target his shoulder.
Cecilia’s eyes widened.
She had never killed with a sword before. Her secret technique, taught through intense training, was to aim for the shoulder just below the neck—a non-lethal yet disabling strike.
It was a self-defense method designed to neutralize aggressors.
Yet the assassin had moved early, dodging it.
How…? He must’ve fought me before!
She finally realized what had felt familiar.
“You—you’ve seen me before, haven’t you? At the Zilgeurk factory!”
She remembered attacking an assassin’s shoulder back then. But instead of answering, he pressed forward with greater ferocity.
The same move wouldn’t work twice. She was barely able to deflect his heavy blade. Eventually, the force overwhelmed her, and she was thrown to the ground.
“Ah!”
She clutched her numb arm and tried to reach her sword, but the assassin kicked it away and loomed over her.
He smiled cruelly.
“You saved me back then.”
“…!”
His sword flew down toward her leg.
At that moment—clang!
A massive figure cloaked in black deflected the assassin’s blade with ease.
Cecilia’s eyes widened.
She hadn’t sensed him approach at all.
As the wind blew, the man’s robe fluttered back—revealing dark hair and crimson eyes.
It was her knight.
“…Leo?”
Leo looked at her with unfamiliar eyes—cold and expressionless, just like the first time she had met him.
But in the very next moment, before the assassin could recover his stance, Leo lunged at him with deadly force.
