Chapter 8
Lucius stepped into the antique shop.
Warm sunlight filled the quiet and peaceful store.
As he walked toward the counter, he suddenly changed direction toward a shelf.
Clatter!
Something had bumped into the shelf, and the antiques on display were shaking.
Lucius’s gaze moved to the two women standing there.
From their clothes, they looked like a maid and the young lady she served.
The maid was wrapping a scarf around the young lady’s face.
But no matter how he looked at it, that was not a scarf. It was a tablecloth.
When Lucius stared at them silently, the maid completely covered the young lady’s face with the tablecloth.
“……”
Lucius stood beside them.
‘I’ve felt someone staring at me this whole time.’
When he followed the feeling, he found two very suspicious women.
Pretending to look at items, Lucius listened carefully.
“I—I can’t brea…!”
“Endure it. It’s pretty. It suits you.”
While listening to their equally suspicious conversation, Lucius picked up a candlestick.
The maid stiffened instantly and became alert.
‘She’s not an ordinary maid.’
He could feel her eyes checking the candlestick in his hand, the sword at his waist—
Even the dagger hidden at his ankle, though it was covered by clothing.
She looked like someone trained to check where weapons were hidden.
Lucius placed the candlestick back on the shelf, then pretended to make a mistake and knocked it down.
The heavy candlestick hit the floor with a loud crash.
The young lady wrapped in the tablecloth flinched.
“My apologies.”
Lucius picked up the candlestick near her feet.
“I startled you due to my carelessness.”
After placing it back properly, he looked at her.
“Are you alright?”
“….”
Under the tablecloth, Reina was panicking.
‘Am I alright?’
I’m wearing a tablecloth over my face. Do I look alright?
‘He should just think I’m crazy and walk away.’
Had she looked too suspicious and drawn attention?
‘What do I do?’
Her breathing grew heavier.
“Ha—hup. Ha—hup…”
Each time she inhaled desperately, the tablecloth was sucked into her mouth and pushed out again.
‘This is a disaster.’
Maya felt the same.
Reina, gasping under a tablecloth, looked suspicious enough to be arrested on the spot.
“I—I’m…”
Reina barely managed to speak.
“I’m fine.”
She stubbornly kept the tablecloth on.
An awkward silence followed.
As her mouth dried up, Lucius spoke again.
“You appear unwell.”
“….”
“Do you need assistance?”
He showed no sign of backing off.
It seemed he truly wanted to see her face.
Reina grew frustrated.
She couldn’t tell if he was testing her or just being polite.
‘If he really came here for me…’
Then she would simply follow her plan.
‘If not…’
Then she had just made the worst first impression possible.
Resolving herself, Reina grabbed the tablecloth and pulled it off.
Her face was revealed.
Her silver hair was messy, and her cheeks were flushed from heavy breathing.
She forced a smile.
“I’m really fine—hic!”
She hiccupped the moment she met Lucius’s eyes.
He was staring at her intensely, his brows deeply furrowed.
Under his gaze, she felt frozen.
Then his golden eyes slowly narrowed.
He took a deep breath.
For the first time, his calm golden eyes showed a flicker of emotion.
He even took half a step back.
‘What?’
At that moment—
“Here you are.”
The clerk appeared like a savior.
Reina’s eyes widened when she saw the two glass bottles in his hands.
Her hiccups stopped.
The item she had ordered to hide Calix was right in front of Lucius.
The contents were wrapped in cloth, so they couldn’t be seen—but her heart pounded violently.
“You’ve already paid—”
Before he could finish, Reina quickly snatched the bottles.
“Well then, we’ll be leaving.”
She hurried past Lucius with Maya.
Lucius watched her leave.
Just as he stepped forward—
A sudden sharp headache struck him.
He winced and covered his eyes.
“Your Grace?”
The clerk looked confused.
“…The item.”
Lucius lowered his hand and spoke quietly.
The clerk hurriedly searched his pocket.
Lucius had long been a customer of the Master.
He always requested the same thing.
And always left empty-handed.
Today was different.
“We couldn’t find what you requested, but the Master said this might help.”
The clerk handed him an envelope.
Lucius accepted it.
“Tell him to keep searching.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
When Lucius left the shop, a man immediately approached him.
“My lord.”
It was Cyril, his loyal subordinate, hood pulled low.
“Did you find the item?”
“….”
“My lord?”
Lucius finally looked at him.
“Are you alright?”
Cyril asked with concern.
“The knights are searching the South for the young master. Perhaps you should rest for a while.”
Coming to the capital had not been planned.
Lucius had only changed course after hearing the Master might have something useful.
Cyril had hoped he would take the chance to rest.
“Any useful clues?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Cyril lowered his head.
Lucius clicked his tongue.
“I regret it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I killed the director too quickly.”
His voice was cold.
When Lucius went to the southern sanatorium, he learned Calix had escaped.
After seeing the room Calix had stayed in, he understood why.
There was no window.
The food was thin porridge and hard bread.
There were no records of proper medicine being purchased.
The director had neglected him and stolen the expensive hospital fees.
Calix was still a member of the Ingersoll family.
The director’s actions were an insult to the family and its head.
Lucius had cut off the man’s head on the spot.
‘I should not have ended it so quickly.’
He should have kept him alive to extract information.
“Cyril.”
Lucius pointed at a section of the list.
“Investigate these first.”
Cyril handed him documents.
“These are the names of those who passed through the South around the time the young master disappeared.”
Children didn’t pay tolls, so only adults were listed.
Finding who Calix left with would be difficult.
Lucius scanned the list.
His eyes stopped at several familiar noble family names.
“Naval Academy cadets were on vacation then,” Cyril explained.
Most nobles sent troublesome sons there to keep them contained.
Young men who wore uniforms but still caused trouble.
“They were there at that time.”
“Cyril.”
Lucius tapped the list of cadet names.
“Investigate them first.”
Then his gaze settled on one name written slightly below the others.
Jonathan Crollot.
“I’ll handle this one personally.”
