chapter 06
Only after facing Dietrich did I realize why I hadn’t recognized him.
In the original story, Dietrich was always described as hollow.
Empty eyes. A demeanor that suggested life bored him.
Except for the moment he died at the hands of his younger sister, Ludovica, he never once showed any emotion.
But the Dietrich before me was different from the one in the novel.
The man with a cold, inorganic impression clearly had expressions—unlike how he was described in the original.
Though the strange smile hanging on his lips was even more intimidating than a blank face.
“Hmm, I didn’t expect you to be a lady.”
A voice filled with chill and pressure.
Overwhelmed by that eerie presence, I couldn’t even open my mouth and just trembled.
His pitch-black eyes began observing me obsessively.
He strode over and crouched down to meet my eye level as I sat frozen.
In those black eyes, I saw my terrified reflection.
I awkwardly darted my gaze, trying to avoid his stare.
But Dietrich grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him.
I couldn’t even begin to guess what he was thinking.
Trembling, I barely managed to speak.
“Th… I’m sorry.”
Dietrich’s eyebrows twitched upward in confusion. After a brief pause, he spoke.
“Hm, for what?”
“…Um.”
“For kidnapping me? Or for imprisoning me? Which one do you mean?”
“F-for everything. I’m sorry…”
Past me… why did you do that?
Holding back tears internally, I cursed my past self from an hour ago and politely asked,
“If you’re going to kill me… could you at least do it in one painless strike…?”
The corner of Dietrich’s lips, which had been curled in a subtle smile, dropped instantly.
The atmosphere turned murderous in an instant, like walking on thin ice.
“So you know who I am.”
Did I make a slip of the tongue without realizing it? It seemed Dietrich was very sensitive about his identity being exposed.
In response to his icy tone, I rambled out an excuse.
“I only just realized. But if anyone saw what you did earlier… wouldn’t they ask the same thing…?”
Realizing too late that I might be irritating him further, I trailed off timidly.
But contrary to my expectations, Dietrich reacted generously.
His expression softened, and the sharp tension eased.
He nodded lazily.
“That’s true.”
“R-right? Haha…”
I awkwardly laughed and agreed with him.
But unlike my smiling face, inside I was dying of frustration.
So… is it going to be painless or painful?!
I got no answer at all.
Just then, as if he had read my thoughts, Dietrich spoke.
“I’ll answer later.”
“…What?”
He crooked his lips. The expression was so villain-like that cold sweat ran down my spine.
“I said I’ll tell you later how I’ll kill you.”
“Hahaha… okay…”
With nothing else to say, I gave a vague response.
It seemed Dietrich planned to torment me thoroughly before killing me.
* * *
Kallis von Agrian.
The emperor’s sixth child and youngest prince, who was believed to have died immediately after birth twenty years ago.
Many mourned his death, pitying that he had passed without ever seeing the world.
But those who knew the inner workings of the imperial palace saw his death as a blessing.
A mother with no power. A father with not even a shred of affection.
The emperor had many mistresses, but Kallis’s mother came from the most insignificant background among them.
Even if he had been born healthy, it was obvious how his life would have turned out.
A hollow title as a prince.
Simply for possessing something meaningless, he would have endured lifelong oppression and checks from his siblings.
And that process would undoubtedly have been more cruel than most could imagine.
A life destined for suffering worse than death.
So even if Kallis never got to see the world, some considered his death a blessing.
However, the truth was different.
Kallis von Agrian did not die that day twenty years ago.
Even the emperor believed he had died—but in reality, he was alive.
His death had been fabricated.
By none other than the empress.
…Very few people knew about this highly classified matter.
At most, the empress’s closest aides, who were directly involved in imprisoning Kallis.
Aside from them, perhaps only the owner of the Gerald Information Guild, who was said to know everything in the empire.
At the headquarters of the Gerald Information Guild.
The guild master—commonly called “Master”—approached the reception room, flipping through the documents in his hand.
Today’s client was Vivian Schmidt.
A client who had requested an investigation into Kallis about a year ago.
The Gerald Information Guild was famous for its speed.
No matter the request, they completed it within a month.
But there was one exception.
A task that had not—rather, had deliberately not—been completed even after a year.
It was the job entrusted by Vivian Schmidt.
She had asked for information about Kallis’s appearance and his current location.
It sounded simple, but it required infiltrating the empress’s palace—no easy task.
However, there was nothing the Master couldn’t accomplish.
He had uncovered all the information Vivian needed in a short time.
All that remained was reporting it.
But the Master intentionally withheld the information and hid the truth.
He had deceived her for a long time with the excuse that the investigation was difficult, handing over fake reports.
Even the document in his hand now was a carefully fabricated report.
Flipping through the twenty-page report, he finished his final review.
Satisfied with how convincing it looked, he nodded and adjusted the black mask covering his face.
He only wore the mask when meeting clients.
Soon, he opened the door and entered the reception room where Vivian should have been waiting.
But instead of Vivian, her subordinate, Ren, was there.
Surprised, the Master glanced around before plopping down in the seat across from him.
“Ah, if I’d known, I wouldn’t have prepared the documents! If you’re coming instead of the young lady, at least tell me in advance, boss.”
Grumbling, he took off his mask, revealing his bare face.
This was unusual for someone who always wore a mask in front of clients.
But Ren didn’t react, as if used to it.
No response again. Completely different from when he’s with Miss Vivian.
Neither Vivian nor the guild members knew, but the true owner of the Gerald Information Guild wasn’t the Master.
Even a year ago, I never imagined I’d end up serving someone else.
The Master briefly recalled the day he first met Ren.
What he saw that day was something impossible to believe had been done by one person.
Half-destroyed guild buildings. Guild members unconscious on the ground.
And beside them stood Ren, naturally exuding a fierce aura that strangled his very breath.
It was the very image of a ruler.
Even recalling it sent chills and thrills through the Master’s body.
But his thoughts were interrupted when Ren handed him a photograph.
It seemed to be a new kidnapping victim.
“You kidnapped someone again already? Wow, that young lady… should I call her brilliant? As expected of the boss’s boss.”
Clapping lightly, the Master took the photo.
It was routine to identify the handsome men Vivian kidnapped.
Unlike Vivian, who lost interest after releasing them, Ren would investigate their identities and monitor them for weeks—
just in case they might harm her.
Of course, all of this was done without Vivian’s knowledge.
“Hm, this time it’s a real catch. Miss Vivian really has an eye, wow. Boss, you’d better be nervous. She even kidnapped the young duke of Belvedus.”
Seeing Ren’s confused reaction, the Master exaggerated even more.
“You don’t know Dietrich Belvedus? Honestly, boss, I’d believe you’re a foreign spy. He’s a magic swordsman—a one-man army.”
As the Master tried to shift his gaze from the photo to Ren—
he froze.
The man who had been there just moments ago had disappeared without a sound.
“…Our boss is really something else.”
Is he really that worried about her?
Shrugging at a feeling he couldn’t quite understand, the Master leaned back.
