Chapter 03
Phew. It was worth taking a peek.
Kailen Liverieden, with his blond hair neatly slicked back and dressed in a crimson formal uniform, was blindingly handsome. He held a champagne flute in one hand and was conversing with the Crown Prince.
They were too far away for me to hear what they were saying, but judging from the Crown Prince’s slightly twisted lips and Kailen’s forced smile, it clearly wasn’t a pleasant conversation.
The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow and moved his lips, saying something. Kailen’s lips stretched horizontally in response, and he nodded.
The Crown Prince stared at him for a brief moment before turning away to speak with another noble.
And then—
“Hup.”
I swallowed a breath and quickly ducked behind the pillar again. My heart began pounding unnaturally hard.
It had to be my imagination. There’s no way he saw me from that far…
I pressed a hand against my chest, trying to calm my wildly racing heart.
After the Crown Prince left, Kailen turned his head. And for a brief moment, it felt like our eyes met. I couldn’t tell if we really made eye contact, or if he just happened to glance in my direction.
Please let it be the latter…
But my prayer went unheard.
The people around me began murmuring.
A large shadow cast itself over my head.
Lowering my gaze, I saw a pair of polished black dress shoes come into view.
No way…
Slowly—very slowly—I lifted my stiff neck. Past the black shoes and pristine white trousers, the hem of the red uniform jacket I saw Kailen wearing earlier came into sight.
My body jolted, and I tried to pretend I hadn’t noticed by turning my head away. I started inching sideways like a guilty crab when his voice stopped me.
“May I have this dance?”
…Huh?
If I didn’t mishear, the male lead just… asked me to dance?
I looked toward the direction of the voice and saw his outstretched hand. I blinked slowly in disbelief.
The murmuring around us grew louder.
Maybe he was asking some noble lady behind me?
I glanced left, right, forward, backward—nothing. No one else was anywhere near this lonely little corner.
Of course. Who else would come hiding in such a remote spot?
It was just me—the idiot who happened to witness something she shouldn’t have.
“Will you dance with me?”
Kailen Liverieden stepped closer, extending his hand again. I lifted my head.
If I refuse… I’m dead meat.
I swallowed hard.
He was looking right at me. When our eyes met, he let out a quiet chuckle and gestured slightly toward his extended hand with his gaze.
Take it.
That’s what it felt like he was saying.
My arm moved on its own. By the time my hand rested on his, I finally came back to my senses—but it was already too late.
Startled, I tried to pull away, but Kailen was faster.
He clasped my hand firmly and escorted me out from the shadows, leading me toward the center of the ballroom. People’s gazes followed us like a swarm of bees.
We soon stood among the couples already dancing. Before the music began, Kailen placed one hand over his chest and bowed gracefully.
I snapped out of my daze long enough to hurriedly lift my dress and return the bow.
Hold.
I placed my hand in his for the dance and instantly thought:
I’m screwed.
✦
Carelessness kills.
When following Ferdinand, one must always be alert—always watching, always cautious. But life doesn’t go as planned.
Kailen clicked his tongue internally and pulled his mask higher.
His confidant Caspian had brought valuable information:
the Crown Prince, Ferdinand, was secretly running an illegal black market for Torfaz—the empire’s only energy source.
And apparently, the black market’s ledgers were hidden in the Imperial Palace’s First Library, specifically in the remote history archives on the second floor. The library only allowed authorized personnel inside, making it an ideal hiding spot for Ferdinand.
And with the Crown Prince’s grand birthday celebration underway, the timing was perfect.
Using work as an excuse, Kailen skipped the banquet. On the second night of the festivities, he slipped into the library. It was late, and thanks to the party, no one was there.
Quietly, he climbed to the second floor and began checking the top shelves one by one.
Then he sensed movement.
Pressing himself into the narrow gap between the bookshelf and the wall, Kailen extinguished his Torfaz lantern. As soon as he did, another light flickered across the floor.
Click.
Someone set a lantern down. Soft sighs and footsteps followed.
Who could possibly be here at this hour? Kailen sharpened his senses.
Torfaz was strictly controlled by the Imperial family—it was their most important resource. The Crown Prince, who should have been a model of propriety, dealing in the black market…
If exposed, Ferdinand would suffer a devastating blow.
Whoever this person was, if the ledger really was hidden here, they had to be connected to the black market.
Kailen leaned forward just enough to peek out—
“You there!”
Kailen stiffened and pressed himself flat against the shelves.
“Who’s there!”
Damn. Was he discovered?
His hand moved toward the sword at his waist… then stopped. Instead, he pulled out a small object from his coat.
A firestone. A small cluster of Torfaz fragments that produced sparks through friction, usually used for lighting fireplaces or pipes.
If thrown hard, it created a brief burst of flame.
Killing someone here would only cause trouble.
So Kailen threw the firestone toward the heavy curtains near the opposite wall.
It struck the fabric and erupted in sparks. The curtain caught fire and flames quickly spread.
“F-fire!”
The man who had been approaching Kailen spotted the blaze and bolted downstairs.
Now.
Kailen slipped out, tore the burning curtain down, and flung it far from the shelves before the fire could spread to the books. Then he exited the library swiftly.
“Fire!”
Once he confirmed that people were coming to handle the situation, he briskly walked away. He planned to change clothes at his quarters and then appear at the banquet to maintain his alibi.
But then something small crashed into him with a soft thud. Someone—some girl—collided with him and stumbled backward. Kailen instinctively caught her.
Light brown hair. Fair, pale skin. Her eyes were tightly shut in panic, and when they fluttered open, they revealed clear, bright brown irises.
Oh.
When her eyes met his emerald ones, they trembled violently.
“How troublesome. Looks like you know who I am…”
Like a baby bird dropped from its nest right into the claws of a predator, the girl trembled. She tried to step back, but he gripped her arm firmly.
“Someone! There’s a fire! Fire!”
At the echoing shouts in the hallway, the girl turned her head.
She froze like a statue. Things had gone sideways.
Kailen watched the terrified girl, then pulled down his mask.
“Shh.”
She clearly wasn’t stupid—she understood the situation instantly. She nodded vigorously, signaling she wouldn’t scream.
He would deal with her later. People were coming. Kailen moved to leave, but paused to glance back at her still standing there in shock.
You should run too.
He almost said it but closed his mouth and disappeared.
The final day of the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet arrived.
The Imperial Library fire was the talk of the Empire. The damage was minimal, but the fact that an intruder set fire inside the palace was enough to cause an uproar.
The Emperor was furious and ordered the culprit found immediately.
He even wanted to cancel the banquet, but the Empress blocked him.
They still had to find a suitable bride for the Crown Prince, she insisted.
The Crown Prince had married twice before.
His first fiancée, the daughter of a marquis and his childhood betrothed, died in a carriage accident a week before their wedding.
His second wife died mysteriously two months after marrying him.
Whispers spread through the Empire like wildfire.
The Empress had accepted the Crown Prince’s desire to avoid marriage for a while, but she couldn’t leave the position of Crown Princess vacant forever. She was anxious.
Kailen’s aide, Dylan, insisted that acting calmly during a crisis was crucial—and forced Kailen to attend the banquet.
It was time to put on the mask.
