Chapter 3
“Why… why is something like this happening to me…?”
“And what was that man doing?!”
Ritzhaian stood frozen, her face burning red.
The hand touching her swollen lips trembled uncontrollably.
The unfamiliar sensation that still lingered there refused to leave her mind.
It tormented her.
Her emotions were a complete mess.
If she woke him up and demanded an explanation, what if the same thing happened again?
But telling Tilda about it wouldn’t change what had already happened either.
And shouldn’t she be angry?
Then why was her heart racing?
Why did this strange exhilaration keep bubbling up inside her?
It felt as though her own body was acting on its own.
Unable to understand herself, she stood absentmindedly in the hallway.
“Miss, what are you doing out here?”
“Did that man finally wake up?”
At that moment, Tilda came up the stairs and spoke to her.
“N-No. I don’t think so.”
“Will he ever wake up? Even the physician has given up.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Oh, right—you said someone was looking for me?”
Ritzhaian quickly turned her head away, worried Tilda might notice her flustered appearance.
She desperately wanted to change the subject.
Talking about the man only brought back what had happened earlier.
“Ah, that’s right. A letter arrived for you.”
“A letter? …Who would be writing to me?”
Fortunately, Tilda didn’t seem to notice anything strange.
Instead, she rummaged through her apron pocket and pulled out an envelope.
It was a neat beige-colored letter.
But Tilda’s expression looked odd.
“Miss, there’s something suspicious about this letter.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well… there’s no sender.”
“No sender?”
“None.”
The envelope was sealed with wax bearing the crest of the Werner family.
And on the front, only one name was written.
Ritzhaian Werner.
Nothing else.
To anyone who saw it, the letter could easily be misunderstood.
It looked as though Ritzhaian herself had sent it to someone.
As though, even if it were lost, it was meant to find its way back to her.
“No sender…?”
“Yes. And it has our family’s seal on it. The handwriting clearly isn’t yours, either.”
“Our family seal…”
“I have a bad feeling about this. Should I throw it away?”
Naturally, Ritzhaian hadn’t sealed the letter.
Nor was there anyone else who possessed the Werner family seal.
Which meant the seal had obviously been forged.
Even though the Werner family had fallen into ruin, they were still a noble house.
Forging a noble family’s seal was not a trivial matter.
“No. Give it to me first.”
“If my guess is correct, simply reading it won’t cause any harm.”
“Are you sure…?”
Despite how suspicious it was, Ritzhaian calmly broke the seal.
In fact, seeing the forged family crest only confirmed her suspicions.
She already knew where it had come from.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
Calling it a letter felt generous.
Only one sentence had been written.
We will be awaiting your visit.
Yet Ritzhaian read that one sentence over and over.
Again.
And again.
And again.
She couldn’t believe her eyes.
“Ah… I knew it.”
After staring at it for a while, a smile slowly spread across her face.
Tilda, however, remained completely confused.
“What kind of letter is it?”
Ritzhaian lightly waved the paper.
“This came from the Guild.”
“The Guild? You don’t mean…”
“Yes.”
“The answer to my request has finally arrived.”
The smile vanished.
In its place appeared a chilling expression.
Because one person immediately came to mind.
“At last…”
“The time has finally come.”
For an entire year, she had pursued only one goal.
Revenge against Karta.
And this insignificant-looking letter was the result of all those efforts.
How much time had passed?
The man’s eyelids twitched.
There was no sunlight shining down, yet everything felt strangely bright.
He couldn’t open his eyes immediately.
How long have I been unconscious this time?
A week?
Longer?
This wasn’t the first time such a thing had happened.
So he wasn’t particularly surprised.
Unable to see, his other senses sharpened instead.
The softness of the blanket covering him felt unfamiliar.
So did the scent lingering in the air.
The atmosphere of the quiet room was completely foreign.
It didn’t take long to realize why.
This isn’t somewhere I know.
“…?”
His entire body tensed.
Forcing his heavy eyelids open, he finally looked around.
The first thing he noticed was rain striking the window beside the bed.
It had been raining the last time he remembered being conscious as well.
But this time was different.
Most importantly—
His condition was different.
“What is this?”
The change in his body felt alien.
It was a peace he had longed for.
A peace he had never possessed.
Not once in his life.
Especially during the past year, when simply staying awake had become a struggle.
“So in the end… I died.”
The burning fever that had constantly consumed him from within was gone.
Completely gone.
The sensation was so unfamiliar that he simply stared at his own hand.
Even the headaches that had tormented him his entire life had vanished.
There was only one conclusion.
He must be dead.
How else could this impossible peace be explained?
The last thing he remembered had been standing on death’s doorstep.
Then this place should be Hell.
Even if he had always acted according to his own convictions, he certainly wasn’t the sort of person destined for Heaven.
“My son, leave. Whether you find a cure for your illness or find happiness, live for yourself now.”
He couldn’t even face the father who had wished him happiness until the very end.
“Brother!”
Nor could he escape the ancient guilt and endless accusations that had followed him throughout his life.
Though many of those accusations had been exaggerated.
Some were outright distortions.
Most weren’t even his fault.
Even so, he never felt wronged.
After all, he had willingly fallen into the underworld.
The shadow world where every crime began.
A place where people constantly fought to shift blame onto one another.
He had known exactly what kind of world it was when he stepped into it.
If he hadn’t been prepared from the start, he never could have abandoned his brilliant past and his family name.
“Brother, save me…!”
Ten years had passed since he left everything behind and established himself in the underworld.
Over that time, he had erased nearly every trace of who he once was.
Yet two things remained.
One was something he could never discard.
The other should have been possible.
And yet he had never managed it.
Karta.
The name that had become famous throughout the underworld.
Part of his own identity.
If he truly considered himself a sinner, why had he never completely erased that name?
Even he found it pathetic.
And somewhat amusing.
Which meant he had never truly let go.
And because of that, paradise had never been a place meant for him.
So he couldn’t help questioning it.
If this wasn’t Heaven—
Why had death finally granted him the peace he had never known in life?
Or perhaps…
Was this merely a moment of respite?
A brief illusion before even greater suffering awaited him?
If so, he could accept it.
Then he would enjoy this fleeting peace.
And pay for his sins forever.
Just as he reached that conclusion—
A woman’s excited voice sounded from outside the room.
“We’ve definitely found him at last!”
“Now I can finally take revenge on Karta—the man who destroyed my family!”
…Who?
The euphoria of being freed from a lifetime of pain vanished instantly.
Only then did he realize he had overlooked the most important thing.
He hadn’t even checked where he was.
His body tensed.
He quickly surveyed the room.
Fortunately, he was alone.
A sweat-soaked pillow.
A blanket.
A towel.
Nothing unusual.
Just a room inside a somewhat shabby mansion.
Nothing more.
Had his name not been mentioned, he might have relaxed.
Silently, he picked up the revolver beside his bed.
Then he approached the door and listened.
“Who sent the letter? There’s not even a sender’s name. What if it’s just a prank?”
“A prank? Who would dare pull a stunt like this? Someone forged a noble family’s seal. That’s a capital crime. The only people bold enough to do something like that are the Guild.”
“They aren’t exactly trustworthy people. It’s dangerous for you to meet them. What if they’re deceiving you?”
The mention of a young noblewoman spending money to search for him puzzled him.
Why would someone of respectable status be looking for him?
Carefully, he continued listening.
“Tilda, you don’t need to worry so much. No matter how dangerous Casa Vacada may be, they want Karta dead too. Besides, I’ve practically been showering them with money. They have no reason to betray me.”
“M-Miss… even so…”
The moment those words left her mouth, his eyes widened.
There was no longer any reason to keep listening.
Casa Vacada… I see.
So these women are connected to the snakes.
Had this happened before his collapse, he might have fled immediately.
But things were different now.
His body felt lighter than it ever had in his entire life.
Whatever they had done to him—
They had made a mistake.
BANG!
The door flew open.
“Good heavens!”
“Ah! You startled me!”
“You’ve woken up? How are you feeling? Are you alright?”
The two women jumped in surprise at the sudden noise.
Yet even while startled, the young woman immediately asked about his condition.
As though she had been worried about him all this time.
She had eyes the color of fresh spring leaves.
Hair like a golden wheat field.
Young.
Beautiful.
Radiant.
“If you don’t want to die, you’d better answer quickly.”
“Who are you?”
She didn’t look remotely like someone who belonged in the criminal underworld.
Honestly, she was beautiful.
No—
Beautiful wasn’t quite the right word.
She looked precious.
Refined.
Like someone who belonged somewhere far removed from filth.
And that confused him.
At the same time, it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
How far has their influence spread?
Have they reached beyond the underworld and into the world above as well?
How did a woman like her become involved with the snakes?
Looking at someone who seemed to shine so brightly made his thoughts unexpectedly complicated.
“I don’t know how you found me.”
“But I know the snakes and all their tricks.”
“So now they’re resorting to honey traps?”
Annoyance surged through him.
Without hesitation, he raised his revolver and pointed it directly at her.
Click.
