Episode 26
Catherine was lying in bed next to Alex, staring at the ceiling, when she suddenly thought of her “father.”
“You’ve seen your father, right, Alex?”
“Huh? Yeah. Why?”
‘Father.’
Catherine had never once seen her father since she was born.
Rachel had always kept his existence a secret.
“Do you remember what he was like?”
Was he someone who loved his children, like the Duke of Hereis? Or was he a terrible man, like Rachel said?
“He died from an illness, right?”
The only thing Catherine had ever heard about her father was that he died—that was the first and last piece of news about him.
Compared to that, Alex had met their father sometimes and knew of his existence.
He had met him secretly without telling Catherine or Rachel.
At first, Catherine felt angry and betrayed when she found out, but it didn’t last long.
Because to her, Alex—who had always been there—was more important than a father she had never met.
“Yeah. He was often sick.”
Alex turned to face her and looked into her eyes.
“Right. He had platinum-blond hair and clear blue eyes, just like you.”
“I look like him?”
“…No. You don’t.”
Alex gently touched the corner of her eye, his gaze distant as if recalling an old memory.
“Was he a good person?”
“Hmm… I don’t know. But he was strange and kind of funny.”
Alex smiled as he said this, but he looked a little sad, like someone missing someone dear.
Was he missing their father? Catherine couldn’t tell.
“Hey… why did Mom hate him so much?”
Rachel would always get angry when talking about their father.
What kind of person was he for Rachel to hate him that much?
“I don’t know. But… our father lied to her. That’s all.”
After saying that, Alex turned away, clearly not wanting to talk more.
Catherine stared at his back for a moment before turning over and closing her eyes.
A lie…
Was that all?
There was an antidote for ‘Philotes.’
If Catherine remembered correctly, it required the root of the “blue flower fruit.”
Thankfully, she still had memories of the original story.
‘Whew, it would’ve been bad if I forgot that…’
But the root only grew on cliff tops of high mountains, so it wasn’t something easy to get from the Duke’s estate.
So Catherine decided to go out.
Her destination: “Night of Thalia,” the street in the capital known for being full of information traders.
“What? Night of Thalia? You mean that bar street in the capital?”
“Yeah. I’m heading there now, so get the carriage ready.”
As she was preparing to go, she told Helen to prepare a carriage to the capital.
August, who overheard the destination, looked shocked.
“Young lady, how do you even know about that place?”
He seemed genuinely surprised that Catherine even knew about the Night of Thalia.
It was a street full of bars frequented mostly by commoners.
But many of those bars were secretly run by information guilds.
It looked like an ordinary street, but it was a hub for selling and buying information—even nobles used it.
Still, because of its reputation and poor safety, it was no place for noblewomen.
Naturally, no proper lady would go there—or even know about it.
So when Catherine insisted on going, August wanted to stop her.
“Do you even know how dangerous it is?”
August, who usually joked around, now looked serious and worried.
“I got curious. I heard the knights talking about it at the training ground.”
“…Wait. Our knights go there?”
Catherine’s offhand comment made August drop his concerned expression and turn serious.
If knights from the Duke’s house were going there, it meant some of them might be selling secrets.
That suspicion quickly turned into certainty.
“Why? Are you curious? Want me to tell you?”
Catherine smiled.
Even though August was her guard, he was still a knight of the Duke’s house.
His real job was dealing with people who betrayed the Valentian family—so she knew he wouldn’t stop her.
“Haha. Yes, please tell me.”
“Then let’s go.”
Their secret trip was now confirmed.
“Sigh… Fine. But please don’t do anything dangerous.”
“Okay. And don’t tell the Duke I’m going there. We’re secret friends, remember?”
August closed his eyes, already feeling like there would be more secrets between Catherine and the Duke in the future.
‘What is she planning this time…?’
He looked at Catherine, who smiled innocently as if nothing was wrong.
Clatter, clatter—.
“We’ve arrived.”
The carriage finally stopped.
Catherine stepped out with August’s help.
She wore commoner clothes and came in an ordinary carriage to avoid standing out.
Still, greedy eyes followed them.
She flinched at the stares but quickly straightened her back.
‘If I act like a scared noble lady, I’ll be an easy target. I need to stay sharp.’
She looked around.
Drunken and gambling commoners were passed out on the streets.
It was a shocking sight for someone used to clean and elegant surroundings.
“We’re here. So… where to now?”
August asked carefully.
Catherine smiled silently and walked ahead.
She looked around the rooftops for a while before stopping in front of a small bar with a red roof.
It looked quiet, without many customers.
She didn’t enter right away.
Instead, she approached a homeless man lying beside the bar.
“W-wait!”
August panicked and tried to stop her.
The man smelled strongly of alcohol and could act unpredictably.
“Dangerous…”
“Shh. Quiet.”
Catherine motioned for silence.
August nodded reluctantly and stayed alert.
Catherine pulled out a silver coin and held it out to the man.
He seemed asleep, but then slowly opened his eyes and raised his head.
Surprisingly, his eyes were white—he was blind.
Still, he sensed the coin and took it.
“…Hmm. What do you want?”
He spoke in a tired, rough voice.
Catherine didn’t mind.
“I want to meet the ‘Red Bird.’”
“Heh. Why does a little lady want to meet the ‘Red Bird’?”
Despite being blind, he could tell Catherine was young.
“Do I have to explain?”
“…No. No need. The ‘Red Bird’ always opens its doors to those in need.”
He chuckled, seeming amused.
“A bird lays eggs. Eggs become birds. So which came first—the bird or the egg?”
After saying that, he went back to sleep.
It was his way of saying: don’t bother me anymore.
Catherine stood silently for a moment, thinking, then walked into the bar.
Ding.
The inside was small and cozy with a lively vibe.
It looked like a normal pub.
“Welcome. What would you like to order?”
A young male waiter greeted her.
His long, narrow eyes made him look sly, but his polite tone and manners gave a smart, gentlemanly impression.
“A red wine for the Red Bird.”
Catherine said calmly.
The moment she spoke, the bar fell silent.
The mood subtly shifted.
