“Good.”
Adrian gave a quiet nod.
Yes.
He bore responsibility for bringing Sabina this far.
Therefore, he was determined to fulfill his duty.
“Let’s go.”
It was time to catch the rats.
—
A street on the outskirts of the capital.
A middle-aged man looked around warily before slipping into a secluded alley.
After walking for some time, he stopped in front of a rundown house.
Knock knock. Knock-knock-knock. Knock. Knock-knock.
A rhythmical knock echoed—clearly some kind of signal.
Without any warning, the door flew open.
The man’s eyes widened in shock.
“Gah?!”
A hand shot out from the slightly open door, grabbed the man by the collar, and yanked him inside.
Then, he was thrown harshly to the floor.
Crash!
The man collapsed like a ragdoll.
“Ugh!”
A short cry escaped his lips.
The impact made his whole body ache, as if it had shattered.
“Ugh…”
As the man groaned and struggled to lift his head, he suddenly froze in place.
‘W-What is this…?’
The interior was a mess.
Several men were lying on the floor, gagged and bound like trash.
And beyond them stood a young man…
‘Wait.’
The middle-aged man’s face turned pale.
Among the beaten men and the filthy surroundings, stood someone entirely out of place—an elegant young man.
Golden hair that gleamed like the sun.
Chilly green eyes, stripped of their usual warmth.
“S-Second Young Master?”
The man’s voice trembled as it slipped from his lips.
Step.
Adrian took a step forward.
Step. Step. Step.
Unhurried, he approached the middle-aged man.
With each step, the man felt himself shrinking in fear.
Adrian leaned down and grabbed him roughly by the collar.
The man was yanked up in one swift motion.
“Guh…!”
He couldn’t breathe.
He struggled to pry Adrian’s hand away, but the grip didn’t loosen in the slightest.
“Guh, kuh, gah…”
His face turned red, then pale, and finally bluish from lack of oxygen.
Only then did Adrian let go, as if discarding something filthy.
Thud!
The man crumpled to the ground.
Cough, cough-cough!
He clutched his throat, coughing violently.
“I thought something was strange.”
Adrian spoke coldly.
“The records clearly stated that the supplies were delivered.”
“Guh, kuh…!”
“But when I checked, Sabina’s storage was completely empty.”
Adrian stared down at the man crawling on the floor, his expression filled with disgust—like looking at a worm.
“Did Valencia seem like a joke to you?”
The man was the very same official who had once mocked Sabina.
‘Because of a rat like this, Sabina…’
Adrian twisted his lips into a cold sneer.
“I didn’t think you’d be bold enough to sell off the supplies so openly.”
“I-I’m sorry!”
The middle-aged man, now pale, bowed his head to the ground.
Adrian’s mocking expression vanished.
With a blank face, he said icily:
“But I think there’s someone else you should be apologizing to.”
“A-Apologize…?”
“Sabina.”
His voice was sharp as a blade.
The man flinched.
“The suffering Sabina endured because of your scheming…”
Adrian tilted his head slightly.
“How do you plan to take responsibility for that?”
The color drained completely from the man’s face.
Adrian gave a slight shrug.
“I don’t think I have any mercy left for someone like you.”
“…Young Master?”
“The only person you can beg for forgiveness from is Sabina.”
With that, Adrian nodded toward the man.
“Take him.”
Knights of House Valencia, who had been waiting behind him, grabbed the man by both arms.
The middle-aged man thrashed desperately.
“Second Young Master? Young Master!!”
But Adrian had already stopped paying attention.
As the man was dragged away…
“Sort through the warehouse and send everything to the estate.”
“Yes, sir.”
A knight bowed respectfully and left.
Meanwhile, Adrian fell into thought.
‘Sure, stealing and selling the supplies is infuriating…’
But something else was bothering him more.
His green eyes narrowed suspiciously.
‘He even took medicinal herbs and reagents, didn’t he?’
While things like food and daily necessities could easily be stolen by a supply manager…
Medicinal herbs and reagents were different.
They were expensive and rare—every batch had to be inspected and approved by the estate’s physician before being sent out.
But upon inspection, even those ledgers had been forged.
Which meant…
‘Don’t tell me… the physician was in on it too?’
The thought was troubling.
Even if he questioned the physician, they would probably just try to shift the blame.
They’d likely claim they did inspect the herbs and handed over the correct records—but that the supply manager had tampered with them afterward.
It was possible. Every time the supply carts went out, the ledgers had to be signed by the physician.
But even that could be brushed off with a simple, “I was careless and didn’t check thoroughly. I apologize.”
‘Besides, the physician was sent by the Regalis Order.’
Which meant—
Firing him would be the same as dismissing a member of the Order.
Worse, Adrian himself was a Hero officially endorsed by the Regalis Order.
Though not devout, publicly opposing the Order would be politically risky.
If he pressed too hard over a mere “mistake,” the Order could spin it as:
‘The Hero disrespects the Order.’
If it were only about himself, Adrian wouldn’t have cared.
But he didn’t want the fallout to reach House Valencia.
‘This is really troublesome.’
Adrian furrowed his brow.
Still, one thing was clear.
‘There’s more than one rat.’
His green eyes glinted sharply.
‘I have to use this chance to catch every last one of them.’
—
A few days later.
I was sitting on the floor like a loaf of bread, dozing off, when suddenly I perked up.
I felt a vibration in the distance.
The distinctive rumble of a carriage.
And the person who was supposed to visit today was…
‘Adrian!’
I jumped up.
Hopping onto the windowsill, I saw a carriage rolling in from afar.
“Mei?”
Right then, my sister poked her head out.
I rubbed my forehead against her shoulder.
“Meow~”
She gently stroked my back while keeping her eyes fixed on the window.
She tried to look indifferent, but I could see it.
The way the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
“I’ll be right back, Mei.”
She quickly composed her expression and spoke to me.
“You stay here, okay?”
“Meow.”
I answered obediently.
After adjusting her outfit, she walked out to the garden with a composed expression.
In the distance, Adrian was stepping down from the carriage.
But then—
‘Huh?’
I suddenly froze, my eyes wide like a startled bunny.
‘That guy…’
Adrian wasn’t the only
one getting out of the carriage.
A middle-aged man, looking completely disheveled, was dragged out behind him.
And he looked familiar.
Of course he did.
‘Isn’t that the supply manager who always delivered the goods?!’
The one who roughly threw the boxes and gossiped about my sister last time!
