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Chapter 06
“Hey, where did you go?”
Sion stood up quickly as Lucian entered the room.
Honestly, he hadn’t liked Lucian earlier for snapping at him—but being alone, he had secretly felt a bit bored too.
“What do you care?”
His first impression hadn’t been wrong.
From pretending to be fragile, to using what seemed like magic, to even knowing the identity of his father—Lucian was clearly someone you didn’t want to get close to.
His arrogance, his cold attitude, made Sion clench his lips.
For a long moment, silence filled the room.
“Lucian, Sion, it seems like you should go out with Miss….”
Meril, who had returned after a long while, was momentarily speechless.
Lucian completely ignored Sion, and Sion occasionally glanced at Lucian—but there was no warmth in his gaze.
It was more like a watchful, uneasy look.
“Did something happen between you two? Did Sion maybe bother Lucian…?”
“Oh, no. Actually, it was me—”
Sion stopped mid-sentence, glancing nervously at Lucian.
Lucian’s emotionless eyes watched him, unpredictable.
“You?”
“No… nothing happened. We’re just… awkward around each other.”
Sion gave a strained smile in response to Meril’s question.
Lucian, quietly observing, finally nodded slightly.
It was the face of a shy, innocent child, anyone could tell.
“Alright, we’ll believe you. Anyway, Miss said she’s going out, so you two should come along too.”
“With Miss?”
A flicker of surprise crossed the otherwise calm blue eyes.
“Well… you’ll go with her until leaving the Duke’s house. After that, you’ll go separately—Miss has other things to do.”
“Then why us…?”
Disappointment replaced the flicker of surprise.
Sion swallowed a bitter laugh. Could this really be the same person who threatened others with his father’s name?
“Anyway, you’re officially assigned to serve Miss for now. It wouldn’t make sense for you not to go out with her. Don’t worry about being given tasks. You’ll go with Sophia and Daniel to see the market.”
“Really?”
Sion’s eyes lit up and naturally glanced at Lucian beside him.
No matter how he might have whimpered or pleaded, Lucian simply accepted the situation quietly.
A faint smile lingered at the corner of Lucian’s mouth—but disappeared before anyone could notice.
* * *
The carriage carrying Medeia, Andrew, and Meril left the Duke’s mansion, followed by another with Daniel, Sophia, Sion, and Lucian.
After a while, the carriages stopped on a quiet forest path. Andrew, Meril, and Medeia got off one by one.
“Let’s get off here too. We’ll switch to another carriage.”
Sophia urged Sion and Lucian with her bright brown eyes.
Outside the carriage, two shabby carriages appeared as if from nowhere to meet the children.
Sion looked at Andrew in confusion. Where did these carriages come from?
Lucian, however, didn’t pay attention. His gaze was fixed elsewhere.
“Lucian.”
“Miss.”
Medeia stood before him, wearing a black wig with Meril’s help.
Lucian stared at her as if imprinting her image in his mind.
“…Strange?”
Medeia thought he might be staring because black hair didn’t suit her.
“No… it’s not that…”
Lucian recalled the silver hair that had sparkled in the dark underground prison.
“Meril, maybe next time we can try another color?”
Outside the Filene Empire, it might not have mattered, but silver hair like Medeia’s was rare in the Kingdom of Reneair.
They had chosen black as the closest common hair color—but did it really suit her face?
Medeia, usually indifferent, found herself unsettled by the small child’s gaze.
“Then I’ll prepare another wig next time. Anything will suit you, Miss—”
“No, no. Black hair suits you very well.”
Before Meril could finish, Lucian tugged lightly at Medeia’s dress.
Her gaze followed the motion, leaning slightly to listen.
Only the person she wanted—captured in those violet eyes—made Lucian smile faintly.
“I like it because it’s like my hair color.”
He alternated glances between his own hair and Medeia’s black wig, then gently touched the strands that reached her waist.
A few silver strands, like moonlight, shimmered in the wind.
“Thank you, Lucian.”
Medeia didn’t notice that this tiny gesture stirred something deep within him.
Nor did she know that even his brief smile had carved a small but permanent place in his heart.
* * *
“Daniel, Sophia, please take care of the children.”
She glanced briefly at the children, each holding one of their hands.
Lucian wanted to hold that gaze a moment longer—but Medeia, with Andrew and Meril, gradually walked away.
“Lucian, Sion, let’s go. We don’t have enough time to see everything.”
Sophia led the children toward the bustling center of the market.
Excited footsteps rushed ahead, while one reluctant step lagged behind.
Meanwhile, Medeia, Andrew, and Meril reached an old wooden building after winding through maze-like alleys.
At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary house—but it was the secret location of the Lisran Merchant Company.
“What brings you here?”
A man’s voice came from behind as they stopped in front of the house.
“I heard the items we ordered have arrived.”
The building known publicly as the Lisran Merchant Company was actually in a busy area.
Mentioning the “ordered items” here proved someone knew this secret place.
“Enter. They are waiting.”
The man bowed respectfully, opening the door.
As Medeia stepped in, a cold sea breeze swept past, revealing glints of silver hair among her black strands.
“Welcome. We’ve been waiting.”
Inside, Robin and Luna, seated at a central table, rose together.
“Let’s skip formalities. You said you were contacted by ‘I,’ correct?”
‘I’ was someone whose true identity remained unknown.
Yet Robin and Luna—Medeia’s trusted allies—guaranteed their reliability.
Even if ‘I’ might betray her someday, Medeia didn’t fear it.
She only needed the power to thwart her father’s betrayal.
“Yes. It seems Duke Leshanin is changing plans. He intends to move people from Reynie Harbor to Psibel Harbor and sell them to foreign nobles. Recently, Mosquis and his group have been prowling around Psibel Harbor.”
Luna handed over a white sheet of paper.
At its corner, a violet flower design. In the center, the initial “I.”
A letter from ‘I.’
“Psibel Harbor… isn’t that a den of criminals and rogues? Ordinary people wouldn’t dare enter. Why there…”
“To make it impossible for saboteurs to intervene. Psibel is the perfect place.”
Robin’s slightly hoarse voice furrowed his brows.
“Just like your father.”
Medeia said this without any emotion.
“What should we do?”
“First, keep watching Mosquis and his group. And there’s someone who knows Psibel well—send them to the mansion.”
“Are you going?”
Before the tea was even set on the table, Medeia stood.
Andrew and Meril at the door were ready to leave immediately.
“Even my own father suspects me these days.”
A smile that could be either bitter or mocking lingered on her lips as she left the old house.
She moved through the maze-like alleys with the same certainty as when she first arrived.
Before long, the quiet alleys opened into the busy streets of the city.
Medeia walked calmly, as if nothing had happened.
Andrew and Meril followed her.
And a man watched them.
Long hair with a blue tint, face hidden under a hat, yet his height could not be concealed.
Still, the corners of his mouth curved into a playful smile.
