TCRDG 07

Chapter 7

Orbis dropped the fingers he had been formally covering his eyes with, grinned from ear to ear, and tugged on Rosia’s shoulder.

“Noona, let’s go. This isn’t a situation we should be interrupting.”

“No, this is exactly the kind of situation we should interrupt—mmph!”

In an instant, Orbis and Rosia vanished, and the door slammed shut behind them.

Feeling drained, Bidler let go of Seniel’s collar and stepped back, straightening his clothes.

“Why did your sister show up at such a crucial moment?”

“How would I know she’s my sister? Don’t make connections. And stop making wild assumptions.”

Bidler lowered his long lashes and let out a deep sigh.

“Is she really that important to you?”

“Yes. She’s the most important person to me. Important enough to trade my life for hers.”

Seniel spoke with more sincerity than ever before.

Seeing this, Bidler’s gaze quieted.

“Come to the capital for now. There’s something that needs investigating. We’ll think about your leave after that.”

Letting out a sigh, Bidler stormed out of the room.

I stood in the garden, anxiously waiting for the man who claimed to be Seniel’s superior to come out of the house.

“What was that all about?”

The two seemed very close. It didn’t feel like just a superior and subordinate relationship. There was something strange in their eyes and the lack of distance between them.

“He said ‘mine.’ And ‘obedience’? What kind of superior says things like that?”

When Orbis dragged me outside, I asked him about the man again, but he said he couldn’t say anything.

A little later, the red-eyed man and someone following him came out of the mansion.

He deliberately walked over to me and started talking.

“Even if Seniel denies it, you can’t fool my eyes. Now you’re trying to cling to your little brother? To my subordinate, no less?”

He even showed possessiveness over Seniel toward me.

It was absurd, but the more absurd it was, the calmer I became.

“And what are you thinking?”

“What?”

“You seem to ignore Seniel’s wishes. Are you suppressing him with power? Or do you have some kind of leverage over him?”

As I calmly questioned him, the man’s eyes grew even colder.

His blood-red eyes stared at me chillingly.

I wondered if I should at least pretend to be scared, but instead, I met his gaze with a warning not to touch Seniel.

Surprised that I didn’t flinch, he stepped closer.

“Seniel owes me a debt. He’s been working it off at my side—with his body.”

“His… body?! What do you mean by that…?”

His ambiguous words were shocking enough that my pupils dilated.

My lips parted, unable to make sense of what he meant, and the man passed me by casually, as if he’d expected this reaction.

That evening,

The main course was venison that Orbis had apparently hunted in the forest himself.

But I couldn’t move my hands.

My mind was filled with the man’s words—that Seniel was repaying his debt with his body.

“What on earth did he mean by that?”

As I stared blankly at the meat, Seniel picked up his knife to cut it for me and asked,

“Noona, is something wrong? You seem deep in thought.”

“Who was that guy earlier? He looked like a noble.”

“He is. He’s my direct superior.”

I looked at the knife in Seniel’s hand and swallowed a sigh.

I wanted to ask him directly about what the man said, but the words wouldn’t come out.

If he was hiding it from me, he must have a reason. I was afraid bringing it up would only dig up a wound.

After our parents passed away, we spent more time apart than together.

Instead of bombarding him with questions, I decided it would be better to use my own information network to find out.

Ending my thoughts there, I picked up a piece of meat that Seniel had cut and put it in my mouth.

“Seniel, I think I need to go to the capital for a bit.”

“Huh? Really? I happen to have business there too. We can go together.”

“You too? Why all of a sudden?”

“Ah… I have someone I need to meet.”

Seniel smiled awkwardly, avoiding the details.

The fact that this came up suddenly made me suspect it had something to do with that man from earlier.

“Will he be okay?”

I also planned to visit Raven’s intelligence division in the capital, so it made me a bit uneasy.

Still, seeing how excited Seniel was about going to the capital for the first time, I couldn’t bring myself to stop him.

We left for the capital the next day. It took just over half a day by carriage.

Fortunately, we didn’t have to worry about lodging.

There was a house owned by Orbis not far from the city center.

It was a single-story building with four rooms—enough for Seniel, Orbis, and me to stay comfortably.

After unpacking our things in each of our rooms, we gathered in the living room.

As we drank tea to unwind, Seniel told me his schedule.

“Orbis and I have to train, so we’ll be out every morning before dawn. The training will last five days. In the meantime, I’ll assign someone to guard you.”

At the word “guard,” I quickly shook my head.

If Seniel’s bodyguard was around, every move I made would be reported. That would restrict my activities.

“No need. What could possibly happen in the capital? It’s protected by barriers.”

“It’s been a while since you were around so many people. I’m worried.”

“Well, I need to get used to it sooner or later. I’ll practice on my own. And I hate being followed.”

“If that’s what you want, fine.”

I had expected Seniel to resist more, but he agreed surprisingly easily.

Does he have something else planned? Still, I was relieved.

“Then I’m tired. I’ll go to bed early.”

“Yeah. You’ve had a long day.”

“Good night, Noona!”

I reassured them I’d sleep early, went into my room—

And lay in bed, holding my breath as I stayed awake all night.

The next morning, just before dawn,

I finally heard faint sounds of movement outside as Seniel and Orbis rustled around and got ready.

As soon as they left, I threw off my blanket and slipped out the door.

I peeked out to check the street—it was near a market, so there were already people about despite the early hour.

Blending into the crowd, I began trailing Seniel and Orbis from a distance.

I’d concealed my presence perfectly, so they wouldn’t notice me.

But then came a problem.

They were headed to the imperial palace—a place I couldn’t follow. Entry required a permit and a strict identity check.

“I can’t go in there…”

I came to a halt.

I had planned to observe what Seniel was doing firsthand now that we were both in the capital, but that plan had already failed.

“Looks like I’ll have to go to the intelligence division after all.”

Shaking my head, I sat down on a bench to calm my frustration.

“Phew, it’s hot.”

The seasons were changing. As I fanned myself, wiping off sweat, the man sitting on the next bench caught my eye.

He was pulling items from several large bags and laying them out.

A wandering peddler?

His discreet hand movements were fascinating. I kept watching silently when the man glanced at me with an annoyed tone.

“Get in line. You can’t buy from there.”

“Line for what?”

“…If you don’t know, forget it.”

While he was setting up, people I hadn’t even noticed started to gather around.

Before long, a line had formed—one so long I couldn’t even see the end.

Strangely, every single person in line was a woman.

Some wore veils; some had elaborate clothes. It didn’t matter their status—everyone lined up the same.

The line kept growing while I watched.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of me, and I joined the back of it.

After a long wait, I peeked over a noblewoman’s shoulder and saw what the fuss was about.

“What the heck is that?!”

I quickly covered my mouth to stop a scream from escaping.

Trying to calm my pounding heart, I muttered to myself—

“Why is Seniel on there?”

“Shh! Don’t say names out loud. That’s taboo here.”

A woman behind me whispered in a warning tone.

“If this is your first time, you’re lucky. That artist is famous. His touch is incredibly detailed, and his postcards even get traded on the black market.”

That’s right. Postcards.

All these people were lining up to buy postcards featuring the faces of various men—including Seniel.

He wasn’t the only one; that superior who had come to our house was there too, along with a few others.

But Seniel’s postcards were by far the most numerous—and the most popular.

“Are you buying or not?”

Snapping back to reality, I realized it was finally my turn.

Feeling the vendor’s impatient gaze urging me to hurry, I fell into deep thought.

“How much are they?”

“5,000 jery for just the face, 8,000 for half-body, 15,000 for full-body, 20,000 if it’s in color.”

They were expensive.

And for some reason, the half-body and full-body ones had him practically naked.

Looking at the nearly skin-toned postcards of Seniel, I had to fight the urge to grab a paintbrush and cover him up.