WFCF 21

A sigh on the right foot, a lament on the left.

Martini walked briskly, his mouth moving nonstop as he grumbled.

At this rate, he should’ve been out of breath—but he didn’t seem to care at all.

“Honestly, if you look at it, I’m the one doing all the hard work. Ah, what a miserable fate.”

Eventually, even his complaints turned into a groan, and he shook his head.

Even in that small gesture, resignation was deeply embedded.

Of course, he had known from the start what kind of work this was.

Rosalyn was someone who couldn’t easily step outside, and she didn’t even want to keep him close to her side.

And yet, he had deliberately squeezed himself into that gap and clung on—all by his own will.

“Yeah… I’ve got to do it. What else am I supposed to do?”

Martini sighed, letting his shoulders slump.

Strangely enough, that made him feel a little calmer.

What choice did he have? He would just have to do what he was assigned to do.

How long had he walked like that?

Soon, murmuring voices reached him from not far away.

Urgent or not, curiosity was still curiosity.

Defeated by it, Martini changed direction and followed the sound.

It looked like an ordinary street, but people who had stopped walking were gathered, chatting hurriedly.

That meant something was happening here—something unusual in this otherwise normal street.

What’s going on? Why are all these fancy noblemen gathered here like this?

Martini craned his neck through the crowd, searching for clues.

After shifting his head left and right, he finally found the reason everyone had stopped.

A disheveled man was sitting on the roadside—that was the cause.

Wow, I’ve never seen anything like this before. He looks like he’s not completely insane… Is that why everyone’s watching?

Martini immediately understood the onlookers’ curiosity.

Even so, what is that in broad daylight?

He clicked his tongue at the pitiful sight of the man.

But something felt odd. The more he looked, the more familiar the face seemed.

Martini frowned and studied the crouched man carefully.

The clothes were wrinkled and dirty, but still made of high-quality fabric.

At the very least, someone wearing those clothes had to be a noble he knew.

But none of the nobles he knew had recently fallen into ruin.

And there wasn’t anyone in his circle known for being a drunken fool who’d pass out on the street.

The more he thought about it, the more the urge to identify him grew.

Martini stretched his neck forward as far as he could.

But the man’s face was hidden under tangled hair and a thick beard.

Even for him, it was impossible to recognize him at a glance.

He racked his brain.

Wait… I thought Dovak was the only reckless one, but there’s someone worse? No, hold on… don’t tell me…?

Martini’s expression stiffened.

He desperately tried to catch the man’s eyes.

It felt ominous. There couldn’t possibly be that many insane nobles in this small capital.

Finally, after persistently tracking his gaze, Martini locked eyes with the man.

Oh my god. What is that bastard doing here?

Martini silently screamed with his mouth wide open.

He wanted to believe he was mistaken.

But the dull purple eyes and the black hair covering them were unmistakably Dovak’s.

As if to confirm his realization, the man trembled violently upon meeting Martini’s gaze.

And that wasn’t all.

“Huuurk!”

He let out a terrified, ghost-like scream and shot to his feet.

This is insane!

Martini quickly turned his head away. He could feel Dovak’s piercing gaze searching for him.

He slipped through the crowd, biting his lip hard.

The situation had completely spiraled out of control.

It didn’t seem like anyone here had recognized Dovak yet—but with him frantically looking around like that, it was only a matter of time before his identity was exposed.

At this rate, Martini couldn’t even approach him.

The moment Dovak saw his face, he would panic again—there was no telling what he might do if he got closer.

“I’m going crazy…”

As Martini muttered in frustration and subtly turned his head—

At the worst possible timing, Dovak also shifted sideways.

Their eyes met directly.

Ah, damn it!

Before Martini could even regret it, Dovak immediately staggered backward.

Then he turned around and ran for his life.

“Ah, seriously…!”

Martini covered his face with his hands, suppressing a scream.

He was frustrated. Part of him wanted to just leave and pretend he had no idea where Dovak had gone.

But Rosalyn would never accept such an excuse.

She might even rip his hair out.

“I’m losing my mind…”

Muttering miserably, he slipped carefully out of the crowd.

Fortunately, everyone’s attention was still on the mysterious man who had suddenly run away.

But soon, they would realize the cause had been nearby.

He had to leave before the confusion settled.

If Dovak kept running straight, he would reach the intersection of Dilda Street and Perbet Street.

There were no easy escape routes in between.

At least, even if he looked like a mess, Dovak was still a noble at heart—there was nowhere else he could realistically go.

I’ll just have to get ahead of him and wait.

Martini clicked his tongue twice and moved quickly.

He went in the opposite direction, planning to circle around and intercept Dovak.

The distance difference meant nothing to him.

Even a pampered noble running for his life would be like a toddler’s steps compared to him.

With agile movements, Martini quickly circled the streets and entered the alley where the two roads intersected.

He looked around, but there was no sign of Dovak.

Just as unease began to rise—

From the far end, he heard ragged, wheezing breaths.

Martini slowed his steps and approached carefully.

Dovak was leaning against a wall, coughing and gasping for air.

He looked like he could collapse at any moment.

What did I even do to make him run this hard?

Martini’s brows furrowed in indignation.

He truly hadn’t done anything.

If anything, he had only spread misleading information that could tempt Dovak—and led him into a secluded alley.

That was it.

The threats had been Rosalyn’s doing.

The binding had been Rosalyn’s doing.

In fact, he had tried to stop her and even later helped release him.

And yet, Dovak was the one running for his life.

Watching his retreating back with an annoyed expression, Martini moved.

“Hey.”

He tapped Dovak’s trembling shoulder.

“Eek!”

Dovak spun around in shock.

The moment he saw Martini, he screamed again and bolted backward.

But behind him was only the wall he had just been leaning on.

Bang!

His head slammed hard into it.

Dovak grabbed his head, but there was no time to feel pain.

Right now, all that mattered was escaping the man in front of him.

Seeing him ready to run again, Martini quickly grabbed his shoulder.

“Wait, calm down and just listen to me—”

“Please spare me! Please, just spare my life!”

Before he could finish, Dovak threw both hands up and shouted.

Martini stared at him in disbelief.

No matter how cornered or terrified he was, he was still a noble.

He shouldn’t be breaking down this easily.

He hadn’t looked this ruined the last time Martini saw him.

What had happened in such a short time?

Martini scanned him sharply.

Aside from his disheveled appearance, there was nothing particularly wrong.

He softened his tone.

“I don’t intend to harm you. Not at all. In fact, I’m here to help you.”

“You… help me?”

Dovak’s frightened purple eyes trembled violently.

Martini met his gaze calmly and nodded.

“But… last time—!”

Fear returned to Dovak’s face.

“That was a misunderstanding. No, that’s not the important part. Are you planning to get completely scammed by some random bastard like this?”

Martini quickly changed the subject.

He had no excuse for the earlier incident.

Any attempt would only make things worse.

“I can help you avoid losing anything.”

It was better to emphasize his strength.

Fortunately, it seemed to work—hope flickered in Dovak’s eyes.

Martini pressed the advantage and added the words that would seal the deal.

“You can’t just stand by and watch everything be taken by the Night Bluebird!”

At those words, Dovak let out a desperate sigh.

His hands trembled as he covered his face.

Martini gently grabbed his wrist.

“I’ll help you. I’ll make sure this so-called Night Bluebird doesn’t strip you bare.”

“……”

“There’s someone who desperately wants you to overcome this. You should stay strong for them!”

Dovak’s body trembled at those words.

There was only one person who would cheer for him.

His only love—Bertha.

Dovak bit his lip tightly.