WFCF 25

Chapter 25

It felt like he was practically admitting that Deuce had been right all along.

What would happen to him now?

The hardships he had endured while desperately avoiding the Mage Tower’s eyes flashed through his mind.

“I have no intention of threatening you, so don’t worry. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have bothered going all the way to the auction house—I would’ve quietly taken you long before that.”

The voice was calm, but the words themselves were chilling.

Evan flinched.

Deus Serbellion. The man was surrounded by countless titles and rumors.

But none of them had anything to do with mercy or compassion.

Evan swallowed dryly.

And yet, unbelievably, such a man was giving him a chance.

To bow his head and survive—or to reject this opportunity and walk straight into death.

It was, in every sense, a decision that would determine his future.

In truth, the answer was already obvious.

And yet Evan couldn’t bring himself to choose.

Why would the famously ruthless and cold Deus offer him such a privilege?

The Deus he had heard of never showed kindness to anyone who brought him no benefit.

Then… what was his purpose?

“Haah…”

Evan let out a weary sigh.

Either way, if the Mage Tower discovered his whereabouts, he would be dragged back and killed.

Could the Mage Tower possibly remain unaware of what the Serbellion Duke already knew?

Perhaps all of this was a trap set by the Mage Tower.

While Evan’s thoughts spiraled further into anxiety—

A bright voice came from beyond the reception room.

“Your Grace, it’s Emma. I’ll be coming in.”

For some reason, the voice felt strangely familiar, even though that should have been impossible.

Evan reflexively turned his head toward the door, forgetting his fear for a moment.

Rrrrk.

The door opened.

The moment he saw the maid pushing a trolley inside, Evan’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

“Y-y-you—!! Gghk!”

He made a strangled sound and collapsed backward.

So shocked he could not even form words, he looked as though he might start foaming at the mouth.

In contrast, Deus and the maid remained completely calm.

Emma hummed softly as she closed the door behind her.

Then she placed the trolley sideways, blocking the exit entirely.

All escape routes were sealed.

Evan trembled violently as he stared at her.

Emma smiled brightly and walked toward him.

Each approaching step changed Evan’s expression further, little by little.

If she came any closer, he looked ready to faint on the spot.

Finally, the tip of Emma’s low heel stopped right in front of him with a soft click.

Evan stared at the black shoe tip, shaking uncontrollably.

He couldn’t even bring himself to look up at her face.

He wanted nothing more than to reject this approaching catastrophe.

Meanwhile

“This is impossible. Absolutely impossible!”

“Why not! I’m wearing a hat! You can’t even see it!”

Martini smacked his forehead with a loud whack.

Why was she so stubborn about something like this?

He couldn’t tell whether she was pretending not to understand or genuinely refusing to understand, but either way, his patience was burning to ash.

Martini gathered the last of his endurance.

It probably wouldn’t matter how he explained it—but he had to try.

“Just in case! What if—by some accident, some tiny mistake—you get caught?!”

Rosalyn shot him a sharp glare.

A tense standoff formed between them.

The daytime meeting between Dovak and Clock was already problematic enough.

And Rosalyn insisting on going there herself was an even bigger problem.

“Master, please think about this logically.”

Martini pleaded.

Rosalyn narrowed her eyes and snapped back.

“If I get caught, I’ll just run!”

Martini sighed deeply. There was no reasoning with her.

“And what if you leave behind clues?!”

He stomped his feet in frustration.

This was maddening.

How could someone be this stubborn?

Normally he would’ve just gone along with her, but not this time.

No matter how quiet the location was, it was right in front of the capital guard headquarters.

A wanted criminal like Rosalyn going there was like a fish swimming straight into a trap.

“Ugh, says the person who decided the meeting time is now!”

Finally, Rosalyn gave in—grinding her teeth as she tore off the hat she had been wearing tightly.

Her crimson hair spilled down in waves.

Martini quickly grabbed the hat and hugged it to his chest.

It wasn’t his fault!

“Then what do we do?! Clock is on duty today!”

“Then tell Dovak to climb over the guard wall or something!”

Ridiculous.

Martini shouted back.

“Do you think everyone can just fly over walls like you?! I can’t even climb over a single door!”

“What, is that supposed to be a brag?! Then just throw Dovak over it!”

Martini froze, mouth hanging open.

But Rosalyn wasn’t done.

She scanned him up and down with a sour look.

“And you—your problem is that you’re just too heavy! That’s why you can’t do anything! You just don’t try hard enough!”

“It’s not effort—it’s talent! I’m just an average guy! Completely middle-of-the-road!”

Martini pouted.

Rosalyn waved him off.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re so impressive. Go and observe what average people are scheming with your average eyes.”

“Y-yes, ma’am…”

Martini replied, sulking.

Rosalyn sighed.

“Just don’t get caught. I don’t care if you can’t hear anything—but getting caught is unacceptable.”

“Of course! Do you think you can’t trust me?”

Martini suddenly brightened again.

Rosalyn stared at him with exhausted eyes.

“If it were you…! Ugh, forget it.”

She slumped her shoulders.

There was no point in arguing. He wouldn’t properly listen anyway.

“I’ve learned a lot from you, Master. You learn fastest by watching, right?”

Martini added proudly, even winking.

Rosalyn glared at him as if he were unbearable.

He still couldn’t even clear a simple wall, yet he talked so much.

Feeling her gaze grow sharper, Martini slowly backed away.

“W-well, I’ll go now, Master.”

He carefully placed his hat against the wall and slipped out the door.

Rosalyn exhaled heavily.

Her long hair swayed with the movement.

Red hair. Green eyes.

If only she could change those two things, she wouldn’t have to hide like this.

A bitter feeling rose inside her.

But no magic or medicine could change hair or eye color.

Each person was born with their own traits.

Rosalyn fiddled with the ends of her hair.

She had tried everything she possibly could—but nothing lasted even half a day.

“Maybe a dragon could change it…”

She muttered bitterly.

Dragons only existed in legends.

And without dragging one of those into reality, there was no solution.

“Speaking of dragons… why did that bastard even have that book?”

Her thoughts drifted without her noticing.

The forbidden book “Meet Me Under the Lemon Tree”.

It had no special content—only people’s interpretations made it famous.

“Even if he liked it that much, it’s weird.”

She recalled young Deus struggling up a mountain, refusing to let go of that book even while panting.

Stubborn… or just foolish.

At the time she couldn’t tell—but now he just seemed strange.

“Ha. What am I even thinking about?”

Rosalyn waved her hand in the air.

Strange or not, foolish or not—it had nothing to do with her.

From now on, there should be no connection between her and Deus at all.