chapter 07
Orbis lowered the hand he’d only halfheartedly been using to cover his eyes. Grinning from ear to ear, he grabbed Roshia by the shoulders.
“Come on, Sis. We’d better leave. This isn’t the kind of atmosphere we should interrupt.”
“What? It’s exactly the kind of atmosphere that needs interrupti—mmph!”
In the blink of an eye, Orbis dragged Roshia away. The door slammed shut behind them.
The tension instantly drained from Vidler’s body.
He released Seniel’s collar, took a step back, and straightened his own clothes.
“Why did your sister have to show up at a moment like this?”
“How was she supposed to know? Don’t drag my sister into this. And don’t make baseless accusations.”
Vidler lowered his long lashes, letting out a heavy sigh.
“Is your sister really that precious to you?”
“Yes.”
Seniel answered without the slightest hesitation.
“She’s the most important person in my life. I’d trade my own life for hers.”
It was the sincerest thing he had said all day.
Watching him, Vidler’s crimson eyes quietly darkened.
“…Come to the capital first. There’s something I need to investigate. We can talk about your leave after that.”
His voice carried exhaustion more than anger.
With another sigh, he turned sharply and strode out of the room.
I stood in the garden, anxiously waiting for the man who claimed to be Seniel’s superior to leave the house.
“What was that?”
The two of them had looked far too close.
Far too close for a superior and subordinate.
“He called Seniel his. And that thing about obedience… What kind of superior says something like that?”
As Orbis dragged me outside earlier, I’d pressed him for answers, but he only shook his head.
“I can’t tell you anything.”
A short while later, the red-eyed man emerged from the mansion with his companion.
Instead of simply leaving, he deliberately walked over to where I was standing.
“Seniel may deny it, but you can’t fool my eyes. Have you come crawling back to cling to your little brother now? To my subordinate, no less?”
Even speaking to me, he displayed that disturbing possessiveness over Seniel.
It was absurd.
But the more ridiculous he sounded, the calmer I became.
“What about you?”
He frowned.
“What?”
“You ignored everything Seniel wanted to say.”
I met his gaze without wavering.
“Are you forcing him with your authority? Or are you blackmailing him with something?”
My quiet questioning only made his eyes colder.
Those blood-red irises stared at me with chilling intensity.
For a fleeting moment, I wondered if I should at least pretend to be frightened.
Instead, I stood my ground.
If he could warn me away from Seniel, then I could warn him just the same.
When I refused to flinch, surprise briefly crossed his face.
He stepped closer.
“Seniel owes me a debt.”
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
“And he’s diligently repaying it… with his body.”
“…His body?”
The words hit me like a bolt of lightning.
“W-What do you mean by that…?”
My eyes widened in shock.
For a moment, my mind simply refused to process what I’d just heard.
As my lips parted in stunned silence, the man walked past me with an expression that seemed to say, Just as I expected.
That evening, venison personally hunted by Orbis became the centerpiece of dinner.
Yet I couldn’t bring myself to touch it.
The man’s words echoed endlessly in my head.
“He’s repaying it with his body…”
What could that possibly mean?
I stared blankly at my untouched meat until Seniel picked up a knife instead, cutting it into bite-sized pieces for me.
“Sis.”
He glanced at me with concern.
“Is something wrong? You seem lost in thought.”
“Who was that man from earlier? He looked like a noble.”
“He was.”
Seniel nodded.
“My direct superior.”
I watched the knife moving deftly through the meat and swallowed my sigh.
I wanted to ask him directly about what that man had implied.
But the words refused to leave my mouth.
If he’s hiding it from me… then he must have his reasons.
What if bringing it up only reopens wounds he’s trying to keep buried?
Since our parents died, we’d actually spent more years apart than together.
Rather than interrogate him blindly…
…I’d be better off relying on Raven’s intelligence network.
Having reached that conclusion, I finally popped a piece of the meat Seniel had cut into my mouth.
“Seniel.”
I looked up.
“I think I need to go to the capital for a little while.”
“Huh? Really?”
His face brightened.
“I have to go there too. We can travel together.”
“You do? Why all of a sudden?”
“Ah…”
An awkward smile crossed his face.
“I have someone I need to meet.”
He didn’t elaborate.
Judging from the timing, it was almost certainly related to the man who had visited earlier.
…Will everything be alright?
Coincidentally, I had been planning to visit Raven’s central intelligence branch in the capital myself, making me even more uneasy.
Still…
I couldn’t bring myself to stop Seniel, who looked genuinely excited about visiting the capital together for the first time.
The next morning, we departed immediately.
The carriage ride took a little over half a day.
Accommodation wasn’t an issue.
Orbis owned a house not far from the city’s central district.
Though only a single-story home, it had four bedrooms—more than enough for the three of us.
After unpacking in our respective rooms, we gathered in the living room.
As we sipped hot tea to ease our travel fatigue, Seniel explained our schedule.
“Orbis and I have mandatory training.”
He took another drink.
“We’ll leave before dawn every day. It’ll last five days.”
Then he smiled reassuringly.
“I’ll arrange for a bodyguard to stay with you while we’re gone.”
I immediately shook my head.
If Seniel hired someone to guard me, every move I made would undoubtedly be reported back to him.
That would make investigating anything impossible.
“No need.”
I waved a hand dismissively.
“What could possibly happen inside the capital with its protective barrier?”
“You haven’t been around crowds in a long time.”
His brows knit together.
“I’m worried.”
“I’ll have to get used to it eventually.”
I smiled.
“I’ll practice on my own. Besides… I don’t like having someone follow me everywhere.”
“If that’s what you want…”
To my surprise, Seniel gave in far more easily than I’d expected.
…Is he plotting something else?
Still, it worked in my favor.
“Then I’m going to bed early.”
“Okay. You worked hard today.”
“Sleep well, Sis!”
After reassuring both of them, I retreated to my room.
Then I lay on the bed…
Wide awake.
Holding my breath, I waited for the night to pass.
At the first hint of dawn…
I finally heard quiet rustling outside.
Seniel and Orbis were getting ready to leave.
The moment the front door closed behind them, I threw off my blanket, slipped silently out of my room, and hurried outside.
Peeking through the doorway, I looked around.
Fortunately, because the house was near the marketplace, plenty of people were already out despite the early hour.
Blending naturally into the crowd, I followed the two brothers from a distance.
I’d erased my presence completely.
There was no chance either of them would notice me.
The problem came afterward.
Their destination…
…was the Imperial Palace.
The kind of place where entry required official permits and exhaustive identity inspections.
“I can’t possibly follow them in there.”
I stopped in my tracks.
I’d wanted to see with my own eyes what Seniel actually did.
So much for that plan.
“…Looks like I’ll have to visit the intelligence bureau after all.”
Shaking my head with a disappointed sigh, I sat down on a nearby bench to catch my breath.
“Whew… It’s hot.”
The seasons were changing.
As I fanned myself with one hand, trying to cool off, the person sitting on the next bench caught my attention.
He was pulling item after item from several enormous bags.
A traveling merchant?
Curious, I watched quietly.
Suddenly, he looked up.
“If you’re buying, line up.”
He sounded thoroughly annoyed.
“You won’t get one from over there.”
“A line for what?”
“…If you don’t know, don’t bother.”
As he continued arranging his goods, people began gathering from seemingly nowhere.
Soon, a line formed.
Then it grew.
And grew.
Until I couldn’t even see where it ended.
The strangest part…
Every single customer was a woman.
Some hid their faces behind veils.
Others wore expensive dresses, while some were plainly dressed.
Their social status clearly didn’t matter.
Everyone stood in the same line.
Even while I watched, it kept getting longer.
Eventually, curiosity won.
I quietly joined the back of the queue.
After waiting what felt like forever…
I finally caught sight of what was being sold over the shoulder of the noblewoman ahead of me.
…What is THAT?!
I clamped both hands over my mouth before I could scream.
My heart pounded wildly.
Just as I was trying to calm myself—
“Why is Seniel there?”
“Shh.”
The woman behind me quickly whispered.
“You can’t say his name here. It’s practically forbidden.”
She smiled knowingly.
“If it’s your first time, you’re incredibly lucky.”
“That artist is famous.”
“They’re known for incredibly delicate brushwork and amazing attention to detail.”
“Their postcards are so popular they even sell on the black market.”
…Postcards.
That was it.
The reason countless women had formed this endless line…
…was to buy illustrated postcards featuring several handsome men.
Including Seniel.
There were others as well.
The superior who had visited our house earlier.
Several more men I didn’t recognize.
But Seniel’s collection dwarfed all the others.
He had the most varieties…
…and his postcards sold the fastest.
“Buying or not?”
I blinked.
Before I knew it, it was already my turn.
The merchant shot me an impatient glare, urging me to hurry.
“How much?”
“Face portrait? Fifty thousand Jeri.”
He pointed to another stack.
“Half-body? Eighty thousand.”
Then another.
“Full-body? One hundred fifty thousand.”
“And the colored editions…”
He smirked.
“Two hundred thousand.”
They’re expensive!
Even worse…
Why were the half-body and full-body illustrations showing so much skin?
Every postcard of Seniel was practically overflowing with exposed flesh.
My eye twitched.
I suddenly felt an overwhelming urge…
…to grab a paintbrush and draw some clothes onto every last one of them.
