“…….”
“Of course, this space is also His Excellency’s study, so it may be considered part of his domain. You may read the books freely, but please return them to their original places after reading.”
“Yes, I will.”
“Please come in.”
Barbara opened the door on the right and entered first. The room beyond was decorated in pale green wallpaper, giving it a bright, almost gentle atmosphere.
Transparent curtains hung from three windows overlooking the annex. The bed was placed against the wall opposite the windows, positioned so that the annex would be visible the moment one rose from it. Bedside tables stood on either side; each topped with a small gas lamp.
As Abel, who had followed Seo-ah inside, set her luggage down beside the bed, Barbara gestured toward a wooden wardrobe in the corner and the door next to it.
“You may organize your belongings here. This door leads to the bathroom and toilet. Please take note.”
“Yes.”
“Meals will be brought to your room at the scheduled times. If you need anything, inform me. In case of emergency, pull the cord on the right side of the bed.”
Only then did Seo-ah notice the thick cord hanging down from the ceiling beside the bed, twisted and black.
“Do you have any further questions?”
Seo-ah, her eyes lingering on the cord, shook her head.
“No.”
“If anything arises during your stay, feel free to ask. I will return later with dinner.”
Barbara gave the room a final, efficient glance, then turned and left. Abel followed her out, closing the door behind them. Their footsteps faded through the study, and the click of the door echoed softly.
Even then, Seo-ah remained standing in place for a long while.
Her hands clasped tightly, she stayed motionless until a breath finally escaped her.
“Haa….”
Her eyes closed. The tension drained from her shoulders, and her hands, folded in front of her navel, fell limp. After a brief pause, she drew another breath, carrying with it the scent of unmoving air. From far away, birdsong drifted in.
When she opened her eyes again after a moment of silence, the high ceiling came into focus, followed by the etched decorations upon it, the hanging curtains, the sunlight filtering through them, and the view beyond the windows—each revealing itself in turn.
The annex surrounded by forest. The lawn garden laid out in elegant patterns. The round fountain.
Looking at them, she felt anew that this was a distant foreign land, thousands of miles from where she had begun.
The ship where she had not been able to rest for even a moment. The train to Felpe, and the bank where her anxiety had peaked under someone’s pursuit. The place she had mistaken for an inn, the terrible night—and Oscar.
This place resembled that man who seemed carved from darkness. She could not help but know it was his home.
She pressed her hand firmly to her chest. Her heartbeat felt distant, as though it belonged to someone else. She had traveled far—so far—and finally arrived here. At that realization, her pulse throbbed against her neck.
Pressing her chest once more, Seo-ah stumbled toward the bed like someone whose strength had been completely drained. She sat, and the soft mattress gave way beneath her. The tension in her back loosened, and she sank sideways, as though tilting into it.
She would be watched. Yet it seemed she had been granted a measure of freedom to move, at least within certain bounds. For now, she could trust the contract she had made with Oscar.
That was enough.
Through her tilted vision, she saw sunlight settling along the windowsill. Dry sunlight, warm in moderation—utterly unfamiliar.
Blink. Blink.
As the light pierced her eyes, Seo-ah closed them without realizing it.
—
“Did you not see my letter, which was included in the envelope brought by the crow?”
“I saw it.”
Abel frowned at Barbara’s cold reply.
“Then why didn’t you prepare a room next to mine? At the very least, you could have assigned me to a guest room in the annex.”
The room of the target—whose hand he had not even managed to hold—had inexplicably been assigned as the room of the Marquis’s direct subordinate.
The room given to Seo-ah had originally been intended for Simon von Bernheim. It was a room that connected to Oscar at any time, and in truth, it was part of Oscar’s private space.
However, Simon, being of noble birth, had refused to use it, finding it suffocating. Oscar, too, had been reluctant to allow him into his domain. As a result, the room had remained vacant for a very long time.
“I prioritize His Excellency’s orders above all else. His Excellency said it must not be lost. Tell me—is there any place in this mansion easier to monitor and protect than that room?”
“…….”
“If we were to place you in a room next to hers, or assign you to a guest room in the annex, and something were to happen?”
Barbara let out a cold laugh.
“Neither you nor I would escape responsibility. Would you still insist on taking the room beside hers?”
Abel’s brow creased.
“Never mind.”
“I am well aware of your reputation. Can you truly say that success or failure depends on the location of your room?”
“…….”
The seasoned wolf, having silenced him with ease, let out a low chuckle.
“Of course, it appears you haven’t even held her hand yet.”
Abel immediately twisted his lips into a smile.
“Senior, this isn’t something that can be done instantly, like baking bread. One must observe the other person carefully. Grabbing a hand blindly can produce the opposite result.”
People who only wield swords might not understand—but this required a sense of aesthetics.
The young wolf spoke lightly, almost mockingly, yet the seasoned wolf did not so much as blink.
“I don’t know much about your specialty. Still, since you are serving as her escort, make sure there are no loopholes.”
“…….”
“In other words, don’t grow careless just because you’re distracted by the thought of holding her hand. I will provide backup, but you are the one closest to her.”
The navy gaze that swept him from head to toe made her distrust clear. Entrusting the initial escort to a flower snake did not sit well with her, and she made no effort to conceal it.
“You worry too much. The only reason I entered this line of work is because of this face. I was supposed to go to the combat unit, but the intelligence unit begged me. Don’t you remember?”
Abel winked, his long, elegant eyes curving as he smiled.
“And you compare me to those assigned as backup? I’m hurt.”
“Yes. Your face is indeed remarkable. Then succeed—spectacularly—and make everyone eat their words.”
From her indifferent, almost perfunctory tone, it was clear she did not particularly care whether he succeeded or failed. What mattered was that he did not make a mess.
Abel stopped walking and drew in a deep breath.
This is exactly why I don’t want to quit this job.
Why was it that the brats in the combat unit—young or old—always found the time to meddle with people who were simply minding their own business?
Fine. As Barbara said, I’ll succeed spectacularly.
He would show them how tightly the target woman clung to him. After making them all eat their words, he would quit this damned job for good.
Licking his lips with the tip of his red tongue, Abel called out to Barbara, who had just begun descending the landing.
“Senior?”
Barbara halted and looked up. From above, Abel asked in a low voice.
“May I enter His Excellency’s study?”
Having already decided that Seo-ah’s room placement was displeasing, Abel changed his mind just as quickly.
Oscar would take several days to return. Until then, the space would remain, in effect, a locked room. And a locked room was the optimal place to work.
“You may.”
With Barbara’s permission granted, Abel retraced his steps and returned to the study.
Seo-ah appeared to be shut away in her room.
He removed his jacket and draped it over the sofa, then unfastened several buttons of his shirt. Ruffling the hair he had slicked back with pomade, he leaned back comfortably against the couch.
From countless attempts at seduction, he had learned one thing clearly: when it came to which came first—emotion or body—the body won, more often than not. First came the eyes. Then the hands. Once bodies entangled, emotions followed naturally.
That was how countless targets had fallen.
Moreover, she was in an unfamiliar and frightening place. In such circumstances, even the smallest kindness or trust could take on immense weight.
Still, the incident on the train lingered.
“…Are you coming?”
He turned the words over in his mind, but no clear answer surfaced. Perhaps they were simply the naïve words of a foreigner.
Abel glanced toward the mirror set into the corner of the study. He was satisfied with what he saw.
Like a spider spinning its web and waiting for prey, Abel laid his trap—and waited for Seo-ah.
—
# Part 2: Atonement for Your Cruelty