“…….”
Click.
The moment the door closed, Seo-ah released the breath she had been holding. Her rough breathing scratched her throat, loud as thunder in her own ears. Beyond those breaths, silence flowed.
No voices.No movement.
As if the one who had knocked and the one who answered now stood motionless on the other side of the door, in silent agreement.
Why?
“The moment you reveal that the key is in your hand, your life will become as precarious as a lamp in the wind.”
Language she had heard before. A warning. Now real.
Seo-ah rose without a sound, like a shadow lifting from the floor. Calmly, she placed the Key Holder Verification Certificate and the key into the inner pockets of her coat. She fastened them shut to prevent loss. Then she picked up her luggage and began to retreat.
Without a single careless sound, she reached the customer door. She opened it a fraction and scanned the hallway. Guards were present, but their presence was nothing compared to the beings now lingering beyond the staff door.
Confirming the corridor was empty, she slipped out like a snake passing through grass. Smoothly, silently, she moved through Felpe Bank’s strict security as though she were not a person but a passing current of air.
If all the guards decided to catch her, she would be caught. That much was certain. But as long as she was not their target, she trusted her ability to erase her presence and slip away—until it became impossible to tell whether she was a person or merely the wind passing through.
After all, even elite guards protecting a castle could repel armed invaders. Yet they could not stop a single mouse that burrowed through the cracks in stone walls.
Seo-ah left Felpe Bank without hindrance. Once outside, she walked quickly, aimlessly, simply to put distance between herself and the building.
Late night.Empty roads.An unfamiliar city that felt like violence itself.
Where to go.How to go.Her mind went blank.
At the entrance of the road, under faint moonlight, a black shadow appeared.
She could not see his face clearly. But instinct told her it was the man who had followed her since the train. The one she thought she had lost by taking the carriage. She saw his lips curve upward.
A mouse that burrows quietly through stone walls can escape a castle. But a mouse cornered in a dead end will be caught if it continues to move quietly.
Seo-ah clenched her teeth and ran.
Her heavy coat and luggage dragged at her like a swamp. Still, she ran. Again and again.
Behind her, a vile laugh broke the dark.
“Oh my. She’s fast.”
In the night, brutal as open violence, only three sounds existed. His cackling laughter. Her ragged breathing. Footsteps striking the ground.
Is there no one?No place to hide?If only I can hide, I can survive. Please.
Just as her thoughts dissolved into blank panic, a carriage appeared at the mouth of the road, as if summoned.
“Hey! Hey!”
She shouted with everything she had, desperate to tear open the violent dark.
Fortunately, the coachman stopped the horse at Seo-ah’s desperate cry. With his hood pulled up to his chin, he clicked his tongue at the girl who had run toward him as if chased by death, and spoke in a scolding tone.
“You shouldn’t be out alone this late, young lady. Get in.”
She had sworn never to take another carriage. But money no longer mattered. Seo-ah climbed in quickly and shut the door. The carriage moved at once.
The coachman called out loudly.
“Where to?”
Pressed against the wall beside the driver’s seat, Seo-ah whispered through the window.
“An inn.”
The coachman lowered his voice.
“An inn?”
“Yes. Take me to the inn with the most guests.”
An inn with the most guests.
The coachman struck the horse with his whip and grinned beneath the hood. Yellow teeth flashed.
“Understood, young lady. Don’t worry.”
The carriage carrying the naive stranger passed beneath trees and began running along the Daub River.
Seo-ah clasped her hands tightly and stared out the window.
Faint lights flowed from buildings lining the riverbank. The carriage passed a massive, beautiful stone mansion. At its entrance stood a colossal black carriage, exuding an intimidating presence.
What kind of place was that?What kind of person owned such a carriage?
The meaningless thoughts vanished as soon as they passed it. Anxiety filled the space they left behind.
I don’t have much money.I hope the carriage fare and inn fee are enough.What if that person follows me again?
As anxiety piled upon anxiety, the carriage’s speed slowed. Finally, when it came to a stop, the coachman called from outside.
“We’ve arrived!”
Seo-ah tightened her grip on her luggage and the collar of her coat, then looked out the window.
Outside stood a mansion as ornate and beautiful as the stone mansion they had just passed.
—
“You still haven’t found the safe deposit box key?”
Oscar did not answer.
He smoked his cigarette. As the smoke thinned into transparency, he cast a question casually.
“Is there any news from the Felpe Bank?”
Just as expected.
The Grand Duke rejoiced inwardly. At last, news that would interest this troublesome man. How fortunate that it arrived at this exact moment.
The Grand Duke exhaled smoke instead of answering. Through the haze, his gaze and Oscar’s met.
Tap.Tap.Tap.Tap.
A strangely chilling knock echoed.
The Grand Duke looked toward the door. Oscar asked again.
“Do you have news from Felpe Bank?”
The Grand Duke’s eyes shifted from the door back to Oscar. His cigarette burned, producing only empty smoke.
“……”
He did not speak.
“……”
Oscar nodded slowly, as though thinking. Then he rose.
His shadow fell across the Grand Duke’s head. It felt as though the world dimmed.
“Marquis?”
Was it because he stood alone?Because he dressed alone?Or because he was swallowed by his own shadow?
An oppressive aura descended.
His handsome features curved into a soft smile once more. That smile felt like a hand closing around the Grand Duke’s throat.
“You said you found it amusing. So I am curious.”
“No, uh—well—that is…”
The Grand Duke stammered. Oscar had no intention of tolerating such speech. He released a hollow snort of laughter. The Grand Duke’s mouth snapped shut. Oscar nodded once.
“Please grant me a moment’s indulgence.”
Outside, Simon saw Oscar step through the doorway and knew his patience had ended. He quickly delivered the news he had just received. Oscar, standing like a motionless shadow, re-entered without a word.
He sat down again.
The Grand Duke’s mouth dried.
Oscar placed another cigarette between his lips. Haze wrapped around him. Then the smile vanished. Only the piercing blue eyes remained.
“Your Excellency, Grand Duke Baden.”
The voice from beyond the smoke was cold.
Sweat formed on the Grand Duke’s forehead. Each twitch of his bare body made his shrunken manhood sway. Oscar let out a low, contained chuckle at the sight.
The laughter rose like sound from the bottom of a mine. Colder than wind threading underground tunnels.
The Grand Duke seized the woman beside him as though using her as a shield and faced Oscar.
“Ah! Your—Your Excellency…!”
A dog barks.A wolf does not.
It lowers itself in the silent forest of killing intent, waiting. And when the wolf finally revealed its nature, the Grand Duke realized he stood alone in a forest teeming with predators.
“Felpe Bank. What is it?”
The third time.
A premonition struck—there would be no fourth.
The Grand Duke hurriedly spoke.
“The person who possesses the key to vault number 5555 has appeared!”
“Oh, really?”
“A woman, and—well…”
“Then when can I open that vault?”
“……”
“You can’t?”
—