“Haa.”
Roman pressed his temple hard while frowning. Even though he was someone who’d been a guild member for over two years, sending him away like this couldn’t feel entirely comfortable.
Isabel, who approached as if taking turns, had an equally displeased expression. However, the reason was slightly different from Roman’s.
“Are you all right?”
“As you can see, I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
Isabel had almost tumbled to the floor when she bumped into Allen, who came out flinging the door open. She was about to add that she thought her shoulder would be dislocated, but seeing Roman’s expression, she just let it go with a sigh.
“Just in case, be careful. As the Master saw, he had an expression like he’d kill someone.”
“I’m the one who killed him.”
Roman, who quickly returned to his usual self, stood up from his seat.
“I’ll step out for a bit.”
Roman soon opened the door and went outside the office. Even after he disappeared, Isabel’s gaze continued toward the doorway.
Though he was the cause and had nothing to say even if fired… Allen’s appearance leaving with his face flushed red up to his neck kept bothering her.
***
Though it was just past six o’clock, the tavern was already full of customers. Martin, who entered, could easily spot his appointment’s back. He moved with large strides and sat in the seat across.
“You couldn’t even wait and drank alone?”
His expression showed dissatisfaction as he gestured with his chin at the cleanly empty glass. As Martin pointed out, Roman had already emptied one glass of whiskey by himself.
The person who had made the evening appointment was Roman. This morning, Roman, who had left the house alongside Diego, asked him for one favor. To tell Martin to come to their regular tavern as soon as work ended, and fortunately it seemed he hadn’t forgotten and had delivered the message.
A large bottle of rum and three or four dishes were placed on the table. Martin emptied his plate at a frightening speed like someone who’d starved for days, and when it seemed he’d filled his stomach to some degree, Roman brought up the main topic.
“How’s the work?”
“Going well.”
Martin, who reached for the bottle, put the spout to the glass and poured generously without reserve. After downing the overflowing full glass in one gulp, he spoke of things Roman would want to know.
“It’s still a guess, but it seems like she knows who the spy is.”
The omitted subject was of course the Viscountess Rood. Roman asked while similarly filling his own glass.
“The reason?”
“She’s excessively relaxed compared to the situation. If she requested an escort from the guild, she should at least look around once when getting out of the carriage or going outside, but she doesn’t care at all. So the answer is one of two things. Either she knows who it is, or she’s convinced the spy has disappeared.”
“……”
Roman agreed with Martin’s words through silence. Though his build was large enough to kill a bear with bare hands, in reality Martin was someone with very quick situational judgment and a highly developed so-called intuition. So if he got the feeling that the viscountess knew something, the possibility that she actually did couldn’t be ruled out.
‘If Martin’s guess is correct… why is the viscountess keeping her mouth shut?’
This too was a question with an obvious answer, so there was no need to think deeply. After emptying about half his glass, Roman continued.
“What are you thinking of doing?”
“I’ll have to keep watching for now. It’s still just my guess.”
“You could just ask the viscountess directly and be done with it.”
“I can’t do that. If she’d intended to reveal it, she would have spoken up first, wouldn’t she?”
It was an irrefutable statement. Roman clicked his tongue in annoyance. Normally he would have naturally thought the same thing, but since Diego was also involved, it seemed he’d lost rational judgment.
Fortunately, Martin didn’t particularly seem to care and just sipped his drink with a pleased-looking face. Breaking the brief silence, Roman spoke again.
“What about Diego?”
“He’s doing well. He doesn’t let his guard down, but when he’s with the young lady, the atmosphere is quite gentle. He’s probably doing it to ease her anxiety.”
Then he smiled, raising the corners of his mouth as if remembering something.
“Because of that, it seems that young lady quite likes Diego. Even though there’s a status difference, you’d think she wouldn’t show it, but she doesn’t particularly seem to be hiding it either. …This is just between us, but I wonder if the reason the viscountess is keeping quiet is also because of Diego. Because if the culprit is caught, the commission ends too.”
Roman chose silence instead of agreement. His head became as complicated as his hardened expression.
Diego and himself were merely temporary partners. The kind of relationship that could break at any time if either of them found a different partner.
Though it was a relationship that started with the body at first, Roman was aware that at some point he was being drawn to Diego emotionally as well. Just seeing his face made him feel good, and hearing that another person showed interest in him made him feel jealous.
But realizing that didn’t mean expecting something to change would be wise. He’d clearly experienced quite a few partners who, while they’d agreed to only satisfy each other’s needs, would cling to him demanding his heart as time passed. Yet there was no way he could do the same thing to Diego. He couldn’t expect good results even more so. Because what the guy wanted, which he’d heard about before, was something he could absolutely never give him.
So it was right to put down selfish greed early and continue being faithful to their current relationship. Of course, even that, he didn’t know how long it would last.
“Want to drink more?”
“Sure.”
At Martin’s order, a new bottle was placed on the table. Unlike the rum that gradually decreased the more they drank, the bitterness lingered around Roman for quite a long time.
***
The next morning, Roman woke up feeling a terrible hangover.
The moment he opened his eyes, his head throbbed from the assaulting headache. He didn’t seem to have drunk much, but his condition was really poor from the morning.
Though it was time, the butler, worried about his quiet master, came to the bedroom, but Roman sent him back with the words ‘I’ll skip breakfast today.’ He pressed his brow firmly and lay back down on the bed.
Usually he left the house around nine o’clock, but today he was already late. Instead of washing up and getting his mind straight even now, Roman decided to attempt an afternoon arrival at work for the first time in a while. Since he sometimes left his post for days when there was work, no one would say anything if he went in late by a day.
When he opened his eyes again, lunchtime had long passed. After simply filling his stomach at home, Roman belatedly opened the guild office door.
“You’re here?”
Hubert greeted him warmly. Then he handed Roman the letter envelopes that had been neatly placed in the drawer.
“There are lots again today.”
“Still, this is our livelihood, isn’t it? Haha.”
He smiled briefly while receiving the envelopes, but soon a strange expression appeared on Roman’s face. One of the envelopes particularly stood out.
When he moved his steps and opened the Master’s office door, Isabel raised her head. After hearing that there was nothing special in the morning along with a scolding that he smelled of alcohol from somewhere, Roman headed to his desk.
The first thing he did upon sitting was tear open one of the envelopes he’d just received. Just from the golden-colored envelope, he could guess who sent it, and when he unfolded the letter, as expected, a familiar handwriting entered his eyes.
I’m planning to go to Brisel soon.
Clear your schedule around next Wednesday.
As always, there was no greeting to be found, and the content was very concise to the point of wondering ‘Is this all?’ But Roman didn’t care at all. Considering the sender’s personality, just informing him of such a specific date was something to be grateful for.
Come to think of it, he remembered that the king’s 30th coronation anniversary ceremony would be held next week.
‘…A whirlwind will sweep through.’
With a faint smile, Roman put away the letter. His mother’s servant visited the guild a week later.
# Chapter 5
Today too, women of various ages visited Grace’s boutique. Meanwhile, Diego was watching the inside of the boutique while hiding behind the partition as always.
After sitting motionless for nearly two hours, it felt like all the muscles in his body were stiffening. As he turned his stiff neck left and right while tapping it, the bell on the door rang and two ladies entered.
‘Those people again.’
After doing the same work for three weeks, he naturally came to remember the faces and names of regular customers even unwillingly. What the viscountess had said at first was true. She’d said regular customers mainly came, and the ladies who just entered also visited this place two or three times a week to have long conversations.
Diego quietly watched their faces. Perhaps it was his imagination, but they looked particularly flushed today.
“Did you know that His Highness Grand Duke Kailton has arrived?”
Was it Baroness Tabera? The lady wearing a ring with a large stone on her thick finger and a matching necklace spoke first. Grace responded with a softly smiling face.
“Yes. I heard that news too.”
Then the baroness continued without hesitation. Subtle pride appeared on her face.
