19. Reunion
The strong scent of perfume mixed with alcohol hit me so hard I instinctively wrinkled my nose.
Even the thumb-sized diamond earring dangling from her earlobe and the strange butterfly-shaped mole behind it seemed irritatingly excessive.
“They say you can get anything here if you just ask. Food, drinks, and…”
“…”
“Men, too.”
“…Ah.”
She burst into laughter, slapping my arm repeatedly, while I stood there flustered and unsure what to do.
“You’re still so innocent. Adorable. Then how about the auction?”
“They hold auctions too?”
“They say they only put up things that are really hard to get. Even stolen goods, apparently.”
“Stolen goods? Really? Have you seen them yourself?”
“No, just what I’ve heard. I’m not interested in art or any of that stuff. There’s plenty of other fun to be had here, so why bother?”
She tugged me along and started wandering inside with me.
The area we entered was nothing like the place we’d been earlier — darker, more decadent.
People swaying drunk, poker tables stacked dangerously high with chips, couples tangled together laughing with shameless glee.
A true den of luxury, indulgence, and depravity.
A welfare facility for Imperial citizens, you say?!
Ridiculous.
They took my building just to use it for something like this?
The restaurant and café tenants who were running their businesses here had to relocate with no preparation, spending time and money they didn’t have.
And Knox struggled so hard to recover even the principal amount with that laughable compensation.
I was so angry and resentful I felt tears sting my eyes.
But for this to be part of some conspiracy to make someone disappear? It feels too flimsy for that…
<SYSTEM>
Time remaining: 01:35:21
Just as I suspected.
Left with no choice, I began scanning the surroundings again in search of some clue.
This place is a total circus.
The obscene scenes I kept stumbling across, the overwhelming mix of cigar smoke, alcohol, and perfume — I desperately wanted to leave.
Just then, the noblewoman I came in with suddenly yanked my arm.
A group of strangers gathered around me, surrounding me.
“Come on now, join us for a drink. We’ll show you how to have a real good time.”
“No, really, I…”
“No need to be shy here.”
“I’m really fine. I only came to check out the atmosphere today.”
Dodging their advances, I slowly backed away.
Once I’d put enough distance between us, I bolted from the spot.
Where should I look? Are there more hidden rooms?
The main hall had several doors branching off it.
Suspicious things usually happen behind closed doors.
I cautiously opened one — and instantly regretted it.
I was met with a raw, obscene scene that made me want to squeeze my eyes shut.
Some drunken men were getting too handsy, so I had to retreat in a hurry.
Every room in that hall seemed to hold the same kind of scene.
“Unbelievable. The country’s a mess.”
The emperor was bedridden, and they said major national policies were being decided in noble council meetings.
And this was the other side of those nobles? No wonder the empire was crumbling.
I caught my breath, but the stench of alcohol and cigars made me nauseous.
I didn’t think I’d gain anything more here, so I quickly slipped outside.
The air wasn’t great, but still better than indoors. Breathing in the night air helped clear my head a little.
I pretended to be casually taking a walk and strolled along slowly.
But there was no suspicious activity in sight.
Just some hired staff rushing around with trays of food and drinks, and guards occasionally patrolling the perimeter.
“You can’t exit this way.”
“Huh?”
“Please use the main entrance.”
I must’ve reached the back exit without realizing it while looking around.
But forbidding guests from using the back exit entirely? That was strange.
Especially with that unnecessarily long structure behind the checkpoint.
“Ah, I see. Thank you for your work.”
If the front is blocked, I’ll just circle around the back.
Without hesitation, I turned back as the guard instructed.
<SYSTEM>
Time remaining: 00:52:47
Avoiding the patrolling men in black at regular intervals, I hid at the far end of the salon building where I’d entered with Damian.
From about 50 meters away, I peeked out, scanning for an opportunity to rush toward the suspicious structure.
Two men dressed differently from the guards carried a large wooden crate inside.
A few minutes later, they came back out.
Now’s my chance.
I stood upright against the wall, steadying my breathing.
Just as I turned to dash over, someone grabbed my arm from behind and yanked me back.
Without resistance, I was dragged into the shadows. My mouth was covered, and my back was shoved against a cold wall.
“Mmph.”
“Shh.”
“…”
A man’s blue eyes glowed faintly in the darkness as he held a finger to his lips.
One hand covered my mouth, the other reached toward my head.
Staring at me like he was about to devour me, he gently tugged at the lace ribbon of my mask.
The knot loosened easily, and the mask dropped to the floor.
“I thought your face looked familiar.”
A deep, pleasant voice escaped from his slightly teasing lips.
“Hello, Sienna Hagrives. Long time no see.”
He was the man who lent me his jacket that rainy day during the hunting tournament.
Relieved to see a familiar face, my legs went weak and I leaned against the wall.
As I struggled to calm my heart pounding violently in my chest, he waited patiently.
“You… haah, you scared me.”
“Are you okay now?”
I nodded, clutching my chest.
The sudden palpitations had even left my head spinning, but now I could finally take a proper look at him.
I steadied my breath, pushed off the wall, and stood up straight.
“What are you doing here?”
“Me? I’m working.”
Ah, must be doing security work here too.
He picked up the mask from the ground, dusted it off, and handed it back to me.
“What’s your name?”
“Took you long enough to ask.”
“Well, we’ve never really had a good chance…”
I gave him a slightly sulky look, and he let out a short laugh.
“Leon.”
“Ah, Leon.”
I nodded, repeating his name softly.
So we knew each other — well, according to him, he had helped me — and I was just now learning his name.
Wait a second. He’s a love interest too?
On the left side of his chest, I spotted a silver lock icon.
This time, the symbol was a blue spade.
No wonder I thought he was too attractive to be a random NPC.
This was only our third meeting, and I’d looked a mess each time, so I hadn’t paid much attention before. I didn’t expect much, but I opened his profile out of habit.
[PROFILE]
Name: Leon / ??
Age: ??
Occupation: ??
One-liner: ??
Favorability: 7%
Your first impression: Crazy woman.
Current status: ??
“…Seriously?”
Is he the hidden conspiracy?
Why so many question marks?
And of all things, the only clear line was “Crazy woman” as his first impression of me?
Utterly dumbfounded, I finally felt myself come back to my senses.
“What exactly are you doing here?”
He scanned me up and down.
A zinnia-pink dress, expensive-looking jewelry, carefully styled hair, and a fully made-up face — his gaze lingered on each detail slowly.
“Ah, a guest?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Then why aren’t you inside enjoying yourself? What are you sneaking around here for?”
“I… was just curious.”
Leon narrowed his eyes.
It was suspicious, after all. In a place crawling with nobles too busy spending money on alcohol, gambling, and auctions, I was caught skulking around the filthy, off-limits back area.
“I’m just a curious person.”
“You’ll get yourself in trouble.”
“Trouble?”
“This place is run by some very powerful people. If you get caught snooping, you’ll vanish without anyone knowing what happened.”
Ah, so that’s why the penalty for failure is “disappearance.”
I gulped nervously, realizing how lucky I was to have run into Leon.
Just then, the status window flashed red.
<SYSTEM>
Time remaining: 00:46:33
Gasp. Not even an hour left.
The status screen didn’t disappear, as if warning me how dangerous this was. It stayed suspended in midair, the timer ticking down with each red blink.
There was no time to waste.
Then it hit me—maybe Leon knew something.
He was a security guard and could go anywhere for safety reasons. He might’ve seen or heard something suspicious.
Grabbing at any hope I could find, I suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm.
