Chapter 27
“…I’m sorry, but we don’t serve red wine here. Also, this place isn’t suitable for a young lady like yourself.”
The waiter smiled politely at Catherine as he refused her request.
His words were a clear way of telling her to leave.
August, standing behind her, seemed startled—his shaky breathing gave it away. But neither Catherine nor the waiter paid him any attention.
Catherine stared quietly at the waiter for a few seconds, then finally spoke.
“Birds lay eggs. Eggs become birds. So, which came first—the bird or the egg? What do you think?”
“Hmm… Well, I guess the egg came first? But honestly, someone like me wouldn’t know.”
The man, with sharp, snake-like eyes, gave an awkward smile and shrugged.
“The answer is: ‘You can’t know.’”
“So, you’ve given up on solving it then?”
“No. I didn’t give up. I solved it.”
“But most problems have answers. If you say there’s no answer, doesn’t that mean you failed to solve it?”
The waiter smirked. His earlier polite demeanor was gone, replaced by someone looking down on her—as if she were just some silly girl.
“Have you ever heard the saying, ‘Every result has a cause’?
Do you think that always holds?
This question makes you think about things like: does cause come before effect?
Did life come before the world?
Or the other way around?”
Catherine stayed calm and continued confidently.
“Depending on how you look at it, the answer might change. But to me, it’s a question about God and humans—the Creator and the created.”
Her deep blue eyes, clear like the open sky, sparkled mysteriously.
“If a Creator exists, then that being must have created life. We call that being ‘God.’”
The waiter, who had been looking down on her, suddenly found himself captivated.
Her calm but piercing eyes, glowing with intelligence, made her look almost radiant.
“But can you understand what a Creator thinks?
Have you ever wondered—what if there’s another god above God?
Who even created them?”
“…”
“In short, we humans can’t understand the origin of the Creator. We’re limited by our perspective.
So the real answer is: ‘There is no answer.’”
When she finished speaking, the waiter looked genuinely interested.
“We’re humans, not gods. None of us can know how it all began.”
The man who had just moments ago dismissed her as foolish now returned to being the respectful, well-mannered waiter.
It seemed he was pleased with her answer.
“Haha… I see. It seems I was the foolish one.”
He gave her a deep, respectful bow—the kind only nobles make.
He was a noble.
“Please, follow me, miss.”
He guided her down a staircase.
As they descended into the basement, Catherine noticed it was far more extravagant than the tavern above.
People were gambling, drinking, and laughing loudly. All kinds of folks exchanging secrets and enjoying themselves.
Catherine’s eyes widened at the size of the underground hall.
This was the real base of the “Red Bird” Guild.
[ If you seek help, find the Red Bird. And if you face its question without running away—if you bring back an answer—it will surely bring you the gold you desire. ]
That was the phrase commonly associated with the Red Bird Guild.
More powerful than any other information guild in the Empire, it was said that anyone who bought information from Red Bird always got what they were looking for.
No one knew exactly when the Red Bird Guild was founded.
But one thing was certain—it had risen above all others, crushed rival guilds, and grown powerful enough that even the government treated it carefully.
Despite its power, the guild remained hidden and mysterious.
It constantly moved locations. No one knew how many members it had.
Even the founder’s identity was unknown.
Catherine knew all of this.
She had followed the proper steps to enter the guild.
She had answered a riddle from a homeless man and given that answer to the “waiter.”
To meet the Red Bird, one had to pass that strange, specific test.
[ In the night streets of Talia, there are many taverns. Among them, find the one that’s quiet and easy to miss.
Under the red roof, the gatekeeper of the Red Bird awaits. O greedy traveler—solve the riddle with your mind. ]
The guild valued knowledge.
They couldn’t risk letting in someone foolish, who might leak secrets.
They only welcomed people who were clever and desperate enough to be trustworthy.
Even that waiter from earlier was an assassin hiding among nobles.
If Catherine had begged to be let in without solving the riddle, she might have been… quietly eliminated.
Of course, Catherine knew all this.
She had read about it in the original novel, The Duke’s Daughter Refuses Regret, where Eleanor was the main character.
“Right… they like answers that are philosophical and a bit vague,” Catherine recalled.
“Miss, the master will see you now.”
The waiter returned and led them deeper inside.
“Hm. So you’re the one I heard about. Pleased to meet you, young lady.”
Inside the dim room, a man wearing a black crow mask greeted her with a light tone.
His playful gestures and carefree smirk made him seem unserious.
But Catherine knew better. She knew he was only pretending.
“You’re the one in charge here?”
“Well, that’s what people say.”
He shrugged with a mysterious smile—as if he didn’t care what she believed.
“I heard your answer to the gatekeeper’s question was quite… interesting. Did you come up with it on your own?”
“You say that like you think someone helped me.”
He just smiled quietly.
There was mockery hidden in that smile.
Catherine stayed silent, waiting for him to speak again.
“So… are you saying no one helped you?”
“How rude!”
It was August who snapped, unable to hold his anger.
“She solved it on her own!”
I just find it hard to believe that a 15-year-old girl could come up with something so deep. Especially someone who hasn’t even attended an academy yet.”
He wasn’t wrong.
The riddle was deeply philosophical—far beyond what a typical noble girl would be expected to solve.
The old Catherine probably wouldn’t have been able to answer it.
But this Catherine remembered her past life.
In the 21st century, questions like this were common.
She’d read and thought about them often.
‘This was nothing. I’ve seen harder ones online,’ she thought to herself.
But there was no way for the man in front of her to know that.
So Catherine decided to act bold.
“Solving the riddle is what matters. There’s no rule saying I can’t get help, right?”
She added a smug smile for good measure.
The man blinked in disbelief.
“So… you’re admitting someone helped you?”
His tone made it clear—if she said yes, he’d throw her out right then.
