El spoke up as Kay entered the office after training.

“As planned, the “little kitten” has been informed that Carlos is dead.”

Kay didn’t even glance in his direction. He took off his coat, sat down, and replied flatly,

“Good.”

His indifference made El shrug.

Just then, the office door burst open and a tall woman with striking violet hair strode in with confident steps.

“Finally, I get to see your face. You’ve been back for ages, but you’re harder to catch than a ghost, Captain.”

Her tone was bold and casual, without a hint of deference. Kay, clearly irritated, kept his eyes on the documents in front of him.

“If you’ve got that much free time, use it for training. There’s another mission coming up soon.”

Jay was an Irregular like Kay and a member of the same hunting unit.

While El specialized in reconnaissance and artefact crafting using illusory abilities, Jay was responsible for infiltration and clean-up operations involving memory manipulation.

Although she usually served in a supporting role, Irregulars possessed physical abilities far beyond those of ordinary humans. In emergencies, she could serve as a combat operative as well.

Jay had taken care of the clean-up after the ‘Cat’ mission.

“By the way, have you heard? About the little kitten.”

El shot her a warning look, silently urging her to drop the subject.

Ignoring him, Jay perched on the edge of Kay’s desk and swung her legs lazily.

“Our sweet little “kitten” caused quite the commotion at City Hall, you know?”

Her voice brimmed with amusement, she was clearly entertained by the story. Kay, on the other hand, didn’t even lift his gaze; he merely flipped another page of the report.

“I told you to stay out of matters concerning past missions.”

Her commander’s cold response didn’t faze Jay in the slightest. She simply grinned and raised an eyebrow.

“Come on. You’ll be surprised when you hear what that timid little kitten did.”

Thanks to Kay’s warning, El had never mentioned the little kitten again. But now, he let out a weary sigh.

Oblivious or simply unconcerned, Jay continued talking, her voice bright with excitement.

“She apparently caused a knife incident right in the middle of City Hall!”

Kay, a man who usually didn’t flinch at anything, felt his shoulders stiffen slightly.

“And not just any knife incident, a s*icide attempt! Can you believe it? That timid, soft-hearted girl actually held a blade to her own throat and made a scene?”

It was no wonder that Jay was intrigued. Like El, she had supported Kay throughout the two-year mission. They knew her better than anyone else in the unit — perhaps almost as well as she knew herself.

Kay was just as shocked as they were.

That gentle, fragile woman… holding a knife to her neck?

Seeing Kay’s expression harden, El quickly tried to stop Jay.

“Jay, that’s enough. You know he doesn’t like talking about past missions.”

Jay let out a scoffing hum, unfazed.

“If that’s the case, you should have just let me erase the little kitten’s memory altogether. Then none of this would have happened, would it?”

Her blunt words hit their mark. Flustered, El answered for him.

“You know it was too risky to tamper with her memories. The consequences for the person who tried to manipulate her could have been disastrous.”

Jay snorted, sliding off the desk she had been sitting on. Then, standing firm, she fixed Kay with an unwavering gaze.

“Be honest. You didn’t want to erase yourself from her memories, did you?”

Kay met her cold, sharp gaze.

“I don’t know what absurd idea makes you say that.”

“Come on. The man who never blinked after sending comrades to their deaths suddenly cares what I say? That’s far stranger.”

“I simply decided there was no point wasting energy on a woman who’ll be dead within a year.”

Even his words, honed like a drawn blade, didn’t make Jay flinch. She only tilted her head slightly and murmured,

“Then she’ll spend that year longing for you until she dies. Poor thing.”

In a soft, almost taunting whisper, she added,

“Or maybe… that’s exactly what you wanted.”

Kay’s expression twisted into something cold and sharp.

“Jay.”

It was a warning that made it clear that any further provocation would not be tolerated.

A dark, heavy, suffocating aura rippled faintly around him. Realizing she had gone too far, Jay lifted both hands in mock surrender.

“Fine, fine. If the Captain says no, then no it is.”

The tension in the air was palpable. El fidgeted uneasily while Jay left the office with her long strides and effortless grace as if nothing had happened.

Kay’s gaze lingered on the door through which she had disappeared, then slowly lowered to the stack of documents on his desk.

His eyes darkened like a storm cloud gathering behind glass as he fixed them on the papers.

** ❋❋❋ ❋❋❋**

I followed the mayor into the reception room and sat down where he indicated.

Once I was seated, he took the chair opposite me and began to speak carefully.

“First of all, I must apologize.”

I looked at him, confused. He met my gaze with a solemn expression and continued.

“It seems an error occurred when the records were updated.”

“What do you mean by that?”

An error in the records? I couldn’t begin to guess what he was trying to say.

The mayor clarified, his tone grave.

“It appears that during the process of registering Mr. Carlos’s death, some information in the file was accidentally deleted. The matter will be corrected soon.”

My mind went blank, as if I had been hit from behind.

“Wait—wait a moment. Death? What do you mean, death?”

I had chased every possible clue about my husband, but I had never once imagined that the trail would lead to this.

I had believed he was alive somewhere, waiting to be found.

The shock froze me in place. The mayor bowed his head, his voice heavy with apology.

“I’m sorry to be the one to deliver this news.”

He lowered his head again, as though there was nothing more to say.

My hands clenched tightly into fists in my lap.

“That can’t be true. There’s no way. Why would he be dead?”

“It seems he was returning to City Hall to verify his work permit when his carriage was involved in an accident. I’m truly sorry, madam…”

My mind went blank. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t process the words.

“We should have contacted the bereaved family first, but due to a clerical error, the notice was never delivered properly. You will, of course, receive appropriate compensation.”

Compensation? For what? For my husband’s death? For failing to inform me of his death?

I didn’t want any of that.

“I… I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

I tried to sound calm, but my voice trembled pitifully.

The mayor looked at me with pity and continued.

“I’m afraid it’s true, Mrs. Romolo. Mr. Carlos’s death has been officially confirmed.”

I couldn’t believe it.

A man I’d never seen before had appeared out of nowhere and told me that my husband was dead.

If it were true, why hadn’t they told me the first time I came here?

“I can’t believe it. Not until I see it with my own eyes.”

My vision blurred and my eyes turned red. But I wouldn’t cry.

If I cried, it would mean admitting that he was gone.

The mayor watched me silently for a moment, then let out a quiet sigh and took something out of his inner pocket.

He placed it gently on the table.

It was a ring.

It was the same ring that still rested on my fourth finger, the ring he had slipped onto my hand on our wedding day.

My hand trembled as I reached out and picked it up.

“Your husband’s body has been laid to rest in the national cemetery managed by City Hall.”

I stared blankly at the ring in my palm.

There was no doubt.

It was Carlos’s wedding ring.

“This can’t be… It just can’t be…”

“I offer my sincerest apologies once again for not contacting you sooner, given the confusion at the time.”

The mayor said, but his voice sounded distant and muffled, as though he were underwater.

All I could feel was the sharp sting of the ring biting into my palm, the ring that had once belonged to the man I loved.

I couldn’t believe that he had vanished from this world, leaving only this small, cold object behind.

No, I refused to believe it.

The mayor’s calm voice broke through the haze.

“Would you like to visit the cemetery?”

I lifted my head slowly, feeling dazed and confused.

** ❋❋❋ ❋❋❋**

By the time I staggered out of the national cemetery, I was leaning against the wall to keep my balance, overwhelmed by dizziness.

I could hardly remember how I’d made it through the gates. Only the gravestone remained clear in my mind: The one with his name engraved upon it.

Even after seeing it with my own eyes, it didn’t feel real.

I half-expected him to appear behind me at any moment, wrapping his arms around me as he always did.

But no one came.

As I clung to the cold stone wall, sobs rising in my throat, a familiar shadow fell over me.

“Ms Sarah, what happened? Why are you here instead of at City Hall?”

It was Edwin. He must have finished his investigation, his expression was tight with worry as he hurried towards me.

I forced a faint smile, but my voice trembled as I spoke.

“They said… he’s dead…”

“…..”

“I saw his name carved into the headstone with my own eyes. But I still can’t believe it: Carlos is dead? Carlos is dead? That can’t be true.”

My words came out sounding hollow and dazed. Edwin exhaled a quiet sigh.

“There’s something else I need to tell you.”

I looked up at him, a fragile thread of hope tugging at my heart. Maybe he could tell me that my husband was still alive, I thought, based on the clues he’d found.

But what came from his lips shattered that hope completely.

“I managed to recover the missing parts of Mr. Carlos’s record, and among them was an official death certificate.”

The world tilted. My vision swam and my knees gave way.

“Ms Sarah!”

Edwin reached for me in alarm. But before I could grasp his hand, everything went white and I lost consciousness.