Chapter 20

Her head throbbed. How could it be this awkward?

She’d just heard that the lover was coming over, so an embarrassing situation might already be underway. If the door opened and she happened to witness that, today would truly be the worst.

After hesitating at the door for a long time, Hailey took a deep breath and raised her hand. There was no other option, so she had to accept any discomfort. She recalled the signal she’d been told to use, the one the messenger had insisted she get right, and knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock-knock-knock, knock, knock.

After a moment, Roana appeared, dressed in a dazzling gown just like before. Her clothes weren’t messy, her lips weren’t wet, and her face wasn’t flushed, so Hailey was relieved.

Roana’s eyes widened when she saw Hailey. The Queen’s face was clearly flustered.

“How do you know that signal?”

“I came here knowing it.”

“…Could you wait just a moment?”

Hailey nodded, and Roana disappeared inside the building.

Just as she was starting to get bored, the door opened again. Roana greeted her even more politely than before.

“Please, come in.”

Despite the splendid red brick exterior, the first-floor living room was so bare it felt desolate. The only thing of note was the wall along the stairs to the second floor, which was covered in paintings—including a portrait of Roana in a blue dress.

Hailey made a conscious effort not to look toward the second floor, where she assumed Roana’s bedroom would be. She didn’t want to risk running into Latrian.

Roana led Hailey to the innermost part of the first floor. When Roana drew back the curtain hanging on the wall, there was a door painted the same color as the curtain. Opening it revealed stairs leading down to the basement.

The basement was completely different from the first floor. In the stark atmosphere, there was only a large table and two chairs. The candle placed in the center of the table flickered precariously in the darkness that filled the basement.

Next to the table stood a tall man in a black robe, his hat pulled so low that only his lips were visible.

It looked suspicious, but the last Rotsan guild member Hailey had met had dressed similarly. Glancing at the man, Hailey asked Roana,

“Is… that person a guild member?”

“That’s right. And so am I.”

The man pulled out a chair beside the table, and Roana naturally sat down, then pointed to the seat across from her.

Hailey was taken aback. She’d thought Roana was just a middleman, never imagined that the famous Queen of the Night was a guild member.

‘Did Latrian know this, too?’

But Hailey quickly shook her head. That carefree playboy probably wouldn’t be that perceptive.

“Do you have the upfront fee ready?”

Hailey took out the Grants Bank payment certificate from her coat and placed it in front of her.

“Yes.”

“Hm.”

Roana lowered her gaze and checked what Hailey had handed over. The Queen placed her clasped hands on the table and tilted her head slightly, letting her long, wavy golden hair spill over the tabletop.

“Let me ask first. Why did you come all the way here? Other information guilds are much more accessible and their fees are more reasonable.”

Hailey gave a bitter smile at Roana’s response. The accessibility and fees were the worst, but it seemed intentional, which made her angry. Yet, she also felt a sense of expectation—how confident must they be in their skills to operate this way?

“I tried everywhere else. All of them said no. This is the only place I have left.”

“Hm.”

“I’ve heard… if you really set your mind to it, you can even uncover Mart Republic’s national secrets, right? So…”

Hailey clenched her hands tightly. Sweat broke out from nerves.

“Please accept my request. I’m begging you.”

The man who’d been standing like a shadow beside Roana approached the table and picked up the payment certificate Hailey had placed there.

“So that’s why you needed money? To commission Rotsan?”

From under the hat pulled low, the man’s lips curled into a gentle arc.

“I admit the fee is ridiculously expensive. But, that’s how we weed out the riffraff.”

Both Hailey and Roana turned their gazes to the man. Roana sighed, her face twisting.

“…If you’re going to b*tt in like this, just handle it yourself.”

At Roana’s deepened voice, Hailey’s eyes widened.

“Th-that voice!”

“Yes. I am a man.”

Roana, who had just spoken with a soft voice and gentle gestures, now waved his hand with a rugged attitude to match his changed voice.

“I don’t know, so you handle it yourself.”

“I will, so stop complaining.”

The man in the robe waved the Grants Bank certificate lightly between his long fingers.

“I have a long history with this bank, so I just couldn’t sit still.”

Hailey’s shoulders flinched. She shouldn’t, but the voice sounded familiar.

As she broke out in a cold sweat, the man removed his hat. Platinum-blond hair shimmered, and his elegant features were revealed. It was a face impossible to forget, now smiling with casual ease.

“Money leaving my house, passing through my family’s bank, only to come back to me… how could I not get involved?”

The chair behind Hailey crashed noisily to the floor as she jumped up in panic.

Her d*mn superior—Latrian.

“Why… are you here…?”

“That’s what I want to ask. How did you find this place?”

“I asked first! Why are you here?”

“Answer my question first. Then I’ll answer yours.”

His tone was light, but there was a seriousness unusual for him. Hailey reluctantly replied to his question.

“…I came looking for the information guild ‘Rotsan’.”

“Who told you the signal? Where did you get that information? Start from the beginning.”

“Debireus Pub. Before that, I asked around at Mai’s general store, and there I talked with a man in a black robe with protruding teeth. He told me about the upfront fee… and that when I was ready, I should come here…”

Latrian nodded toward Roana.

“She followed the right steps. But I should tell Beril to hide those teeth. You’re not supposed to remember faces like that.”

“I’ll warn him for now. If it happens again, I’ll just pull out all those teeth.”

Roana replied nonchalantly to the violent suggestion, sitting with his legs spread and chin propped up. Acting like that, no matter how pretty or dressed up, he was unmistakably a man. It was hard to believe she’d ever mistaken otherwise.

‘But that’s not the point.’

Hailey snapped at Latrian.

“Now you should answer my question, right? Why are you here?”

He leaned on the table, tilting his body toward Hailey.

“Normally, I wouldn’t go this far… but since we’re not strangers, should I give you special treatment?”

“What does that…?”

Looking at her incredulous face, Latrian continued, his smile brighter than sunlight.

“Let me formally introduce myself. I’m the Rotsan guild master.”

“What?”

“This guild is mine.”

“That’s a lie…”

“Why would I lie to you? You’ve already followed the proper steps to find Rotsan.”

“So you kept coming here because…”

“To work.”

Hailey still couldn’t believe it. But Roana’s heavy sigh beside her made the surreal situation feel real. Roana’s attitude was so much like a manager cleaning up after their boss that Hailey felt a sense of kinship.

Latrian brushed aside the hair falling on his forehead, grumbling.

“That’s why I said there’s a lot you don’t know.”

Hailey slowly raised both hands and grabbed handfuls of her own hair.

If the gods of fate existed, they must hate her to death. Otherwise, how could things get so tangled? Rotsan was her only hope to learn about the Perlo family’s affairs, and now the master of Rotsan was that man?

Her chest tightened and her vision darkened, while the man before her hummed cheerfully, clearly in high spirits.

“Hailey. Shouldn’t we continue the conversation we were having at the square earlier? And before that…”

The Grants Bank note fluttered between Latrian’s long fingers.

“I don’t need this money at all, so use it to buy yourself something nice when you’re alone.”

His languid tone made her angry. She felt like she’d be satisfied if she could just hit him once.

But now, he was not just her superior—he was the only one who could give her what she wanted, so she couldn’t dare lash out.

Hailey’s face was full of despair as she bowed her head.

She took a deep breath, then spoke in a voice full of resolve.

“…I’m sorry for misunderstanding you all this time.”

She bowed deeply.

“Thank you for clearing up the misunderstanding.”

“I’m sorry for trying to steal the seal, tripping you, and giving you sleeping pills.”

“…I’ll forgive you for that, too.”

“I also take back what I said about hoping you’d become impotent. Oh, and even if you two are really close, there’s no need to worry about illegitimate children.”

“Hey.”

“I said I’m sorry!”

The man, pretty enough to be mistaken for a woman, and another man, handsome beyond gender, both wore the same serious expression. Hailey, laughing like she’d lost her mind, pressed her hot forehead.