* * *

Osman Lonius, the general manager of the Cissus Opera House, was very flustered by the owner’s visit, which was earlier than expected.

‘I thought he would visit around tomorrow.’

Osman quickly organized the materials and reports he had prepared and hurried out to meet Karl.

Of course, his owner wasn’t one to put much importance on being greeted.

In fact, he had often insisted that he preferred no one to know he had arrived. So Osman waited for him at the entrance to the 2.5th floor, where his office and Chris’s office were located, rather than going down to the first-floor lobby.

In truth, even this would be considered bothersome by him, but Osman, a retired soldier, was a man sensitive to strict rules. He also placed great importance on orders from above.

So the compromise was the entrance to the 2.5th floor.

‘He’s here.’

A man with black hair slowly climbed the wide, ash-colored stairs. Osman’s shoulders tensed as he prepared to greet him.

“Welcome. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Seeing Osman, Karl smiled gently and said,

“I told you not to come out, Osman.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful next time.”

“It’s fine. I’m not reprimanding you, so don’t apologize.”

Karl lightly patted Osman’s arm as if to tell him to get up and walked past.

Osman exchanged glances with Chris and Gustav, who were following Karl like shadows, and quickly followed behind him.

“You must have been surprised by my early arrival.”

“No, it’s my duty to always be prepared, given my position.”

“I see. Thank you for always being diligent, Osman.”

Osman blushed slightly at Karl’s concise praise and bowed stiffly. Whenever he was treated this way, he felt as if his soul was malfunctioning.

Receiving thanks for doing what was expected, and from someone of such a high rank, no less.

‘Is this what they call gracefulness?’

Every little gesture made him look up to Karl naturally.

Before meeting Karl, Osman had thought that nobles were much dirtier, less cultured, arbitrary, and selfish than they appeared. But meeting Karl Winger made him realize that his view was a narrow generalization.

Of course, it might be because Karl wasn’t a noble of this country.

In any case, Karl Winger was a busy man. He wouldn’t have come here earlier than scheduled just to chat leisurely.

As soon as Karl leaned back in his office chair, Osman pulled out the report and handed it to him.

“This is the list of new patrons for the opera. We declined those with large amounts and those who requested private meetings with the actors. The next page lists the names of the nobles who requested private meetings.”

Karl quickly scanned the list Osman handed him.

Given that this place gathered talented and beautiful individuals in the spotlight, it wasn’t surprising that many desired them.

But Karl didn’t take kindly to such people. Despite his grand title of ‘Master of Indulgence,’ his indulgence always had a degree of restraint.

He especially despised any form of buying and selling people.

His philosophy was that human rights and values should be determined by the individuals themselves, not controlled by others.

“There are still people who think of this place as some kind of brokering service.”

Whether they were persistent or just didn’t listen, Karl’s voice lowered as he muttered indifferently.

“If they want to fall in love, they should make an effort, not try to buy it in the lobby.”

Of course, what they wanted wasn’t love but desire. A cold smile played on Karl’s lips.

“The next page is the list of hotel guests. Chris organized it.”

The Cissus Opera House consisted of two buildings.

To be precise, the main opera house and an adjoining hotel building. The opera house was a grand and symbolic structure, so the neat and modest hotel next to it didn’t stand out much.

But that didn’t mean the hotel wasn’t popular.

Though smaller than the opera house, the hotel was still quite large. However, it had relatively few rooms compared to its size.

Only 14.

It operated solely on a reservation basis, offering rooms only to members with guaranteed status. Unlike regular hotels with hundreds of rooms, it had a unique strategy.

Moreover, the services, staff training, and facilities inside the hotel were incomparable to others.

With its rarity, luxury, and exclusivity for ‘The Grey Club,’ the hotel room prices soared.

Along with the hotel’s popularity, the membership prices for ‘The Grey Club’ also skyrocketed. It became a place people would do anything to visit if they could.

And the most expensive part of this already pricey hotel was the Royal Suite on the third floor, which divided the entire floor into just two rooms.

Each room had a separate entrance, and the servants assigned to each room never overlapped. This secrecy made it highly sought after by nobles.

The problem was that even nobles couldn’t easily afford the price.

But there was someone currently renting the entire floor for a month.

‘Maria Tartien.’

Karl narrowed his eyes and tapped the guest list for the Royal Suite floor.

It noted that she was commuting between the mansion and the hotel. The Tartien mansion, of course, was on Mariang Island, in the most prime location.

In other words, her home wasn’t far from the hotel. So why was Maria Tartien staying at this hotel, paying such an exorbitant price…

Karl stared intently at Maria Tartien’s name.

‘Father, please don’t make me marry that horrible monster!’

‘I have someone else in my heart! You know that! Please. Don’t push me into hell!’

‘I can’t stand his smell. It makes me sick!’

On the day he was supposed to meet her and Schultz, his sensitive hearing picked up the conversation through the door.

Her desperate pleas as she clung to the feet of her father, Schultz Tartien. Though Duke Tartien firmly dismissed Maria Tartien’s cries, he couldn’t hide the look of disgust in his eyes when he looked at Karl, or rather, Laedro Stings.

‘…We are to be future spouses, so I’d like to greet her up close.’

It was amusing to see her trembling at his words to come closer.

‘Aren’t you the ones who made me like this?’

He approached her, mocking her courage, and commanded her to kiss the back of his hand.

In fact, it wasn’t even a command. It was a basic courtesy that a noble should show to a king.

But Maria Tartien couldn’t uphold that courtesy and fainted.

Though it wasn’t known to the public, the moment she made eye contact with him, she had the audacity to retch right in front of the king’s face.

It seemed that for someone who had grown up seeing only beautiful things, his distorted appearance was unbearable.

To see their own creation making them retch and faint right before their eyes.

Karl’s lips twisted into a cynical smile.

‘…If it weren’t for you bastards, I wouldn’t have to live disguised like this.’

The Crown Prince arson incident.

No, the worst arson incident known to have been caused by the former Crown Prince.

The sole surviving witness from that place.

Even knowing that his parents were unjustly framed and killed, he had to keep silent to survive. He had to pretend he saw nothing and heard nothing.

To live, to survive until the end, to expose their crimes to the world!

Karl’s cold gaze fell on the name ‘Tartien’ written on the list.

All of this was a journey toward revenge. When they thought they had grasped everything.

At that very moment, he would drag them down to the lowest and darkest place.

Until they fell and fell, crawling on the ground they called filthy…