“Do you know the heir of House Sillion? The one who pretends not to be arrogant while being incredibly arrogant?”

Roir had delivered his sharp assessment before continuing.

“I heard he absolutely crushed his sister—Catherine Sillion. Pushed her so hard she nearly broke. The so-called ‘Disgrace of Sillion’ ran off crying.”

Hearing that, Raylin murmured under her breath.

She didn’t leave because she was crying; she left because she was pissed.

There was no way that crazy lunatic would shed tears just because she heard some harsh words from a man she didn’t even consider human.

Anyway, after hearing about Catherine’s recent activities, Raylin learned that she was still under house arrest. And in addition…

“The disgrace of the Sillion family… No, the young lady sought out Number 12 twelve times, but I managed to cover it up quite well. Oh, don’t worry. I will continue to handle anything related to Number 12 from now on.”

Upon learning that Catherine had even gone to the gladiator arena to find Kertan, Raylin let out a sigh of relief.

Had she been even a little late, things would have unfolded exactly as they did in her past life. Of course, unlike in her previous life or 『Re.Vil.Bre』, Catherine now had nothing in her grasp. And she never would.

Because Raylin wouldn’t allow it.

Even while lost in her serious and resolute thoughts, the woman standing in front of her continued spewing garbage from her mouth.

“…So! Are you even listening? Do you have any idea how much effort and time I put into making this?!”

Raylin, tuning out the woman’s nonsense as if meditating on the phrase, “The mountain is a mountain, the water is water,” had no idea.

She didn’t notice that the man sneaking toward her pocket was exchanging subtle glances with the woman.

Nor did she realize that she wasn’t the only one intensely focused on the distant horizon.

Kertan, who had been staring at Raylin with unwavering intensity, was deeply conflicted.

Seeing her standing idly after seemingly giving up on an argument with some woman made him anxious. He leaned in slightly, his face close to the gap in the scene before him.

If this were a casino scuffle between unfamiliar strangers—a trivial dispute that arose and dissipated just as quickly—he would have simply watched. Such petty quarrels usually ended with nothing but a lingering bad mood for the participants.

However, the problem arose when she was caught up in something entirely different.

One of the most common pickpocketing tactics involved obstructing or distracting the target’s vision before stealing their valuables. The woman who had suddenly blocked Raylin’s path and started spouting nonsense was the one playing the role of distraction. And the man exchanging glances with her was likely the actual pickpocket.

Though the thief was still circling Raylin, waiting for the right moment, he would soon complete his task.

Kertan struggled to straighten his posture as his body instinctively leaned toward Raylin. Should he go? Or should he not?

His Highness, the Crown Prince, did not take kindly to his closeness with the young lady. No—more precisely, he despised it.

And that was completely understandable. What man would enjoy another man lingering around his fiancée?

Especially when he harbored not just political intentions but genuine feelings as well…

Kertan felt his heart lurch for a brief moment but quickly dismissed it.

The image of flowing golden hair and emerald eyes, softer than the first buds of spring, was burned into his vision like an inerasable memory. Yet, he never allowed himself to desire. He dared not.

All he could do was endure and wait for everything to fade into distant memories. He was used to enduring. He would never do anything to provoke His Highness’s displeasure.

At least, that was his resolution.

But in this situation, he couldn’t determine if intervening would truly go against the prince’s will or not.

The pickpocket wouldn’t threaten the young lady’s life, but he would certainly cause her harm. And what about the frustration and anger she would feel after being robbed?

As Kertan stood there, his expression rigid with intense internal conflict, the thief finally extended his hand toward her belongings.

At that moment, Kertan moved before he could think.

Thwack.

“Ugh!”

The pickpocket let out a short scream as he felt his wrist being seized. He instinctively glared at the casino employee who had grabbed him—then flinched.

The eyes staring back at him were terrifyingly cold.

But there was no way he could give up after coming so close to success.

He attempted to quickly pass the stolen pouch to another accomplice.

It was a good plan—until it failed.

The pouch, though not particularly large, was clearly a luxurious item, even from a hundred steps away. And now, it was in the hands of the casino employee.

“You filthy—! Argh, hngh, mmph—!”

The pickpocket, who had tried to lunge at the employee while cursing, suddenly found himself in agony, his arms twisted behind his back and his mouth forcibly shut.

As pain and the fear of having his arm broken clouded his senses—

“If you don’t get lost this instant, I’ll make sure you never use that arm again.”

A voice even more terrifying than the eyes from before whispered in his ear.

The pickpocket frantically nodded up and down, and the casino employee, not wanting any more commotion, released him.

Naturally, the woman who had been distracting Raylin had disappeared long ago.

Still bewildered by how quickly everything had happened, Raylin tilted her head in confusion. It was only after the casino employee politely returned her pouch that she let out an internal sigh of relief.

‘I almost had my nose cut off while staring wide-eyed. Good thing it’s still intact.’

No wonder the woman who grabbed her kept exuding ‘impatience’ and ‘expectation.’

Well, this is the capital’s largest casino, after all. Maybe that’s why even the staff are well-prepared for this sort of thing.

Impressed by the precise hand strike of the employee who had saved her, Raylin turned toward him.

Unlike his sharp movements, he was now standing awkwardly, his head bowed.

“Ah, thank you. Thanks to you, I didn’t get pickpock—huh?”

Raylin, who had been about to express her gratitude, widened her eyes.

For some reason, the casino employee who had protected her pouch was Kertan.

She instinctively started to call his name but quickly chose different words instead.

She had clearly heard from Aiger that Kertan was working under him, yet here he was in a casino employee’s uniform. She didn’t know why, but she could guess that whatever he was doing required infiltration.

“I’d like to rest for a bit. Could you take me somewhere quiet?”

“…Yes.”

Kertan hesitated for a moment but then led the way with stiff, hesitant steps.

Before he knew it, he had brought her to the secret room prepared for him to wait in before carrying out the Crown Prince’s orders.

And belatedly, he regretted it.

Raylin, noticing the word ‘regret’ floating beside him, understood his state but pretended not to.

At this point, turning back wasn’t an option—the room he had guided her to was far too interesting.

No matter how she looked at it…

“This isn’t a room built by the casino, is it?”

“No.”

“Did His Highness have it made for his use?”

“…Yes.”

Kertan, who couldn’t even remain silent in front of her, let alone lie, answered obediently, as if resigning himself. Raylin continued to look around the room, asking questions.

“Can you see the casino through that hole?”

“Yes. You can see the entrance and the passage leading further inside.”

“Whose weapons are these?”

“They are shared by multiple people… Please be careful.”

Having spent the past few days living and eating in this room, Kertan answered smoothly. Finally, after satisfying her curiosity to some extent, Raylin got to the main point.

“What were you doing here? If it’s a secret, you don’t have to answer.”

“I apologize.”

As Kertan bowed his head apologetically, Raylin waved a hand dismissively.

“Don’t be sorry. You’re just doing what you need to do.”

To be honest, she was curious about what he was up to, and she had a feeling that if she pried a little, he’d spill everything despite his discomfort.

But she let it go.

She didn’t want to make things difficult for him just to satisfy her curiosity.

Instead, she asked about something else.

“About what your younger sister likes—besides Zaherdorte, have you found out anything else?”

It was a sudden change of topic, but to Kertan, it was a welcome one.

“Yes. Rather than things that are just overly sweet, she seems to prefer fruitier flavors with a bit of tartness…”

Following Raylin’s advice, Kertan had been talking to his sister more and had learned quite a bit. Without resistance, he started sharing details.

“Oh, come on, how can siblings be so alike? How can you say that’s not sweet? Go outside and ask anyone—do you think they’d say chocolate filled with melted chocolate inside a chocolate shell isn’t sweet?”

“It’s not that sweet.”

Raylin, staring at the stubbornly opinionated Kertan in disbelief, shook her head.

“This is turning into a challenge. Alright, next time, I’ll find something so sweet that both you and your sister will say it’s too much.”

Just as she made her declaration to defeat the sugar-loving siblings with an overload of sweetness—

“Is your little chat over?”