“Damned bastards.”

The rat cursed under his breath as he walked through the rainy night streets. Despite the downpour, the streets were bustling with hawkers and customers. The street was as bright as daylight, contrary to the dark sky.

“Move out of the way!”

The rat roughly shoved a drunkard blocking his path. Normally, he would quietly maneuver through the crowd without being noticed, but there was no time for that now.

“What’s your problem?”

The drunkard staggered from being shoved and shouted out in frustration.

“Keep your eyes open when you walk…!”

“Move.”

The rat growled in a voice full of irritation. The drunkard, sensing the killing intent emanating from the small frame, quickly averted his gaze.

“Coward.”

The rat twisted his lips as he watched the drunkard hurriedly retreat. Both him and the others were equally annoying.

‘This is disappointing.’

Disappointed? They hadn’t managed to accomplish anything.

The rat ground his teeth, recalling what had just happened. He had been hoping for some reward after bringing useful information to the palace, but all he received was harsh reprimands.

“If it weren’t for me, they wouldn’t have known a thing.”

Thinking of the imperial informants who mocked him after he was scolded by Uden, the rat’s insides seethed with anger.

“Useless trash, all of them.”

No matter how he thought about it, the reprimand should have been directed at the incompetent imperial informants, not himself. In his eyes, they couldn’t do a single thing properly.

Take this situation, for example. The only one who had managed to learn anything about the secretive Lila Knox was him. Yet, he received no recognition for it. The rat truly couldn’t understand.

“Lila Knox…”

Just thinking about that name made his anger flare up, and he bit his lower lip.

“What on earth are you?”

Black hair, golden eyes, a background from Muwon… and what else? The rat mentally organized the information he had gathered so far and let out a dry laugh.

“Is this really all I’ve got?”

The Emperor, nobles, merchants, and countless spies—everyone was desperate to uncover information about Lila Knox. The rat was no exception. As one of the Emperor’s shadows and one of the most prominent information brokers in the Empire, he had investigated her thoroughly. But the Grand Duke of Eustace was a formidable opponent.

For years, even with his entire information network mobilized, the security of the Grand Duke’s mansion had been impenetrable. It was all thanks to the infuriating loyalty of the Eustace family.

The people of the mansion, from vassals to mere servants, took pride in calling themselves members of the Eustace household. Their loyalty was so extreme that it seemed as if the Grand Duke himself had cast a spell over them—they were all tight-lipped.

To gain information, he needed to either plant an outsider or recruit an insider. But neither was feasible in the Duke’s mansion, making failure inevitable.

After tremendous effort, he managed to uncover a few pieces of information about Lila Knox, but nothing decisive. For someone who prided himself as the Empire’s best information broker, it was a humiliating situation.

“This is so damn frustrating.”

If only he had sold the information to another noble before reporting it to the Imperial Court, he could have made a hefty profit. It was too late for regrets now, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. The rat stormed off, seething.

“Hm?”

As he emerged from the labyrinth-like alleyways, his hideout came into view. Dragging his exhausted body, the rat approached the building but hesitated.

“What is this?”

He narrowed his eyes and surveyed the area warily. The building seemed eerier than usual, perhaps due to the rain that had been pouring since the afternoon. While the gloomy weather could explain the mood, his instincts—sharpened from countless brushes with death—warned him that something was off.

“This feels strange…”

What should he do? The rat stood frozen in front of the building, hesitating. Just in case, he heightened his senses and scanned the area, but there wasn’t even the faintest sign of life—not a single mouse.

Under normal circumstances, he would have fled the moment something felt off. With multiple hideouts, there was no need to risk entering this one.

But today was different. He lacked the strength to move to another hideout. Both physically and mentally drained, all he wanted was to rest as soon as possible.

“…Fine.”

Suppressing his unease, the rat stepped into the pitch-black interior. The creaking of the wooden stairs under his feet mirrored his unsettled feelings.

“Was it just my imagination?”

The dark hallway was silent. Relaxing slightly as he confirmed there was no movement, the rat let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps his nerves had made him overly sensitive. He let his guard down and reached for the door handle.

Click. Creak…

The specially crafted iron door opened with a groan. And then…

“Welcome.”

A familiar voice pierced his ears.

“Damn it!”

He was caught. The rat instinctively tried to retreat. Escaping in the shadows was his specialty. But Lila was faster. Navigating the darkness with precision was her forte as well.

As if anticipating his escape, Lila threw the dagger she was holding. The blade flew unerringly toward its target.

“Argh!”

The dagger grazed his ankle before embedding itself in the floor. Losing his balance, the rat stumbled, and Lila seized the moment.

“Ugh!”

Thud! Lila tackled him to the ground, pinning him down. The rat groaned in pain, unable to even draw his weapon before being subdued.

“It’s been a while, Rat.”

“Cough! You…!”

The rat, his vision blurred, blinked as he saw glowing golden eyes staring back at him. The moonlight streaming through the shattered window illuminated Lila’s face, leaving the rat stunned.

“Raven?”

Golden eyes, black hair. Though her eye color was different, he recognized her instantly. It was Raven.

“So it was you… Ugh, you were Lila Knox all along!”

The rat exclaimed in a voice trembling with excitement. His eyes lit up with a thrill he couldn’t suppress.

“Raven failed to assassinate the Grand Duke of Eustace.”

“What does that mean…?”

“After infiltrating the Grand Duke’s mansion, she disappeared.”

“D-Does that mean she’s dead?”

“…We don’t know if she’s dead or captured. Find Raven’s whereabouts.”

After hearing from Wodin that Raven had gone missing, the rat began circling the vicinity of Grand Duke Eustace day and night. It was because of this constant surveillance that he was the first to notice someone staying at the Duke’s mansion.

“A girl with black hair.”

When he first heard those words, he dismissed the idea. He was briefly disappointed upon learning that her eyes were golden, different from Raven’s. But he couldn’t entirely let go of the possibility.

“As I thought, there’s no way you could’ve died.”

The rat grinned as he looked up at her golden eyes that were no longer black.

“How did you survive? Did you strike a deal with the Grand Duke?”

The rat coughed dryly and asked with a sly smile. It was an instinctive question for someone who had lived off information his entire life.

“What did Grand Duke Eustace offer you? Hmm, was it to keep your identity as Raven a secret in exchange for leaking information?”

He hadn’t considered that. Even while trapped by Lila, the rat muttered to himself nonchalantly. It was a massive humiliation for someone considered the best information broker in the Empire, but strangely, he didn’t feel bad about it. Instead, he was amused at the thought of the detestable Imperial officials learning this and being shocked.

“How did you end up collaborating with Grand Duke Eustace…”

“Be quiet.”

Lila pressed down on the rat’s chest with her foot, her warning clear. It was only then that the rat, realizing he was at the mercy of Raven, fell silent.

“How much does the Emperor know? What orders did he give you?”

“Oh, so you’re the one looking for information now?”

The rat smirked, twitching his lips as he spoke. His mind raced.

“If I give you information, what will you do for me? Will you let me live?”

“Hmm…”

Lila didn’t answer immediately, trailing off.

“I’m still deciding.”

She spoke honestly, her decision not yet made. The rat handled intelligence for the Emperor’s shadows. If he were left alive, there was a high chance he’d leak information about her. That would render all of Duke Eustace’s efforts to protect her meaningless. Eliminating the rat seemed like the safer option.

But if the rat died, the Emperor’s suspicions would deepen. Neither option was ideal for Lila. More importantly, she no longer wanted to kill anyone.

“If possible, I’d like to spare you…”

“P-Please spare me!”