“Ryan?”

Even knowing it couldn’t be, Richard blurted out the name in a dumbfounded voice.

If he wasn’t going crazy, this voice definitely belonged to Ryan.

But how could Ryan, who was supposed to be dead, be speaking to him now?

“This can’t be…”

As he muttered to himself in disbelief, the person who had subdued him released his grip, then grabbed his collar and shook him.

“Stop muttering and answer me. Why is Eloise here?”

At that moment, Richard snapped back to his senses.

“This temper… Is it really you, Ryan?”

The hand gripping his collar released him, and the body pinning him down stood up. Finally free, Richard hurriedly turned his head.

In the alley stood a man with his hat pulled low. Though his face wasn’t fully visible, Richard could see the familiar jawline.

“Good heavens. Dear God.”

The moment he confirmed it was truly Ryan, Richard embraced him tightly.

“Are you a ghost? No, what does it matter if you’re a ghost. At least it’s better than staying in Gilia, right? Right?”

“Get a hold of yourself, and stop killing people off as you please.”

Ryan was about to push him away, telling him to stop the creepy hugging, but hearing Richard’s choked-up voice, he gave up on pushing him away.

And he felt relieved by Richard’s reaction.

Ryan recalled the conversation he had with Baron Stanford before coming here.

“So, can I dismiss the suspicions about Richard?”

“Yes. He was the one who grieved most deeply when news of your death spread. And since then, I’ve heard he’s been devoting himself to rooting out spies, barely sleeping.”

How relieved he had felt at those words.

Just a few days ago, it had been revealed that one of the Baron’s close associates was recruited by Lensk.

At that time, the Baron was more devastated by the fact that a direct subordinate he had trusted without reservation was a traitor than he was pleased about finding a spy.

Seeing that, Ryan had felt such loneliness.

“So, when exactly can I leave this basement?”

Philip, who had come with him from Gilia, was temporarily confined in the basement room of the Baron’s mansion.

“You asked to be confined yourself.”

At Ryan’s words, Philip had grumbled with a hoarse voice.

“That’s true, but… I really want to write a letter to Abigail now.”

He had looked so dejected. The Baron had said he could leave the basement on the morning of the funeral, but that he should send the letter after that day had passed.

That day was today.

As soon as dawn broke, Ryan changed his clothes and left the Baron’s mansion. He also needed to attend the funeral today. Only then could he properly command the operation that was about to begin.

Moreover, one problem still remained.

‘They’ll surely make their move today, won’t they?’

Tomorrow was the fake funeral designed to catch the enemy.

They had deliberately leaked a false list of attendees through journalists in newspapers and magazines. The enemy would certainly be excited by that list full of royalty and high nobles!

So he thought the enemy would definitely make a move. As expected, their movements had been detected.

The number of suspicious individuals crossing from Lensk to other countries and then back to Albion had increased dramatically.

‘The entire military will be busy!’

The soldiers would think they were forming a perimeter for the funeral. They might wonder why they were being issued what seemed like excessive weapons.

Among them, some would be deployed to completely different locations than the funeral.

And they would surround and search houses while their owners were away.

The funeral wasn’t the only thing happening. Simultaneously with the funeral, they would search the homes of nobles and all social figures, who would need to prove their innocence while they were away.

After confirming all these operations once more, Ryan left the Baron’s mansion first.

He intended to meet Richard before the funeral began.

After all, once the funeral started in the morning and the distinguished guests moved to the designated location, they only needed to wait for information to be transmitted there.

Before commanding the surprise operation, he wanted to confirm as his good friend that Richard was not a traitor.

So he planned to briefly tell him about today’s operation and assign him tasks, but when he heard Eloise’s name, he lost his composure.

One of the reasons Ryan had sought out Richard was to hear news about her.

Even if the two didn’t exchange letters directly, Richard would at least know how she was doing.

So he wanted to hear the most recent news Richard had about her.

But when he heard Richard muttering, his mind went blank.

Having to see her face right after the funeral? That meant Eloise was nearby now.

Ryan pushed away Richard, whose eyes were still red.

“Answer me already. Where exactly is Eloise? And what does she have to do with my funeral when you said you’d meet her after it ends?”

At Ryan’s threatening tone, Richard’s face turned pale.

‘How should I handle this?’

His hesitation must have been obvious, as Ryan grabbed his collar again.

“Just tell me quickly!”

“Ah, let go of me first! You usually pretend to be so calm, but the moment Eloise’s name comes up, you lose your mind…”

Richard grumbled, shaking his head before taking a deep breath.

Then, with a heavy sigh, he said:

“Miss Eloise figured out that you are Ryan Wilgrave. And right now, she’s conducting intelligence activities at the house of Lady Sinclair, who is clearly a central figure in the Lensk forces.”

At Richard’s words, Ryan froze in place.

***

Eloise spent the night wide awake.

Fortunately, sleepiness didn’t overcome her. It was probably thanks to all the tea she had gotten from the kitchen in the evening.

Of course, even without the tea, she probably wouldn’t have been able to sleep due to the tension.

‘I can’t sleep.’

If her thoughts were correct, those things would certainly be moved before morning.

In the darkest hour of the night, Eloise could see that her thoughts were correct.

Peering through the thick curtains toward the entrance, she saw carriages passing in front of the house.

She heard the carriages approaching as quietly as possible, passing through the gate and following the wall to the back of the mansion.

Anyone else would think they were delivery carriages arriving early in the morning.

But it wasn’t just one carriage. After one passed, another came, and then another.

After confirming that five or six carriages had come and gone, Eloise slightly opened the door leading to the hallway.

Without a lamp and concealing her presence as much as possible, she looked out at the courtyard where five or six people were moving busily.

‘They’re not servants.’

Unlike the mansion’s servants, their movements showed no unnecessary motions whatsoever.

Coordination and silence. These were clearly characteristics of trained individuals. Almost like soldiers…

Meanwhile, the sky was gradually brightening. Soon the servants would begin moving as usual.

Eloise, who had been thinking about returning to her room early, spotted a small notebook dropped in a corner of the now almost empty courtyard.

‘What is that?’

Whatever it was, it surely contained something important.

She hesitated for a moment. Should she go out and retrieve it? Or should she remain hidden and leave the mansion when morning came?

Honestly, it was a miracle that what she had been doing in this house hadn’t been discovered yet. It felt almost as if God was watching over her.

‘So…’

Should she be brave one last time? Or should she finally protect herself?

The deliberation was brief. Before she could think further, she was already taking steps toward the hallway.

Fortunately, all the doors leading to the courtyard were open. Thanks to this, she was able to go outside without making noise and quickly put the notebook in her pocket.

During that time, no one else returned. Now she just needed to go back to her room and it would be over.

Just as Eloise hurriedly returned to the hallway and was about to walk toward her room:

“Eloise?”

Sinclair’s voice came from the end of the hallway.

“What did you just put in your pocket?”