“Please, Ryan. Calm down!”

Richard was desperately trying to hold Ryan back.

Despite other informants looking disheveled, his once-gleaming face now displayed a vivid blue bruise.

Naturally, it was from Ryan’s fist.

As soon as Richard finished explaining why Eloise was staying at Sinclair’s mansion, Ryan’s fist had flown.

Richard, anticipating this, willingly offered his handsome face without dodging. The only difference from what he expected was that instead of just one punch, five came his way.

‘That’s how angry he is.’

Knowing his own fault in leaving a civilian without any self-defense training in enemy territory under the pretext of “being helpful,” Richard accepted Ryan’s fury without resistance.

“Calm down? Is that what you should be saying to me right now?”

Ryan glared at Richard, who was clinging to his clothes, as if he would tear him apart.

Throughout this final mission, he had constantly thought about Eloise. In his imagination, she was spending time in the countryside of Feltham.

He thought she would be enjoying a cozy winter surrounded by her always-concerned parents, her maid, and friendly neighborhood residents.

She would probably be writing replies to the occasional letters he sent. She would surely be grumbling about his delayed return.

And she might casually request the next volume of the mystery novel they had discussed together.

He had been thinking only of returning to her with an apology and a mountain of books as gifts once everything was over, but she was actually in the capital?

Moreover, she had been staying in a place more dangerous than where he was, secretly gathering enemy information all this time?

‘And she even discovered that I am Ryan Wilgrave!’

The thought made Ryan’s blood run cold.

He couldn’t keep it hidden forever—it was something he would have to tell her eventually.

Hadn’t he planned to confess everything after this mission was over, after removing his disguise, restoring the court, and preventing the destruction of the industrial aristocracy?

But for her to learn it not from him but through someone else, and through enemy forces at that.

His mind went blank.

He couldn’t imagine how Eloise would look at him if they met again.

One thing was certain…

‘She’ll be terribly disappointed in me.’

No, perhaps she would be angry. In any case, it was clear that Eloise would have been greatly shocked by the revelation and that her trust in him would have been shattered.

“Why didn’t you report that Eloise was angry! You just said she was strategically positioned there!”

Ryan shouted furiously at Richard, who wouldn’t let go.

“Because Baron Stanford would have immediately ordered her removal. And… besides my request, it was also Miss Eloise’s wish.”

“Eloise’s wish?”

“Well, she thought you were dead, so she wanted to get revenge somehow…”

At Richard’s words, Ryan felt dizzy.

To think that his fabricated death had driven his lover into mortal danger.

He wanted to curse himself for happily saying everything was going according to plan without knowing this.

“Anyway, we need to bring Eloise here immediately.”

Ryan knew very well how important the operation starting at today’s funeral was.

But he felt he couldn’t do anything without seeing Eloise first.

At the very least, he needed to take her to a safe place…

As Ryan and Richard were arguing, there was a knock at the door of the safe house.

Another informant who had been watching the two cautiously checked his holstered gun before approaching the door.

“I’ve brought a letter!”

At the street errand boy’s voice, Ryan and Richard hid behind the door.

After the door opened and the informant received the letter and handed the boy a coin, the boy left happily.

After confirming there was no problem, Ryan and Richard came out again, and the informant handed them the letter.

It had their address written in Eloise’s handwriting, familiar to both Ryan and Richard.

Hurriedly tearing open the envelope, Ryan was puzzled by the small notebook inside.

“What is this?”

As he flipped through it, Ryan’s expression hardened.

Richard, who was rubbing his eyes while calmly looking on, reacted similarly.

“This is…”

The small notebook was filled with people’s names.

And though not all, among them were names of famous people known to both men.

The problem was that they were all targets being monitored for espionage activities.

Looking in the envelope again, they found a letter.

Sorry for the late contact.

It’s been impossible for me to leave Lady Sinclair’s house.

During that time, the luggage piled in the courtyard was taken out at dawn today.

It seems to be related to today’s funeral.

And this notebook was dropped by someone who was moving those items.

I suspect these people received those items.

Seeing Eloise’s letter after so long, Ryan felt needlessly guilty.

But now was not the time for such sentiments.

First, he needed to extract her quickly from her position behind enemy lines.

Then Ryan’s eyes caught the last sentence of the letter.

And I’m planning to secretly attend Ryan’s funeral.

“D*mn it.”

Ryan crumpled Eloise’s letter and immediately rushed outside.

“Ryan!”

“Deliver that notebook to headquarters first!”

“What about you?”

To Richard’s question, Ryan shouted:

“I’m going to find Eloise!”

He had to find her—she had gone to that funeral where anything could happen.

***

“So many people…”

Eloise looked up at the dark sky, heavy with clouds.

It seemed snow would fall today, as the cold in the wind was particularly biting.

Even though she had dressed in many layers, people were gathering around bonfires lit here and there along the road, struggling with the sudden cold.

Ryan Wilgrave’s funeral was being held at the cathedral in the eastern part of the capital.

Since morning, nobles, celebrities, and royalty who had received funeral invitations had all entered the cathedral on the hill.

And ordinary citizens who hadn’t received invitations were waiting on the roadside where Eloise was standing now, waiting for the funeral procession to emerge after the ceremony ended.

‘Could I get closer?’

It would be nice if she could see him more closely, even if just his coffin.

As Eloise was thinking this and wiping her teary eyes with a handkerchief, children begging around the crowd shouted:

“Look! Another noble’s carriage is coming!”

At those words, all the begging children quickly ran to the approaching carriage, blocking its path.

This was a common sight in the capital, especially at funerals of prominent figures.

With so many nobles gathering, there was no better place to beg for charity.

Moreover, nobles who would normally crack their whips to pass through on regular streets were reluctant to make a scene with all eyes on them, especially on someone’s funeral day, so they would toss coins to make the begging children move away.

Expecting this noble to do the same, Eloise was watching when she was surprised to see the person leaning out of the window.

“Baron Stanford!”

It was Baron Stanford, the master of Blissbury and Ryan’s superior.

Hearing Eloise’s cry, he turned his head in surprise.

“Eloise?”

Though it had been quite some time since they last met, he immediately recognized her and looked surprised.

Eloise ran to him and pleaded:

“Please take me to the funeral too!”