A bitter smile formed on the Grand Duke's lips as he quietly listened to his secretary's message. Staring intently into the eyes of the uninvited guest seated directly in front of him, he spoke as if to spite him.
"That's fun. Got it, you can leave."
“Yes, sir.”
After the secretary bowed respectfully and left, only three people remained in the room.
The Grand Duke and the prostitute, and...
Oscar von Reichinhardt.
The tip of the cigarette resting on Oscar's long, straight fingers melted ceaselessly, and he was often enveloped in the smoke flowing from between his teeth. Through the hazy smoke, only his unusually blue eyes were clear.
He was a man of nobility by birth. His father was a great general of Luxen, whose statue stood in the square in front of the Royal Palace of Luxen and who remained an object of adoration even now, nearly 30 years after his death. And what about his mother, who was widely rumored to be the most beautiful woman in East Norfolk?
Nevertheless, Oscar reminded him of things like mines filled with piles of stones, tunnels where not a single ray of light could penetrate, and pitch-black iron ore and coal. Rather than a splendid and beautiful castle, he pictured a black castle ravaged by fire and the crows hovering over it.
The Wolf of Luxen, whom even the King of Felphe is reluctant to deal with; a busy man whose territory is larger than that of the city-state of Felphe, and whose good looks are difficult to catch even by the nobles of Luxen.
When the busy man, whose face was difficult to even see from the King of Felphe or the King of his home country, Luxen, personally came to visit him, the Grand Duke’s spirits soared to the heavens.
He had no choice but to raise it.
With Oscar's help, the Grand Duke became the President of Felphe Bank and was able to enter the Norfolk Royal Union Council. Consequently, even the Felphe nobles who had previously ignored him began to treat him genuinely as a Grand Duke, and it seemed as though he would have everything.
Yes, it seemed like it.
Until he started to feel unsettled.
"Marquis Reichinhardt, what rudeness!"
“How rude?”
The deep blue eyes visible through the smoke looked ominous.
"See, I told you to just finish what you were doing. Didn't I say I would wait?"
"Marquis!"
"If you are referring to the delay, I apologize. I thought it was a secret meeting, but uninvited guests showed up somewhere."
Oscar spoke in a voice mixed with laughter, putting a cigarette in his mouth. The Grand Duke, who had helped invite the uninvited guests, felt his heart sink at the sight of Oscar, who looked as if he already knew everything.
"But anyway..."
Oscar, who had been trailing off, smiled languidly.
"I wonder what interesting news there is?"
Perhaps because of the hair flowing over his forehead, he suited this decadent pleasure remarkably well. From a man of ancient noble lineage, one could sense the scent of ruffians roaming the back alleys.
And indeed, the more such things were, the more they were bound to be connected to instinct.
The sexual satisfaction that had heated up the Grand Duke just moments ago cooled down faster than a thin pot. The sweat dried up, a chill washed over him, and he felt as if even the hairs on his body were standing on end.
Instinct was ringing the alarm.
The man in front of him was furious to the point of boiling over, so he had to somehow calm his anger down.
The Grand Duke's eyes rolled rapidly back and forth.
About 3 years ago.
When Oscar first came to see him.
He said he would make the Grand Duke symmetrical and demanded exactly two things.
One is to take the person he assigned with him when entering the Norfolk Royal Union Council Hall.
Another one...
"The safe you are keeping an eye on."
"..."
"What number was that? Was it in the four thousand range? No, wait..."
The Grand Duke's gaze, swaying back and forth, met Oscar's. There was not a shred of laughter in those chillingly deep blue eyes.
The Grand Duke involuntarily swallowed hard. The voice of the man sitting opposite him, as cold as his blue eyes, soon fell upon him.
"No. 5555."
Felphe Bank's secret vault No. 5555.
The safe that Oscar von Reichinhardt intends to open.
The Grand Duke clutched his trembling heart and licked his dry lips.
"That safe key... haven't you found it yet?"
***
About two hours ago.
So, around the time Oscar and his wolves were dealing with an uninvited guest.
The door to the Campaign Bank VIP reception room opened quietly. Light brown eyes twinkled through the gap in the open door.
Reddish yet weighty wooden walls, matching gilded decorations, an unusually plush-looking carpet, and staff present despite the late hour.
Is it here?
Seo-a entered the room only after quickly glancing inside through the gap in the door. The carpet, which had looked soft, was indeed just as it appeared, completely obscuring her already faint presence. Perhaps for this reason, the employee reading the newspaper did not notice at all that she had entered.
The employee seemed unaware of her arrival even as she walked over to the table and placed her luggage bag on the single sofa for customers.
After hesitating for a moment, Seo-a cautiously reached out and tapped the table.
Knock knock.
Even though the tapping was gentle, the sound felt as loud as thunder. Holding her breath, she concentrated all her senses on the other person's presence.
Rustle.
The sound of turning pages was heard. Seo-a quietly lifted her eyes.
"..."
The employee was still engrossed in the newspaper. She took a deep breath and tapped the table again.
Knock knock.
“Hey... hello.”
The employee, who had been flipping through the evening newspaper with a bored expression, suddenly looked up. He reflexively sprang to his feet, and Seo-a reflexively lowered her eyes.
"Welcome. Please come in..."
The employee who was greeting trailed off, and eventually, a brief silence fell.
Her face stung. Seo-a struggled to hold back her head, which kept threatening to droop. When she lifted her gaze, she met very clear green eyes.
The employee suddenly asked her as she lowered her eyes again the moment their gazes met.
"How did you get in here?"
Seo-a lowered her gaze, mulled over the words for a moment, then quietly pointed behind her.
"...Entered through the door."
"..."
The employee blinked as if unable to find the words to say, then asked in a little more detail.
"Are you saying you came in alone? Without any guidance?"
Seo-a ruminated on those words again and quietly asked back.
"Would that be rude?"
"No, that's not what I meant..."
The employee was confused. He looked around, wondering if he was dreaming with his eyes open. It was undoubtedly the VIP reception room of Felphe Bank.
Then who on earth is this woman?
Felphe Bank does not discriminate against its customers. Even if a customer was a commoner, if they could open an account or a safe deposit box, they were treated with utmost respect.
The problem was that the required deposit for opening an account or vault was substantial, and there were many among the nobility who could not meet this condition. Therefore, those who could cross the threshold of Felphe Bank were generally the owners of well-known corporations, high-ranking nobles, or royalty.
At the bank's main entrance, not only security guards but also staff members were stationed to attend to customers. Unless one was a customer, no one was allowed to loiter around, and it was the rule that visiting customers were personally guided by a staff member in charge. That was precisely why he could leisurely read the newspaper. After all, he would be notified in advance if he were coming.
However, the woman, who was suspicious just for coming all the way here alone, even had a suspicious appearance.
Although cold winds had started blowing in the mornings and evenings, it was still summer. However, the woman was wearing a wool coat meant for the dead of winter. Moreover, it was visibly uncared for, as if the coat had been left neglected for quite some time, and she looked completely worn out, as if she were wearing someone else's clothes.
Moreover, she kept her head slightly bowed as if she had committed a crime and avoided making eye contact, and above all, there was something strange about her. The employee could not find the words to explain the peculiar feeling he had sensed from the woman in that fleeting moment.
Then, the woman suddenly opened her mouth.
"I came to open the safe, but is this not the right place?"
“A safe?”
"Yes."
The employee paused at the mention of the word "safe" and asked with a hesitant look on his face.
"Did you bring the key?"
At that question, Seo-a let out a small sigh. Fortunately, it seemed she had come to the right place.
“Yes, I brought it.”
Safe and key.
The employee, who was about to call a security guard at any moment, first pointed to the chair with a polite gesture.
“Please sit down.”
Seo-a put her suitcase down on the floor and sat lightly on the edge of the sofa. In the meantime, the employee sitting opposite her cleared away the newspaper and pushed a black velvet tray toward her.
"Would you please give me the key?"
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment