50.
“So, to summarize, it’s a role where I analyze intelligence gathered by field teams to expose corruption, such as slush funds or tax evasion.”
It made sense why he would claim it was similar to my work at the Ministry Of Finance.
“It is within the range I expected.”
And it largely met my criteria.
‘I’ll be embedded in the Imperial Palace with access to internal records.’
It seemed doable.
The only real difference was the provenance of the documents: instead of voluntary filings from the estates, I would be sifting through evidence seized by force.
“However, the Inspection Team would be more adept at that kind of work than I am.”
“There are occasionally cases that are too delicate for the Inspection Team to handle.”
In other words, it required unofficial channels.
“I understand why confidentiality is paramount. And why you chose me.”
“Thank you for your discretion. Simply working in this capacity is considered sensitive intelligence.”
Kyle joked with a playful smile, citing it as the reason recruitment was such a struggle.
‘Did the corruption files on House Camelot I provided act as my portfolio?’
Everything, from the working conditions to the logic behind his selection, clicked into place like pieces of a puzzle. As if the entire situation had been curated specifically for me.
I stood on the precipice of my final commitment to the Blue Falcon.
Kyle sipped his jasmine tea, offering me a moment to deliberate. As he lifted the cup, his sleeve shifted, revealing a clock-shaped artifact on his wrist that began to glow, as if it had been anticipating this very moment.
‘Isn’t that for emergencies?’
The Emperor held its counterpart; it was a mechanism for secure, instantaneous communication between the two. I remembered it clearly from the original story—there was a scene later where the Emperor gifted an identical piece to the female lead.
‘It’s a beacon with embedded coordinates. It allows for immediate teleportation to the location of the matching artifact.’
The light pulsed incessantly, an ominous rhythm that signaled something urgent.
“Oh, my.”
Kyle checked the artifact, his brow furrowing in irritation.
“If I delay any longer, my precious cafe might collapse.”
He pulled his sleeve down, muffling the glow. It wasn’t enough to hide it completely, but the fabric dimmed the blinding light. With that makeshift fix, Kyle slid a contract toward me. It was a magic contract—the standard for binding, high-stakes agreements.
“I’m afraid it’s time to decide.”
He placed the parchment before me and held out a pen.
“You are welcome to refuse, though I would be terribly saddened.”
The way he applied such soft, practiced pressure made me think he and Connie would get along famously.
‘Backing out is barely an option anyway. I’d already made up my mind while I was hesitating.’
I took the quill from Kyle and signed my name.
Kyle beamed as he verified the signature.
“Welcome to the Blue Falcon.”
He then held out a silver needle.
“Have you ever used a magic contract before?”
“Yes, I have.”
Before I could reach for it, Kyle explained the origin of the needle.
“It’s designed to test for poison. Don’t worry, it’s brand new—never been used.”
“You didn’t have to mention that.”
It was unsettling, to say the least. I accepted the needle, repeating to myself that it was sterile. As a commoner without mana, I pricked my fingertip, letting a few drops of blood fall onto the contract. Kyle followed by infusing it with green mana.
All the while, the artifact on his wrist continued to throb with light.
‘I swear the light is getting even brighter.’
Once the contract was sealed, Kyle tucked it away as if it were a treasure. He immediately ushered me toward the door.
“Shall we return home? It’s grown quite late.”
His voice was refreshingly brisk, eager to see me out now that the business was concluded. The sudden shift—a literal flip of the palm the moment the ink dried—was enough to make me feel betrayed.
“Is this the employee welfare package? Are you treating me like a fish already in the net?”
As I grumbled, Kyle raised his wrist, showing the artifact that continued to flash without pause.
“Something disastrous will happen if I don’t leave this instant. I ask for your understanding.”
He took a sharp breath and added, “It’s His Majesty the Emperor.”
Kyle looked impatient, though not necessarily distressed. Judging by his composure, it didn’t seem like a life-or-death emergency.
‘A summons at this hour?’
I checked the time in my head; it was well past eight. I decided the Emperor must be a notoriously vicious boss.
“You’re certainly working hard into the night.”
‘And the Emperor is remarkably persistent.’
Having witnessed the loyalty of his aides just now, I offered Kyle some words of encouragement. However, my expression must have betrayed my inner judgment of his employer.
Kyle, who had been glaring at the artifact with a gaze as irreverent as my own, quickly smoothed his features to defend the Emperor.
“This is, well, a special situation…”
He trailed off when he saw my expression grow increasingly cold.
“Ah, I see.”
In my mind, however, the Blue Falcon was already branded a black company, and the Emperor a taskmaster.
‘There’s no turning back now, is there?’
Even though a mage couldn’t read my thoughts, Kyle clutched the contract inside his robes as if I might snatch it back.
‘He acts like I’m going to rob him.’
Since the impulse wasn’t entirely absent, I simply curled my lip. Kyle gave an awkward smile.
The man who looked ready to bolt to the Imperial Palace moments ago was now sighing, glancing between the artifact and me.
‘Wait! Is he unable to leave because I’m still here?’
Feeling burdened by Kyle, who seemed to be internally kicking himself for his own clumsiness, I stood up and excused myself. Kyle rose to see me off, but then paused, looking toward the window, and stepped back.
“Then, I will contact you as soon as Miss Diaz’s seat is prepared. That should give you time to settle your affairs at the Ministry Of Finance.”
He held out his hand for a parting shake.
“Thank you.”
I offered a much more formal farewell than our last encounter and stepped out of the cafe.
‘I thought I’d hurried, but quite a lot of time has passed.’
The interior of the cafe had been so bright and chaotic that I hadn’t realized how deep the night had become. Outside, it was pitch black, and the streets were devoid of passersby.
‘I didn’t plan for the return trip. I should have come during the day.’
It wasn’t a dangerous area, given its proximity to the Security Force, but the gloom was unsettling.
‘Is this, what, some kind of post-traumatic stress?’
As I was busy regretting my hasty decision, Everett emerged from the shadows of the alley, calling my name cautiously so as not to startle me.
“Miss Diaz.”
He reached me in a few strides and gripped my hand firmly.
“Lord Rohas, weren’t you supposed to have left?”
Everett appeared right when I was at a loss for how to return home. The sheer relief washed away the awkwardness of our parting hours ago and the lingering tension from the cafe.
I didn’t notice the pressure in his grip, or how his face looked unusually sullen in the shifting shadows.
“I was on my way, but I turned back.”
I wasn’t sure if that meant he’d left and returned, or had just been loitering, but the intent was clear.
“Are you here to take me home?”
I asked with a brighter voice than usual, giving his hand a small swing.
“Yes.”
Everett nodded, letting his hand stay firmly in my grasp.
“That’s a relief.”
I beamed up at him, and even the stoic Everett felt moved to lift the corners of his mouth in response.
We walked in silence, guided only by the moonlight. Everett wasn’t a talkative man, but he was exceptionally quiet tonight.
‘Did things go poorly at the Imperial Palace?’
At first, I assumed it was work-related, but the feeling lingered. He looked at the night sky, then at me, his lips parting as if to speak.
After a few false starts, his gaze drifted, looking slightly vacant. He trudged along with a heavy, drained energy—clearly, there was something weighing on him that he couldn’t bring himself to say.
‘I am, after all, someone who survived twenty years of reading the room in my previous life.’
I gently tugged on the arm of the man who seemed lost in his own subconscious and came to a full stop.