Clink!

The sound of pottery breaking one after another echoed through the mansion. The shoulders of the attendants standing in front of the room trembled each time they were broken. It wasn’t because a large amount of pottery and ornaments were broken to the point where they were nervous every morning when they wiped off the dust. It was because they were afraid that the Archduke’s anger would turn against them. While the Archduke threw all sorts of household items and expressed his anger, the Archduke’s men sat in a row on their knees, unable to avoid the flying items.

They sat there silently, even as the blood dripped. They knew that if they moved, they would lose their life. That was more scary. If they avoided heavy ornaments that could kill them if hit wrong, they would die right away. If they didn’t avoid it, there’s a chance they wouldn’t die, even if they got seriously injured. So it was better not to move.

Terror and tension filled the mansion densely. The Archduke, who had smashed the entire room without saying a word, took off the coat he had worn for the prince’s welcoming ceremony, breathing heavily as if he was a little tired now.

“Now. Right now.”

The Archduke’s voice trembled with anger. He seemed quite angry.

“Find out where General Bede is imprisoned.”

Even though General Bede said something to snipe the Archduke as he was being dragged away, the Prince did not reprimand the Archduke. For now, it seemed that he had no intention of using General Bede as an excuse to strangle the Archduke. However, General Bede could become a witness to treason at any later time. In any case, it was a threat to the Archduke after all. This was a rational and reasonable idea.

“If you find out, kill him immediately.”

Extremely emotionally, the Archduke did not want to hand anything over to ‘that’ prince. Kneeling at the Archduke’s command, his subordinates, who were silently being hit by the objects he threw, widened their eyes. Now? If he went now, wouldn’t it be like telling the prince openly, ‘General Bede is related to the Archduke’?

It was the same whether he was killed by the Archduke or by the prince after the Archduke was ruined. The courageous one of his men opened his mouth.

“Go, Your Excellency. But if you assassinate General Bid right now, it would be too much for the prince…”

The Archduke opened his eyes wide and crouched down in front of his open-mouthed subordinate. His eyes seemed to kill a person soon, so his subordinate’s voice faded by itself. Looking at his subordinate, who had his mouth shut, the Archduke raised his mouth and smiled. It was a grotesque face like a clown’s mask.

“Too, what?”

“No, Your Excellency. I made a mistake…”

“No, no. Say it, huh? You better talk.”

“I’m sorry, Your Excellency. Well, I was just worried that if the Archduke moved right away, the prince would notice right away and give me an excuse.”

“So you mean. Do you mean the prince is keeping an eye on him?”

The Archduke tilted his head to the right, just like that smiling face. It was just an action of tilting his head as if he was curious, but it gave goosebumps to the bodies of those watching him. His subordinate’s face became contemplative. He fell flat on the floor.

“I’m sorry, Your Excellency. I got cocky! Please save me!”

“Yeah, you’re cheeky. So, as a way of reflection, I hope you can go.”

“Yes, eh?”

“Kill General Bede no matter what, got it? Even for your family, huh?”

Adding ‘no matter what’ while sending General Beed to be killed was a threat that if he failed, he and his family would not be left alone. It was just a word of advice. In the meantime, the Archduke had never given such a severe punishment for such a short remark. It seemed that the Archduke’s examination was tightly twisted. The subordinate’s face was now pale, so it turned blue.

“Dismiss.”

A calm voice resounded in the mess. The butler, who had been assisting the Archduke for a long time, did not blink an eye at such a scene.

“Why did you find Count Bucket?”

The Archduke asked nervously. Count Burkett and Beatrice Giuseppe’s husband never showed up no matter how much they searched for them. He was like Adler, a master of hiding. Where do you pack it so tightly and bury it?

“No, the Ripper came instead.”

“Ah.”

Reaper. The murderer who kept putting off his promise, saying that it took a long time to be wanted, and that he would come to meet the Archduke himself.

“Finally, he is here.”

“Should I tell him to come in?”

“Yes, yes. A bastard who dares to stand on people’s heads… He has to lose to come to his senses.”

The Archduke continued to laugh and mutter endlessly.

“You’re trying to protect a woman, right?”

His self-talk made him look like someone who had lost his mind. But a closer look revealed it. That there were still some firearms left.

“Dismiss, bring the Ripper.”

The butler returned to the Archduke’s room. A hooded man from head to toe followed the butler into the room. The Archduke, who turned his head toward the new guest, let out a panicked voice.

“Is that Ripper you?”

The reason for his surprise was simple.

It was because the brutal killer known as a man was too small. As much as he thought it was a thin woman.

* * *

“No one has ever seen the face of the Ripper.”

“Why?”

“Everyone I encounter is dead. The scary thing about him is that he leaves no witnesses. Of course, the scariest thing is the other one. That the body at the scene of a murder is always left torn to pieces.”

“People… Do he tear them up?”

Her mouth fell open involuntarily. No matter how strong the killer, was that possible?

“Yes. Literally, it looks like it has been ripped apart by a huge wild animal like a bear. It was a terrible scene. That’s why it was named Ripper.”

“Oh my god…”

“I remember. However, there were no eyewitnesses every time, and unlike the horrific scene, there was no trace of the killer, so no attempt was made to track him down.”

“How strong is he?”

The impression was automatically furrowed. He was a scary human being.

“For starters, considering the strength, I was expecting a man of large stature.”

“So, a tremendous criminal whose exact appearance is not known, who is expected to be the grand duke’s nephew, is looking for a wanted person everywhere?”

“Yes. Ripper is not one who moves on money, I don’t know if he will go to the Archduke or not… In case you don’t know, I think you need to prepare. It’s difficult for us to call a Ripper.”

“I would never want to work with such a brutal criminal.”

“I agree, Trixie.”

How many unknown threats were there? A sigh came out spontaneously. As soon as the welcome ceremony was over, they had to meet the guild leader who came to report without a break. She was already tired, but what he reported made her head pound even more. The guild leader, who had finished other minor reports, stood up right away, knowingly, as if he was aware of the tiredness of the three people who had finished the welcome ceremony.

“Thank you for coming.”

“No. It’s my job. So, let’s go for today. Get some rest!”

Her heart was mixed, and she looked at Leone and spoke in a voice that seemed to let out a sigh.

“We can’t let the Archduke stumble forever, and we can’t defend ourselves. In fact, everyone knows what the Archduke is doing, but he has been ignorant. I know very well that it is difficult to strike a blow to the Archduke unless it is a big deal.”

Leone, who remained expressionless without saying a word throughout the guild leader’s report, nodded his head. Maybe it was because it was the day he met many people, so he looked tired.

“In the methods of the Archduke that have been shown so far, the Archduke was not directly involved, so we couldn’t catch that human. That’s why I think it’s good to dare to scratch the Archduke and make it a big deal.”

She also knew why Leone dared to tear apart the Archduke’s pride. But…

“Still, I am concerned. I wonder if it would have been better in another way.”

When she heard the story of such an incredible murderer, she was naturally worried.

“At this rate, he will continue to focus on Trixie rather than me.” he opened his mouth, however, his words were a little questionable.

“I wanted to stop making his target Trixie. Even if it’s dangerous, it’s better to openly argue with me. Because I have the confidence to win anything.”

He always tended to spare himself. So, normally, she would have scolded him for not wanting to be targeted instead of her.

‘The more I think…’

‘Therefore. This is all… You said you did it because you wanted to protect me.’

Strangely, the anticipation inflated like a balloon. She really hated herself for this. Honestly, she wondered what Leone was feeling right now.

“Making the Archduke do something big is important, but you are my top priority.”

His eyes were gleaming. She forgot to breathe for a moment and looked at Leone. That’s what he was expecting. Her safety was always important to Leone, but that’s what she had always heard, and the attitude he had always taken.

When the expectations that had inflated like a balloon were met, they exploded. The aftermath of the burst of emotion remained calmly around the heart. She couldn’t take her eyes off Leone. It was a force majeure like gravity.

Leone didn’t take his eyes off her either. Like someone who wanted to tell the truth. That figure, the moment she tried to blow her mind more and more into the universe.

“Of course. Trixie has never learned any martial arts, and she is quite small. If you get dragged, you’ll be helpless. The safety of the weak always comes first! You are indeed great Lord Leone.”

Adler’s voice interrupted.

Her heart thumped. How many minutes had she been lost?

‘…What have I done?’

Playing drums alone… Because she realized that she liked him, she expected this much from a story that she would normally have skipped over.

‘I’m crazy. Calm down, Trixie. You lived to thirty-one before you died. I mean, he’s not even nineteen.’

Why did she suddenly become an adolescent girl herself… It was embarrassing, very embarrassing. Even when she was in school, she had never had a crush like this. No, she didn’t think she had ever liked someone so passionately.

“Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha.”

“Trixie? Why?”

Unknowingly, a robot-like laugh came out. Adler asked in bewilderment.

“Knight.”

Leone, who had been staring at her, opened his mouth.

“Yes, Lord Leone.”

“Check out General Bede and come. Imprisonment – Is it right? Surveillance- put personnel you trust these.”

“Ah. yes. All right.”

Adler went outside.

‘Oh my god.’

Of course, at this time, Leone and she, the two of them were left in the room.

“Haha, Leone. Adler has gone to work, so I’ll go too. It’s late at night!”

“It was late at night.”

A languid, relaxed yet seductive voice suddenly approached. It was because Leone sat close to her. And… It was a really crappy situation. It’s a moment when he was doing this and her mind was caught.

“It’s late at night, so if you kick out the knight- of course the knight will go out. I’m sure Trixie might say something strange.”

Leone’s hand was overlaid on the back of hers.

“So I made some excuses.”

“Yes?”

“Knight. I sent him out on purpose. Trixie and I want to be together.”

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