HIFH | Chapter 1

Prologue

On a peaceful holiday, the sound of sacred bells echoed through the air.

The wedding guests couldn’t hold back their admiration as they gazed at the bride and groom.

“Oh my, Lord Lu looks stunning today as well.”

“Not just stunning—beautiful. I’ve never seen someone so breathtaking in my life.”

Lu Vantes, a newly risen noble who had suddenly appeared in the empire one day, possessed a beauty so striking that he kept countless women in the capital awake at night.

Many ladies had approached Lu, hoping to win his heart, but today marked the end of all that.

Lu’s fiancée had appeared, and they were getting married!

“Did they say her name was Charles Courtney? I hate to admit it, but… she does suit Lord Lu well.”

“Of course, our Lord Lu is still more charming and beautiful!”

The women clutched their handkerchiefs tightly, glaring at the bride, Charles.

But Charles paid no attention to their stares.

No—she didn’t even have the time to care.

Why, you ask?

“Do the bride and groom vow to serve and love each other for a lifetime before the great sun of the empire?”

“Yes, I vow.”

Why, indeed.

Because Charles wasn’t Lu Vantes’—alias Lu Vantes’s—betrothed.

She was his fellow spy!

And to make things worse, they were rivals who clashed at every turn.

“Bride. Answer the question.”

How did it come to this?

Charles looked up at Lu, who stood before her in his tuxedo.

His face, as gentle as an angel’s, gazed at her with an expression anyone else would interpret as filled with love… but Charles didn’t agree.

She knew the truth.

This bastard was a devil in disguise!

No matter how crucial the mission was, marrying him was unbearable.

“Bride. Will you not answer?”

But there was no turning back now.

Charles gripped her bouquet tightly and lowered her head.

“…Yes, I vow.”

Clap, clap, clap!

Applause filled the wedding hall.

Stop clapping! Stop it, I swear…!

“Then, the vow’s kiss.”

Charles fought the overwhelming urge to run out of the hall.

She turned to Lu and whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

“Just pretend. If you actually kiss me, I’ll kill you.”

Of course, since they were in public, she expected him to only fake it.

After all, their marriage was a sham—a necessity for their mission.

But then…

“Oh my!”

“Wow….”

Charles felt a soft sensation and froze, completely stunned.

…What?

Chapter 1

1. Clang!

Today was an exceptionally lucky day.

Because today, I finally beat that Lu Vantes in the quarterly performance results.

Among the Guardian agents of the Holy Nation, there was always an unspoken rivalry, as rankings were determined based on mission performance.

I was the top agent, yes, but my results had always placed me in second place, trailing behind Lu Vantes.

—”Sharan. Second place again.”

—”Second place, yet again.”

—”…Again?”

Lu Vantes always said the same thing whenever he saw my name below his.

And every time, it made my stomach churn with frustration!

So now that I had finally taken first place, I was so thrilled I could dance.

Well, it’s only because Lu Vantes is away at the moment.

He had left the Holy Nation on a mission.

I hope the mission is so difficult that he never comes back.

If I ever had to face that guy again, I was sure my stomach ulcers would flare up.

But my wariness of Lu Vantes wasn’t just because we were competing for first and second place.

It was because… I had a nagging feeling that he knew my true identity.

Every time we met, he looked at me with a strange gaze, as if he was observing my every move. He seemed to remember even the most offhand remarks I made, always bringing them up later as if testing me.

It’s unsettling.

It was best to stay far away from someone like him.

I mumbled to myself and tried to enjoy my hard-earned first-place ranking for the day.

Until Deputy Director Ormond called me in.

“Well, well, look who it is! The top agent of the Guardians and this quarter’s number one performer, Agent Sharan!”

…What’s going on? Why is he acting like this?

As soon as I stepped into the room, I was met with an overwhelming wave of praise, making me frown slightly.

“Come on, don’t just stand there. Come over here. I got my hands on some exquisite wine just for you. You know agents aren’t allowed to drink, but on a day like this, a celebratory toast is in order!”

Ormond cheerfully poured wine into a glass.

I hesitantly approached him, trying to make sense of the situation.

Why had the deputy director suddenly called me in?

And why was he acting so unusually chatty?

There was only one possible answer.

“Deputy Director. If you have a task for me, please just say so.”

He wanted to assign me something.

“There’s no need to waste time beating around the bush.”

And whatever it was, it had to be something so difficult that he needed to put on this whole show.

“Haha… Agent Sharan. Do you think I only encourage you when I need something from you?”

“Yes.”

“…Well, you’re right. Sit down.”

Having failed to butter me up, Ormond gestured to the seat across from him.

I sat down with a slouched posture and looked up at him.

“Yes, I do have a task for you. But believe me when I say I truly value your skills. I’m not the kind of person who lies about things like this.”

“…Right.”

“That’s why I have no choice but to entrust this to you. There isn’t another agent I trust to handle it as well as you.”

I knew it was just flattery, but hearing it repeatedly did feel somewhat nice.

Suppressing the smirk threatening to form on my lips, I forced myself to reply in a curt tone.

“Understood. So? What do you need me to do?”

“Agent Sharan.”

Ormond interlocked his fingers and put on a serious expression.

“I assume you’re aware that Agent Lu Vantes is currently away.”

I didn’t know why his name was suddenly coming up, but I nodded for now.

“Well… I only heard that he’s on a long-term mission.”

Guardian agents weren’t informed of each other’s missions. Everything was conducted in secrecy.

So I had no idea where Lu Vantes had gone or how long his mission would take.

But then—

“Agent Lu Vantes is in the Empire.”

Why was he telling me this?

“He’s in the heart of the imperial capital, searching for the whereabouts of the Holy Relic.”

The Holy Relic of the Holy Nation.

A divine artifact gifted by the Primordial God to the First Pope.

It had been looted by the Empire during the war thirty years ago, and we had yet to reclaim it.

So, Lu Vantes had been dispatched to find the relic. Fine. I get that.

But why was I being told this?

An uneasy feeling crept over me, a bad premonition running through my entire body.

“…And?”

“A small problem has arisen.”

I nodded for him to continue.

“As you know, Agent Lu Vantes is… rather good-looking.”

“…Well, I suppose some people might think so. And?”

Objectively speaking, he was handsome. I just didn’t want to admit it, which is why I answered that way.

“Perhaps because of that, he has been receiving too many marriage proposals—enough to interfere with his mission.”

“……”

“So, he had no choice but to say that he already had a fiancée.”

…Huh?

“But since he never showed anyone his fiancée’s face, rumors started spreading that it was a lie. To settle the situation, he even went so far as to say that they would be getting married soon.”

And?

“Agent Sharan, it seems you’ll need to go to the Empire and marry Agent Lu Vantes.”

“……”

I calmly went over the deputy director’s words one by one.

Lu Vantes had been dispatched to the Empire to retrieve the Holy Nation’s relic, which had been looted.

However, his overwhelming popularity had started interfering with the mission, so to fend off the proposals, he lied about having a fiancée. And now, to maintain the cover, a fiancée had to be produced…

But why does it have to be me?

“Deputy Director, there are other agents besides me. I don’t understand why I have to go.”

“Agent Sharan, everyone knows you and Agent Lu Vantes are close. If two people who are already close act as an engaged couple, there’s a lower chance of suspicion—”

“We are not close!”

My voice rose involuntarily.

“I am not even remotely close to that bastard. Please don’t misunderstand.”

“That’s strange. Agent Lu Vantes specifically said you were his closest friend.”

“That’s because that bastard…!”

…suspects me.

The words almost slipped out, but I barely managed to hold them back.

The deputy director didn’t miss the hesitation and continued speaking.

“In any case, since he personally recommended you, I have no choice but to send you. Go prepare yourself immediately.”

“No, Deputy Director—!”

I slammed my hands on the desk and shot up from my seat.

He was telling me to work on a mission with the person I hated most?

Fine. It’s not like I couldn’t do it.

But this mission—I absolutely could not accept.

And why was that?

“I can’t do it.”

Because I was a spy the Empire had sent to infiltrate the Holy Nation!

“Absolutely not!”

• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •

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