HIFH | Chapter 16

Episode 16

I blinked. I couldn’t believe this situation.

No wonder the Marquis of Bydon had been taking such good care of me… Holding my throbbing forehead, I let out a sigh.

“Let’s think positively.”

I forced myself to look on the bright side.

“Wouldn’t this make other nobles take an interest in me? If that happens, more people will invite me, and gathering information will become easier.”

From the perspective of a Guardian, this was a good thing.

But…

‘Catacle might not like it.’

After all, wasn’t it Catacle that had erased Themis from the world?

They wouldn’t want news of the attack spreading, and now I was being thrust into the spotlight as well…

‘I’m probably going to get scolded.’

Clicking my tongue, I frowned.

But no matter how much I worried about Catacle, there was nothing I could do about it.

Avoiding Lu’s suspicions right in front of me was far more important.

“Anyway, isn’t this a good thing? Even from the Guardians’ perspective, wouldn’t they think so?”

“Well, maybe.”

But Lu’s expression was strangely unreadable.

Tilting his head slightly, he studied me—

As if he was determined to uncover every secret I had.

“Charles, is that really what you want?”

For a moment, my eyes widened involuntarily.

“W-what do you mean?”

I shot up from my seat, raising my voice.

“A-are you saying it’s wrong for me to like something that benefits the Guardians?”

“I didn’t say that much.”

“N-no? It sounded like y-you did?”

“Goodness, Charles.”

Lu reached out and grabbed my arm. Then, with a swift pull, he drew me close until our faces were nearly touching.

“If you keep reacting like this, you’re just making me want to tease you more.”

“You…!”

“Our Charles is really adorable.”

Huff. His breath brushed against the tip of my nose.

Hurriedly, I pushed against his cheek and leaned back.

“You were too close! If I wasn’t careful, we could’ve touched!”

“I wouldn’t have minded.”

“Well, I do!”

Lu chuckled as he watched me recoil in horror. Then, sinking back into the sofa, he crossed his legs and rested his hands atop his knee.

“Anyway, it’d be best if you didn’t go out for now. If you step outside, you’ll become prey for the reporters.”

Just as he said, several people who looked like journalists were gathered outside the mansion’s front gate.

But I shook my head.

“I was planning to go out.”

Lu furrowed his brows.

“Where are you going this time?”

“To Themis’s funeral.”

Lu looked at me in sheer disbelief.

“Why would you go there? Wait, were you acquainted with Themis?”

“No.”

“Then did he leave you any last words before he died?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“Then why are you going?”

Avoiding his gaze, I scratched the back of my neck with my fingernail.

“He died right in front of me. The least I can do is see him off.”

Then, I added in a quieter voice:

“And… I feel guilty for not being able to stop his death.”

Lu’s eyes darkened.

“You do realize that kind of guilt is completely useless, don’t you?”

Uncrossing his legs, he leaned forward.

His expression remained twisted with displeasure.

“What you should be doing right now is staying home, reading through the letters sent to you, and gathering information. This isn’t the time to waste on something like a funeral.”

“Something like a funeral?”

Someone had died—how could he say that?

Lu was always like this.

Always so cold and calculating about everything.

Even when he shouldn’t be.

And because of that, I felt a surge of irritation.

“Like I said, he died in front of me. I believe that, to some extent, I bear responsibility for his death.”

“Even though you almost died yourself?”

“I didn’t almost die. I was just injured.”

“Same thing.”

Lu clicked his tongue and leaned back again, tilting his head slightly as he gazed up at the ceiling.

Letting out a sigh.

“I can’t tell if you’re pretending to be kind or if you’re just hopelessly naive.”

His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Normally, I would’ve ended the conversation here.

But today, for some reason, I didn’t want to back down.

Because doing so felt like losing to Lu.

Taking a deep breath, I exhaled slowly.

“You do know the saying, ‘Even hypocrisy is a form of virtue,’ right?”

I met his gaze head-on.

“Honestly, I hate that Themis dragged me into this mess. But that doesn’t mean his mistakes were bad enough for me to ignore his death. And hypocritical or not… I want to mourn him.”

“…”

“Even now, you still don’t understand why I’m going to his funeral?”

Lu didn’t answer.

Instead, he let out a long, quiet sigh.

“…Why.”

After a brief silence, he finally spoke.

“Why do you want to act virtuous, even if it’s just hypocrisy?”

“Because that’s how the world gets better.”

I answered immediately.

Because it was something I had always believed.

“The reason I’ve been able to survive until now is that, at the very least, I never ignored what was right.”

“…”

“If people start turning away from virtue… the world becomes lonely. And I don’t want to live in a desolate world, Lu.”

Lu still didn’t reply.

He simply stared at me.

His unreadable blue eyes, as always, fixated on me with an intensity I couldn’t decipher.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

I gave him a light farewell and stood up.

“Hopefully, by the time I return, you’ll have cooled off a little.”

“I’m not upset. And I have plans to go out as well.”

Of course, he only responded quickly when it came to things like this.

Chuckling, I waved at him and left the room—feeling his gaze lingering on my back.

Themis’s funeral was modest.

In a small space behind the cathedral’s garden, there were only a few chairs and a single simple table.

Not many people were in attendance.

A few individuals in black stood in front of the coffin, but no words of comfort were exchanged.

Only silence remained.

Amid that stillness, the sound of wind rustling through the leaves drifted in.

Hmph.

I didn’t feel good about any of this.

I didn’t know what kind of person Themis was, but seeing how lonely his departure was, I figured he must have lived a solitary life.

So, I carefully placed a chrysanthemum on the coffin and clasped my hands together.

‘Rest in peace.’

After closing my eyes for a moment, I opened them again and turned around.

I walked past the few mourners and headed toward the garden’s exit—or at least, I tried to.

‘Huh?’

A familiar figure caught the edge of my vision.

Looking closely, I realized it was that little Catacle I had met not long ago.

The child, who had been crouching by the flowerbed, immediately jumped to his feet upon seeing me.

“Whoa! Agent!”

“Ack! Are you crazy?!”

The moment the word “agent” left his mouth, I lunged forward and clamped my hand over it.

“Are you out of your mind? You can’t just yell that out all of a sudden!”

“Mmph! No! Nooo! You have to let go so I can talk!”

Oh. Right.

I removed my hand from his mouth. The boy coughed a few times, stepping back.

“Why are you so ridicuLusly strong—wait, I guess you should be strong. Anyway! Why are you only coming now? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting?!”

He had the audacity to scold me instead.

“Why were you waiting for me?”

“Because I have a lot of questions, of course!”