HIFH | Chapter 2

Episode 2

Bwoo-woo-woo—

The steam locomotive’s horn pierced my ears.

I had been dozing off with my head resting against the window. Slowly, I opened my eyes.

Wondering where we were, I glanced outside. The next station was Otteker, the capital.

Stretching out my stiff body, I prepared to get up.

Just yesterday, I had been in the capital of the Holy Kingdom.

But today—

Before I knew it, I was on a train bound for the Empire.

‘Does this even make sense?’

No matter how much I thought about it, it didn’t. But making the impossible happen was precisely what those in power excelled at.

‘Ughhhh…’

Suppressing a silent scream, I buried my face in my hands.

I should start by explaining who I am.

My real name is Charles.

I originally belonged to the Empire’s secret organization, Catacle.

Catacle operates beneath the surface, handling all sorts of dirty work for the Empire’s prosperity. I was raised within its ranks.

Having grown into a rather exceptional agent, I was eventually entrusted with major missions upon reaching adulthood. Then, one day, I received an extremely important assignment.

[Infiltrate the Holy Kingdom’s Guardian and monitor their movements.]

Unlike Catacle, Guardian is an official intelligence organization under the Holy Kingdom.

It is known as an institution that upholds the kingdom’s sacred laws and order while monitoring internal heretics and rebel factions.

But in reality, it is a spy organization that gathers and manipulates information about foreign nations and noble families. It was established after the war with the Empire thirty years ago.

For this reason, the Empire had consistently sent spies into the Holy Kingdom. When the previous spy died, I was chosen as their replacement.

To assess Guardian’s internal structure and assignments, I infiltrated the organization three years ago under a forged identity—Sharan. That was my history up until now.

— You will have to marry Agent Lubantes.

— Assist him in retrieving the relic from the Empire.

And just like that, I was being sent back to the Empire.

‘Ugh, my head hurts.’

As I held my throbbing head, trying to process this absurd reality, I let out a sigh.

That was when—

“Excuse me. The seat in front is empty. May I sit here for a moment?”

An elderly gentleman, wearing a deeply pressed fedora, addressed me politely.

It was a familiar request. I smirked slightly and gestured toward the seat.

“Go ahead.”

“Thank you.”

He gave a slight nod before sitting across from me.

I took a quick glance around.

The other passengers were too preoccupied preparing to disembark at the next station to pay us any attention.

“So, that Lubantes was a Guardian agent? What a surprise.”

The old man spoke from behind the newspaper he held up to his face.

He was my contact from Catacle.

A messenger who delivered orders from the commander.

“If we had known in advance, we would have taken the necessary measures. Why didn’t you report it?”

I deliberately looked down at my compact mirror and moved my lips without making a sound.

“Guardian agents aren’t informed of each other’s assignments. I only learned about this due to the special circumstances.”

The man turned a page of his newspaper. A silent signal that he would accept my excuse.

“The Holy Kingdom still doesn’t know that the relic has gone missing, correct?”

That was right.

Despite the Holy Kingdom’s repeated demands, the Empire had not returned the relic. That was because—even the Empire had no idea where it was.

The relic had vanished without a trace one day.

They weren’t even sure if it was still within the Empire.

As a result, both the Imperial family and Catacle were actively searching for it.

“I do not know. That’s why they’re sending their top agent to the Empire to find it.”

The man turned another page of his newspaper. As the conversation reached a pause, I seized the chance to voice my stance.

“I need to return.”

The man’s grip on the newspaper tightened slightly.

“There is no other agent stationed in the Holy Kingdom. If you leave, it will create a gap in our operations.”

“That’s not your concern.”

His voice remained calm as he continued.

“Do you know why we agreed to your return?”

“…I don’t.”

“To interfere with Lubantes and ensure you find the relic before he does.”

Damn it. I knew it.

“Remember this: the relic must never fall into the hands of the Holy Kingdom. You must recover it first, no matter what.”

I clenched my eyes shut.

This mission was several times harder than simply infiltrating the Holy Kingdom.

I had to hinder Lubantes without exposing my identity—while retrieving the relic first.

Hah.

A dry chuckle escaped me.

“And in the future, you must persuade Lubantes to join Catacle.”

“…Excuse me?”

Before I knew it, my head had snapped up, and I was staring at the man.

But he was already standing, having tucked the folded newspaper under his arm.

“I’ll be awaiting your report.”

With that, he walked away, disappearing down the swaying train corridor.

Bwoo-woo-woo— The steam whistle blared once more.

‘@&#@#&@*!#!’

I muttered every curse I knew under my breath as I twisted in my seat.

What? Recruit Lubantes?

‘What kind of nonsense is that?!’

Lubantes was the adopted son of the Holy Kingdom’s High Priest.

They expected me to convince someone raised as the High Priest’s child to defect?

‘If that were possible, we might as well convert the Pope while we’re at it!’

And that wasn’t all.

He was already suspicious of me.

He hadn’t figured out my identity yet, but one thing was certain—he found me suspicious.

‘Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense for someone who doesn’t care about others to be so fixated on me.’

Yet now, not only was I being forced into a sham marriage with someone who suspected me, but I also had to hinder him while persuading him to join Catacle?

“Haha… ha….”

Could I really pull this off?

I closed my eyes again.

The darkness before me felt like a glimpse into my own future.

A future just as bleak.

This was insane.

Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to run away. So, I stepped off the train and exited the platform.

My first destination was Lubantes’ estate.

The streets outside were bustling with travelers.

“Charles Courtney?”

At the sound of the familiar name, I turned my head.

A man holding a sign that read Charles Courtney met my gaze.

Charles…

It had been a long time since I heard that name. For a moment, I was lost in thought.

“I am James, the coachman sent by my master to escort you. Welcome, Lady Charles! He has been eagerly awaiting you!”

How did they know I was Lubantes’ fiancée?

‘Well, whatever.’

I figured Lubantes must have taken care of that and didn’t dwell on it.

“Thank you for coming. How long will it take to reach the estate?”

“Less than an hour. Please, take your rest. I’ll get you there safely.”

His excessive politeness made me hesitate for a moment, but I eventually accepted his escort and climbed into the carriage.

Inside, a stack of documents lay on the seat.

‘They must have been prepared for me to review before arriving at the estate.’

Once the carriage door shut, I picked up the papers.

As expected, they contained fabricated personal records for both Lubantes and me, prepared by Guardian.

I had already checked them before departing for the Empire, but I decided to review them once more to ensure there were no mistakes.

[Charles Courtney]

Charles was a common name in the Empire.

It was also the name my commander at Catacle had given me.

Charles… Charles…

Of course, the Guardian must have simply chosen the most common name.

I had thoroughly hidden my identity, and the only one in the Guardian who suspected me was Lubantes.

So, this must be nothing more than a coincidence…

But isn’t it an oddly precise and cruel coincidence?

The presence of Catacle, which I had momentarily forgotten, weighed down on me once again.

As if to remind me that escaping Catacle was never an option.

Anyway, with this mission, I had become Charles once again. With a complicated feeling, I turned to the next page.

[Lu Vansen]

Lu vantes’ personal details were written there.

He was posing as a newly established noble under the name “Vansen,” and I was supposed to be a childhood friend who had known “Lu Vansen” since we were young.

Our fabricated love story was that we had grown closer as we matured, and after Lu moved to the capital and received his noble title, he immediately proposed, leading to our engagement.

‘A love story that brings tears to the eyes.’

I let out a dry laugh, but at the same time, a bitter feeling crept in.

‘Childhood friends, huh…’

I ran my thumb over the words on the document.

Growing up as a slum orphan, I never had anyone I could call a friend.

The street children were too hungry to form friendships, and they died off in droves, like autumn leaves swept away by the wind, their names soon forgotten.

I would have ended up the same way.

If not for Baylor, the leader of Catacle, who saved me.

—”Do you want to live?”

I think I had asked in return, “Is there anyone in this world who wants to die?”

—”Then I’ll let you live.”

Baylor handed me a piece of warm bread and said:

—”But remember this. Your life is no longer your own.”

—”You are merely alive. Live, and repay me.”

And so, I became an agent of Catacle.

Not an agent working for my homeland,

But an agent working for Baylor, the one who saved me.

So…

‘I’ll do it.’

I’ll keep my identity hidden from Lubantes, obstruct his mission, find the relic before he does, and even recruit him into Catacle.

‘I’ll do it all.’

For the leader.

Because that is the reason I live.