He dropped Milena off and immediately started searching for gems infused with the Grand Duke’s magic, without even taking the time to wash.
Since he didn’t have much time left, he had no choice but to push himself. Of course, while his appearance was disheveled, his physical condition was at its peak.
He searched for places that might be magically partitioned, like the space where Milena had been confined, but as expected, he found nothing.
With no results, he returned to his quarters late at dawn.
As a low-ranking knight, “Hubert” was assigned a shared room with another knight, but fortunately, “Hubert” had the room to himself.
Creak. When he sat down, exhausted, the low-quality bed let out a groan.
He took off his brown boots, which had as many laces as a woman’s dress, while conjuring a magic sphere in the air. From the dark, swirling mass of energy, a voice emerged.
[My lord, I’m in the middle of a bath.]
“So?”
[No, I mean, could you stop summoning this at all hours? What if I were in the middle of… something? What if my lady’s embarrassing sounds got transmitted? That would be unpleasant!]
He scoffed at his subordinate’s words.
“You don’t even have a woman.”
Ignoring the sound of gritted teeth on the other end, he lay down on the bed, which lacked even proper bedding.
“Want to hear some interesting news?”
[What is it? Did you finally find that gem?]
By now, Lexion had returned to his true form, his soft silver hair gleaming as his red eyes shone.
“No. But I found another gem.”
[What?]
He found it amusing to read Milena’s thoughts and emotions hidden beneath her rigid expression.
He kept glancing at her without realizing it, even chuckling to himself.
“I’m getting married, Jer.”
[…What?]
“In two days.”
[…Wait. My ears must be failing me. I think I just heard nonsense.]
“No, you heard me correctly.”
[…]
After a brief silence, the magic sphere suddenly burst into an unintelligible mix of screaming and shouting.
[Are you out of your mind?!]
Even as the deafening roar rang through his ears, Lexion remained composed. He ignored whatever his subordinate was yelling about and casually stripped off his tattered clothes, which were barely serving their function.
[You’ve finally lost it, haven’t you?]
Was there ever a time when he was sane?
Lexion only chuckled in response to his subordinate’s frantic outburst.
[I knew it from the moment you said you were going in there alone. You went into that den of madness and lost your mind, didn’t you? The Grand Duke’s family is full of lunatics, and now you’re one of them, too!]
“Jer.”
[Yes?]
“Watch your tone.”
His voice dropped ominously, making his subordinate hesitate before speaking again.
“You’re right. Between us, I shouldn’t be speaking so informally, should I?”
Milena had also asked why he spoke so informally to her.
‘Did it always bother me this much? I’ll have to be more careful.’
Without realizing it, his thoughts had drifted to her again.
[Marriage, just like that? Who’s your next widow-to-be?]
“Oh, right. I did do that before.”
A husband who dies shortly after marriage—he had played that role before. This wasn’t his first time getting married.
Of course, it had always been under different disguises, taking on whatever persona the client required.
Since he changed his appearance each time, none of his past clients had ever known his true identity.
And until now, he had never used his real name during an operation.
Milena was the first.
Though he had yet to reveal his family name.
Lexion Silvert.
He had always lived under a fabricated identity.
His most well-known persona was that of a reckless, scandalous scoundrel—a disgrace to the prestigious Silvert family.
No one knew the truth: that he acted this way to conduct his work behind the scenes.
“I’m getting married under my real name, not a fake identity.”
Because of his reputation as a drunken womanizer, no one questioned him when he met various women for intelligence work. It was an effective strategy.
But now, he was bringing that strategy to an end.
[Wait, what?!]
“You always react the same way.”
[No, don’t change the subject. Are you really using the Silvert name?!]
“Yes.”
[The Duchess is going to faint when she hears about this. And the wedding is in two days? That’s not an introduction—that’s a declaration!]
“I know. I wonder how my mother will react.”
How his mother, the former Duchess, would respond was unpredictable.
But using the Silvert name in the marriage contract was a calculated move to deal a blow to the Grand Duke.
Right now, the Grand Duke’s intended prey was Milena Lastia.
By taking that prey away, he planned to use both his name and his family as leverage.
The Grand Duke would be shocked to learn that she was marrying someone else—and doubly so when he realized she was becoming part of the Silvert family.
Imagining the look on the Grand Duke’s twisted face, a smile naturally crept onto Lexion’s lips.
[You really have a knack for treating heavy matters lightly, my lord.]
Jer thought his master was being utterly reckless about something as serious as marriage.
[So, are you leaving in two days? And how have you still not found that gem, even after going in yourself?]
At his subordinate’s nagging, Lexion paused in the middle of wiping the dust and blood off his body with a damp cloth from a wooden bucket. He raised a brow.
“You think I’m omnipotent?”
Jer scoffed. Even as his subordinate, Lexion’s skills were astonishing.
[You, a man who can’t drink, act like a drunkard. You, who know nothing about women, pretend to be a libertine. That’s practically omnipotence.]
“I don’t know about women? Just holding their hand makes them blush and squeal.”
[Ha! With your face, you wouldn’t even need to speak to make them fall for you!]
Jer huffed before asking the most important question.
[But seriously, who is this poor woman whose life you’re about to ruin?]
Lexion answered carelessly.
“You already know her.”
[What?]
“The Northern Villainess.”
[Wait. Milena Lastia?!]
[We investigated her, but nothing unusual came up. Why her?]
“She’s interesting.”
[Wow, you’re actually insane. Who marries for entertainment?! Marriage is a lifelong commitment!]
But to Lexion, interest alone held great meaning.
He had never been interested in a woman before.
Milena was the only one who made him laugh and kept drawing his attention.
And that feeling—the sensation of her lips—was impossible to forget.
More precisely, the white magic sleeping inside her body had stirred his instincts.
How had she managed to hide something like that inside her all this time?
‘She really is fascinating.’
“Enough. Did you find out anything about the scammer approaching the Grand Duke?”
[That’s the strange part. Their background is full of gaps—records suddenly cut off.]
“Sounds like a magician is involved. The fraudster I saw was nothing more than a puppet. Find out who’s behind them.”
[A magician, huh? Understood.]
“For now, keep working on that. Also, prepare a carriage near the Grand Duchy in two days. My wife is making her escape.”
Without question, Jer accepted the order.
Just as Lexion finished cleaning himself, he froze at the sound of movement outside his door.
‘A visitor?’
Ending the conversation, he dismissed the magic sphere and walked across the room, completely shirtless.
His honed senses detected the presence outside.
Even as the son of a grand noble house, he had long dealt with the dirtiest tasks.
As the leader of the intelligence guild Hart, one of the underworld’s dominant factions, this was another of his many faces.
With the soundproof barrier still in place, he flung the door open.
“Ah…”
Milena stood there, frozen mid-knock.
His sculpted muscles rippled as he moved.
Her gaze wavered as she took in his broad chest and defined abs.
“You were changing? I didn’t know you were awake. You probably didn’t get much sleep, but I think we should move now.”
Flustered, she rambled.
It was still deep into the night, the sky dark before dawn.
Leaning against the door, Lexion chuckled.
“It’s yours now, so no need to be shy. You can look all you want. Or touch.”
She gulped and forced herself to reply.
“I’ll pass.”
“That’s fine. There will be plenty of chances.”
He stepped aside, letting her in.
But as Milena entered, she froze again.
Because he wasn’t alone.
Lying on the other bed… was someone else😊
