#104

It was such a blatantly obvious lie that I could see right through it.

But for now, I decided to pretend to believe him.

The more relaxed and unsuspecting he was, the easier it would be to drag him away later.

So, I put on my best grateful and relieved act.

“Oh, Victor! Thank you so much! You have no idea how much better I feel knowing you’re here.”

I even fluttered my eyelashes delicately, making myself look as helpless as possible.

The prison guards, who had been suffering through my constant complaints and tantrums all day, looked absolutely disgusted.

Their expressions screamed, Who the hell is this, and what did she do with the monster we were guarding?

I ignored them completely.

Right now, the most important thing was keeping Victor from suspecting anything.

“I never expected to see you in a prison of all places, but I’m really happy to run into you.”

“I’m just relieved to see you safe and well, Lady Cersia.”

“Right? What a stroke of luck.”

Lucky, indeed.

If Keinhrih hadn’t kidnapped me, I would have never found out that Victor had been captured here.

And now, the prime suspect in the illegal drug operation had landed right in my lap.

The heavens were clearly on my side.

I mean, if they were going to shove me into this tiny, frail body, the least they could do was make my luck exceptional.

I casually glanced toward my bed, where Ella was.

As expected of someone so sharp, the moment she saw Victor, she immediately burrowed under the blanket to hide.

* * *

Victor was eventually locked up in the cell across from mine, to the right. He gripped the iron bars tightly, his voice full of feigned loyalty.

“Please don’t worry! I’ll try negotiating with the leader here.”

“Wow, I feel so reassured.”

…Except that negotiation wasn’t going to work.

Keinhrih was a simple-minded, muscle-headed mutt who couldn’t be reasoned with.

Victor would be lucky if he didn’t get trampled underfoot.

Then again, considering Victor was a traitor, maybe getting trampled was exactly what he deserved.

Just as I was thinking that, a familiar presence stirred in the corner of my cell.

With a ta-da!, Jonathan appeared.

— Yo, kid!

I had told him to get the escape route ready in two days, and sure enough, he had already finished the job.

Honestly, I was probably the only person in history who had worked a Guardian like a common laborer.

Originally, I had planned to escape tonight with the Hebel knights.

But with Victor showing up, I had to change the plan.

He’d definitely try to slip away the moment he got out.

There was no way I was letting my freshly caught fish escape.

Luckily, I had already prepared a Plan B with Ella, just in case.

I snuck a glance at Victor, then deliberately let out a loud, dramatic scream.

“AAAHH! WHAT IS THAT?!”

Victor, startled, immediately responded.

“What’s wrong?!”

As expected, from his position, he couldn’t see Jonathan at all.

Confirming that he had no visual, I quickly played it off.

“Oh, it’s just a huge cockroach!”

— EXCUSE ME?!

Jonathan nearly jumped out of his skin at the insult, but before he could protest, Taby swiftly clamped a hand over his mouth.

Even though I was the only one who could understand what the Guardians were saying, Taby was still cautious by nature.

Victor, oblivious to all this, chuckled.

“If I were closer, I’d have caught it for you.”

“Haha, don’t worry! My heels are high enough—I can squash a cockroach in one hit!”

Pretending to deal with the imaginary bug, I swiftly pushed Ella toward Jonathan.

Strapped onto Ella’s back was a small bundle I had prepared beforehand.

Inside was a note I had written earlier, warning Jabis:

Victor Orban is here. Come get him.

Since Ella couldn’t transform into her human form, this was the best way to ensure the message got through.

Then, I sent Jonathan a mental transmission, making sure only he could hear me.

‘Oh, great and almighty Jonathan! The plan has changed. Please take Ella out of here first. She has urgent news to deliver to Jabis.’

Jonathan momentarily forgot his irritation and tilted his head.

— Huh? And what about you? You worked this old man to the bone, rushing me to finish in two days, and now you’re changing the plan?

He looked offended, like he had slaved away only to be told, Never mind.

I immediately switched to flattery.

‘You see, that guy over there? He’s a vicious criminal! I have to stay behind to ensure justice is served. Even though this prison is uncomfortable, I’ll endure it for the greater good!’

— Hooh! What a noble, bright young soul! You’re right—criminals must be caught and punished!

Moved by my words, Jonathan didn’t hesitate to lift Ella onto his back.

As expected, he was very easy to manipulate.

— Alright then, stay put, little one. I’ll be back.

With a warm farewell, he gave a little salute.

Ella, understanding the mission, nodded before disappearing along with him.

Meanwhile, completely unaware of what had just transpired, Victor asked,

“Did you get it?”

I smirked.

“I’m about to.”

Then, with a dramatic flourish, I stomped my foot against the ground and cheerfully declared—

“Gotcha!”

Soon, the thing under my foot wouldn’t be a cockroach—

It’d be YOU, Victor.

* * *

By the time Zerakiel arrived back at Jabis Castle, having left Hebel in a hurry, the infuriating reality was that Victor had already fled.

Ivan, who had been ordered to capture Victor immediately, had scoured the castle from top to bottom, only to return empty-handed.

Sensing the ominous shift in Zerakiel’s mood, Ivan wisely dropped his usual playful tone and reported seriously.

“It seems he took advantage of the fox hunt to escape in the chaos.”

“I expected as much. If he had any sense, he would’ve left Jabis Castle the moment he got the chance.”

What really pissed him off was the fact that Victor had been bold enough to linger at the castle after the wedding.

How little did he think of Jabis, to leisurely take his time escaping?

Of course, it was also possible that Victor had been ordered by someone to stay and monitor them.

Either way, the situation was equally irritating.

“That aside, why exactly are you looking for Victor?”

With that terrifying expression, no less.

Ivan swallowed the second half of his sentence and braced himself for the answer.

Zerakiel curled his lips into a chilling smile.

“I suddenly feel like killing him.”

“…Excuse me?”

Ivan instinctively flinched, stepping back as he crossed his arms into an X in front of his chest—a defensive reaction, just in case his insane master decided that since Victor was unavailable, Ivan would have to do instead.

Zerakiel barely spared him a glance before muttering nonchalantly,

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll just find him.”

After all, Victor Orban was from a friendly household—and not just any friendly household, but the direct line of the Orban family.

Unlike the other allied families, Orban had a special clause in their agreements with Jabis:

A tracking device was embedded into their contract, allowing Jabis to hunt them down if necessary.
A forbidden spell prevented any direct mention of Jabis’ secrets—anyone who tried would die instantly from cardiac arrest.
That’s how Jabis had managed to keep its secrets intact for generations.

After all, no sane person would risk their life just to spill information.

And even if some idiot did, Jabis wouldn’t care.

Anyone who learned too much could simply be erased.

“…How bothersome,” Zerakiel muttered, running a hand through his hair. His lips twisted into a cruel smirk. “I knew he wouldn’t die easily, but now I really feel like making it painful.”

The icy glint in his eyes sent a chill down Ivan’s spine.

‘He’s seriously pissed off.’

It made sense.

Zerakiel, who never left Cersia’s side, had immediately abandoned everything to chase after Victor.

That alone showed how urgent the matter was.

Victor must have committed a crime so severe that survival wasn’t an option for him anymore.

Understanding the situation, Ivan wisely kept his mouth shut.

A moment later, Zerakiel frowned.

“Wait. What do you mean by ‘fox hunt’? Are you saying the fox actually escaped?”

“Oh, that?”

Ivan scratched his cheek, recalling Erhardin’s pathetic state.

Technically, they had recaptured him, but he was completely out of it.

After experiencing pheromone shock and suffering prolonged exposure to the drug, he had practically lost all cognitive function.

“At first, we thought he was running away, but apparently, he just took some bad drugs and went on a suicidal rampage.”

“…What drug?”

“Duke Orbanis analyzing it now.”

“Hm. That’s inconvenient.”

“…Sorry?”

“I need to see my father immediately.”

Just as Zerakiel rose to his feet with a serious expression, Zakari suddenly entered the study.

“There’s no need. I came to you instead.”

“…Father?” Zerakiel turned, his cold gaze narrowing. “And… Duke.”

Behind Zakari stood Duke Orban, his head bowed, looking deeply troubled.

Zerakiel’s sharp instincts immediately sensed something was off.

Before he could ask, Zakari spoke.

“You’ve been searching for Victor Orban. Did you discover something?”

“…So you already knew?”

Zerakiel arched a brow, caught off guard.

At that moment, Duke Orban suddenly fell to his knees.

“Please… kill me!”