“It’s not a big deal.”
I began cautiously.
Seeing that Kyle was listening intently, I gathered my courage.
“My friend got caught up in this mess and was taken. I want to help her.”
“Taken…,” Kyle repeated my words in a curious tone.
“Dealing with sentences isn’t my expertise,” he said coldly, drawing a line.
His words, treating Connie like a criminal, made me furious.
‘Calm down. Don’t fall into the trap.’
I composed myself and tried to stay calm.
“We don’t need to deal with sentences. She’s innocent.”
Kyle signaled me to continue.
“So, you could introduce me to someone who can help prove her innocence.”
“So, you trust this friend of yours, Miss Diaz?”
“Yes!”
His constant attempts to create a rift between me and Connie annoyed me.
I answered firmly, and Kyle smiled subtly.
With that one smile, his attitude shifted from subtly irritating to surprisingly agreeable.
“My job makes me a bit of a skeptic. Alright then, let’s consider this deal done.”
Kyle gathered the documents I had placed on the table.
“Come back here in three days, or next week at the same time. In the meantime, I’ll ensure Connie’s safety.”
Considering my tight schedule, Kyle arranged the next meeting for the weekend and asked if I needed a coffee refill.
It was his polite way of telling me to leave.
“Thanks, but I’m fine.”
I stood up quickly to leave.
Kyle saw me off, looking slightly regretful.
I walked briskly away from the café, hoping Kyle wouldn’t call me back.
‘Wow, you really need to be that ruthless to run a guild of information.’
I hoped the coffee ordeal was just a test for the job.
‘I really can’t drink any more of that.’
* * *
After Lina left, Edwin, who had been watching them from the real guild office connected to the café, stepped out.
In his hand was Lina’s profile that Kyle had compiled.
“Another coincidence today?” Edwin muttered to himself.
As Kyle closed the café door, he responded.
“Who knows? It is quite peculiar.”
Kyle sat across from Edwin, who had casually sprawled in the nearest chair.
“Did you investigate thoroughly?” Edwin fanned Lina’s profile with his hand.
“I did my best.”
Usually, Kyle would get defensive, but this time he could only say he had done his best.
He, too, was pondering if there was something unusual about Miss Diaz.
“The investigation didn’t reveal anything special.”
Edwin reviewed the profile again.
Lina’s father was an orphan who was recognized for his talent and became a noble family’s protégé.
Her mother was the younger daughter of a noble count, who married Lina’s father despite family opposition.
Her father was later appointed a full professor at the academy and was granted a baronetcy, but that was all.
Their family story was complicated, but not scandalous enough to be a topic in noble circles for more than a week.
“The parents’ marriage was dramatic, but they lived quietly afterward.”
Having severed ties with the Renquels family, they had no other noble connections.
Carolina herself, after graduating from the academy, worked at the palace without a debutante ball.
She lived more like a wealthy commoner than a noble.
There were no special points or gaps in her history.
“It seems like all our encounters in the capital were coincidental.”
Edwin’s face wasn’t well-known yet.
Before his coronation, he had been kept out of sight due to the former emperor’s suspicion, and after his coronation, he went straight to the battlefield.
Even in the capital, his skills ensured he didn’t need a bodyguard.
‘The chances of a leak are low, and Carolina Diaz’s movements were innocent.’
The Renkel street was a common place for palace workers to relax after work.
Griselle Park was right in front of Carolina’s home.
The third encounter was near the palace, and the fourth was near Kyle’s café, where she was known to shop for groceries.
“I could accept that much.”
Edwin stroked his chin lightly.
“But what’s this?”
Edwin pointed to the documents Lina left behind with his chin.
Without suspecting her, the information she provided was timely and needed.
Her motives seemed legitimate.
But the timing and the way the information arrived were too perfect.
Even Edwin felt hesitant.
“Is Carolina Diaz actually a hidden agent of the Camelot family?”
Edwin knew it was far-fetched.
But the theory seemed more plausible than all these coincidences.
“No way.”
Kyle denied with a vague smile.
“Relations between Renquels and Camelot are terrible.”
“Right, there were rumors that the Duke of Camelot killed the fiancé of the current Count of Renquels.”
Edwin remembered a widely believed rumor.
The current Count of Renquels was Olivia Diaz’s sister, Carolina’s aunt.
Although the previous Count had disowned his daughter for her unequal marriage, he later softened and left the inheritance rights of Olivia’s children intact.
The current Count of Renquels, having lost her fiancé, remained single.
Thus, if she left no heirs, Carolina Diaz would likely inherit the count title.
“The Duke of Camelot wouldn’t grant a count title to his agent.”
“Certainly. The Count of Renquels would be furious if Carolina had any ties to the Duke.”
“It’s still strange.”
Edwin lightly clutched his head.
Groaning as if in pain, Edwin made a decision and asked Kyle.
“When did you say Carolina Diaz is coming?”
“Next week.”
“I’ll be there.”
Edwin’s golden eyes shone with faint but clear curiosity.
* * *
A week flew by quickly.
I cautiously pulled open the door of the café disguised as an information guild.
As the bell chimed, Kyle, who was adjusting the tables and chairs, turned to me.
“Right on time.”
Kyle smiled and led me inside.
“We have a guest today.”
I glanced back and saw some young girls peeking at me while eating cake.
I had suspected some magic was hiding the café, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“So, regular customers can come here.”
Kyle paused at my words.
“It’s a running café, after all.”
He sounded slightly annoyed.
“Please sit and wait for a moment.”
The room had dark gray walls with just a set of sofas.
I sat as instructed.
‘Who will come?’
In the original story, Kyle was the emperor’s closest friend, practically raised by his nanny.
Whoever Kyle introduced must be significant.
‘Maybe the emperor’s direct advisor.’
As I braced myself, a hidden door in the wall opened, and someone entered.
A tall man in a hood.
‘Why does this silhouette look so familiar?’
No way. I stood up.
At the same time, the man lowered his hood.
“Do we know each other?”
His beautiful golden eyes sparkled enchantingly in the dim light.
‘It really is Edwin Roxas.’
