As soon as my thoughts reached there, I cautiously started the conversation.
“I think that private facility seems to be the same one that Duke Dright claims to be operating as a charity, Your Majesty?”
A faint but definite conviction was contained in my words, and Ruth’s pupils deepened before returning to normal.
Then, running his fingers through his disheveled jet-black hair that freely spread over a mask, he nodded.
“For now, I share the same opinion as you. However, it would be wise not to be too certain until we have solid evidence. There are some issues with our assumption, after all.”
“Indeed. That makes sense.”
I agreed with his opinion and slightly softened the firm conviction that had settled in my mind.
The ‘issues’ Ruth mentioned probably referred to when the facility was established. The facility must have been built when Duke Dright was born if Kartan had been raised there since he was a child, and logically, a newborn couldn’t have established the facility.
Let’s resolve this issue after dealing with the reason we came to the casino today.
After silently making that resolution, I took a step back from Ruth and changed my tone as I shifted the topic.
“By the way, did you find what you were looking for, Ruth?”
“Hmm?”
After suddenly changing my demeanor in a matter of seconds, Ruth looked at me with wonder but soon seemed to understand my intention and laughed playfully. Then, he reached out with an empty hand, leveling his eyes with mine.
“Of course, madam. Shall we then go to resolve the real reason we came here?”
“Sure.”
I immediately smiled at Ruth, who was accommodating me, and placed my hand on him.
The desire to escape the sweltering casino as soon as possible and the belief that if today’s issues were resolved all my questions would be answered mixed together, creating a sense of excitement.
I let the deep, resounding feeling from within me pass through one ear as I took a deep breath and solemnly murmured, “Let’s go now.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Glancing at me, Ruth giggled nonsensically and then began to walk slowly, matching my pace.
***
Following Ruth to a secluded spot just as Ian had described, there was an ivory door.
From here, if we proceed along the corridor on the left behind this door, we’ll reach the space where Lord Dright handles all his unsavory affairs.
As I was about to grasp the ivory doorknob, recalling Ian’s story, Ruth suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards him.
“!”
“Shh.”
Startled, I looked up at Ruth as he placed his finger on his lips.
“Listen carefully, my lady.”
“Huh? What do you mean……”
I was about to ask what he meant when suddenly, from behind the ivory door, we heard rough voices.
“When did the leader say he would arrive?”
“The leader? Be careful with your words, Karif. He’s not some mercenary like us rolling in the mud but a distinguished heir of a ducal family.”
“Damn class society. Whether a mercenary or a ducal heir, aren’t we all just humans who eat, sleep, and defecate? What’s the difference, really.”
“That’s true. Anyway, I don’t know when he will arrive. Perhaps before midnight.”
The faint but distinct sounds of the men’s conversation and their coarse laughter made my body stiffen involuntarily.
Based on the contents of the conversation that could get one reported for the crime of defaming nobility, the men beyond the wall seemed to be mercenaries. And the person they referred to as ‘the captain’ or ‘him’ appeared to be Duke Dright.
Does this mean Duke Dright will visit this place before midnight?
Just as this question crossed my mind, I saw it was just 9:45 p.m.
Realizing that there were only about two hours left until midnight, I tried to calm my anxious heart when Ruth spoke up.
“As you’ve just heard, there are guards beyond the door. So, if you had opened this door, they would have caught you immediately.”
“Ah, what should we do then?”
Understanding his concise explanation immediately, I shifted my focus from anticipating Duke Dright’s visit to the guards beyond the ivory door.
To reach the space used by Duke Dright, it was indispensable to go through the corridor beyond the door. Therefore, encountering the guards there was inevitable.
If, by any chance, we were caught by the guards or if the situation escalated, things could go sour. For instance, our identities could be exposed to the people in the casino.
What shall we do?
As I pressed down the rising sense of disappointment and pondered silently, Ruth replied in a more relaxed tone.
“From what I’ve observed, the guards aren’t always stationed in the corridors every moment. They seem to switch every hour on the hour.”
“Switch?”
“Yes. Around ten to the hour, the two guards who were there would disappear somewhere, and then, around five to, a new pair would show up.”
Hearing what he added, I felt as if I was emerging from a thick fog that had obscured my vision.
The fact that the guards left at fifty minutes past the hour and new ones arrived at fifty-five meant there was a five-minute window when there was no one in the corridor. And this meant that, during those five minutes, whatever we did, there was virtually no chance of us being caught by the guards.
I visualized the guards’ changing shifts in my head and checked the clock again. The constantly moving minute hand was just about to reach the number 10.
With less than a minute left until fifty minutes past the hour, I hurriedly turned to share my plan with him, only to lock eyes with Ruth, who had been watching me since when I could not tell.
“!”
“……”
I hadn’t expected our eyes to meet so abruptly and, without realizing it, my cheeks flushed red.
A feeling of strength coursed through my lower belly, as if the surroundings were tinted in a soft purple hue.
Ruth, who had been staring intently at me as I couldn’t hide my fluster, eventually looked away from me and muttered in a low voice, “It’ll be 50 minutes soon.”
“…Right.”
Due to Ruth’s act as if nothing had happened, I couldn’t shake off the thought that maybe I had seen something that wasn’t there.
As I corrected my quivering tone and slowly responded, Ruth quietly laid out his plan.
“In 50 minutes, the guards inside there will come out. We must walk straight down the left corridor without delay. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“And when we reach the black iron door, wait for me to check for traps and unlock it.”
“Got it.”
My easy compliance seemed to displease Ruth, as his eyebrows twitched.
“Unexpected.”
“Pardon?”
“I thought you’d have a plan of your own to share. You’re usually proactive, so why the passivity now?”
At his question that wasn’t quite a question, I momentarily furrowed my brow.
Of course, I had my own plan as Ruth suggested, but it wasn’t significantly different from his; it was quite similar actually. That’s why I decided to follow Ruth’s directions.
But then, doubts that had been lurking in my mind began to surface.
I was proactive? That can’t be right.
As a child, I followed my father’s wishes, and as an adult, I was passive, beaten down by reality. Regardless of what others might think, that’s how I viewed myself.
So why would he say I was proactive?
Pondering over Ruth’s inscrutable intentions, I felt puzzled.
“I’ve never been proactive.”
“Well, that might just be your own perception.”
“?”
“At least, the young lady I’ve seen possesses a quite strong will.”
Maybe even more than me. Ruth’s words ended on a self-mocking note, his lips momentarily curving into a bitter smile before returning to normal.
Witnessing this, I bit my lower lip. It was the second time I felt a sense of kinship with someone I definitely shouldn’t.
I wanted to know the source of this inexplicable affinity, and was about to ask what he meant.
Just then, the ivory door that had been firmly shut slowly opened, and men with a grim appearance walked out.
As soon as they came out, Ruth gestured to me to be quiet and pressed his body close to the wall, crouching down.
I had no choice but to suppress my curiosity, then followed by crouching down as well and covered my mouth with both hands. We watched the men, who didn’t notice us, as they casually walked toward the elevator.
Only after the men had completely disappeared into the elevator did Ruth, who had been crouching, stand up and scan the surroundings, murmuring.
“There’s nobody around.”
“That’s a relief.”
I responded softly to his clear murmur, and Ruth drew a curve with his lips.
“Right. Shall we go now?”
“Yes.”
I blinked once at him, gesturing towards the ivory door as a sign of agreement. Ruth, quickly catching on to my thoughts, had the smile lingering on his lips grow bigger.
After the brief conversation, Ruth and I walked towards the ivory door without deciding who would go first. I sped up, and Ruth slowed down, making our footsteps sound as if they belonged to one person.
Upon reaching the door quickly and entering, we saw the corridor extending long on both sides as Ian had described.
Thanks to the candles attached to the walls at regular intervals, it wasn’t dark, but the corridor was eerily chilling nonetheless.
Unknowingly shrouded by a chill that clung to our skin, we struggled to shake it off and proceeded to the left, where a black iron door at the end of the corridor revealed itself.
