Though Sophia sat on the carriage bench at Teresia’s invitation, her posture remained stiff.

Teresia tried easing the awkward silence with gentle chatter.

But her kindness only deepened Sophia’s sense of inadequacy.

Nervousness crept over her.

She couldn’t stop wondering if she’d ever satisfy Young Master Derek.

So consumed was she by this thought that she didn’t even notice where the carriage was headed.

...

Up front, Xinzel gripped the reins. His face was calm as ever.

Inside, however, ripples stirred—a faint, cool pleasure seeped into his long-barren heart like a hidden spring.

He’d followed Derek’s orders.

This was his first secret kept from Duke Wudewen in years. His first act of defiance.

...

Four years ago, Xinzel Yuka—a Gold Rank Assassin of the Assassins Guild—took a perilous contract: assassinate Yuri Wudwen, Duke of Doranbar Kingdom.

Rumors claimed Yuri Wudwen was a seventh-tier powerhouse, a master of fire magic.

Xinzel was only at the peak of sixth-tier.

But he felt no fear.

Assassination wasn’t about fair fights.

The Guild’s Gold Rank threshold demanded the ability to kill seventh-tier experts.

Besides, he’d always been alone. Always. Failure would leave no regrets.

But...

On the eve of the mission, Xinzel learned a truth—he had a son.

Years earlier, after completing a contract, a beautiful client had invited him to stay the night as thanks.

He’d thought it gratitude.

For her, it was more...

She’d secretly borne his child. By the time he learned of it, the boy was already ten.

Xinzel, who slipped through shadows and stole lives with icy detachment, suddenly felt warmth in his chest.

He resolved: after this kill, he’d retire. Leave the Guild. Return to his family.

Yes—he’d begin his new life with the blood of Doranbar’s most wicked noble, Yuri Wudwen.

Alas...

He was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

Yuri Wudwen’s power far exceeded seventh-tier.

Xinzel fell on that battlefield, drowning in regret.

As death loomed, the Duke’s voice slithered into his ear like a demon’s whisper:

*"Do you wish to live?"*

Before, failure meant death—simple.

But now... things were different.

Xinzel chose survival.

Yet he set one condition: he’d never kill for the Duke.

To his shock, Yuri Wudwen agreed.

Afterward, Xinzel became the Duke’s head butler, confined to menial tasks within the manor.

He couldn’t fathom why the Duke spared him...

Until the day the Duke summoned him to a slum in Doranbar’s northern province of Darkrose.

*"Watch this unique performance,"* the Duke had said.

Xinzel remembered the cold, drizzling rain.

The gloomy sky. The relentless drip of water.

A scrawny boy fought several vagrants over a soggy, rain-soaked loaf of bread.

The outcome was inevitable.

The boy collapsed in the mud, not even a crumb left to claim.

Yet his eyes burned with defiance.

*"What’s your name?"*

The Duke stepped into the filthy alley, smiling.

The boy met his gaze without flinching. *"Derek."*

...

That boy, Derek, was later adopted by Duke Wudwen.

Xinzel finally understood his purpose: to teach Derek the art of assassination.

Would he agree?

Xinzel refused.

He admired Derek’s grit, but the slum boy was gone. Only Derek Wudwen, the Duke’s heir, remained.

Now... perhaps it was time to reconsider.

...

*Neigh!*

The carriage halted before a dilapidated wooden hut on Light Village’s outskirts.

Hearing the sound, Kana rushed out.

Though night cloaked the land, candlelight from the hut revealed her haggard face—she’d aged years in just two days.

Teresia leapt down swiftly.

*Thump!*

The Holy Maiden landed with bear-like might!

Sophia followed slowly, eyes wide with cautious curiosity at this unfamiliar place. She dared not stray.

Spotting her daughter, Kana swept Teresia into a crushing embrace, sobbing. *"Teresia! My Teresia! Forgive me—I’ve failed you!"*

*"Mother, I’m fine. Truly!"* Teresia squirmed, breathless. Kana only tightened her grip, lost in remorse.

Only when Xinzel stepped forward did she pause.

*"Kana, this is Sophia. I ask you to care for her."*

Xinzel guided the bewildered girl forward.

*Why am I here?* Sophia wondered. *Wasn’t I bought by that young master?*

Kana stared, confused but compliant. *"Head Butler Xinzel... thank you. Thank you for bringing Teresia home. I’ll care for this child. Without you, I’d be lost."*

*"You misunderstand,"* Xinzel sighed heavily. *"The one you should thank... is Young Master Derek."*

*"What?!"* Kana recoiled. *"Why thank that demon who tormented us?!"*

*"Without Young Master Derek, you would have died that day."* Xinzel’s voice turned grave.

*"I don’t understand—"*

*"When the Duke’s fire magic flared in the courtyard, it was Derek’s intervention that saved you. He knew pleading would fail. To spare you, he had to... amuse the Duke."*

Kana’s breath hitched. She recalled the Duke’s flames still burning as Derek stepped forward. Only after Derek proposed his *"punishment"* did the fire vanish.

*It’s true...*

*"If you doubt me,"* Xinzel pressed, *"ask Teresia. Did Derek harm her last night?"*

*"Teresia—did he hurt you?"* Kana’s voice trembled.

Teresia shook her head. The night had been chaotic, but no cruelty touched her.

*"You see?"* Xinzel said softly. *"Derek’s words that afternoon were meant to save you."*

*"How?!"* Kana’s hands flew to her mouth. *"I cursed him! Called him a demon! Wished him dead! And all this time—he was my savior? I was blind! So blind!"*

She raised a hand to strike herself.

Xinzel caught her wrist. *"Even I,"* he murmured, gazing at the star-strewn sky, *"only just glimpsed the depths of Young Master Derek’s mind."*

To Xinzel, Derek’s wisdom stretched like that endless night—vast, dark, and fathomless.