Chapter 155
Chapter 155
The Honor of the Lily (1)
I was searching for an excuse or an opening to get out of this situation. But sadly, it was clear that Bran didn’t want to let go of this opportunity he had finally managed to grab.
He prided himself on having met plenty of women, but even so, this was a rare chance—one he might never get again.
‘He probably already has a fiancée lined up anyway.’
She clearly looked like a noble’s daughter, raised with the utmost care. And that exact impression made Bran all the more drawn to her.
But in the end, the one holding the reins was me.
“I had a wonderful time today. You’re someone I’ve really wanted to meet.”
I said it as a way to wrap things up. Of course, there was no way Bran would miss the signal.
“But, there’s still time….”
“I think I should be heading back now.”
Bran, who had remained quiet, responded to my words.
“Alright. But I don’t think I can just let you go.”
His response caught me off guard. What did he mean by he couldn’t just let me go?
“I think you’ll need to come with me to the Security Corps holding cell.”
“What?!”
Those words from Bran were enough to stun me. Suddenly saying he would take someone to a holding cell?
“Cooperate.”
He had invested quite a bit of time in me. From Bran’s perspective, it would be a waste to simply let me go. And from his standpoint as the liaison chief, this was a procedure he had to carry out.
If anything had gone wrong at the liaison office during his absence, the first person he’d have to suspect was me.
‘I don’t have an ID right now.’
As I hesitated, Bran smiled and said,
“What’s wrong? You act like going to the holding cell would be a problem.”
“It’s just… if my identity is exposed…”
At that, Bran laughed and replied,
“Of course, I’ll make considerations for that. Nothing will happen. Just wait quietly in the holding cell. Once I’ve checked a few things and confirm there’s nothing wrong, I’ll let you go.”
It wasn’t exactly a situation I liked. There was the option of complying and hoping Kairus had handled things properly. But I had the feeling things wouldn’t go so smoothly.
‘What if he doesn’t let me out once I’m in?’
That was entirely possible. Coming all the way here and saying this now, I couldn’t count on him to keep acting like a gentleman.
“You might end up regretting this.”
For now, I decided to take off the mask. As my gaze turned slightly cold, Bran smiled and said,
“You’re even prettier when you’re angry.”
“If I really got angry, I wouldn’t look very pretty at all.”
At my words, Bran simply shrugged.
“That’s something we’ll have to wait and see.”
“I’m curious—do you even know who I am?”
At my words, Bran laughed.
“You don’t know who I am either.”
“Before we go, I’m going to make a call. I’m just as curious to see what might happen at the Security Corps.”
Only then did a flicker of hesitation appear in Bran’s eyes. I took a sip of wine from the glass in front of me, wiped my lips with a napkin, and stood up.
“Shall we go then?”
It wasn’t too late. He could still let me go. But he didn’t say anything like that.
“Now I’m starting to wonder myself—will I really end up in a holding cell?”
Being the liaison chief of the Security Bureau wasn’t a low rank.
But compared to the might of the Kellogg family, it was nothing. There was no way someone like me would be thrown into a holding cell.
Bran Tokstale prided himself on his ability to read people. No matter how he looked, my demeanor didn’t seem like an act to get out of a situation.
“Alright. But I’ll be the one to make the call first.”
With that, Bran checked the time. Around now, his subordinate should have arrived at the Julian Conservatory.
“Go ahead.”
Once we reached an understanding, Bran and I stood up together. After arriving at City Hall, as promised, Bran made the first call to the liaison office.
— Yes? There’s nothing unusual here.
“You sure about that?”
The subordinate on the line couldn’t understand why Bran was suddenly making this call.
— Yes, the alarm system has been functioning the whole time… The interior’s unchanged. I checked the bookshelf arrangement, and the positions of the other tools haven’t shifted either.
Bran let out a sigh. This was someone he had worked with for over five years. If that guy hadn’t noticed anything wrong, then Bran himself wasn’t likely to find anything either.
“Alright. Hang up.”
After ending the call, Bran turned to me with a smile.
“Well, this is…”
“So I can make my call now too, right?”
I looked ready to place my call immediately.
“Wait, that’s…”
“You were so confident just a moment ago. I rather liked you better that way.”
As I moved toward the phone, Bran hurriedly spoke up.
“I apologize.”
“It’s not very gentlemanly to keep a lady who wants to go home just because it’s late.”
I softened my tone a little, pulled out a handkerchief, and offered it to him with a smile.
“Sign this. Then I’ll forgive you.”
Bran obediently signed the handkerchief.
“I had a good time today. I’d honestly like to meet you again if the chance comes.”
“I hope we get the chance.”
I took the handkerchief back and said.
"I'm still not in a good mood. So, I won't be needing an escort. You can go."
Bran obediently nodded at my words and gave a polite farewell.
"I sincerely hope we meet again."
And with that, our encounter came to an end. The place I had agreed to meet Kairus was a hotel in the city. If Bran tried to follow me, heading into a hotel would look perfectly normal.
There, Kairus would be disguised as a servant sent by my family, and Nora would play the role of a noble daughter accompanying me.
‘We'll just make it look like I’m being taken away.’
At night, it was standard procedure for noble daughters to be picked up discreetly, giving them a moment to catch their breath. No one would question it.
“You made it?”
Kairus waved his hand as I arrived at the hotel.
“He stuck to me like a leech. Shaking him off wasn’t easy.”
Kairus grinned at my words.
“You did good.”
“Are we heading back now?”
At my question, Kairus nodded.
“It’s time we go.”
On top of that, he planned to contact Simid Kellogg to report that the job was done. Putting on the expression of a cow being led to slaughter, I followed Kairus and Nora out of the hotel.
After arriving at the train station, Kairus transferred trains several times before heading to the Aylan Republic. The reason he left the Empire was to get in touch with Simid Kellogg.
‘It's ridiculously hard just to place a call.’
Once he crossed the republic’s border, Kairus got off at the nearest station and contacted Simid Kellogg.
— What is it? How’s the job going?
“It’s done. I’ve documented everything—send someone to pick it up.”
Kairus hadn’t handled things in the way Simid had expected, but the goal was achieved, and Simid Kellogg had no complaints.
— Good. You did better than I expected.
Even Simid had to acknowledge it now. Whatever his motives were, Kairus was undeniably skilled.
For the rebellion Simid was planning, he needed not only people who shared the cause but also those with real talent.
“There’s something I’m curious about.”
— Go ahead. I’m listening.
“Do you know anything about the Vasella family?”
At my question, Simid let out a thoughtful hum.
— Is this from something you found through the Security Bureau?
“No, I happened to hear it while digging out some necessary information from Roderick.”
At that, Simid spoke in a more serious tone.
— Then it’s possible the Security Bureau already suspects something. We’ll need to be more cautious going forward.
“What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?”
What Simid Kellogg said next caught me slightly off guard.
— Ethan Vasella, the current head of the Vasella family, shares my cause.
It was something I hadn’t expected at all. My eyes naturally closed as I listened to the conversation.
Now, I was in a situation where I had to shake down a key member of the rebellion just to confirm the presence of the Veil of Plumed Mist.
‘Well, maybe this works out better for me.’
The idea of seeking Simid Kellogg’s cooperation briefly crossed my mind.
Even if I didn’t mention the Veil of Plumed Mist, at the very least I wouldn’t need to sneak into the Vasella family estate.
“There’s something I’d like to ask of you, aside from the reward for the job.”
— What is it?
“I need to visit the Vasella family.”
At that, Simid immediately asked,
— Why?
“That’s a secret.”
I had no desire to go into detail with Simid Kellogg. Not even Nora or Irena knew that I was a survivor of the Featherwing line. If the people traveling with me didn’t know, there was no reason Simid Kellogg should.
— You want me to arrange a visit without even telling me why?
“It won’t cause you any trouble… probably.”
From Simid’s side of the phone, that last “probably” I added clearly grated on his nerves.
“I’m looking for something, and there’s a chance it might be in the Vasella estate. That’s all you need to know.”
Simid Kellogg let out a thoughtful hum at my explanation.
— Now that you mention it, Ethan had developed a hobby of collecting materials on add-ons and procedures in recent years. Is it one of those?
“Do I have to answer that?”
At my retort, Simid let out a frustrated grunt.
— Ethan Vasella is one of the key figures. It’s not a decision I can make lightly.
“Let me make this clear—I’m going to see Ethan Vasella whether I have your help or not.”
And there was a pretty good chance that would cause problems.
“I’m asking for your help not because I desperately need it, but because I’d rather not waste unnecessary effort.”
— Alright, I’ll at least talk to him.
After hearing that, I quickly added one more thing.
“The reason I’m going is because I want to see the Vasella family’s spear techniques for myself.”
— You want me to lie about your intentions? And here I thought we were comrades taking risks for the same cause.
I replied in a voice tinged with annoyance.
“I think I’ve contributed quite a bit to your so-called great cause. Not to mention, your daughter is with me, and I’ve been putting my all into training her.”
To put it bluntly, I had done—and was still doing—more for Simid Kellogg than he had done for me.
“Think it over carefully. Especially if you plan to keep hiring me in the future.”
Inside Simid Kellogg’s mind, a mental scale began weighing Ethan Vasella against me.
After a moment, his answer came.
— Understood. I’ll proceed as you requested.
I had accomplished things that others would’ve thrown up their hands at in disbelief.
To Simid, I was a talent too valuable to lose.
“Thanks.”
After achieving my goal, I ended the call and approached Nora and Irena, who were waiting on a bench for the train.
“Our destination’s changed.”
At my words, both of them turned their eyes on me.
“Again? I thought we were heading back,” Irena said.
“We’re going to the Vasella family.”
Nora gave me an openly annoyed look.
“This oppa’s got a wandering soul or something. I just want to rest.”
“Then go rest there. It’s not like Bennett City is your hometown anyway.”
Despite my words, Nora kept grumbling in a small voice.
“The Vasella family… They’re the ones who’ve had long-standing ties with my father. Did he ask you to go again?”
At Irena’s question, I shook my head.
“This time, I’m the one who asked to go.”