133.
If Yu Jin were to share information with Keith, he would also have to tell Haruna. What would those two think after hearing such a story? Jinhyeon had taken it in stride, but there was no guarantee the other two would react the same way.
Yu Jin didn’t want Keith and Haruna to know that they were characters in a novel. Moreover, they weren’t even main characters, just passing figures. While their situation was better than the Yu Jin who was murdered, it would undoubtedly be shocking in many ways.
Yu Jin finally let go of the hand he was holding and ruffled his hair. Now was the time to trust Keith and Haruna.
‘I’ll tell them!’
Once he made the decision, his mind felt much lighter. He didn’t know what challenges lay ahead, but he decided to trust the two who had been with him since childhood. So, he decided to talk to Keith first.
Yu Jin told Keith about his past life early in the morning when he visited. After listening to the whole story, Keith looked at Yu Jin expressionlessly and then suddenly said, as if realizing something:
“So that’s why.”
Not understanding what he meant, Yu Jin just blinked, and Keith asked:
“Does Jinhyeon know about this too?”
“He does.”
“Since when?”
“For quite a while now.”
Yu Jin rolled his eyes, avoiding Keith’s gaze.
“I see, now I understand.”
Keith had sometimes thought this while observing Yu Jin and Jinhyeon. The thought that the two shared something he didn’t know about. And the idea that they had become closer based on that something. After all, those who share secrets tend to have a special bond.
“You should have told me earlier.”
If he had, Keith wouldn’t have just stood by watching Jinhyeon act out.
“I was anxious.”
“What were you anxious about?”
“That you or Haruna might be shocked and distance yourselves.”
Yu Jin expressed the genuine concern he had been worrying about all along.
“Yu Jin.”
Keith approached Yu Jin and took his hand.
“Even a complete stranger understood, so how could we not? Even if I had known earlier, I would have worried about you. And I would have tried my best to overcome the situation somehow.”
You didn’t fully trust me. Keith’s downcast eyes revealed his sadness. Seeing this, Yu Jin felt a surge of guilt and hugged Keith first.
“I trust you. I do. I was just too scared.”
“You were. You were too scared.”
Keith patted Yu Jin’s back as he spoke.
“From now on, never try to hide anything. Understood?”
He didn’t want to be the only one not knowing what Jinhyeon knew.
“I’ll tell Haruna on your behalf.”
“Is that okay?”
“Yes, it might be more natural in the current situation.”
“…Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. I’m more grateful. That you told me now, at least.”
Thanks to Yu Jin, Keith learned that Greyardin was the leader of Leviathan. Knowing the identity of the opponent versus not knowing makes a difference in how to deal with them. And naturally, the former case is easier to handle.
Keith also wanted to kill him right away. But Greyardin must have come to Lucid with some preparation. And that preparation likely included Keith’s master, Rector. A wrong approach could result in Keith being killed instead.
That’s why he decided to be more careful.
Late at night, Jinhyeon returned to the mansion and was stopped by a knight.
“Where have you been?”
Only Yu Jin, Keith, and Haruna knew that Jinhyeon managed the back alleys. To everyone else, Jinhyeon was just Yu Jin’s concubine.
Such a person had been away from the mansion for days, and during that time, an incident occurred. Naturally, suspicion fell on him as well.
“Do I have to tell you that?”
“Things are different now. If you want to live, you should speak up.”
Jinhyeon’s eyes flashed at the sneering words. In the previous mansion, Jinhyeon had a good relationship with the people in charge of security. He trained hard and showed skills worthy of their recognition. But in Lucid, there weren’t many such people yet. Some did pay attention to his training, but not the knight standing right in front of him.
‘It seems he just didn’t like me from the start.’
Jinhyeon started to guess the reason but gave up. There could be countless reasons for disliking someone.
“Did the head of the family authorize this?”
Jinhyeon asked the knight with a sly smile.
“He will soon.”
“So not yet, then. Would you let me pass?”
The knight looked frustrated but let Jinhyeon go. Jinhyeon walked away with a smug smile, but once out of the knight’s sight, he wiped the expression from his face. Then he sought out the informant he had placed in the mansion beforehand.
Mari was a newcomer who had been in the mansion for only a few months. Her job was as a kitchen assistant, so she couldn’t move freely around the mansion like other maids, but she was well-informed about internal news. This was because the chatter during breaks after cooking was all about mansion-related stories. Mari didn’t have many friends yet, but that wasn’t the case for others, so all sorts of stories came up during break times. Mari’s task was to remember these well, organize them, and report to Jinhyeon.
“I trust you.”
At first, there were times when she was scared of going to an unknown place alone. But San said he trusted her. From the moment he helped Mari, who was living in a dirty gutter, she decided she would do anything for San.
Despite being younger than Mari, San was smart and kind. Mari wanted to be like him. That’s why she gladly accepted when San asked her to infiltrate the mansion.
Although not to San’s level, Mari had her strengths. She was an excellent actress and quickly made friends with others. With these abilities, she had survived in the back alleys without any adult protection until now.
Mari, who had been asleep, woke up to the sound of light tapping on the window. Next to her, a friend who had entered the mansion around the same time was sleeping. After making sure her friend was soundly asleep, she slightly opened the window to look outside. Then, wearing her coat and shoes, she headed to the agreed meeting place.
“Mr. Jinhyeon.”
“Hello.”
After meeting Jinhyeon, Mari had only one thing to do. She told him about everything that had happened in the mansion. Count Lumine had attacked Yu Jin while he was resting after the party. And a person named Greyardin had saved him, but that person was also injured and was being treated in the mansion.
It was quite useful information, but it was also information anyone could know. Mari knew that this wasn’t what Jinhyeon really wanted.
“The mansion is in turmoil. Mr. Keith’s reputation was already good, and as he stays with Yu Jin, the employees’ perception is changing. The maids are somewhat sympathetic, but the knights are different.”
Especially the knights who had been fond of Yu Jin were behaving differently than usual.
“Sir Perry said that finally, the bug-like thing has fallen off Yu Jin. Sir Luxon agreed with him. There were also rumors that it might have been you, Mr. Jinhyeon, who colluded with Count Lumine. Some say that’s impossible, but the prevailing opinion is that it should be checked. After all, you’re from the Dragon Continent and were a slave in the Colosseum.”
Those of high status often don’t trust those who have lived at the bottom. For now, they won’t touch you because of Yu Jin, but it’s uncertain how long that will last.
“Anything else?”
“The maid assigned to Mr. Greyardin told me that he’s an extremely kind person. So everyone in the mansion believes he’s a good person. Currently, Mr. Farsen is taking care of him. People believe that Yu Jin is paying a lot of attention to him because Mr. Farsen is assigned to him.”
Mari then talked about recent changes in the mansion. It might seem trivial, but Jinhyeon didn’t overlook it.
“There are new employees?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know where they came from?”
“Many of them were relatives of existing employees. Even if not, their introduction booklets had at least one noble family’s seal stamped on them.”
The introduction booklet was something employees carried, and if they were good employees, noble families would stamp their seal when they changed jobs. In other words, having a seal meant the employee was vouched for by a noble.
“Were there any noble families you recognized among them?”
“No. I’ve memorized almost all the names of noble families in the capital, but there weren’t any.”
“Good, thank you. You’ve worked hard.”
Mari blushed shyly at Jinhyeon’s praise.
“I’ll work even harder.”
When San first recommended her, Jinhyeon had doubted, but now he recognized Mari’s exceptional abilities.
After delivering all the information to Jinhyeon, Mari quietly moved back to her room. After confirming this, Jinhyeon withdrew the power that had been blocking the surrounding sounds. The garden, which had been quiet, began to fill with the sound of insects again.
‘It won’t be comfortable for a while.’
After all, he had to deal with those who were desperate to devour him.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
