Chapter 1
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"Oh, who is this elegant lady? Where did my fearsome demon Noona disappear to..."
"Yann, be quiet."
"Yes."
As Yann obediently kept his mouth shut, Valentina slumped into an armchair to her side, kicked off her shoes, and undid her hair, which had been tightly braided.
Yann watched her for a moment with puzzled eyes, then cleared his throat and discreetly glanced at the men gathered in the room.
Upon seeing this, the executives, who had been suppressing their laughter, left the conference room, perplexed.
"Care for a glass of whiskey?"
"That's enough. I'm sick of that. Give me a cigarette."
"What happened? I thought you were going to have a good time, but why are you so down?"
If something had gone wrong, he would have known about it long ago.
Yann made a clicking sound with his tongue and pulled a chair, sitting in front of his sister. Valentina, who had been inhaling smoke with a deep frown, finally spoke.
"What's the deal with that woman?"
"What do you mean by 'that woman'?"
"I mean Sasha. What is she exactly?"
"Why are you suddenly asking such a question? Did something unpleasant happen?"
"Do you ever see me showing unnecessary curiosity about my job? But this time, I want to know something."
"That's what makes it even stranger. Normally, there's no reason for you to be curious unless they're an enemy."
"She's not an enemy. I just want to know more about her. What is her true connection with those Serpente guys? Is it true that she just quietly went to school in Vibrato?"
Yann rubbed his chin thoughtfully and put on an innocent expression.
"They said she's the daughter of the deceased Princess' nanny; they're milk sisters or something like that; it would be natural for them to feel sorry for her as if they were her own sister, having witnessed how their own little sister and her milk sister died, then add the fact that all of their other family members died too early, too."
"Don't brush it off so carelessly. Do you think your friend has a personality that would impair his judgment just for that reason? Isn't he the kind of person who ignores his deceased family members and even his blood relatives who were supposed to be closest to him? Isn't he the one who can't even trust his only surviving brother, who is the last remaining member of his immediate family?"
There was an uncomfortable silence for a while. Valentina snorted at her little brother's silent response, then leaned back with her legs crossed.
"There are only two possibilities when an incredibly intelligent man displays his weakness so openly. Either it's a carefully calculated act, or he's genuinely sincere. Initially, I assumed it was the former. Perhaps she might be a pawn, serving some hidden agenda that we need to discreetly monitor in the end..."
"By the way, are you admitting that you were wrong today?"
"Yes. That's why I need to find out more. Because his weakness becomes the weakness of all of us."
"From my perspective, it seems more like Noona's personal interest rather than some grand scheme. Did you unexpectedly had taken a liking for that girl?"
"She didn't even flinch."
Yann pondered for a moment how this simple response connected to his question, then he inquired further.
"She didn't flinch about what...?"
"The incident with the letter last year. Even after hearing about it, she said it didn't bother her."
"Noona told her that...?"
"What do you make of me? As I glanced away for a moment, a troublesome aristocratic kid kept on rambling about it."
"..."
"Moreover, she asked me to teach her how to handle a gun. She seemed to know everything about us... What's amusing is that she didn't appear to be asking out of mere curiosity or ignorance. It left me quite puzzled; you know..."
Silence descended once more. As Valentina contemplatively searched through her cigarette pack, Yann stood up and approached the window.
The view of the streets of Eldora, where the siblings were born and raised, enveloped by the tranquil blue hues of dawn, was a stark contrast to the slums it had once been just a few years ago before it underwent a significant transformation in the Empire.
"You know I can't reveal what I know to Noona."
"So, you do know?"
Of course, he knew. No, he remembered.
Memories from the time he was trapped in a collapsed bunker, with not even a glimmer of light piercing through, waiting for rescue without any sense of his own body.
Amidst the deafening sounds of explosions echoing from all directions, he could distinctly hear that monologue.
Anything can happen on the battlefield, even divulging the secrets one would take to their grave.
At times, he felt a mix of pride and concern about how fortunate he was to be the one entrusted with that secret, but thanks to it, Yann could effortlessly achieve the goal he had dreamed of since childhood.
In return, they swore an unbreakable bond of friendship. It defied common sense, but it was genuine nonetheless.
So, the woman in question occupied his thoughts. He believed she might be his friend's fatal flaw – the same friend who could navigate through even the tiniest needle hole if he desired.
She's undeniably quite a troublesome variable.
Putting aside the fact that he, someone who never panics in any situation, was avoiding her out of fear that he might embarrass himself like an awkward teenager in her presence.
"...Ask her directly. It's the polite way. It's been a while since you've been genuinely interested in someone, hasn't it?"
"Are you suggesting I should be genuinely friendly with her now?"
"Doesn't that sound intriguing? If you truly get to know her openly, you'll have a better sense of what kind of person she truly is."
Valentina's eyes, fixated on the back of her brother, who was nonchalantly attacking her, soon lit up at the prospect of getting to know something better.
"You were... considering getting rid of her if you understood her properly… Aren’t you?"
"I thought about it initially, but after listening to Noona, I changed my mind. It remains to be seen whether she'll remain such a weakness or a disguised poisonous snake."
"So, what if she only remains a weakness? Will you try to get rid of her?"
"..."
"You won't be able to handle such a scheme. If you don't believe me, see for yourself. Because sooner or later, something interesting is bound to happen."
* * *
After Lethias's birthday, time flew by, and with the end of summer, Benya's birthday was quickly approaching. The same applied to the hotel's opening ceremony.
We were all in a frenzy, ensuring that we completed all the decorations on time.
The restaurant, casino, and each room with its fireplace and bathroom, along with the tea room, smoking room, lobby, sky lounge, and Grand Canal shopping mall, were all splendidly adorned.
"...What's this?"
"What? Oh, it's the tea room wallpaper we talked about earlier, but I thought a cream color with gold leaf patterns would be fitting..."
"Are there any patterns other than lilies? I believe I asked you to avoid lilies as much as possible."
"There is one, but it looks adorable with the rabbit pattern... Do you think that would be better?"
"There are moments when you want to have that cute feeling in a place that's a paradise of pleasure."
"Hmm, that makes sense. I'm glad you saw it before it was put up."
Luxurious purple carpets were laid on each stairway, and once the tea room was finished, it was a masterpiece.
While I was admiring the lobby, filled with colorful mirrors, with a false sense of contentment, a blue bear that I had seen many times before playfully attacked me.
"Sasha, my dear protector!"
"Why am I your protector?"
"Hm? Just because."
"You didn't come running to me for protection, did you?"
"Hey, how do you even see me as!"
He seemed to remember what he had done on his birthday. Lethias pouted and grunted for a moment, then smiled brightly and took my hand.
"Have you had lunch yet?"
"I was just taking a break. How about you, Oppa?"
"I stopped by to eat with you. Let's go."
Lethias took me to a restaurant specializing in Fzeian cuisine.
Fzeia had once been a dream destination for me, a place I longed to visit, but it became a Cherkesha colony after the war.
In addition to the imperial people, there were quite a few customers from Fzeia, such as foreign students and businessmen.
We dined at a table on the terrace overlooking the bustling streets of Astoria. The seafood course, with raw oysters and lobster as the main delicacies, was truly delightful, including the turtle soup.
"Everything is delicious. Do you come here often?"
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