Episode 88: Illegal Entry
Before leaving for Tenerope, Yohan visited Rudella at her house on the outskirts of the capital.
Since he had informed her in advance through a letter, Rudella hadn’t gone out to the café.
“Yohan!”
Rudella, who had been waiting at the entrance, smiled brightly the moment she saw Yohan.
Her sky-blue eyes sparkled with a sweet light, and the slight upward curve of her lips made her radiant smile even more captivating.
“Why are you standing outside? It’s cold today.”
“Because you were coming…”
Rudella clasped her hands near her chest, glancing down at her fidgeting fingertips with a soft smile. A faint blush tinged her cheeks.
“And also, since it’s been a while since we last met after that day… Did I make you uncomfortable?”
She slowly raised her head. Her sky-blue eyes, shimmering in the sunlight, sparkled like they held a piece of the sky itself.
“Uh…”
Yohan, feeling an odd flutter in his chest under her gaze, suddenly wondered. Whether it was Francia or Rudella, how could beautiful women have such captivating eyes?
But that thought didn’t linger. It wasn’t important right now.
“Of course not. I was just worried you might catch a cold standing out here in this weather.”
Yohan smiled lightly and gently brushed his hand against Rudella’s cheek. Her soft skin met his fingertips, though it was chilled by the cold winter air.
Rudella leaned her head slightly into his hand as if comforted by his touch and closed her eyes.
“Let’s go inside.”
When they entered the house, a cozy atmosphere welcomed them. Rudella naturally led Yohan to the living room and gestured toward one of the chairs by the table.
“I’ll prepare some tea. Sit and wait for a moment.”
Yohan sat down and waited. Vera seemed to be out of the house again. Strangely, every time he visited, she seemed to be absent. Was it just his imagination?
“…”
Time passed quietly for a while.
Not long after, Rudella returned with a teapot and cups in hand. She calmly poured the tea as she asked,
“So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?”
“I’ve received an imperial decree.”
“An imperial decree?”
Pausing as she poured the tea, Rudella tilted her head slightly in curiosity.
Clink.
Yohan picked up his teacup and continued in a composed voice.
“The Emperor has assigned me a mission. To cooperate with the Bureau of Inspection and execute Fedelian Rozino, the traitor. It’s the role of an executioner.”
Thud.
Rudella, sitting across from him, stiffened. She couldn’t possibly be unaware of what the role of an executioner entailed.
“Why would they assign such a task to you?”
Still, she remained calm, continuing her questioning in an even tone.
“I don’t know the exact details, but perhaps they want to establish me as a prominent figure representing the empire. If I take this opportunity to eliminate a traitor, they could present me as a hero to other nations.”
“Yohan Lahart, the face of the Empire.” he added.
“Hmm.”
A shadow darkened Rudella’s gaze. She propped her chin on her slender hand and frowned slightly, her delicate brows knitting together.
“They must know this mission isn’t without danger…”
She continued,
“Considering that the escape of Grand Duke Lenokhonen coincided with Fedelian’s disappearance, they’re likely together. The scale of the rebel army he’s building isn’t ordinary, either. Plus, he’s receiving support from Tenerope.”
Even without Yohan explaining in detail, Rudella had already grasped the full scope of the situation.
She had been monitoring Fedelian for a long time, ever since her days as the Crown Princess candidate, to uncover his weaknesses.
“You’re right. It’s definitely a tough mission.”
“Then you should refuse…”
“I still plan to do it.”
Before she could voice more concerns, Yohan interrupted firmly, his expression resolute.
“No matter what, I have to capture him. Too many people connected to me have died because of that man.”
With her fiery blue eyes, Rudella hesitated for a moment, lips slightly parted, before breaking into a light laugh.
“Let me guess, Lady Fervache has already scolded you about how dangerous this is?”
“That’s right.”
“In that case, all I need to say is that I trust you and will wait for your return.”
Rudella’s smile deepened, her sky-blue eyes softly curving as they gazed at Yohan with sweet affection.
“Please return safely. I’ll be here waiting for the Yohan who comes back victorious.”
Though the mission was dangerous, and it would be a lie to say she wasn’t worried, Rudella firmly believed that Yohan would succeed spectacularly.
Because he was that kind of man.
“This is… not what I expected.”
“What do you mean?”
“I prepared a few words to reassure you not to worry… but I never expected you to trust me so easily.”
Feeling awkward, Yohan scratched the back of his neck with his fingers. Rudella smiled gently and continued in a calm tone.
“Of course, I want to tell you to refuse the mission. Who wouldn’t worry about their lover going to a place where they could lose their life?”
Her smile grew even softer.
“But if you’ve made this decision, I believe you’ll succeed. When we first met, and even when I was kidnapped, you came to save me.”
She vividly remembered the moment when the bridge exploded and she was thrown off a cliff. She had been certain she would die, caught in the blast and plummeting to her death.
But she survived.
It was thanks to Yohan, who shielded her and bore the brunt of all the damage.
And during the trial preparations to gather evidence against the Crown Prince, when she was kidnapped again—this time by Fedelian Rozino—she was sure she wouldn’t survive. Fedelian never let traitors go unpunished.
But she survived again.
Yohan had risked his life to rescue her personally.
That’s why Rudella trusted Yohan. She believed without a doubt that he would succeed.
“…This is a bit embarrassing.” Yohan muttered, turning his head in discomfort.
“What’s embarrassing? As your lover, as your woman, isn’t it natural for me to believe in you?”
“Your… woman?”
“Well, isn’t love the most profound form of servitude? That makes you my master. I’ll gladly accept whatever you desire.”
“…”
Rudella smiled softly as she spoke. Yohan found himself momentarily speechless, surprised by how much bolder she’d become since they became lovers.
“By the way…”
Resting her chin on her hand, Rudella slowly averted her gaze and cautiously spoke.
“Since you won’t be able to visit for a while, don’t you think you owe me enough love to make up for it?”
Her voice quivered slightly. The once pale tips of her ears had turned a bright red, her embarrassment plainly visible.
Clink.
Startled, Yohan carefully set his teacup down. He wasn’t so naïve as to misunderstand the meaning behind her words.
“What do you think…?”
Rudella gently met his gaze and ran her fingertips lightly over the back of his hand. Her sweet, alluring eyes seemed to pierce straight into his heart.
“…Then.”
Yohan softly grasped her slender hand, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
“I’ll make today so unforgettable that you’ll remember it for the rest of your life.”
***
The day of the mission to Tenerope.
Before dawn, Yohan arrived at the Bureau of Inspection.
His condition… wasn’t great.
Hollow cheeks, dull eyes, and dark circles under his eyes—proof of being thoroughly drained by both Rudella and Francia for several days in a row.
“…You’re here.”
Standing in front of a line of carriages, Eris greeted him with a blank expression. For some reason, she turned her head slightly to the side.
“Am I late?”
“There’s still plenty of time before departure.”
“So, I arrived at the right time.”
“…Yes.”
Eris nodded slightly while staring into the distance. Yohan asked,
“By the way, aren’t we crossing into Tenerope with the inspectors? Should we not be concerned about being caught?”
For the mission to assassinate Fedelian, they planned to cross the border as a group, entering the country illegally. However, the more people involved, the higher the chances of discovery.
“That won’t be a problem. We have a top-class inspector who specializes in perception-disruption magic and secondary barriers. Unless Duke Aegis himself is guarding the area, there won’t be any issues.”
Even high-level perception-disruption magic was hard to detect unless one was a true expert. Adding a secondary barrier to the mix made it nearly impossible to be caught, even if someone tried.
“I see. But… are you going to keep wearing that robe?”
“…The robe?”
“Yes. Wearing it while crossing the border makes sense, but not now, does it?”
Yohan found it unsettling that he couldn’t read Eris’s expression. Reading emotions from faces had been an ingrained habit of his since his academy days, where he had endured endless torment from noblewomen.
“Well then…”
Eris hesitated for a moment before cautiously removing the robe that had concealed her face. Her soft, platinum blonde hair glowed faintly in the light, and her cold, ash-gray eyes came into view.
Yohan smiled faintly.
“Now I can see your eyes. They’re beautiful.”
“B-beautiful…? Please don’t say such things…”
Eris fidgeted with her fingers and blushed. Just exchanging a few words with him made her heart race uncontrollably.
Having devoted her entire life to training and study, she had no immunity to handsome men.
To her, raised in a knightly household, men were little more than sweaty beasts – until she met Yohan.
But Yohan? He was like a walking masterpiece, a man so exquisite that he was called the trophy of high society.
He was far beyond what Eris could handle.
“You’ve had trouble maintaining eye contact with me for some time.”
“T-that’s…”
“…Did I say something to offend you?”
Yohan smiled awkwardly.
He was so accustomed to automatically complimenting women that sweet words often slipped out without him realizing. However, he worried such words might have annoyed Eris Highlander, a woman from both a noble and knightly lineage.
“N-no! That’s not it… It’s just…”
“Just what?”
When Yohan tilted his head curiously, Eris glanced at him briefly before quickly averting her gaze. His subtle air of decadence struck an oddly specific chord with her.
“It’s nothing…”
Eris bowed her head, clasping her trembling hands tightly. She wanted to respond calmly, but her racing heart wouldn’t let her.
“It’s not that you’ve done anything wrong, Master Lahart… I didn’t feel offended, truly… It’s just my own issue…”
Her voice grew quieter, as if fading away.
“Well, I’m glad it wasn’t offensive. I wouldn’t want to get on the bad side of the esteemed Special-class inspector Highlander.”
Yohan smiled warmly. Maintaining a good relationship with her was wise, as solidarity would be crucial for the upcoming mission.
“…”
On the other hand, Eris stood stiffly in place, as if frozen. To be more precise, she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
‘What does he mean he doesn’t want to get on my bad side? Does that mean he’s not in a relationship with Lady Fervache? Could he actually be… a playboy?’
As someone who had never experienced love—nor had even a single close male friend despite being from a knightly family—Eris’s thoughts spiraled into strange delusions.
It wasn’t just because she was talking to a man.
It was because the man in question was Yohan—a man so breathtakingly perfect he seemed like the ultimate masterpiece crafted by a world-renowned artist.
“Attention, everyone!”
While Yohan and Eris were talking, the loud voice of the Chief Inspector echoed through the air.
“We’re commencing the operation now!”
The time to deal with Fedelian Rozino directly had arrived.