If we fall from here, we’re dead!
If we dropped like this, we’d die instantly! Even though it was an order, the scream surged all the way up my throat—
But we didn’t fall. We landed smoothly on a nearby tree branch.
Eyes wide, gasping for breath, I spotted soone on the branch next to us—clad in black. A raven, hiding in the shadows.
“Don’t move. Just watch,” Kiaros ordered in a low voice.
I clung to him, still catching my breath, blinking wildly. The man next to us let out a bird’s cry.
“Just watch”?
From the context, the bird call must have been a signal among the ravens, probably aning “Don’t move.”
I blinked, confused. As my eyes wandered, Kiaros whispered,
“Looks like you’re not used to seeing cri scenes, Namia. But normally, people sneaking around don’t walk that slowly. And they sure don’t carry their target out in plain view.”
Ah, field experience.
No book could teach that. And it’s not like I’d had a chance to study it elsewhere.
Now that I thought about it, Anastasia hadn’t brought a decoy beaker with her when she ca in.
I had assud she smuggled it in sohow, which ant she should have smuggled it out too.
“We can observe a little longer. She’s not going to go far like that. Luckily, it’s a cup of liquid, and the lid’s not even closed. So there’s no chance soone’s going to snatch it or ambush her and run off with it.”
The way he assessed the situation so quickly amazed . And even though he could’ve just stayed silent, he whispered explanations for my sake.
It was... considerate.
“But...”
He glanced down at and added,
“I still don’t know why Anastasia did sothing like that.”
And so, ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) from our perch high in the tree, we watched her back as she walked away. Anastasia had left the office building and was heading toward the nearby garden.
As expected, her pace was as leisurely as ever. There was not a hint of secrecy in the way she moved.
Then, in one corner of the garden—
“Here.”
Anastasia held out the beaker to Victor.
“D-Did it work?”
***
Recently, Anastasia had been leaving work the latest—though “latest” only ant around 6:30 p.m.
There wasn’t any big reason for it. She’d just gotten really into a book in the office titled “Obsession Culminates in Flight.”
‘Maybe I should just take it ho? ...No, I’ve got books I’m already reading at ho. This one’s for the office—lunch breaks and downti only.’
At ho, she was currently devouring “The Terminally Ill Woman Escapes.” That one was fantastic too, so she could barely manage to tear herself away from her desk at 6:30.
Just as she was finishing up her quiet evening routine in the empty office—
“Anastasia? You’re still here?”
Victor walked back into the office—though she thought he had already left. With her bag half on, she tilted her head.
“D-Do you... need sothing?”
“Huh? Why would you assu that?”
“You—You know I always leave work around this ti, right?”
“Ah... You’re sharp, Anastasia.”
“E-Everyone in the departnt knows that, it’s not so secret...”
Anastasia shrugged. Victor was undeniably handso and had been popular since their Academy days, but she wasn’t particularly fond of him.
It was obvious he liked Namia, yet he kept beating around the bush—exactly the kind of guy she couldn’t stand.
“Actually... I do need a favor.”
“What is it?”
“I ran into the Minister earlier, and she asked to bring her a beaker of dragon’s blood. She said she’s going to continue her experints from her room tonight. Said she wasn’t feeling well.”
Anastasia nodded without hesitation.
Honestly, it was odd that the Minister even ca to the production room—most of the experints she did could’ve been handled with just a desk and scroll paper.
“She told to bring it to her anyti tonight. She knows I’ve got a lot of evening plans. I have dinner plans, actually.”
Victor grinned as he explained.
“But then I thought—this might be my chance to be alone with her.”
“H-Huh?”
“I’m going to confess.”
Anastasia’s eyes widened in shock—her interests had just been perfectly targeted.
“I’m going to hand her the beaker... and confess. I’ve liked her for a long ti. I’ve hesitated for so long, but I can’t hold it in anymore.”
“You’ll g-get r-rejected... C-Confession isn’t a challenge, you know.”
Anastasia offered her most heartfelt advice.
“C-Confession should be like a Christmas present for a child. That’s how you succeed.”
“Huh? As in, it should co from a pure place?”
“N-No, I an... You confess in a situation where the person is already expecting the gift. If they don’t get it, they’ll be upset or confused. That’s how it works.”
Victor frowned slightly, but he didn’t argue.
“I’m still going through with it. If I don’t, His Highness will take her from .”
“...Because of His Highness...”
Everyone in the Scroll Departnt knew Kiaros had shown clear interest in Namia—even donating blood for her. Honestly, that rumor had already spread through the entire bureaucracy.
Anastasia nodded.
“W-Well... Good luck getting rejected. I hope you walk the path of the regretful ex...”
“But here’s the problem—I agreed to deliver it at night, but...”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m a coward. I’m too scared to walk the dark hallways alone. But I don’t want to miss my chance to be alone with her, and I don’t want to carry it to my dinner appointnt either...”
He looked at her with pleading eyes.
“Could you maybe bring it tonight? Only team leaders can access the production room. If you just bring it out, I’ll handle the rest.”
To be fair, at this rate, he probably never would confess.
Confessing to the Crown Prince’s rumored lover... yeah, that was practically suicidal.
“F-Fine. But I have conditions.”
Normally, Anastasia would never co back to the office after work. But this request was just too in line with her interests.
“I—I want to know exactly how it goes. You have to tell everything. Every line. Every detail.”
“...Why are you so sure I’ll get rejected? You really think Namia’s going to choose His Highness?”
“No.”
Anastasia shook her head.
“T-To be honest... I think Kibon has a better chance.”
“...Why?”
A shadow fell over Victor’s face. Anastasia saw it, and that eerie shift in expression made her realize—his feelings for Namia were real. But they weren’t what she’d assud.
I thought he was just being petty—possessive but not serious. But this bitter, obsessive energy... it’s kind of nice?
Flustered, Anastasia stared as Victor demanded:
“He’s just a foreign intern.”
“H-Huh?”
“He’s not even as good-looking as His Highness. I looked up his registered address—he’s not rich either. No real job. No noble blood.”
“Y-You looked up his address? That’s... kind of creepy? But also kind of exciting...”
“He’s beneath Namia in every way. So why?”
There was a glint of madness in Victor’s eyes.
“I wasn’t enough as student council president. I wasn’t enough as her senior. I wasn’t enough as the Marquis’s son. But he is?”
“T-That’s...”
Anastasia blinked, then said,
“A-Ask her when you confess. H-How should I know what’s in the Minister’s heart?”
But inside, she thought she knew.
Anyway, there was no reason not to help him.
“Here.”
It wasn’t that difficult.
“D-Did it work?”
Victor, sitting on the bench, gave her a wide smile and nodded.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
He stood up slowly and walked toward her. After receiving the beaker from her hands, he gently set it on the bench.
“You really helped , Anastasia.”
That’s when it happened.
Anastasia sensed a murderous aura rush toward her.
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