Night and Men Have Two Sides

Tobeok. Tobeok.

All the lights were off, and it was a dim night with only small oil lamps around the castle illuminating the surroundings.

A man walked across the chilly air.

The moment he passed by the oil lamp, his golden hair was faintly revealed, and for a moment his hardened expression was faintly reflected on the white porcelain placed on the street.

He moved to a terrace a little away from the hall where the social party had been in full swing earlier.

“…You’ve come, Vermillion Drake.”

When he revealed the dark-colored curtain, a black-haired man was standing on the terrace, which he thought would be empty.

When Vermillion saw the face of the protagonist who had given him humiliation in front of the spectators earlier, he felt a moment of frustration but calmed down.

After all, he knew better than anyone else that there was no point in rushing at the man in front of him.

“What did you call me for?”

“Of course, it’s the fulfillment of the promise. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

“Tchet.”

Vermillion, who had been acting like a nice guy, realized that it was useless in front of Kyle, and clicked his tongue, revealing his displeasure.

But he didn’t run away from this awkward situation.

Although his temper was twisted, he was also a son of a noble family who had been educated, so he was not petty enough to run away from what he had said.

No, rather, because his pride was so strong, he couldn’t run away even if he wanted to.

He knew better than anyone else that running away from the results he didn’t choose was something that only losers who he hated and rejected would do.

“Did you say you had something to ask?”

“Yes.”

“Then tell me quickly without delay. I’ll answer anything.”

Vermillion retorted bluntly, saying that it was obvious that it would be a pointless question.

“It’s good that the story is fast. Then I’ll ask. Are you a member of the Dawn’s Eye?”

“……!”

However, that was only for a moment, and as soon as Kyle’s words continued, his eyes widened.

It was as if his eyes had already answered the question.

“For your information, you should give up on the idea of running away or answering with lies. I’ve already taken measures to prevent that.”

“…So it was a barrier, damn it.”

“Yes.”

Somehow, he felt a strange sense of alienation from the moment he stepped into the terrace.

Vermillion gritted his teeth, realizing that this place was a trap set up to catch him from the beginning.

Moreover, judging from the fact that he was told to give up on answering with lies, it seems that he has either used a special trick on the barrier or has learned magic that detects the other person’s lies.

Vermillion clenched his fists as he watched the other person casually sitting on the railing and nodding as if to tell him to speak quickly.

“…What happens if I can’t answer?”

“Then I’ll just force you to speak. Did you think I wouldn’t consider that possibility?”

“I guess so.”

Vermillion dropped his head as if giving up, thinking that it would be right to assume that he had also learned magic to force the truth out of him, as he didn’t seem like the type to enjoy torture.

Where the hell did this monster come from?

“Just one question. How did you know?”

“That mark on your hand. Isn’t that proof that you’re a member of the Dawn’s Eye?”

“It’s hard to notice with just that. It could just be an ornament.”

“Well, that’s true. There must be more than one or two people with that kind of piercing.”

As Vermillion said, piercing the back of the hand is a fairly popular decoration method, especially in the western regions.

Perhaps that’s why Vermillion himself judged that he wouldn’t be caught with this kind of evidence, so he took off his gloves without any hesitation at that time.

If that wasn’t the case, he would have shaken hands calmly with his gloves on until the end.

However, there were several other reasons why Kyle recognized his identity.

“Actually, when I recently visited Ruben, I heard a rumor. I witnessed the Drake family secretly supporting the Dawn’s Eye….”

“…You managed to hear that rumor. I should have taken care of all the guys who spread that rumor.”

“Can rumors be hidden so easily?”

“So, is that all?”

It was certainly enough to be suspicious, but Vermillion frowned and asked because it was ambiguous whether it was enough evidence to speak with such conviction.

At that, Kyle shrugged and nodded, pointing to Vermillion’s body.

“No, I became convinced while sparring. Looking at it earlier, that power…. It seems you got it from those guys.”

“……!”

Vermillion’s eyes, who had been trying to act calm and listening to Kyle’s words, widened as if they were about to pop out this time.

In a way, the truth that Vermillion didn’t want to reveal even more than the fact that he belonged to the Dawn’s Eye was revealed through his mouth.

“You bastard, how did you….”

“It’s obvious. If you think about it logically from the beginning, there’s no way that a descendant of a prestigious family like you would walk into a group of rebels on your own.”

Shrugging his shoulders and sneering at Vermillion as if openly mocking him, he dropped his body from the railing and slowly approached Vermillion and placed his hand on one of his shoulders.

“It’s either one of two things. You either received a sweet offer to join the Dawn’s Eye if you give them power, or you have a member of the Dawn’s Eye among your closest aides and naturally joined. No, maybe it’s both.”

“You’re like a ghost….”

Kyle was speaking calmly, but Vermillion had to feel goosebumps all over his body every time his mouth opened.

It was literally all correct without a single word out of place.

To be exact, the entire Drake family was a member of the Dawn’s Eye.

Vermillion himself doesn’t know the history in detail, but according to his father, Braig Drake, they have been receiving power from the Dawn’s Eye and have earned the nickname of a prestigious magic family.

Surely his grandfather, Elfelt Drake, would have been the same.

That’s why Vermillion received power from them in order to approach his goal, his grandfather.

Borrowing external power was not a matter of hurting his pride.

From the beginning, he believed without a doubt that this was also the path that only he, as a member of the chosen one, could take.

“…So what are you going to do? Are you going to report me or something?”

Vermillion stared at Kyle with narrow eyes and spoke aggressively.

If he had found out this much, he should have reported it a long time ago, but he couldn’t understand why he had gone through the verification process with him.

What is he trying to do?

Vermillion gritted his teeth at Kyle’s expressionless face, which he couldn’t read his mind, but Kyle shook his head and opened his mouth.

“No, I have no intention of doing that. You can think of it as I’m going to help you instead.”

“Help me…?”

“Yes.”

Vermillion’s eyes twitched for a moment at the answer he couldn’t understand.

Kyle, who had affirmed that, stared at Vermillion with golden eyes without saying a word, then showed a round form of magic power in his hand and added with a cold smile.

“Won’t you make a contract with me? Vermillion Drake.”

It was the same words that a man had approached him and said when he was craving for power more than ever before his regression.

＊＊＊

“Eueung….”

Was it because the bed was changed? Sylvia felt strangely unable to fall asleep, got up from the bed in the middle of the night, and left the room.

It was good to come out boldly, but she was afraid to stand alone in the hallway because of the silence.

She wanted to go to Kyle and talk to him, but he must be traveling in dreamland, so she decided to wander around the castle aimlessly because she didn’t want to disturb him.

She will spend some time and return to her room when she feels sleepy.

Tobeok. Tobeok.

‘Footsteps? Who is it in the middle of the night?’

In the meantime, her ears perked up at the faint footsteps coming from the opposite side.

Since it’s such a big castle, there may be people patrolling or servants busily walking around the hallway in the middle of the night.

Nevertheless, she felt nervous because of the cold night air compared to the daytime, so she wrapped her arms around herself and waited until the footsteps came right in front of her.

“…Princess Eleanor? What brings you here at this hour?”

“L, Lyaird- gongja?”

Then, the person who appeared was someone completely unexpected.

Sylvia widened her eyes and stammered at the sight of Kyle, who appeared in comfortable casual clothes rather than the uniform he was wearing at the social party.

To meet him like this at the moment she wanted to meet him, should she call this coincidence or fate?

“Ah…. I somehow woke up. I was wondering if I should take a walk until I fall asleep again, so I was wandering around.”

“Still, it’s dangerous for a woman to walk around alone. Even if it’s the Duke’s castle.”

“T, that’s right. I guess it’s better to go back?”

Sylvia felt her shoulders droop and agreed, as she was only happy to meet him but suddenly heard cold nagging.

As he said, the security and defense of the Duke’s castle would be perfect, but there is still a possibility of one in a million.

Just as she was about to return to her room sadly, thinking that she would have to let this night pass, Kyle’s voice stopped her legs.

“…But it would be okay if there was someone with you. If you’re okay with it, I’ll be by your side for a while.”

“Ah…!”

Sylvia, who quickly realized what the meaning contained in his rather blunt tone was, inadvertently exclaimed and looked up at Kyle.

It seems that he was about to return to his room, but she felt very warm at his consideration to spend a little more time for her.

“Thank you, Lyaird- gongja. You’re kind no matter what.”

“That’s enough flattery. Let’s go quickly. Ah, before that….”

While looking at her softly smiling, he maintained a stiff expression throughout, stopped the steps he was about to turn around as if he had forgotten something, and suddenly looked down at her.

Then, he took off the thin coat he was wearing and carefully placed it on Sylvia’s shoulders so as not to touch her body, and added as if muttering quietly.

“Even if it’s spring, the temperature difference is big, so it’s quite cold at night. From now on, wear at least a thin coat when you come out.”

“Hehe, I will. By the way, sniff sniff…. I can smell Lyaird- gongja’s scent on this clothes.”

There was no way that the scent would be so strong on the clothes that had been mixed with the luggage all the time and had just started to be worn.

Nevertheless, Kyle felt a headache at her appearance of pretending to smell openly and showing a playful smile.

This woman, really.

“Just wear it quietly before I take it away.”

“Aww, that’s unfair.”

“Don’t you think a princess who plays pranks instead of being grateful for someone else’s kindness is more unfair?”

“Of course I’m grateful? I was just speechless because I was so grateful.”

“You’re good at talking anyway.”

Sylvia smiled brightly as she followed him, who sighed and turned his head.

She said that jokingly, but it was actually her true feelings.

I was so grateful that you appeared when I missed you the most, and that you took off your coat and handed it to me even though I didn’t show that I was cold.

But more than that, what Sylvia was most grateful for was that she could see that he was trying to stay by her side as if he was fulfilling his promise to her.

In that sense, Kyle was a man who was best suited to the slightly old-fashioned and obvious expression that his existence itself was a gift to her.