Chapter 12: A Woman with No Eye for Men (7)
Anna unwittingly opened her mouth wide, then clutched her lips with a soft "Ouch."
But neither she nor Nicky noticed.
"So that was their second daughter. Even if it was an unwanted marriage to the second wife and an unwanted child... there's no need to treat her that cruelly. She's still their flesh and blood..."
"...What did she say? What on earth?"
"Words you can't say. Words you shouldn't say... Words only a parent could utter, making them all the more horrific. I only caught a snippet, but... wow. The professors and students couldn't bear to listen and rushed in—along with my subordinates—to barely pull her away. The knight order captain was practically dragged out. And even then, she kept spewing curses and vitriol to the last. Filth not even fit for a heretic..."
"Good heavens."
Anna stared at her husband with dazed eyes. Her hands trembled uncontrollably.
"I... I didn't know. I just... I thought..."
"Darling. Darling, hold on."
Nicky shot to his feet in alarm.
"Even you can't know every family's dirty laundry. It's not your fault. You wouldn't have sent her if you'd known."
"Of course... Of course I wouldn't have... Oh, why am I so oblivious? I just... I thought she'd be happy to see her father after so long..."
"Darling. Darling, Anna."
Nicky wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Please. You're human, not a god. You can't always make the perfect choice. No one lives a life picking only the right answers. You know that."
"But I still regret it."
"...Yeah."
Anna bowed her head. Nicky decided he needed to change the subject—and fast.
"Ahem. Anyway. Did your conversation go well?"
Anna paused before answering.
"Yes. I accepted. Thank goodness. If we'd followed standard retirement procedures, she'd be in a carriage heading to some lakeside retreat by now."
The Imperial Security Bureau wasn't your average outfit. It had access to information before anyone else in the world. Which meant agents could pocket that intel for personal gain, retire, and potentially betray the empire's interests. That's why Bureau retirees underwent "recovery" stays in some imperial backwater for six months to a year, depending on the sensitivity of their past assignments. After half a year, any knowledge in their heads would be outdated anyway. And during that time, even letters and visits were under strict surveillance.
That's precisely why faking a retirement without submitting a secrecy clearance certificate made for perfect cover. Officially retired, "confined" to an imperial "somewhere"—it was airtight.
"Um... Anna. I looked into that fellow you picked. His record's a bit odd."
"Odd?"
Nicky relaxed at the spark of curiosity in Anna's eyes. At least she'd stop dwelling on Lily and shift her focus.
"What part? Being the empire's first commoner graduate from the academy? Or that he was my student? If not that, then top entrance scores but barely avoiding expulsion in his first two years, only to dominate as top of the class in his last two?"
"A good student doesn't always make a good agent."
Nicky scratched the back of his head.
"His performance reviews are solid. Cross-verification reports check out too. Don't get me wrong—he's Bureau material. Honestly, I thought handling covert ops through the Imperial Guard wasn't a bad idea. But you went and assigned Guard resources to Agent Cain."
"I did."
"It can't just be his qualifications. You must have high hopes for him. Sure, at deputy chief level, he's skilled. But there are plenty of deputies. Why him specifically?"
"Start with his career. What seemed off?"
"Four years ago, he went to Venerucia. Came back two years ago, right? The Dandol family scandal. The six eastern merchant guilds collapsing overnight—that was him."
"Yes."
"That's what's odd."
Nicky shook his head.
"If those six guilds had regrouped, we'd be at war again for sure. But instead, the east is on the brink of civil war. A feat like that, and he's still just a deputy chief?"
"It wasn't perfect. That wasn't even his mission. He was supposed to recruit Venerucia's apprentice's only daughter and get her to defect. He failed. The fallout snowballed into the Dandol scandal. Sure, it paid off, but it was dumb luck."
Anna was dispassionate. Even for a cherished student, evaluations had to be precise.
"That kind of luck ruins people. Get more than you deserve, and you'll never touch solid ground again. And... Cain himself requested six months' leave. That's when he learned to use the staff."
"Why?"
Anna told him.
Nicky's jaw dropped.
"My god."
It was all the empire's prime minister could say.
"Good heavens. My god... What a guy."
"Yes. Tragically impressive. But my reason for picking him isn't just loyalty to the empire. You asked why not use Guard personnel? The Guard is excellent. Machine-like, flawless. But..."
Anna tapped the desk. The one holding the Pope's letter.
"We don't need someone who just does the job well. We're facing something entirely new. We don't know what dared turn the empire's heroes into that, or who's behind it. The Guard couldn't, the Bureau couldn't, even the Pope failed—and the empire's might alone isn't enough. But Cain can. If he can't, no one can. As far as I know. Because..."
Like a thorn in her throat, Anna swallowed her words.
She knew what they implied. Cruel words unfit for a beloved student, words that cut deep. Even in his absence, she hesitated. The kind of thing easy to say about someone else's life.
"Because?"
"He keeps shattering his own limits. Always has. Commoner who made it to university. Struggled his first two years but soared to the top with the right support. Lost his sword arm, yet caught Goetz with his half-baked staff skills."
Nicky finally nodded in understanding.
"Right. Not the perfect, ironclad Imperial Guard soldier. But flexible. Bent and broken, yet he grits his teeth and stands—exhausted, worn down, but that last time. This last time, he'll endure."
Her lips stung like they might split, but Anna pressed on. Her chest hurt more.
"Nicky, being smart and overcoming adversity are different. The wise avoid crises. But life doesn't work that way. Even if you do nothing wrong, wings get clipped unfairly sometimes. Like the heroes falling, like whatever prowls our lands unknown. This is hard. Unprecedented, unsolvable by most. Failure's more likely. So I played the card with the highest chance of risky success over safe defeat. He'll give everything. Even in spectacular failure, he'll pull something out. That's Cain. That's him."
In Nicky's eyes, Anna seemed to revert to her younger self. Youthful, untamed—the Anna who'd pressed her forehead to his and whispered of claiming the throne together.
But only for a moment. The woman before him now was wiser, if less confident. Countless failures had tempered her, forging new paths like a shade-loving plant reaching for light.
Perhaps.
Maybe the nickname "woman with no eye for men" was finally outdated. It fit that era's Anna.
In the end, Nicky Brienne—the husband who'd betrayed his wife—clung to that thought.
Even if Anna's eye faltered.
Even if things didn't go as planned—especially then.
Only after everything burned to ash did one true, priceless gem shine.
"Got it. I'll look for ways to help. Meeting the Grail Knights again this afternoon—anything for the Pope?"
"Plenty. Lots from me, even more from my brother. Truly."
Anna clenched her fist. Nicky wasn't shocked she'd coordinated with the emperor beforehand.
"But relay this: A scalpel that saves lives is smaller than a longsword that kills, yet sharper. I've given my dearest blade—this is the emperor's final patience with the Pope."
Nicky watched Anna's fury ignite. Even the mocking sun hid behind clouds, head bowed.
Siblings remained siblings, no matter the past quarrels. Their vast differences stemmed from deep similarities.
And those siblings had more reason than anyone to despise the Pope.
An eagle might fly low like a chicken now and then, but a chicken could never soar like an eagle.
The empire might crouch for now, but any who mocked it would be torn apart mid-air.
'As the emperor wills, so it shall be.'
The prime minister reaffirmed his resolve.
Exiting the building, Cain tapped his staff twice on the ground.
Thud. Thud.
To loosen his expression. No need for a world-weary look just because he'd taken on a grave case. No one was more mockable than the grim hero type. It drew eyes, and Bureau agents avoided attention.
Cain wandered the grounds, searching for Lily—who'd vanished who-knows-where. Unlikely, but if she'd ditched her briefcase and played dumb, that'd be a headache.
It was past lunchtime; his stomach growled. Eat well to work well—an eternal truth. Verneis might be waiting, but Cain knew him. The chief handled his own meals. And he hated the office too. Probably dozing by the east gate, disguised as a drunken coachman with his hat flipped.
Obvious. But where the hell is she?
A group of students passed, unusually somber for their age. A familiar phrase caught Cain's ear.
'A tall, pretty blonde running off in tears.'
Crying?
Hadn't she gone to see her father? Cain frowned.
Suddenly, he recalled the handkerchief Lily had flung at Godfrey's feet during her duel challenge. Luckily, it was still neatly folded in his pocket. A bit dusty, but a quick shake cleaned it up nicely.
Heading toward the cypress hall, old memories surfaced. Universities always had quiet types who didn't fit crowds. They found the campus's secluded spots effortlessly, like personal invitations.
Cain had been one. The grounds hadn't changed much.
This time, it was the small park behind the art gallery. Not huge, but dotted with fine columns—perfect for lovers seeking privacy. Or a woman stifling sobs alone.