Pulling the Trigger
Julia clutched her skirt the moment she met that captivating smile head-on. She had never been immune to handsome men.
“Ah, no, it’s nothing. I’m just a little…”
Rezef regarded the cherished daughter of the Evans family with contempt. She clearly hadn’t received any proper instruction in court etiquette; her speech and behavior had been utterly unrestrained from the start. By comparison, the woman with wheat-colored hair and green eyes he had seen yesterday and today displayed impeccable court manners despite her humble origins.
Yet her talents weren’t limited to etiquette. She also possessed an exceptional sense of strategy. The scheme to push aside the knight guarding the bedroom door and seek him out had been her doing.
‘The more I learn, the less I like her.’
Olivia Grace had an odd way of reminding him of Raphael. He disliked the fact that such a woman remained at his sister’s side. Both of them struck him as equally unpleasant and irritating.
In contrast, Julia Evans—with her strikingly beautiful face—was easy prey for Rezef. He had always excelled at taking foolish women like her in hand and bending them to his will. Though circumstances now forced him to refrain, he had once done the same to Cayena.
“Have you been crying?”
Rezef’s large hand tilted Julia’s small face upward. The traces of tears were unmistakable. Julia’s cheeks flushed scarlet as she hung her head.
‘Oh no, my eyes must be horribly swollen from crying!’
She felt utterly miserable. And it was all her brother’s fault.
“No…”
Her voice came out in a tiny squeak as she fidgeted with her fingers. She found Rezef’s unusual gentleness toward her both surprising and thrilling.
Then again, this was only natural. She had always received such tender attention and considerate care. But ever since coming to the capital, first Susan and then Zenon had done nothing but upset her.
Rezef’s low chuckle brushed against her ear.
“Cheer up.”
Those simple words made her heart flutter.
Before she could say anything more, Rezef had already walked past her. Julia watched his retreating figure with eyes full of lingering regret.
Rezef returned to his bedroom and flung his cloak aside with a careless toss.
“Where is Zenon?”
The servant who had bent to retrieve the fallen cloak straightened up at once.
“After confirming Your Highness was not in his chambers, he left without giving any instructions.”
Rezef’s brow furrowed deeply. Zenon had been missing since yesterday. Had his resolve weakened? It was especially strange that he had not appeared to stop Rezef after yesterday’s major incident.
‘I thought he harbored other feelings for my sister.’
Yet he seemed remarkably unconcerned about the kidnapping. Perhaps Rezef had been wrong.
‘Instead, that Gillian fool who doesn’t know his place dared to covet her.’
The mere thought of the kidnapping brought a fresh wave of icy fury to his face. Henverton Gillian undoubtedly knew the mastermind behind the double abduction. He needed to be interrogated at once, but as a noble, Rezef could not touch him without imperial decree or a formal trial.
He had attempted to summon Duke Kedrey to discuss stripping Henverton of his noble status, but the plan had fallen through. The duke had only temporarily inherited his title and still had family matters to settle.
Rezef found it galling that he had to rely on Raphael’s help in this situation. Still, he had no choice but to be patient. Although the primary culprit had been captured at the scene, the remaining conspirators remained at large.
“It was pointless to order them all killed yesterday.”
Irritably unbuttoning his jacket, Rezef reached for the holster at his waist—then froze.
“…”
The gun was gone. He glanced at the floor.
‘Did it fall somewhere?’
But there was no sign of it.
“Besides the cloak, did anything else drop?”
The servant assured him nothing else had fallen.
This was strange. Where could he have lost it? How could a gun secured in its holster simply slip out?
“Tsk.”
Clicking his tongue, Rezef headed outside once more. It would not do for anyone to discover him carelessly using the weapon. After all, he still had to mind his father’s watchful eye. Worse, the missing gun was an unregistered personal item. If it were found, it would give his enemies clear grounds to accuse him.
“Where on earth is that gun…”
Frowning, he scanned his surroundings until his gaze drifted toward the corridor leading to the princess’s palace. He had spent most of the day there. Perhaps it had fallen in that area? Rezef turned his steps back toward the chamber where his sister lay sleeping.
Cayena opened her eyes after keeping them closed for a long while. Only she and Vera remained in the room. She called out softly.
“Vera.”
Vera, who had been sewing, paused. She had wondered why Cayena lay so unnaturally still. So she had only been pretending to sleep.
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“Until the kidnappers are dealt with, increase the patrols in the imperial dungeon and strengthen security. Starting today.”
Vera assumed the ordeal had left Cayena feeling vulnerable.
“As you command.”
Vera was about to send for a lower maid to remain in her place, thinking it best that someone attend Cayena given her condition. But Cayena refused.
“My body is fine. The memory of the kidnapping actually makes having people around more uncomfortable.”
“Then I will have someone check on you periodically.”
“Good.”
Vera drew the bed curtains and left the chamber. The door clicked shut behind her.
“…”
Cayena rose from the bed and retrieved the gun she had hidden beneath the blankets. She had secretly transferred it to her dress pocket while Rezef held her.
She stared at the weapon in silence. Its body was beautifully crafted, like a work of art. It was already loaded.
Without hesitation, Cayena slipped out of bed. She donned an indoor coat with a hood, tucked the gun away, and stood before the tapestry.
She lifted the heavy fabric and slid the hidden door aside. Well-oiled, it moved silently. A dark secret passage appeared—the same one Rezef had used before.
Lamp in hand, Cayena descended through the passage. When she reached the first floor, she concealed the lamp and relied on memory to find her way to the imperial dungeon. Her steps grew increasingly urgent.
‘He’ll definitely try to escape today.’
The Gillian family was no ordinary viscount household, and the countless vile acts Henverton had committed had not been carried out without support. His escape was inevitable. Cayena could not afford to miss this chance.
She finally reached the imperial dungeon. As expected, the gatekeeper was nowhere to be seen—likely replaced by men Henverton had bribed. Thanks to their absence, she entered without difficulty. Disordered noises echoed from within.
Cayena concealed herself. She watched as several figures slipped out of the dungeon one by one. They were clearly the ones who had opened Henverton’s cell. At last, Henverton Gillian himself appeared.
Click.
After confirming the bullet, she leveled the gun at the back of his head.
“Henverton Gillian.”
At the sound of his name, Henverton whirled around. Cayena stepped forward slowly, revealing herself in the torchlight. With her arm extended and finger poised on the trigger, she looked as noble and unyielding as a judge delivering sentence.
“Ha, haha!”
Henverton burst into laughter the moment he saw her. The drugs had worn off, leaving him surprisingly lucid. Yet the madness in his eyes remained.
“To think Your Highness would come looking for me first.”
He sneered as his gaze fell on the gun in her hand.
“Have you come all this way just to honor me with a bullet?”
He swaggered forward, clearly convinced she would not pull the trigger. Cayena’s voice cut through the air like ice.
“I expected you to scurry away like a rat without paying for your crimes. You truly never fail to meet expectations.”
Henverton shook his head and took one step closer. She instinctively retreated a pace, adjusting her grip on the gun.
“Even if one commits a sin, one need not always be punished, Your Highness.”
“Perhaps that’s true for some.”
Cayena’s eyes never wavered.
“But not for you.”
She slowly squeezed the trigger. The bullet would pierce that skull. Henverton would die instantly. At last, she would rid herself of the wretched ghost that had haunted her past.