Instead of grabbing Helena by the throat,
“It's obvious why you're doing something you normally wouldn't.”
Thump.
He placed a hand on Helena's shoulder. The sensation of his thick, firm palm was vividly felt.
“I'll make myself clear right here and now.”
Helena, whose attention had been entirely stolen by that brief contact,
“My plan to use Helena as my shadow remains unchanged.”
drew a sharp breath at Dane's following words.
‘What's with my master all of a sudden?’
She never expected him to take her side over his wife's. He wasn't the type to do that.
“…….”
Perhaps because her inner thoughts had been exposed, or because Dane had flatly rejected her words.
Rose listened to Dane in silence, her face somewhat pale.
“Monitoring the personnel within the castle and conducting background checks—Helena is the only one who can do this without being caught.”
“…….”
“And she has connections with the Guild. It's hard to find someone with such qualifications.”
Dane recited in a dry voice, as if appraising a piece of merchandise.
“Requesting an informant from another guild will only leave a trail. You should know that as well, Wife.”
Funnily enough, Helena found herself getting thrilled by these mere words.
Her pride as a woman was hurt. But more than that, the palm resting on her shoulder, his indifferent acknowledgment, meant far more to her.
The moment Dane needed her. She knew she would do anything for this.
“…Your Excellency is right. But I, I…….”
Rose briefly turned her gaze toward Helena.
Why did her drooping eyes look so desolate, and why did she have a gaze that seemed to know her so well?
Unable to understand it, Helena stayed silent.
“…Never mind.”
Rose soon hung her head. It was as if she had stopped in her tracks after meeting an irresistible current.
“Your concerns are valid, Wife.”
Dane's hand fell away from Helena. He turned his body so the Arsil Orphanage was visible in the distance.
“That's why we came here today. I plan to sweep away the remnants left in the shadows.”
“Ah.”
Rose, following Dane's gaze to check on the Arsil Orphanage, let out a gasp of realization.
“You already had a plan, Your Excellency.”
“However, I need your cooperation.”
“Pardon? What kind of cooperation?”
Dane cupped his chin and tilted his head. His voice lacked some confidence, but the look in his eyes was undoubtedly mischievous.
“I'm not sure if you'll be able to pull it off, Wife.”
**
“Damn it. Nothing goes my way.”
Kevin, the director of the Arsil Orphanage, had been in a very foul mood lately.
Orphanages were usually run on donations. And most nobles donated out of charity.
However, some nobles who visited the Arsil Orphanage donated expecting something special in return.
Sometimes it was to run background checks on someone; other times, it was to wreak havoc on a rival business, and sometimes…….
“Tsk, was he too much for them after all?”
Sometimes it was an assassination request. In fact, this was the biggest source of funding for the Arsil Orphanage.
The client requested Dane's assassination and offered a massive donation. The terms were half upfront, and the other half upon success.
Kevin had staked most of the orphanage to jump into this gamble. The result was utter ruin.
“Shouldn't have bet so recklessly, tsk tsk.”
Losing his skilled children was a bitter pill to swallow. Among them, the most gut-wrenching loss was Helena.
“Tsk.”
He couldn't help but regret losing his top-tier talent and precious toy.
“If I had known, I should have left Helena out of it.”
All the assassins sent to Schmaichel Castle were dead. At the same time, he lost half the donation.
It didn't just end as a simple assassination failure. Losing key personnel caused setbacks for accepting future requests as well.
Wondering how to fill this gap, Kevin racked his brain while looking over the list of children at the orphanage.
Just then.
“Director, Director!”
Casto, who had been helping with his work, rushed into the room.
“What's all this commotion?”
Kevin scowled before even clearing the documents on his desk. He wondered why that usually calm bastard was making such a fuss.
“You have a guest.”
“At this hour? We didn't have an appointment. Seems they came unannounced.”
A guest coming at this hour meant their business was obvious. And it wasn't like Casto had only hosted this kind of guest once or twice.
“Then quietly bring them inside, why all this noise?”
“Well…….”
Creak.
Before Casto could even answer, the door opened again.
Seeing the figure who entered the room,
“-!”
Kevin immediately understood why Casto was sweating bullets. It was a guest worth sweating over.
Dane Schmaichel.
A massive, silver-haired man stood by the door. It was his first time seeing him in person, but he knew his description, so he knew who it was.
‘He's even more impressive in person.’
Clicking his tongue inwardly, Kevin suddenly realized something. There was another figure hidden behind Dane's massive frame.
‘A woman?’
There was one more girl with red hair. Dane stood beside her as if shielding or protecting her.
‘Hmm... don't tell me.’
Kevin roughly guessed the girl's identity. But he politely averted his gaze and gestured to Casto with his eyes.
“Bring us some tea fit for a guest.”
He quickly rose from his desk and greeted the two at the door.
“Apologies for the lack of notice. Please, come this way.”
As he guided them to the guest table, Kevin observed Dane discreetly.
There was no excess in his every step. Even though he was just walking over, it felt like a lurking predator slowly approaching, sending shivers down his spine.
The chilling aura radiating from his entire body, his well-trained physique worthy of a martial master, and his most characteristic piercing blue eyes.
All of it made the man standing before him feel intimidated. Even Kevin, who had dealt with his fair share of nobles, had to struggle not to shrink back.
‘A young bastard with eyes like an evil spirit who has butchered dozens.’
It wasn't an inaccurate assessment. He had heard Dane had suffered through numerous assassination attempts.
But no pain would have ever brought this fierce tiger to its knees.
Looking at his perfect, arrogant face—as if it had never been wounded or scratched even once—Kevin imagined it contorted in agony.
‘That would be quite a sight.’
That was the reason he started this business, the Guild, in the first place.
To Kevin, who grew up as an orphan, nobles were monsters from a completely different world. The noble bloodlines they possessed from birth, something he could never have with his lowly origins.
Thus, Kevin wanted to take what was theirs and make them bow before him.
‘Please, at least spare my life…….’
‘My daughter, where is my daughter?’
‘Who hired you!’
The nobles who used to rampage so wildly became servile when he held their lives in his hands. They became obedient once they realized their families had been taken hostage.
Kevin found it quite enjoyable to see their contorted faces. The fact that he, a mere orphan bastard, could bring them to their knees was truly the ultimate pleasure.
Therefore, assassinating Dane Schmaichel, the supreme ruler of the North, was equivalent to Kevin's life dream.
However.
‘No wonder it failed.’
Looking at Dane before him, the director was able to see the unseen truth of the past.
His aura was surprisingly quiet and well-ordered. He had heard Dane's mana reserves were immense, but his skill to contain it so it didn't leak out was outstanding.
The muscles developed for killing were perfectly balanced across his entire body. Even in dark clothes, the muscles that couldn't be hidden made him look all the more imposing.
‘And to think I sent my best and most relentless children.’
Seeing Dane in person, he realized it. That man had been far too overwhelming for those children to handle.
And Dane was not soft enough to let anyone who targeted his life live.
‘Why did he come here in the first place?’
Kevin was most curious about that.
But Dane sat down and didn't say a word. He merely looked around the director's office with an unreadable, cold face.
He didn't even take a single sip of the tea that Casto had hurriedly brought out.
‘His habits are deeply ingrained.’
Someone who had suffered from assassination attempts for a long time would become cautious. Even from this small clue, Kevin could catch a glimpse of the life Dane had lived.
“If you had brought a servant, it might be different, but visiting without notice means we were unprepared to receive you.”
Pointing out the sudden, almost surprise-visit nature of his arrival, Kevin played dumb about his identity with a nonchalant face.
“Please forgive my rudeness. I am Kevin, the operator of the Arsil Orphanage. I apologize, but may I ask who you are?”
“Dane Schmaichel.”
Dane's answer was incredibly confident yet brief, as if that was all the introduction he needed. Then, he introduced the woman sitting demurely beside him.
“This is my wife, Rose Schmaichel.”
“Oh.”
Kevin let out a low gasp.
He had been continuously checking on Schmaichel Castle's situation since the assassination attempt. He had heard the news that an eighth wife had been brought in, and it seemed this woman was the one.
“It is an honor to meet you.”
After hiding his inner thoughts and bowing deeply, Kevin fixed his gaze on Dane once again.
“Excuse me, but for what reason have you come to our orphanage?”
“Hmm.”
Instead of answering, Dane glanced at the wife sitting next to him. He then reached out and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her toward him.
As Rose flinched in surprise and looked at him, Dane spoke.
“I came because my wife told me to.”
It was a very affectionate tone that didn't match his expressionless face.
At that moment, Kevin saw it clearly. Rose's clear cheeks flushing red.
“Ahem.”
Rose brushed back her fallen hair and coughed slightly. Then, she looked at Kevin.
“Why else would we come to an orphanage? As you know, it's to donate.”
“As expected.”
“But before that, I also want to check if the children are doing well and if this is a reliable place.”
Kevin felt a moment of confusion at this situation.
They had visited together, yet Dane kept his mouth shut and let his wife speak for him?
‘Ah, a husband wrapped around his wife's finger, I see.’
It was a common occurrence.
A new mistress of the house enthusiastically pushing forward a business, and husbands pretending to be unable to refuse in order to prove their love for their wives.
‘Even that man becomes a fool in the face of love.’