Felix clearly remembered how much blood he’d seen before everyone in Ethelwood embraced this new organization that had become attached to the South, bringing the South to the forefront.

It was a war. While seemingly staying in his wife’s country, Killian Devonshire had smuggled items over and over and led the fight at the beginning of that war. Using the power of the Everdeen bankers’ connections, he was able to gain the cooperation of foreign powers by  colluding with the existing Southern organizations and maintained a victorious position until the end of the war.

The climax arrived when the opposing organization, which had resisted and disobeyed his orders until the end, was wiped out.

―I heard your mother was an actress who would’ve accepted any man that showed interest in her. Is it true that she gave birth to you because the Duchess was infertile?

The head of the organization, who was making his last desperate attempt, mentioned a widely known rumor, but none dared to speak of it. It was almost an unspoken rule. The story was that the previous duke’s long-time lover, an actress, had given birth to the duke’s child in place of the infertile duchess, and that child grew to become the current duke.

It was already an outrageous story and had long since been cleared up, but it was also a story that had caused a stir in the country for some time. Killian, who had been quietly watching the man as if witnessing a performance, immediately laughed. At the same time, the people around him couldn’t even breathe.

―That’s funny.

―What?

The man, wide-eyed at the unexpected reaction, could not even finish his sentence and didn’t have the chance to take out his gun when a bullet flew and pierced his head. 

The event happened in the blink of an eye. The air froze like thin ice, and Killian, who stood up leisurely, gave the dead man some advice.

―But it’s a bit boring; I look forward to more new swear words next time.

Killian’s voice was frighteningly calm.

Men who had committed a certain amount of murder always maintained a murderous aura around them. Now, such a man was standing there, looking so elegant and dignified.

Felix’s eyes narrowed as he watched the man in front of him. He had always looked perfect and had such a thick wall surrounding him, but he seemed to have softened up a bit lately.

In the past five years, he had been constantly in a weird mood and somewhat on edge. Still, these days he was more like the original Killian Devonshire, relaxed and laid back.

Perhaps it was the aftermath of the end of the war, but Felix had a feeling that wasn’t the whole story.

“Oh well.”

Scratching his eyebrows awkwardly, Felix made an innocent offer.

“Do you want to play another round of cards?”

With a small smirk, Killian glanced at the table.

“Why don’t you start by cleaning up the cards you hid under the table?”

“…How did you know?”

Startled, Felix laughed awkwardly and held up his hands as a gesture of surrender.

“Alright, I’ll return the money.”

“You can take that little bit of money with you.”

There was the sound of a chair being pulled back. Killian stood up sluggishly and slipped his arms into the coat that the attentive servant had brought him.

“As expected from your Excellency!~”

“Rowena Philone.”

“What?”

Felix, who had been proudly counting his money, raised his head at the sudden mention of the name, wondering why he was suddenly mentioning the name of his mistress.

Five years ago, a woman he had abandoned without any notice just before marrying the daughter of a wealthy foreigner. And as soon as he got divorced, he came to ask about her again, wanting to bring her to his side.

“Find out if there’s a courtesan by the name of Rowena Philone. She was around for a little while eight years ago, and maybe she’s still in business.”

Felix was taken aback by the flood of requests.

“What was the name again, Rowena Philone?”

“I know you have a wide network of people. Don’t overlook any small details, and give it your full attention. Don’t miss anything.”

Killian added, wearing the same black leather gloves she had taken off the last time.

“Do that, and I’ll give you three times the amount of money you have right now.”