Ezekiel gazed at the woman beneath the staircase whose face was buckled in astonishment. Her hair seemed to dazzle like glittering stars in the night sky during summer which also kind of puzzled him for a moment. Was her hair always this white?

The lady quickly covered her head with her dark cloak and hesitantly lowered her eyes to avoid his. Strange enough, Ezekiel felt a slight disappointment when he couldn’t see her vivid emerald eyes anymore. Wait, why would he be disappointed? He knotted his forehead and disregarded the nonsense thought right away.

“G-Greetings, my Lord, it seems we always meet each other in an unusual setting.” Celeste finally regained a bit of her composure and even gave a brief nervous laugh.

Ezekiel followed her faltering chuckle as his eyes narrowed slightly. ‘What a cynical lady.’ “Yeah, it seems so.”

The constricted hallway with a few torches hanging on each side of the wall was giving the place a bit of light revealing the whereabouts of the children who were hiding behind the pile of bricks not far from her. Judging by the current situation in front of him, one could tell easily what the lady had been up to.

A commoner who went to save the kids alone from a powerful aristocratic household was a suicidal mission itself. Either her client who paid her service as an investigator was a lunatic or this lady must’ve been so desperate for a reward to even take this job.

Nevertheless, to be able to go inside with so many knights stationed outside without being detected—her skills as an investigator were no joke. He shouldn’t underestimate her. She was no ordinary woman, he presumed.

“I sensed peculiar mana in this direction. Perhaps, you know something about it, my lady?” He asked while securely gripping the sword in his right hand to show more of his unperturbed dominance.

Her face turned a bit pale at the question and glanced at her sides consequently as she bit her lower lip. Uncertainty was visible on her pretty face before returning her gaze to him. “Ahhh,... well, probably because of the mercenaries that I encountered in the basement, your Highness. They used some black magic items.”

‘And that’s what she said.’ The timidness in her voice was gone despite the air of intimidation. Earlier, the mana he felt was quite distinctive. It was familiar energy that he had encountered when he was young. A kind of magic that had no perception of good and evil. Somewhat neutral yet bound by elements of nature itself.

If the mana didn’t disappear so quickly, he would have thought that the private investigator was the one who possessed it when he busted the door open. But right now, he couldn’t sense a thing from her. He would still know if she was using a lull magic artifact to hide her mana, but it was as if it disappeared out of thin air. The only thing that remained was the disgusting smell of a black magician’s energy spoiling the corners of the mansion.

A frustrated sigh escaped his mouth. Ezekiel couldn’t read all those changing expressions that the woman was making. Sometimes he could feel her skepticism, steering clear of him, and one moment she could even dare to look him directly in the eyes. Those almond-shaped green eyes of hers that were bothering him on ends since he first laid eyes on it.

“You’re saying, you defeated those mercenaries who were using black magic items with only your bare hands?” He asked, a doubtful remark to her answer. She was completely empty-handed which raised suspicions.

“How could I possibly fight those big guys, my Lord?” A sly smile formed on Celeste’s lips afterward. “Of course, I used some cheap tricks here and there. I couldn’t believe you think of me as a brute, Grand Duke. As one would expect, I am still a very delicate lady despite my profession.”

‘What absurdity is she talking about now?’ Ezekiel maintained an expressionless face. No delicate lady would even have the courage to walk into this lion’s den. He was right about one thing, this woman was the most ridiculous person that he ever came across.

“Archduke!” A male voice shouted behind him, yet he didn’t budge at the spot from where he was standing nor look at the incoming person.

It was Berkley, who was running towards him, huffing like a sickly man. His tied dark brown long hair was now in a complete mess. Even his eyeglasses were foggy due to the heavy panting. The same man who was always so conscious of maintaining his neat look.

“Your Grace! How could you abandon me?! You left me there with all the guards and those demon-looking dogs! I have served you faithfully for all these years and even brewed you delicious tea every morning and every night... Why are you so mean to me, Archduke? I have yet to marry my Jennica too...” came his wailing secretary and even made a dramatic collapse when he finally reached him.

‘Damn, here comes a nuisance!’ He couldn’t even look at Berkley who clutched his leg while weeping like a banshee.

“Let go!” He said with annoyance in his tone, frowning at the manchild who was like a cowering puppy.

“Ahem. So, let me get this straight...” The private investigator took their attention. “Archduke and Sir Berkley went to Edelfort to rescue the abducted children, am I right?”

Aron nodded bashfully as he stood up upon noticing the lady’s presence while the young Lord barely responded.

“Okay, that’s good. We’re in the same boat. However, I was planning to take the children out without any unnecessary ruckus going on. And now it was completely ruined because of the Grand Duke’s and Mr. Secretary’s well-laid plan of action. Let me guess, the two of you showed up at the front gate and just straight up killed the knights who were there and barged your way in like a bull, did you?”

Their silence was enough for an answer. Berkley cleared his throat and adjusted his foggy eyeglasses but Ezekiel was left astounded at the sudden rant of the lady. How did she even know that?

“I see, the lady is quite sharp,” Aron leaned and whispered to him which he just ignored. None of those words offended him, he was more amused by her bold criticism of his actions.

“I am sorry, your Grace. How uncivil of me to give such judgment to a highly esteemed noble such as yourself. My mouth has uttered such foolishness and I deserve to be punished,” She said apologetically.

“Truly, I made a mistake. No need to ask for forgiveness, my lady.”

The surprised look on his secretary’s face was apparent after hearing an unlikely response. He expected that kind of reaction from Berkley. The proud Archduke of Levonne, the Black reaper of the battlefield just admitted that he was at fault. It wasn’t like he was right all the time.

“A-Archduke... you... No way!”

Ezekiel groaned in irritation and gave Berkley one last warning look to shut up.

“My lord, so mean...”

“Well, thank you for your kindness, your Grace. We should go now before the guards find us. It would be dangerous to let the children get caught in the chaos,” Celeste suggested.

The Archduke nodded in agreement and took a step back from the entrance. The woman signaled the children to come out and they began to flock around her like those tiny ducklings with their mother. Then she started instructing them simply, and very gently to not scare the kids.

Ezekiel watched her closely on how she dealt with the situation calmly and that reminded him of her statement earlier that she was a delicate lady. ‘Yeah, she looks like a delicate lady…’ A brief small smile formed his lips before he turned around and sauntered through the narrow hallway readying his sword as the Baron’s knights were waiting for them at the end of the corridor.

His aura manifested and his golden eyes gleamed like a predator in the night, bloodlust was stricken directly to the wavering enemies ahead. No one will be left alive in the hands of the Black Reaper.