“…”

Evan stared at my face and then at the bread.

Even though our gazes only met briefly, why do I feel so nervous?

“Thank you.”

Evan nodded as he passed me.

‘All right!’

The first meeting left me with a sense of disappointment.

Because we were too far away from each other, I couldn’t interact with him.

But today was different.

We made eye contact and had a short conversation, which should be enough to leave an impression on each other.

‘With this, he’ll remember me for sure.’

As I watched Evan return to the shack, my mood was uplifted.

‘Now, if I can just find the Male Lead, there’s nothing more to wish for.’

Contrary to expectations, finding the Male Lead won’t be easy.

Even in the 0th Episode, where he didn’t return, the Male Lead possessed extraordinary talent, enough to be on par to the demon lord. If he made up his mind to erase all traces of himself, not even the Thieves’ Guild would be able to find him.

‘It’ll be fine. In the first place, the Male Lead wasn’t part of the plan, right?’

I couldn’t afford to be greedy.

If it worked out, then it’d be for the better, but even if it didn’t, there was no need to be disappointed.

It was time for me to lighten up and conclude this meal in a good mood.

“Milady.”

Tia suddenly pulled at me and stood in front of me.

‘What?’

I was dumbfounded by the potentially rude behavior and stared at Tia.

Paying no heed to my gaze,Tia fished for a silver thread she’d tucked in her sleeve, drawing it tight.

‘W-why is she acting like this?’

I was astonished by Tia’s sudden change in behavior.

“I’m warning you, don’t move a single step.”

I became alert when Tia brandished her weapon at the man who had been last in line to receive his ration.

The atmosphere was so intense that I even felt nervous.

“I smell blood.”

‘Blood?’

Fixing her gaze on the suspicious man, Tia warned.

“He’s dangerous.”

My face muscles tightened.

As a notorious assassin in the original work, Tia’s sense of smell wasn’t to be trifled with.

‘Who the hell is it?’

I held my breath and stared at the man at the end of the line that Tia had pointed out.

Under his half-veiled hood, his black hair flowed down below his eyebrows.

His black attire was reminiscent of a crow.

His ominous, blood-red eyes matched such darkness.

The more I stared at him, the wider my eyes became, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.

After all, the man was similar to the one in my memories.

‘Y-Yussis!?’

In disbelief, I repeatedly blinked.

Yussis vanished into thin air, as if toying with the Thieves’ Guild.

The same man stood before my eyes like nothing.

“It’s okay, step back.”

“But Milady—”

Tia didn’t step aside, perhaps because she judged Yussis to be a threat.

“It’s someone I know.”

“Someone you know?”

“That’s right.”

As she stared at Yussis in disbelief, Tia’s gaze faltered.

Only then did I realize that Yussis bore similarities to someone I had commissioned from the Thieves’ Guild.

“…All right.”

Tia stepped aside slightly. Nevertheless, she held her weapon tightly and didn’t let down her guard.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.”

I placed my hand on my heart and politely greeted him.

“I stopped by to do some business and happened to see you. I hope there’s no misunderstanding.”

“Don’t get me wrong. I was a little surprised, but I am more than happy to see you.”

What did it matter whether it was a coincidence or not?

Meeting Yussis again in itself was an absolute stroke of luck for me.

“Actually, I was looking for you.”

“You were?”

There was a look of puzzlement in Yussis’ eyes as he asked.

For a moment, he closed his eyes as if something had occurred to him.

“Was it you who put a tail on me?”

I gulped at the sudden change in Yussis’ attitude.

‘H-he is a bit scary.’

I grimaced as the scene of the gruesome death of the man in black in the waterway flashed across my mind.

“…I apologize if you were offended.”

Without hesitation, I quickly apologized.

Yussis slightly furrowed his brows.

Was it so surprising that I honestly admitted my mistake and humbly apologized?

He glared at me with a puzzled look, and seemed to be wondering what the hell was going on.

“Why did you do that?”

He seemed offended, but maintained his cool.

He also treated me politely and seemed like he’d be willing to listen to my side of the story.

As I stared at him, I realized how different he was from the original.

—And meeting the Male Lead, with whom I could talk, felt like absolute luck to me.

“After we parted ways in the Underground Channel, I looked into you and discovered something.”

“And that is?”

“It could be that you and I are chasing after the same group.”

It was a long shot, but I was sure that Yussis understood my point.

“—Black butterfly tattoo on the back of the hand…”

“…!”

“I wanted to talk about them.”

For a moment, Yussis’ eyes wavered.

His agitation was small yet palpable.

‘Did I go too far?’

I also didn’t want to reveal my hand like this.

After all, it could yield the opposite effect, causing him to become more cautious of me.

But there was no other way.

Having fortunately met again, I had no choice but to go out of my way to attract his attention to develop a relationship with Yussis.

‘It’s alright, as long as I choose my words wisely—wow!’

I gasped at the sudden change in Yussis’ mood.

『 Warning! Risk of death increasing 』
『 Warning! Risk of death increasing 』

‘H-hold on.’

I paled at the unexpected backlash.

He stared at me, and the eyes of the Male Lead were biting cold.

That was no exaggeration—the pressure was so immense that I couldn’t even breathe properly.

“Huff…”

I hurriedly suppressed my reaction.

“—I want to return the favor to them.”

The pressure radiating from Yussis’ entire body ceased.

In fact, it was a nonsensical excuse.

In the original work, Kiana was part of the Black Butterfly Group. If the Male Lead had regressed, that lie would have crumbled in an instant.

‘Now it’s different.’

There exists a saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

I could establish the Black Butterfly Group as our enemy.

It was the simplest method to get closer to Yussis.

“Isn’t it the same for you?”

When I became bolder, Yussis’ eyes widened.

I stared straight at him.

Sometimes, a sincere gaze can convey more than words…

‘I learned it from a book.’

I also mimicked the attitude of female protagonists from good romance novels in real life.

Yussis wordlessly stared at me, obviously ruminating on ‘isn’t it the same for you’ for some time.

How much time passed as we looked at each other?

“Young Lady.”

Yussis spoke; his tone filled with renewed purpose.

“You seem very different from the rumors.”

“Rumors?”

I reflexively asked without realizing it.

After all, I didn’t expect Yussis to answer like that.

“Even when I first saw you in the Underground Waterway—”

‘At that time…’

“—Or when I saw your current activity—”

Yussis’ eyes swept over me.

“—And when I found out that you’re the most exalted in the North, too.”

“…!”

‘Does he know who I am?’

Just as I knew of Yussis, it seemed that Yussis also knew my true identity.

In the North, the highest rank was reserved only for the Brunak.

“Rumors are always baseless and exaggerated.”

I answered calmly without feeling offended.

It didn’t matter what rumors Yussis had heard about me, because no one with enough sense would be swayed by rumors like that in the first place.

In that moment, I just had to worry about how I looked in Yussis’ eyes.

“Somehow, the conversation has gotten longer.”

As the subtle war of courage between us continued, I thought it’d be better to end the conversation at this point.

“How about we make a separate appointment to discuss the rest? As you can see, this isn’t the most ideal place to do so.”

I could sense that Yussis was still wary of me, but he wouldn’t be able to refuse my offer.

There were probably a lot of things he wanted to ask and confirm about the Black Butterfly. Yussis nodded as if he understood.

“Then, I bid you adieu.”

I lifted the hem of my skirt and said farewell. After all, there was no need to hide my identity as a noblewoman any longer.

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Yussis turned away, also bowing with impeccable manners.
 

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