Things had started to go awry at the Marquis Calister’s banquet hall.

It began right at the moment when Tidwell heard the talk from behind the terrace door.

“I will kick Tidwell out of the family anyway.”

His trust began to crack.

When Tidwell headed to the terrace it wasn’t a coincidence at all.

The arrival of Marquis Calister wearing amnesia would mark the beginning of it.

Ravia was convinced that Tidwell would follow Marquis Calister, but the reality was different.

Because Ravia had become more important than his revenge at that point.

He decided to look for Ravia first.

And there was no big problem so far.

If only a girl hadn’t approached him at that time.

A girl with jade-colored bobbed hair.

-Tidwell.

-Rette?

The man asked in surprise when he recognized the person who called him.

There was no way Tidwell couldn’t recognize the girl.

She worked as Cosmo’s staff, but her real duty was to use her power to create prophecies.

The unlucky summer user of this generation. In fact, he only met her once. After they established their partnership, Herod said that he would reveal his secret and led Tidwell to a room.

Herod showed his autumn power and introduced the summer user to Tidwell.

He treated her like one of the executives in Cosmo.

Thus, they only met once, but Tidwell looked more displeased than indifferent.

The reason was simple. Rette had tremendous support and protection from Cosmo.

That just meant that Herod or Cosmo’s agents were nearby.

Tidwell’s cold gaze scanned Rette.

-I didn’t expect to see you walking around the banquet hall without Herod.

-Of course. Herod is seeing someone. Do you think I came to meet you or something?

-It’s not like we’re on bad terms, so I don’t think you’re here just to tick me off. Just go straight to the point if you have any business with me. I have company, too.

-You mean your fake sister?

Rette laughed coldly. It just dawned on Tidwell that Retee wasn’t her usual self.

Her fancy dress was in contrast to her usual comfortable shorts and shirt, but that wasn’t what concerned him the most.

It was her face and aura.

She usually wore an insightful expression, but she looked particularly sharp today.

It just meant that Tidwell, who knew nothing about her, was able to sense her anxiety and resentment from the look on her face.

He didn’t need to think too hard about the reason because Rette herself informed him shortly after.

-Herod is meeting with your sister.

-…What did you say? That’s impossible.

-Seeing that you deny it right away, I’m guessing you made some sort of promise with Herod to stay away from Ravia Leontine.

Rette shrugged as if she had expected it, and sneered.

-Do you know that a promise like that has a lot of holes? He used me to meet her, so he didn’t break his promise, but Herod still achieved his goal anyway. You’re in big trouble.

Tidwell’s heart sank hearing Rette’s words full of mockery. If Herod and Ravia actually met, he would be exposed for deceiving Ravia.

That was the worst case scenario Tidwell had ever predicted.

What if Ravia found out the truth before he could reveal it all. The difference was as big as suicide and murder.

But Tidwell was good at concealing his anxiety. On top of that, he was good at reasoning.

He didn’t immediately dismiss Rette’s information; instead, he first cast a doubt with indifferent expression.

-I don’t know what you’re talking about, so how do I trust you? You’re Herod’s subordinate.

-I’m sick of people saying that whenever I tell them the truth. The important thing is that I’m telling you the truth.

-Don’t you know that the identity of the messenger determines the credibility of the information?

-Yeah, you’re right. I have to prove my identity. But Tidwell.

Rette laughed coldly and asked again.

-I’m sure you know that the summer user has been tied to Orpheus for generations. Do you think all of us are doing it voluntarily?

It wasn’t hard to understand why she suddenly mentioned summer users.

When he asked her to ‘prove your identity,’ he actually meant to ask her to ‘prove your innocence.’

But Rette’s answer wasn’t enough to prove her innocence.

-It doesn’t matter whether all summer users are tied to Cosmo against their will or not. Isn’t what important is the power that is passed down to you?

Tidwell didn’t know much about Cosmo.

He knew that summer users belonged to Orpheus for generations, and he knew that the relationship wasn’t always accomplished in a moderate way.

However, he was also aware that Rette, who used to roam the slums, was living an enjoyable life after joining Orpheus.

-In any case, I know that you’re living a comfortable and fulfilling life thanks to Orpheus.

In short, it was meaningless to rat on Herod. Tidwell then turned around.

Rette raised her eyebrows as if she wasn’t surprised by his action.

-You’re right. All the pets live well in that family. It’s indeed a very comfortable and fulfilling life. That must be how it looks.

In the end, her words sounded less like something she intended to convey to Tidwell and more like something she was saying to herself.

She was well aware how people, including Tidwell, saw her on the outside.

She was merely a slum rat who enjoyed a comfortable life by riding on Orpheus’ back.

Cosmo’s new hires, who were still unfamiliar with Cosmo, often asked how a bad-tempered child who could only kick the door all the time was working as a staff member of the organization.

Only Rette knew the misery behind all that.

-I’m so tired of Herod using me all the time. You can choose whether or not to trust me, but I just said what I needed to say.

Rette didn’t even bother to carp about Tidwell’s overly cautious attitude.

Everyone in this world knows that you will lose your head if you’re not careful.

If it were up to her, she would call him a moron for not understanding no matter how many times she tried to explain it to him, curse at him, and call it a day.

-I have a favor to ask you, Tidwell.

But Rette ended up being the pitiful one, as always.

‘If it weren’t for the prophecy, I wouldn’t have been so servile.’

Rette swallowed her stream of curses but continued to stand her ground.

Above all, Rette was aware that Tidwell had no choice but to accept her request.

Tidwell was weak when it came to Ravia.

It meant that Tidwell had to give in when Rette mentioned Ravia, even though it might be a trap.

In the end, Tidwell accepted Rette’s request.

In return, she would tell him Ravia and Herod’s location.

There was one request from Rette.

-Put this paper in Ravia Leontine’s clothing.

-…An empty paper?

-Ravia Leontine will know what it means.

It was a request to put a blank paper in Ravia’s clothes. Such a suspicious request, but Tidwell accepted it anyway.

The terms of the deal that Rette offered couldn’t be ruled out without consent.

-The terrace at the end of the second floor hall.

Rette informed him of Ravia and Herod’s location.

He was feeling miserable when he went up the stairs with the note in his hand.

Each step toward the terrace seemed to twist something that shouldn’t be twisted.

Because he was unaware that Ravia already knew Velocio Herod was a fake.

Rather, he was afraid that his decision to give up his revenge for her would be shattered.

He was afraid that her gaze, which had always been tinged with inexplicable hatred, would now become marred by betrayal and hostility.

Of course. Given that he never even tried to atone for his mistakes, it was only natural to be scared to ask for forgiveness.

The apology itself didn’t scare him. It was the belief that he wouldn’t be forgiven that clung to him like a shadow.

But the fear was overshadowed by honesty, and before he knew it, Tidwell arrived at the place Rette had directed.

He clutched his pounding chest in the hopes that things wouldn’t become worse, and that Ravia still didn’t know the truth.

Tidwell touched the door with an earnest look. And a calm voice rang from the other side.

“I will kick Tidwell out of the family anyway. It’s our deal not to intervene until then.”

Tidwell’s sincerity was shattered by the deception.