CH 23

“….”

Rico, who had been suspicious, slowly reached out and slightly opened the cover of the package. 

Immediately, he saw the blue powder inside.

Amazingly, that strange-looking thing that lights itself up is—.

Salvation.

It is a powerful antidote, also called fairy tears.

“What is it?”

Rico’s voice, which he recognized immediately, became sharp. 

“You need this!”

In the original story, it was given by my Dad who found out about Rico’s pitiful situation only a few years later—.

It was the only way to heal poor Rico’s sister.

“….”

The tension lingered.

Rico burst into a sharp laugh.

“I’ve only stepped on someone else’s back, but it’s the first time I’ve been stepped on.”

“….”

“What does it mean? How did the Duke dig my back? Answer me.” 

“Ah, my dad doesn’t know anything—”

Rico’s 180-degree change in attitude made me terrified.

After a moment’s silence, he pulled something out of his clothes.

It was a dagger.

“Hiik!”

I quickly curled up into the corner of the sofa

“S, say it! Say it! I’ll take care of that Cheshire, so you don’t have to listen to me…”

“….”

However, Rico took off the glove he was wearing and made a long cut on the palm of his hand with a dagger.

Then he held a handful of Salvation in his hand.

“Ugh.”

The moment blue powder sticks to the flowing blood.

Surprisingly, the wound healed in an instant.

Ricoh stiffened.

‘Aha. You were trying to find out if I brought a fake one.’

He has many doubts for sure. 

I spoke cautiously.

“K, keep it. It’s all Rico’s…”

“…..”

“Hmph. Then, I will be leaving.”

“Did you steal it because you knew what it was?”

“Yes?”

“The damn imperial b*stards are monopolizing it. Even if you have billions of dollars, you can’t get it. Your family will be given preferential treatment, but if you leak it to the outside world, you will not be able to avoid reprimand.”

Well, that’s everything I know.

I spoke with a look of surprise.

“Huh. Really? Then I can use it carefully so that Rico doesn’t get caught, well.”

“….”

“T, then I’ll really go now.”

“Wait.”

Then Rico suddenly raised his hand and took off his mask.

‘….’

Gray hair and gray eyes.

A small scar runs across the left side of the lip in a straight line.

I was startled when a mysterious-looking young boy, who seemed to have lost his color, revealed his face.

“W, wait!”

I hurriedly covered my eyes with my tiny palm and flustered.

“Y, you don’t have to show your face!”

Rico, who is digging into the dirty secrets of the nobles, had to hide his identity thoroughly.

There are so many enemies that it’s only a matter of time before he gets stabbed if his face is known.

Even in the original story, Rico knew my Dad for more than 5 years—so it was only when he completely trusted Dad that he showed his face.

But at the first meeting, no matter what it is, he shows his face to a suspicious kid?

“Please look at me.”

“N, no. Excuse me? Y, you’re not going to kill me without a rat or a bird knowing, right?”

It’s possible if he revealed his face easily like this.

I clenched my teeth and carefully lowered the hand that covered my eyes.

Fortunately, he looked gentle.

‘Uhm, as expected, he’s handsome because he’s an important character.’

As I thought about it for a moment, I shook my head.

“I never break the iron rule when I trade. I’ll have to pay you what I’ve received.”

Rico put the mask off on the table.

“Today, you brought it from me.”

…To show his face to me. 

It was his ‘weakness’.

*****

After taking the antidote, Rico moves the sleeping sister’s head over with a comfortable expression after a few years. 

“One antidote isn’t enough, right? You’ll need another one… Ahem, trust me! We’re friends!”

A child who was confidently talking while banging her chest with her small hand—.

Rico smiled.

“This is not like you, Rico. What the hell are you thinking? Showing your face to her?”

Rico turned to a voice from behind.

It was Marina, a red-haired employee of <Ricoh Restaurant> and an informant of the guild <Red Hawks>.

“Who were our kids in the Duke of Rubinstein?”

“…J sisters.”

“Information of the Marquis of Onyx and illegitimate children, pass it on to Enoch Rubinstein.”

“Rico! Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

Rico, who got up, passed Marina and rolled the screen of the semi-basement window.

“You know how desperate I was to find Salvation.”

“I know. But you have to be careful. She knows who you are and what condition your sister Annie is in. Even the meticulousness of sending her daughter away. The Duke must have a plan!” 

“Well, it’s the fact that the Duke cares about his daughter like his own life that we all know. But he sent her here alone?” 

“….”

“That can’t be true. There’s a good chance that what she says is true. She really came alone. The Duke has no idea about it.”

“How could a seven-year-old be like that?”

“I don’t know either. She doesn’t want to talk about it. But it doesn’t matter to me what secrets she has or what plots she has.”

Rico added, looking back at Marina.

“Even if the little lady was a devil, I would have gladly sold this soul. If it’s about the size of my face, it’s cheap.”

“I know you’re desperate, Rico. I mean, why did you give her your weaknesses that she never even asked for?”

“Think of her request. It was just to tell her father the secret of Marquis Onyx. It could be solved through someone else, not me. But the reason why she came to see me.”

“….”

“There’s only one. She… wanted to give me medicine.”

Obviously, that was true. Marina, who was at a loss of words, bit her lips.

Rico muttered, looking out the window again.

“I’m going to believe it for once.”

Rico was waiting.

The reason why he runs an information guild and collects the weaknesses of the aristocracy.

That is, if someone appears to cast the light on this rotten gutter—.

Because he wants someone to give him strength. 

“Anyway… I don’t even know if she showed up.”

The hero he eagerly awaited.

*****

‘I think I did a great job finding Rico.’

I thought, drawing a crooked picture on the drawing paper like any other seven-year-old.

“I have planted our guild spies in every noble family in the capital. I will contact the guild member of the Marquis of Onyx, so let’s communicate and work.”

Rico did a perfect job from the deal to the A/S.

He even gave me a way so I could easily find Cheshire.

The guild member who planted it in the Marquis of Onyx decided to help me.

“By the way, Rico. I think I can get to Marquis Onyx’s house somehow— but, how do I find out who Rico’s guild member is?”

“Hmm, a way to find out… Well, when you get home, I’ll contact you through our guild member planted in the Duke Rubinstein’s residence.”

“W, what? You have a spy in our house, too?”

“…? Isn’t that obvious? How did I know all about the situation of the Lady who has only been in the Capital for four days?”

“Oh my.”

I shuddered at the thought of my conversation with Rico.

As expected from a scary person—.

Anyway, since I was in the same boat with Rico, I had to meet the guild member who said we were hiding in the mansion as soon as possible. 

‘It’s probably one of the servants, right? It would be easier for me to keep in touch with Rico.’

I sighed, scratching crayons on the drawing paper.

‘Phew, Jetty unnie and Jun unnie… I have already become very close with them.’

Unfortunately, if I found Rico’s guild member, I would have to ask for a change of the dedicated maid.

“Oh, our Lady is so good at drawing, too.”

Just then, Jetty came and sat down next to me, who was lying on the bed.

“This is a jellyfish, isn’t it? Have you ever seen a jellyfish, my Lady?”

“This is my Dad though—”

“Huh? I, is that so? Ah! Looking back, it looks so much like the Duke! Really!”

The embarrassed Jetty smiled awkwardly.

Then, Jun came to the other side and grabbed the crayons.

“Whoa, Lady. Can I draw, too?”

“Yes.”

Jun began to draw something with an excited expression.

‘It’s a person.‘

With waist-length brown hair and a maid suit—.

‘Maid?’

It was a drawing that made good use of the characteristics of the raised eyebrows and the corners of the mouth.

“Wow, you’re really good at drawing. Who is it?”

“She’s my friend. Her name is Richell.”

“She’s also my friend. Richell also works as a maid.”

Jetty, who received the words, patted me on the head and added.

“She’s at the Marquis of Onyx.”

“….!”

For a moment, I was surprised and stiffened. 

‘…W, what? A friend out of the blue? That’s also from the Marquis of Onyx.’

I took a closer look at Jun’s drawing.

A maid with brown hair and a mole around her mouth who works for the Marquis of Onyx.

At this point, it was clear what this meant.

She is Rico’s guild member in the Marquis of Onyx.

‘Whoa…’

I stared at Jetty and Jun with my mouth wide open.

They were smiling with innocent faces.

‘S, so it was this Unnies?’