Two hours later at San Paulette. The train from Leon City pulled in, leaving many dumbfounded by the state of some of its cabins. Besides the pools of blood, not a single corpse was found. And worse, by the time the police arrived, the culprits had already gone.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The police weren’t letting it go, though. Witness accounts were gathered, and the portraits were clear as day: white hair, a hat covering most of it, and cold red eyes that told the story of her malicious intentions all on their own.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

That was all they had. That woman, and no one else. The guards who could have confirmed her identity were dead, killed in the attack.

Taking the matter seriously, the police went on a hunt. They checked horse carriages, instinctively drawn to the faster and more expensive ones. Traffic rose within minutes, and that only worked in their favour.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

As if by sheer miracle from the Goddess, they found her soon enough. Alone in a black carriage, save for the driver. Hands raised in terror, eyes desperate and darting... she wanted to flee and made no secret of it.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

She was trapped, though, not just by the police, but by the civilians who’d seen the aftermath of the injustice. Other carriages blocked every way out, and from the sheer number of them, any attempt to escape would only lead to death.

"Please... what’s going on?"

"Shut your mouth!"

"You deserve to be burned alive."

"Don’t you have any remorse?!"

Her eyes danced around the scene. Police with weapons drawn, civilians closing in with more. All of it pointed at her.

"What exactly am I being accused of?"

She tried to escape the carriage, only to find the driver was receiving no better treatment. Before she could move further, some of the police officers fired at her shoulder.

"Arghhhhh"

An agonising scream tore from the woman, sending chills down every spine present. But the cry wasn’t what truly terrified them. When the shot was fired, her hat fell, and what lay beneath made even the police officers drop their weapons. The civilians murmured amongst themselves.

The woman had red hair and red eyes, with white tips. The officer who fired looked around, hoping someone would understand his decision. Not even his own colleagues met his eyes. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

With the hat on, she had matched the description perfectly, and someone responsible for a catastrophe on the train needed to be restrained. That was what they’d all believed. Now, it looked as though only the officer who pulled the trigger had still been thinking that way.

Even so, she was taken to the hospital without delay. But while the rest of the police had lost the appetite to chase the woman any further, a group of them had found someone else entirely.

This time, the woman’s hair was genuinely white, and she sat in an expensive horse carriage, just like the one they’d been after. The men closed in with weapons ready, prepared to fire at a moment’s hesitation.

This woman, however, wasn’t frightened in the slightest. Her hat was deliberately removed. She gave them the full view they were after and stared them deep in the eyes, as if silently telling them to get near, if they dared.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

That was exactly what happened...

A few streets into the industrial area lay Billy Street. The heavy noise of the plants and the rapid hiss of burning steam in that sweltering atmosphere ensured that most of what happened there went unnoticed.

In less than five minutes, all the men who had attacked the women lay lifeless, bullets through their brains, every last one of them. The driver included. Only the horses were spared.

She ditched the carriage and took to the streets on foot. The hair that had been white moments ago was completely black now, and the red had turned blue.

She smiled softly at the silver revolver in her hand. Her master had given it to her that morning. The first gift she’d ever gotten, and she had always learned, as a butler, to place great value on the first gift her master would give her.

"I just hope the young master’s fiancée got home safely. This plan was more effective than expected."

She carried herself with a free-spirited ease, body entirely relaxed, clearing all suspicion. She looked nothing like someone who had just put down a throng of men.

Back at the Runerth estate, Leomaris stood at the ready, welcoming posture set, as a red horse carriage rolled slowly into the estate.

Rest hadn’t come. Even eating had proved a challenge. He’d spent the entire afternoon fixed on the gate, biting his fingers in anticipation. They had finally arrived.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The carriage rolled to a stop. Raine stepped out first, long white hair cascading over her shoulders, red eyes piercing coldly at everything they fell upon.

The novel had prepared him, or so he thought. Meeting her in person was a completely different experience. Seven years older in soul, and yet her beauty was impossible to overlook. Perfect in every way. Body and beauty, both.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Then his expression darkened. Ren and Sebastian exited the carriage, and the moment they did, Raine’s body began swaying from fatigue. Leomaris was at her side faster than he should have been, lending her his shoulder.

Raine recoiled from Leomaris, shifting toward Ren instead. Leomaris stood there, the awkwardness plain on his face, as he watched her walk away.

However, he didn’t dwell on it. Pressing matters pulled his attention away. He turned to Sebastian.

"Thank you, Sebastian. I knew I could rely on you."

"You flatter me, young master. I was merely carrying out my duties."

A smile from Leomaris. The time they’d spent together had earned him a touch of Sebastian’s admiration, and he loved every bit of it. But judging by the blood on the old man’s clothes, the mission hadn’t gone as smoothly as he’d hoped.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"Uhm... where’s everyone else?"

Sebastian showed him the blood-soaked sack and lowered his head halfway in a bow.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"I apologise, young master. When I discovered Aaron was a traitor, I chose not to take any risks, so I eliminated everyone else, except Hazel."

Leomaris’s mouth parted in shock.

’Aaron was a traitor? Wait... he killed them all?’

He’d known Sebastian wasn’t someone to underestimate, but this fierce? That was something else. It didn’t matter, though. Raine was safe. The grimoire was within reach, and with it, the academy. And more than anything, Samael, his older brother, would serve him for an entire year.

—

"What do you think about him, Sebastian?"

"He has potential, Lady Rosemary. I believe he will be of great value in the future."

Rosemary retired to her sofa after her son’s victory, sipping her chocolate drink. One question was all she asked, and the answer drew a smile across her face. A smile that told stories. Hidden ones. Behind her, her butler wiped his butchering knife clean, a similar smirk on his face.