***

 

Sith agents are given new names when they join the organization. It wasn’t really their name.

 

It’s more of a nickname. Raul’s entourage, Bastard, was Bastard as in the Bastard Sword.

 

Estok was…… literally Estok the Three Swords.

 

She walked slowly after him. Weaving in and out of crowds, ducking into alleys and stopping at a distance.

 

‘It’s important to know people.’

 

As far as Nicole knew, Estok was an orphan.

 

He had no one to call a friend. At first, people didn’t even know if he was a boy or a girl.

 

All he liked to do was run around all day, get into fights, and be lazy.

 

‘The neighborhood cat, that one.’

 

Nicole clicked her tongue; after all, she’d been following Estok all this time and hadn’t been caught.

 

‘I’m good at this, this job.’

 

It took her two lifetimes to find her aptitude. Nicole owes her ability to track from her childhood experience.

 

Nicole grew up in the mountains, where people were rare. It wasn’t that she didn’t run into people.

 

In fact, drifters like Karen and Jen had taken up residence in a cabin near an abandoned mine.

 

?When you walk through the woods, always stay in the shade, and keep your footsteps quiet. You must not let anyone see you except your family.?

 

Her parents taught their children to walk without making a sound.

 

They also taught them to hide in the shade of trees and to hold their breath, so they could escape the occasional animal encounter.

 

‘It was the only thing I was skilled at in the family.’

 

Children are terrible at staying still. They are constantly squirming, moving, and whimpering.

 

Nicole wasn’t like Isabelle or Jay. She could hold her breath and wait patiently for very long periods of time. She could blend into the landscape like a ghost.

 

‘My father was a unique man. He knew how to disappear. It wasn’t difficult for me to learn.’

 

In any case, spying on Estok’s day wasn’t as difficult as Nicole thought.

 

He climbed up on the roof of the Grand Duchy, took a long nap, and looked for someone to duel.

 

Nicole quickly picked out a “big name target” who was bigger than any of the candidates.

 

Nicole then proceeded to document his every move.

 

*** 

 

‘It’s been three days.’

 

‘It’s been three days now. I just need to make it through the day.’

 

For two days, Estok barely moved and spent his time inside the palace.

 

On the third day, he finally ventured out.

 

‘What is he doing here?’

 

The river where steamboats ply, west of the capital.

 

There’s an area near it that few people go to.

 

Grace had warned her not to wander around the area because it wasn’t safe.

 

Nicole walked slowly after Estok, keeping her face covered. They arrived at a large, unmarked port window.

 

“Come in.”

 

The gatekeeper let Estok in without a word. Nicole hurried in after him.

 

“No freaking out in here, so get yourself together. And you’ll be mistaken for a thief if you cover your face in here.”

 

The gatekeeper glared at Nicole and warned her. Reluctantly, Nicole slowly lowered the veil that covered her face.

 

Instead, she pulled her hood up and began walking with her head down.

 

Once inside, the room was brightly lit. The windows were covered, and fresh air streamed in through a hole in the ceiling.

 

The ceilings were very high for a large warehouse, and even though it was broad daylight, there were bright lights everywhere.

 

Waaaaaah! Loud noises erupted from all directions.

 

“Ho-ho-ho-ho!”

 

In the large room, men and women were mingling, laughing, and whispering to each other.

 

In the center of the stage, there was a dance that wasn’t a waltz, but a shuffle, and as she ducked and weaved her way through it, she found herself in the innermost room.

 

‘What the hell is this place?’

 

Nicole stood against the wall. The men’s shouts grew louder, and she could hear the words clearly.

 

“One gold coin to one!”

 

“I’m all in!”

 

Nicole’s brow furrowed.

 

‘Betting ring?’

 

Nicole looked up at the ring.

 

Puck-puck-puck.

 

Bare-chested men in shirts and pants locked their fists in the ring.

 

Nicole could see their sweat dripping into the air.

 

“Kill them, kill them all!”

 

Around them, men shouted, waving slips of paper with their bets on them like flags.

 

Estok smiled from the front, his legs crossed lazily.

 

‘That’s Estok.’

 

Nicole thought calmly, organizing the information in her head.

 

Target, around 3 p.m. Spotted in the VIP section of an illegal fight club. No stakes appear to have been placed. …….

 

It was at that moment. Estok lifted his eyes to the front and looked at Nicole. Nicole ducked down.

 

Estok looked around, then toward Nicole as if he’d spotted someone he knew.

 

‘Have I been spotted?’

 

Nicole felt a chill run down her spine. She walked quickly, heading for the first hall.

 

A dizzying array of women in colorful dresses flashed before her eyes.

 

Vibrant greens and bright reds. It was a feast of colors that might seem a tad cheap.

 

At the same time, men approached Nicole and said something friendly. They seemed to be asking her to dance.

 

Nicole glanced behind her and roughly grabbed one of the hands extended to her.

 

Parak—

 

The hood around Nicole’s head was pulled back a little.

 

“Hold on.”

 

A quick dance began.

 

She could feel Estok’s gaze still burning into her. Unable to help herself, Nicole ducked into the man’s arms, almost face down.

 

‘He’s a very tall man.’

 

A strange man to meet in a place like this. I honestly wasn’t expecting a pleasant smell. But instead of the stench of cigarettes stinging her nose, she smelled…….

 

‘A pleasant smell.’

 

Nicole looked up, surprised. The hand squeezing hers was too big.

 

And black leather gloves. The first thing she saw was a thick, forward-pitched, muscled chest, with a manly Adam’s apple above it.

 

And above it was…….

 

“Hello. Long time no see.”

 

Raul took both of Nicole’s hands in his and looked down at her in an amused way.

 

Nicole’s first thought was why is he here, but then she remembered.

 

‘Watching ring fights was one of his few hobbies as a workaholic.’

 

But she hadn’t expected to run into him here, really. Nicole’s mind went blank.

 

“The least you could do is say, ‘I’m glad to see you.’ I’d feel bad if I was the only one happy to see you.”

 

He pulled Nicole’s body tightly against his.

 

It was a flawless waltz as they spun around to avoid the person next to them.

 

Next, Nicole was naturally pushed against the wall. As they broke away from the dancers, a vacuum-like silence enveloped them.

 

One piece of information she had learned about him in her second life.

 

She doesn’t know why, but this man hates her. If she may say so, given his high status…….

 

‘Maybe he despises me. To this man, a woman like Karen is…….’

 

At the same time, her head was spinning. Standing in front of this person, her tongue stiffened. As if she had become a fool.

 

“I didn’t expect to see you in a place like this.”

 

Nicole said, hoping Raul wouldn’t notice why she was here.

 

“Hmm. Still impressive. I can’t believe you’ve been following Estok around and spying on him. I heard he had a fun final project.”

 

Well, this man always had a way of ruining the smallest of expectations. Nicole stopped trying to keep a straight face.

 

“Am I out of the running now, since you found out?”

 

“You’ve got a good shot.”

 

Raul said leisurely. He’d always seen her as an eyesore. He might want to give her a failing grade and dispose of her this time.

 

“What do you think?”

 

“You’re the examiner, Estok, and it would be…… unfair for the Grand Duke to intervene.”

 

“To you?”

 

“To …… Mr. Estock.”

 

Raul laughed in disbelief. Then his smile faded and he said,

 

“It’s like a mouse thinking of a cat.”

 

The cat, of course, was Estok. And the mouse would be herself.

 

That’s when Nicole noticed. Raul’s gloved hand kept brushing against hers. Just a moment ago, his hand squeezed hers.

 

(T/N: Uhm, finally an interaction??? But the tension is (*/??*))