Irritation had dwelled on Ezekiel’s countenance as he kept hearing the voices of those two individuals behind him—the private investigator and his secretary. Her small laughter had reached his ears and it continued till they arrived at the front of his office.

‘What did that woman find amusing in Berkley’s foolish talks?’ He disliked the thought and paused briefly at the door. Could not repress his annoyance any longer, he then turned his full attention to them. With just one glare at Aron, his secretary backed away from the lady and came to his side with a skittish smile.

The butler grasped the atmosphere so quickly and silently scolded the insensitive young secretary with the same intense, frightening look; making the latter shiver and pray for salvation. However, it only worsened Ezekiel’s foul mood as he took notice of the crinkled forehead of Miss Evergreen; probably curious about what was going on between the three of them or just horrified at the oddity of what they were doing.

Moreover, he was still searching for a justifiable answer to why this woman always caught his attention and found himself staring at her longer than usual. Those viridescent orbs were vivid yet so mysterious. With that said, their eyes met. The Archduke withdraw his stares, not because he got caught, but from that strange urge to pull her closer.

Maybe he was the crazy one.

“Norman, take the Miss to her room,” he dismissed them briefly, opened the door, and slammed it; leaving the bunch speechless at his impetuous action.

“What is wrong with me?” He asked himself as he paced the wide, empty office towards the luxurious ebony chair. His thoughts quickly dissipated when he saw the piles of documents stacked together that were neatly placed on his table. He took some papers and skimmed them before sitting down.

“Fuck…” He groaned as he leaned back his head and massaged his temple with his callous fingers. Another problem had aroused within his territory. His months of absence created an opportunity for a group of rogue Xivian soldiers to scavenge the small village near the Black Point, situated between the Empire and Xivian country.

What was more to the report, there were also magical beasts sighted near the border and mountainous region. The villagers, including some of the rogue soldiers, fell victim to the monsters. It was truly an unfortunate event as Sir Bennet and the White Knights could not reach the village in time as the heavy snowstorm was a hurdle from their advance to subdue the foragers. The infantry had also encountered a fleeing large beast that injured two of the white knights; now recuperating in their homes.

Ezekiel had noticed it too. The growing abnormal numbers of magical beast sightings and confrontations, while he was away and surveying the land, were causing havoc once again. And this should raise a concern in the parliament—most especially in the case of the deceased aristocrat, Baron Iver, who had illegally domesticated monsters in his compound. Certainly, the Baron of Edelfort wasn’t the only one in cahoots with whoever maneuvering in the dark. It was as clear as the day that it was an unsettling threat to the peace of the Empire.

‘And something that involved black sorcery…’ The Archduke recalled the dark wizard he faced a few days ago. He spoke with certainty that they were going to meet again. This wasn’t simply taking revenge for the purge. He could feel that something bad was going to happen; his instinct said so.

Ezekiel glimpsed at the letter that the Emperor had sent him. Normally, he wouldn’t even bother himself to open and read it… but the events unfolding as of late should not be ignored.

Dearest Archduke,

I miss you, my old friend and I am visiting Levonne as soon as my schedule clears up. I know you are dying to meet me too, even though I haven’t received any letters from you for months. Oh, you’re breaking thy Emperor’s heart—

Without finishing the content of the letter, the Archduke had torn the paper into shreds, face painted with a great repulse. Still not quite satisfied, he lit it on fire using his mana.

‘Sebastian… that clown of an emperor…’ His lips twitched in annoyance as he thought of that grinning face and ever-vexing expression. What kind of nonsense was that? He should’ve known already what was coming with that good-for-nothing royalty. With a heavy sigh, Ezekiel cleared his mind for a while. It wasn’t like he didn’t trust the Emperor… in fact, he was the only person he trusted the most. He and Sebastian grew up together and he was like a brother to him. His only family left…

It was a still moment for him before he went back to work. Time passed by quickly for the Archduke. Reviewing the documents had kept his mind busy and was not bothered by anything he deemed trifling. For the first time today, he felt the normal swirl of his system. It was the peace he was longing for days since he met the private investigator. That woman had effortlessly distracted him, like a full moon on a grim night—beautiful yet emanating an enigmatic hollow. Something he had encountered in the past but couldn’t put a finger on it; as if one part of his memory was missing.

What could it be?

As he looked outside the window from his seat, it was already dark. The serene light from the town below was radiant from the dusky surrounding. Because of the thick Northern clouds, the starry sky was barely seen; an indication of a moderate snowfall.

‘Miss Evergreen probably is resting in her chamber.’ It was past dinner time already. He finally stretched out his legs and got out of his office. By now, the knights in the castle had changed their shifts as Ezekiel walked past the hallway and was greeted by them.

He planned to go to the dining hall but decided to visit first the room where the private investigator was staying. Per his instructions, he wanted the lady to be close to his quarter so he told Norman to let her stay in the late Duchess’ room; just a door away from his. The Archduke still had his doubts about her. His curiosity about the odd aura enveloping her, not because he found her attractive but because he felt that she was not just an ordinary person. He needed to observe the young lady more.

‘Although, she kind of looked like a green cotton ball.’ Ezekiel cleared his throat at the thought that had crossed his mind. He stopped midway through the hallway as soon as his eyes caught the door of the private investigator’s room. The knights on duty were diligently guarding the area and the maidservants were walking back and forth, attending to their respective responsibilities. It might not be a good idea after all if they had seen him entering the quarter of a maiden this late at night.

The Archduke was about to step back when he felt something in the direction of the chamber where the young Miss was staying. At a quick pace, he went to check what was going on. Groans could be heard inside as his ears inched closer to the door. The maids were shocked when they finally noticed the Archduke was there.

“G-Good evening, your Highness!” They reluctantly greeted him, not knowing what to do at the sudden appearance of the High Noble. But he just ignored the servants as he held the doorknob with his hand and carefully glanced inside the private investigator’s room.

When his golden eyes found who he was looking for, he turned his head to the waiting attending maids. With a sharp look, he ordered them to not follow him inside unless called which even put the servants bewildered and intrigued by the Archduke’s reaction.