“Morning.”

Leticia stretched her hands into the air and yawned. The windows were shut, the skies were still dark. She looked to her right– and Schwii was missing.

“Huh?”

“Morning Leticia.”

“Morning.. where did Schwii go?”

Sequencee remained silent. He got up from his bed and walked over to her, Leticia felt perplexed..

He stared at her, leaned in.. and gave her a morning kiss.

‘What in the world..’

And it wasn’t just a simple kiss. It was a deep, long kiss which smacked her silly. She inadvertently tried to push him away, but he didn’t budge, eventually she relented.. and became jelly in his arms.

‘Something is.. wrong..’

Their lips parted, he leaned towards her ears and nibbled on it.

She moaned.

Leticia’s already red face burned even redder. His tongue scraped the inside of her ear, her body trembled at the sensation.

“.. Trust me, everything will be alright.”

“I.. I don’t get it..” since Sequencee was speaking in a whisper, she too spoke softly. “What is.. going on..?”

Sequencee kept her in a tight embrace, his head on her shoulder.

“We’re being.. watched..”

‘Watched..’

The words sent her into a daze. There were people observing them right now?

Where was Schwii? Why was he treating her like this? Why so suddenly? Leticia couldn’t process any of it.. it was as if he didn’t want her to..

Leticia pulled back. Sequencee, who didn’t want to let her go, pushed her down. They both fell over on the bed. Her hair scattered, their breaths heated.

“Don’t ask, just follow.”

Sequencee words reverberated deeply inside her.

‘Ah.. so this is how it feels to be dominated by someone..’

He inserted his tongue into her’s.

…

“What are we doing again?” one of the spies asked.

“I couldn’t hear what they were saying with my Gift. I think he tried to obscure the message,” said the other.

“I can’t believe the commander told us to watch this.. it doesn’t seem like they know where the other girl went.”

“She wasn’t around even before we arrived.”

“No sightings of her out in the city?”

“Not at all. I think it has to do with Lancet. He’s missing too.”

“Then we have to be careful.”

“Still.. I can’t believe they’re having such a passionate morning. I can imagine them actually doing it before our faces.”

“Burn the sight into your eyes boys.”

“Pervert.”

Such conversations were taking place somewhere.

===

Breakfast at the dining hall.

“Where has the girl gone?” Count Cordon asked.

“I wanted to ask the same,” Sequencee narrowed his eyes.

Leticia sat down silently. She glanced at Lancet’s empty seat, then at Sean who had a smile plastered on his face.

Countess Airi looked worse today than she did yesterday.

‘My brother is also not here?’

“Did something happen last night?” Sean asked.

“Yeah. Schwii went missing. Where is she?” a hint of rage could be felt from Sequencee’s words.

‘Is she.. really missing?’

Leticia had her doubts. Earlier in the morning, he made his stance clear: trust him. She didn’t need to know what was going on, she just needed to obey.

“How come?” Count Cordon raised his surprise.

Leticia dropped seeds onto the food. The soup turned a sour green, her expression darkened.

“What did you just do?” Countess Airi glared.

“This soup is poisoned. The seed will react to most general poisons in this manner. Please be careful of what you eat,” Leticia warned her, eyes sweeping across the table.

“Poisoned? Hah! What kind of nonsense are you spouting.”

“Well, maybe,” breaking etiquette, Sequencee poured half his soup into a small bowl and then dropped a seed into the original soup receptacle. It blossomed into a sour green colour. “Could someone try the soup to test for poison?”

“...”

“Do you have no manners?” Countess Airi glowered.

“Dereck, go,” Count Cordon.

The butler trembled.

He walked to the clean bowl of soup which Sequencee had set aside. With permission, he picked up the spoon and..

“Father, I think there’s a big misunderstanding,” Sean interrupted.

The butler paused.

“What are you referring to?”

“Sequencee, would you kindly you pass me one of the seeds?”

‘The hell is he trying to play at.’

Sequencee casually levitated one over.

Sean dropped it into his glass of water, the one which he had obviously drank from seeing as it was half empty.

The same reaction occurred.

“It’s false. Leticia, though I understand your hate for us, can’t you do it in a manner that is less offensive?” Sean said with a smile.

‘Son of a bitch.. I can’t take this anymore.’

She’d rather starve than eat with this group of cynics. Leticia stood up from her seat, the legs of her chair dragging the floor.

“I hope you get the documents prepared as soon as possible. I’ll be leaving once all of this is done,” Leticia made her way over to the door.

“Excuse us,” Sequencee got up and followed.

A bowl flew across the table, stopping just before it hit Leticia.

“YOU DARE SHOW SUCH AN ATTITUDE YOU BITCH! AFTER EVERYTHING WE’VE DONE FOR YOU YOU’RE STILL SO UNGRATEFUL!!” the Countess screamed

Leticia, giving the table one last glance, left the room.

Out in the hall, Leticia said, “You get it now?”

“I do, to some degree,” Sequencee said as the door shut with a click.

“I don’t know if they’re doing it on purpose, or if some play is at work.. do you think I was wrong to have said that?” Leticia raised her head to look at him.

Sequencee gently wrapped his arms over her. She leaned against him.

===

The count’s office. Fairly large with armors, weapons, and heirlooms displayed on glass sleeves. As a military family, there were many things they were grounded in knighthood. Strength and discipline is a virtue, yet when it came to his family, the count always tried his best to treat them with love and care.

Looking at the couple before him, a pang of loneliness captured his heart.

If only his daughter were alive..

Why did they die?

Why did one kill the other?

Did he fail as a father?

“Count Cordon, pardon me for asking, but have you any news on where Schwii went?”

“The girl who wasn’t with you this morning, she’s the one you’re referring to?”

“Yes. Do you have any clues as to where she could’ve gone?”

The count was troubled by this. That beautiful young girl which accompanied him, where had she gone to? Could it be that his son had done something?

Earlier this morning, after the two had left, Cordon went to try the soup on Sequencee’s bowl, but was interrupted by Dereck. He mentioned that there was nothing abnormal, however.. since then he hadn’t seen Dereck around.

Was it a coincidence?

“I’m clueless, my apologies,” the count shook his head.

“Alright.. I’ll look around the estate later. Would that be alright?”

“I hope it isn’t a grave matter.”

He knew of Sean’s peculiarity. So he couldn't help but be afraid that he had done something.

“Sequencee.. is Schwii.. really safe?” Leticia asked.

“I don’t know..” A sour expression spread on his face.

‘Even though he’s acting like this.. he’s not panicking is he? So I guess it’s alright?’

Leticia thought his acting was kind of silly. If Schwii actually went missing, he would’ve prioritized that instead of this.

“This is everything right, Count Cordon?” Leticia asked. Her distant manner of addressing him made him feel dour.

“Yes. The rest can be found at your family’s manor. I’ve ordered my people there to assist you until you find yourself comfortable. Please see it as a gesture of my affection..”

“Count Cordon,” Leticia called out his name.

“Yes?”

“Be careful of your own son.”

“...”

“Sequencee, let’s go.”

“You truly have bad manners,” the count sighed, beckoning them out with a wave of his hand.

“Thank you Count Cordon.”

To be honest, having met the count, Leticia had mixed feelings. He was a kind person, genial, open, and trusting. But the kind of environment he was in.. it truly did not suit him. Personally, he felt that he was living in his own little bubble of happiness, not noticing the darkness which surrounded him.

In a way, Leticia could understand how Rose and Azaleas had such different personalities.

One took after her mother, the other took after her father. Just that, Azaleas, unlike the count, was aware of the toxicity around, hence her suicide.

“We’re free to leave now, right?” Leticia asked, turning to Sequencee who was floating a box of the documents.

“Maybe Schwii already left..? I think we should check our inn to see if she’s there.”

“.. You’re right.”

‘He’s making it so obvious that she’s safe.’

“Still.. why would she disappear in the middle of the night..”

“And my brother too.”

“Right, we didn’t see him earlier too.. hm?”

Standing in front of the door to their room was that lady wearing a suit again. Leanne. She looked like she was on her wit’s end. There were bruises on her face, a small cut on her cheeks.

“E-Excuse me,” she called out to Sequencee and Leticia as if she had been expecting them. Dark circles under her eyes, she was trembling all over. She looked nothing like the confident personage she portrayed herself as yesterday.

“What is it?” Sequencee questioned in a rugged tone.

“E-Earlier you said that one of your.. friend is missing right?”

“Friend?”

“That girl.. with brown curly hair..”

‘What is this..?’

“I.. I think I know where she is but..”

“Where?”

“U-Uh.. I need you to follow me..”

“So it’s him.. huh?” Sequencee glared at her.

“I-I’m truly sorry, I’m truly..” Leanne bowed deeply in apology.

“Is she safe?”

‘Huh..?’

“I.. don’t know. We don’t have much time..”

“Leticia, you go in and wait. I’ll follow you as soon as I can.. take this,” Sequencee handed her a black tag.

“Sequencee.. are you sure..”

“I’ll be fine,” he winked, tapping the tag twice.

Leticia nodded with a wary face.

As Sequencee left with Leanne, she entered the room and locked the door behind her. She placed the box of documents on the ground and stood there in a daze.

“What is going on..”

Unknown to her, there were numerous distortions on the wall.

[Illusion Magic: Invisibility Field]

First phase– in unison, five darts were blown, firing from different angles.

A quick movement of light caught her eye. Leticia reacted instinctively by tilting her body.

At the same time, multiple shadow tentacles extended from the black tag.

The assassins moved in at once.

Of the five darts, two were seized by the tentacle.

Five people dressed in black come out at once.

Leticia reached into her pocket.

A black cloak wrapped around her before she could act.

All of it happened in an instant, and the assassins found themselves against a black anomaly– a mass of black tentacles sloshing around, as if something had just swallowed Leticia whole.

What in the world?

One of the assassins stabbed into the mass with his poison-coated dagger– it sank right through. And at that small gap, a hole was pierced into his stomach.

The other four recoiled in horror as his corpse was raised into the air. Peristaltic movements of its shadowy feelers which branched off inside the body showing it sucking his innards happily.. until all that was left was skin and bones.

Trembling the leader of the group showed a hand signal.

– Retreat.

But in this enclosed room, where could they retreat to?

In the world of shadow, Reese giggled. The taste of blood– it was delicious.

Leticia found herself in some sort of shadowy domain. She knew it was part of Reese’s gift, she just didn’t know what was going on. The box of documents had been scattered on the ground.

‘Sequencee.. I don’t know what you have planned but.. please be safe..’