Chapter 124

Even Evelyn, with no great expertise in art, could see at once the quality and mastery in the pieces that surrounded her. Soon, the attendant guiding her stopped before a hallway of an entirely different character from the one they had just traversed.

“From here, my lady, you must go alone.”

“Alone…?”

She glanced toward the dim, shadowed corridor, her expression tightening with a flicker of unease. The attendant gave an apologetic smile.

“The master is exceedingly thorough.”

Of course, security here had to be flawless.

With a reluctant nod, Evelyn accepted the small lamp he offered her and began down the long, dark passageway. At last, she came to a towering door. Just as she was steeling herself and raising a hand to knock―

Thud―

―The door swung open, and a man stepped out, his face half-concealed by a mask.

“I have been expecting you, my lady.”

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

The guildmaster’s office bore little resemblance to the Aclo Foundation above. There was nothing ostentatious or flamboyant here, only quiet simplicity and restraint. Evelyn found her gaze wandering over the office despite herself, and the man behind the desk, watching her steadily, propped his chin on one hand.

“Have you finished your inspection, my lady?”

Although his lips curved in a faint smile, the air around him was cold as winter stone. Naturally, he would be wary of a visitor who had sought him out uninvited.

Feeling a touch awkward, Evelyn smoothed a strand of her rose-pink hair and gave a small nod.

“Thank you for making the time to see me.”

He didn’t bother with pleasantries.

“Then perhaps you’ll tell me why a lady of your standing has come to seek me out.”

The faint displeasure in his expression was impossible to miss. Evelyn drew in a slow breath.

‘Will I even be able to negotiate with him like this?’

She hadn’t come today to purchase information. After facing danger again and again, she had decided she needed an ally, one who would never betray or break her trust. And the man before her was the very one she had chosen.

Lifting her teacup, she took a small sip to steady herself, then spoke calmly.

“I would ask you to disregard the contents of the letter I sent.”

The guildmaster let out a dry, humorless chuckle and drew a folded sheet from his breast pocket, giving it a light shake.

“I’ve no idea where you might have heard such absurd rumors.”

A sardonic curve touched his mouth, as though he had no intention of concealing his hostility.

Previously, Evelyn had sent a letter to the guildmaster of Hermes, stating that she knew of his sister’s illness and that she could provide the cure.

‘No wonder he’s unsettled.’

It wasn’t the sort of message he could dismiss as a prank; its contents were grounded in fact. The guildmaster did indeed have a much younger sister, frail from birth, who for the past month had been suffering from severe pain. By now, she would likely be unable to leave her bed.

Understanding well why his demeanor was edged with hostility, she replied evenly.

“I only conveyed what I knew to be true.”

“In that case, it would be best if you left now. I have no need of your assistance, my lady.”

It seemed he might throw her out of his office at any moment.

Uh-oh. Am I about to be thrown out?

Evelyn had no intention of moving as he wished.

“Don’t you want your sister to recover?”

“….!”

For a split second, his expression went taut, rigid.

“Don’t misunderstand me, I’m here only to make you a good offer.”

At her words, the guildmaster’s voice rose slightly, his words sharpened by suspicion.

“Are you toying with my sister’s life right now?”

“Of course not. I’m not nearly so reckless.”

Her answer did little to satisfy him. His jaw tightened as he pressed again.

“How could you possibly know about my sister’s illness?”

He had taken great pains to keep his family matters from slipping beyond trusted circles, and it was clear he found it impossible to believe that Evelyn could know such a thing.

‘I can hardly tell him it was in the original story.’

Instead, she offered the explanation she had prepared in advance with a light but deliberate tone.

“I’ll tell only you, Guildmaster. Let’s just say I possess the gift of foresight, the ability to know the secrets of others.”

His eyes narrowed, and he gave a dry, sardonic twist of his mouth.

“I was unaware that you possessed the gift of foresight, my lady.”