For a while, Eugen was frozen.

  “Like you, I don’t make bold claims without evidence,” Said Toini, “And just so we’re clear, that report wasn’t conducted by us. That’s only a copy they gave to us.”

  “W-What are you talking about?” He asked her, his voice wavering. “If it wasn’t you then… who’s they? Can they even be trusted? What if this is all just fabricated? That is grounds for defamation!”

  “Oh, they definitely can be trusted,” she answered. “In fact, you’re well acquainted with them—your family was business partners with them.”

  Toini poured herself a cup of tea, unbothered by Eugen’s growing distress. “It’s unheard of for guilds to ask one another to verify their investigations. It’s like two competing bakeries asking each other if their product would sell. So imagine our surprise when the head of Spectre himself showed up on our door asking to double check what they had found.”

  The color drained from Eugen’s face. A familiar name, an old friend.

  “The Seige of Uchus,” Toini continued, her voice carrying a weight that silenced the room. “You wouldn’t know this since you’ve been in the capital for so long but… It was a scarring event for Kid. The day they raided the city just so happened to be his 16th birthday. Instead of happiness, he got rubble and blood. He lost his world—his home and his family. The only one who survived was his newborn sister. And if that wasn’t enough, he lost his leg too.”

  “Even after he got back on his feet and took over his mother’s position as head of their guild he made it his personal goal to find out the truth on why Uchus—The fortress of the west—crumbled so easily against an empire that was barely recovering after the last war,” She explained.

  “And one day he finally had the answers he had been longing for, but when he did get it he felt more lost than he did before. Why? Because in what he found out the person that spearheaded helping the refugees from Uchus… was the very same person that drove them to the brink of death.”

  Eugen’s grip on the report trembled.

  She continued, “After that, he went to us for verification. Wanted to make sure everything he found out was accurate. So, we took on the job.”

  “Bear in mind though that after we reviewed it those of us who have connections—albeit unwanted—to the people mentioned in the report were excluded from this job to ensure that no funny business would happen. We didn’t want bias to get in the way of what our client asked us to do.

  That’s when Nacht—who had been busy sorting out the documents—chimed in on their conversation.

  “We don’t work with bias. It’s bad for business.”

  Yvon hummed in agreement, “Mm-hm. It’s true.”

  “T-This can’t be real…” he muttered, “S-She wouldn’t… S-She couldn’t! T-This is the crown princess we’re talking about! THE FUTURE EMPRESS OF VREQISEON!”

  “And?”

  Silence.

  Toini’s irritation was clear, but only those who knew her well could see it. This meant that Eugen had no idea just how angry she was becoming.

  “She’s the future empress, so what?” She added, “How does that disprove what is said in the report? It doesn’t. You say ‘she wouldn’t’ and ‘she couldn’t’. But it’s right there in the palm of your hand. She can and she did.”

  “Eugen I know it’s shocking but denying the facts won’t change the truth.”

  “Yvonne Nayeli Skyee Laurenne,” Said Toini, emphasizing the last name Yvonne now had and the wight it carried, “... is not who you think she is. That noble image of her in your head, it’s not the real her.”

  She snatched the report from Eugen’s hands and threw it in his face, “This is the truth! And you need to wake up from the delusional fantasy land that she put you in!”

  Suddenly, a glass of cold whisper was pressed against her forehead.

  “Toy,” Yvon—who had stepped in—cooed with a lazy smile, “We’re out of ice.”

  Toini sighed and took the glass from him, “Where’s the bucket? I’ll grab more from the kitchen.”

  “You don’t see that every day,” Yvon mused. “You’re lucky I know how to calm her down otherwise you would’ve been chewed out. And believe me, her nagging can go on for hours! You really should thank me, you know?”

  “Thanking you?” Nacht questioned, “You should’ve stepped in sooner, that’s what you should’ve done.”

  That’s when Yvette who had been quiet the entire time decided to comment.

  “He was having fun seeing her blood boil,” She said, her tone as dry as ever. “Tsk. I’m telling you, Nacht, somewhere in that head of his is a screw loose.”

  “Please,” Yvon scoffed, “Like you’re any better. Blame our upbringing.”

  “Touché,” she replied then continued to mind her own business, returning to stirring her hot chocolate.

  “Sigh… Honestly, why do I work for the two of you?” Nacht said, contemplating his decisions in life.

  “Because we’re the best bosses you can ask for!”

  Hearing this, Nact and Yvette’s faces turned sour.

  “Anyway, please excuse Toini’s rude behavior,” Yvon said changing the the topic of conversation. Ignoring their disdain.“It’s all because she finds it ridiculous that my older sister is so beloved despite being a monster and given what Yvonne’s done to her through the years, I don’t blame her. In fact we’re on the same camp so, hooray for shared trauma!”

  Stolen story; please report.

  Though Yvon was effortlessly nonchalant about what he had just said, Eugen was shocked.

  “I-I’m sorry, what did you just say?”

  Continuing, he asked. “What do you mean by what you just said? T-That given what her radiance had done to Toini, you don’t blame her anger? W-Was my friend… Was Toini also one of her victims?”

  He sounded so unsure and confused. Information was just dumped on him suddenly he didn’t know how to process it all. But slowly he was, his mind was accepting the facts because that’s what it was, the truth. The evidence was there. There was no sign of tampering or fabricating, so how could he refuse to believe it?

  After the war his life was in chaos and truth was his only solace. He latched onto it like it were a rope, he held on for dear life until finally, he had some stability, but now… everything’s falling apart again and the truth is the only thing he can latch on once more. Despite how painful it is to accept.

  “Victims, huh? Well, I suppose we are, aren’t we?” Yvon said, looking at his sister subtly. “I like that term, might start using it. But to be exact, Toy is her 10th victim. 11th if we’re getting technical. But…”

  Yvon’s face changed from playful to somber, “That’s not my storry to tell.”

  Instead of addressing that further, he let it hang.

  Once more his expression changed. An air of dominance and authority exuded around him and his playful smirk didn’t hide those serious green eyes staring right at Eugen as though he could see into his mind and read his thoughts.

  “But let’s go back to the matter at hand, shall we? After all, I’m a busy man with a tight schedule. Like I said, Yugen wants to recruit you. It’s as simple as that.”

  “A-And I still don’t understand that part,” said Eugen. “Why me? Of all the people you could’ve asked, why did you pick me?

  “Simple. It’s because you’re you,” said Yvon with an eerie smile.

  “Eugen Guérisseur. Age 26. Born on the 23rd of Solena in the year 2506. You’re the eldest son of a once aristocratic family whose business was merchantry. You came to the capital at the age of 15 to pursue medicine under the sponsorship of the House of Oryx and you graduated from the Imperial Medical Academy this year ranking 17th among the students who specialized in general surgery out of the 51 in Batch 2502.”

  Seeing Eugen sweat a little, Yvon lightheartedly spoke. “Oh, come on. None of this is news. We knew all of this even before running a background check.”

  “You check all our boxes,” Yvon added. “You’re talented and smart, your record speaks for itself. And I know from first-hand experience that you’re a hard worker, you’re goal-oriented, and not to mention… loyal.”

  “And there’s also the fact that you’re obscured enough that people won’t suspect you.”

  Eugen raised his eyebrow at Yvon’s last sentence. The things Yvon stated wasn’t hidden information but Eugen wasn’t sure what was more unsettling—Yvon’s precision when reciting his personal history or the eerie smile that accompanied it.

  “I mean no offense when I say that,” Yvon continued, sipping the drink he snatched from his sister as though this was casual banter. “On the contrary is a compliment! You are a talented man but to be honest—if you were just a little more outstanding, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. Too much of a risk, on our part.”

  He set down the glass with a soft clink.

  “You graduated 17th in your class out of a whopping 51—high enough to be recognized, but… not enough to be exceptional. Your academic record is impressive but it’s not remarkable enough for people to take notice. You’ve been getting quite a few offers from prestigious hospitals, but what were their names again? Quite frankly, they don’t spring into mind immediately unlike the person who ranked 1st in your class who got three job offers from Imperial Medical, Aider Memorial, and Deuxième-Autoritaire. Hospitals whose names are hard to forget and almost always present in the top five medical institutes.”

  “Your achievements are buried under the shadow. No one is looking at you, and that, Eugen, is precisely what makes you so valuable,” Yvon added.

  Eugen felt an uneasy pit in his stomach.

  “I-I don’t know if I should feel insulted or flattered.”

  Yvon laughed, “Like I said, it’s a compliment! We have no need for a rising star. What good is that for a company that works in the shadows? We need someone competent, reliable, and socially invisible. And that my friend is you.”

  He leaned back, his expression smug. “The Ace has done a wonderful job locking in on you as our one and only doctor candidate.

  Somewhat feeling less pressure, Eugen commented, “It’s a l-little weird t-to refer to yourself in third p-person. Don’t you think?”

  “What?” Yvon asked, “Oh, I get it. You think I’m Ace. I’m flattered! But sadly no, I’m not.”

  The atmosphere in the room got a lot heavier, but looking at Yvon you wouldn’t think that was the case.

  “Though I doubt that we have much difference, but we’re also not that much alike. Contradictory isn’t it? It’s a yes and a no. I’m not the Ace, I’m simply the hand who deals.”

  ‘If this ‘Ace’ isn’t him, then who could it be?’ Eugen asked himself.

  And then what Yvon said repeated in his mind. Assuming that they weren’t only the criteria for the position of doctor, they assess their possible employees by those three things. Competence, reliability, and social invisibility.

  Someone competent enough to match wits with the cunning Yvon, someone he would find reliable, and someone who could fade into the background like an extra in a play.

  Someone fits that description already, and she was in this very room.

  Eugen wasn’t paying attention to her because she didn’t stand out. He knew she was there but wasn’t different from saying that he knew the door was in front of him. She was just there. Like a decoration, like a doll.

  Then, their eyes met. And suddenly, the weight of the entire conversation crashed down on him.

  His throat tightened. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

  That was when he knew.

  As he looked at her, without blinking, he asked Yvon. “H-Hypothetically speaking…. Y-Young Master.”

  “Ohh, we’re back to being polite!” Yvon cheerfully remarked.

  “H-Hypothetically… If I… say… do you or the Ace w-wrong… W-Who among you two s-should I w-watch out for more?”

  “Let’s see… I for one don’t want to lose valuable assets so I would assess whether or not you are still worth my trust and forgiveness after this hypothetical situation of yours and my course of action would be depending on that,” Yvon answered.

  “Ace, however…” He continued, “... Would probably jump to the more… colorful options. I can assure you for a fact that you wouldn’t die from any of those options but… the thing’s Ace’ll do… will make you wish that death was actually an option.”

  Not once during the entire explanation did Eugen blink but when he eventually did, she vanished.

  Panicking, he searched around the room.

  “Honestly,” Said Yvon, “If she weren’t the Ace, she’d be a wildcard. She’s too unpredictable at times.”

  As Eugen searched, a voice came from behind.

  “Are you looking for me?”

  Eugen jumped in fear.

  There she was.

  Standing over him with that villainous deadpan expression he always found annoying—though this time it scared him out of his wits.

  The hidden strategist.

  The invisible danger.

  “What are you doing?” She asked, “Get up. The floor is cold not to mention dirty.”

  The Ace in the Hole.

  Yvette Aidana Yaretzi Oryx.