Chapter 233

Chapter 233

Let’s focus my thoughts on Paolo Kwan.  

Paolo Kwan was Jafa’s ex-husband. It was essentially a common-law marriage. And Paolo Kwan’s daughter was Anguis Regina.  

‘Anguis Regina, under Kinuan’s psychological domination, killed her own father, Paolo Kwan.’  

That was Anguis Regina’s deepest trauma and the root of her distortion.  

‘But Jafa has cared for and protected Anguis Regina as if she were her own daughter. She erased the past of patricide and turned her into Border City’s idol.’  

Anguis Regina despised Jafa, her Tajirun stepmother. It was only natural. She had longed for her birth mother during her adolescence, but instead, a Tajirun—not even a human—had lived with her father.  

‘For someone like Kinuan, who excelled in psychological domination, Anguis Regina must have been an easy prey.’  

That raised a question.  

‘Why did Kinuan kill Paolo Kwan?’  

Kinuan was after Paolo Kwan’s legacy even now, and he had even suggested exchanging Paolo Kwan’s legacy for information on Giselle’s whereabouts.  

‘Why would someone of Kinuan’s caliber fail to secure Paolo Kwan’s legacy and simply disappear?’  

Kinuan was someone who even exploited the Empire’s chaos. There was no way he would have failed to claim what he wanted just because of Paolo Kwan or Jafa’s defenses.  

‘Unless… Jafa is far more formidable as a Tajirun than I expected.’  

My thoughts spiraled. Could Jafa have been capable enough to stand against Kinuan? If that were the case, she wouldn’t have been expelled from the Menoa Family. She would have avenged herself on her own.  

‘The reason Paolo Kwan’s legacy only became necessary later was because Jafa had hidden it away so thoroughly.’  

That was a reasonable assumption. But to be honest, I still wasn’t convinced.  

‘No matter how well Jafa hid it… the Kinuan I know would have found it somehow. Kinuan knows Jafa well.’  

Kinuan was a master of Akies Victima.  

Akies Victima couldn’t infer something from nothing, but Jafa had once been within Kinuan’s grasp. Understanding her psychology and extracting the legacy should have been a simple task.  

‘Kinuan had plenty of information on Jafa.’  

Alright, I needed to stop thinking. The rest of the reasoning could continue after I saw what Paolo Kwan’s legacy actually was.  

I blinked, trying to blur my focus. But it wasn’t easy.  

Click.  

As I walked down the office corridor, I sat on a bench and pulled out a thermos filled with tea.  

‘Drinking tea.’  

It was a thought-stopping routine I copied from Kinuan. The tea’s ingredients supposedly had a mild calming effect, but that wasn’t the point. For Kinuan and me, what mattered was that our brains recognized the act of drinking tea as a symbol of relaxation.

"It's been a while, Luka."  

Anguis Regina emerged from around the corner, walking toward me.  

I narrowed my eyes slightly, observing her movements. Her outfit was flashy yet loose-fitting, and her steps were heavier than usual.  

"Ah, our idol has graced us with her presence. Thanks to you, I managed to piss off your stepmother."  

I took a sip of tea from my thermos, the temperature just right.  

"Don't be sarcastic. And I wasn’t trying to make Jafa angry. It was something she would have found out eventually. You were just the first person to get this far. It’s contradictory, but… Jafa had been waiting for someone persistent enough to uncover the truths she didn’t want revealed."  

It was, as she said, a contradiction.  

Jafa hated me digging into her past.  

'Yet, she’s been waiting for someone like me. The only person who could find Kinuan is someone relentless enough to dig up the very things she wants buried.'  

Jafa hadn’t been waiting for a tame hunting dog. She needed a wild beast, one that would sink its teeth into its master’s throat if pushed too far.  

She despised those who threatened her, yet to achieve her goal, she required a beast that fierce. A rift between her emotions and her purpose.  

"Well, fine. Why did you come to see me?"  

"I want to know about my father. About the man named Paolo Kwan. If anyone can pry information about him from Jafa, it’s you. Maybe you already have. Or… is today the day?"  

Anguis Regina was sensitive and deeply perceptive. That meant her intuition was sharp.  

She didn’t fully understand her own thought process, but she was incredibly intelligent. If she were truly foolish, she wouldn’t have been able to embody both a radiant idol and a broken, ruined soul at the same time.  

"He's your father, isn’t he?"  

"My memories of him are always hazy, like a dream. Maybe it’s because of the trauma. And Jafa never tells me what he was really like. She understands my father better than I ever did."  

That was part of why Anguis Regina had shared information with me. She, too, wanted to see Paolo Kwan’s legacy.  

'Paolo Kwan must have been a more complicated man than I thought.'  

Kinuan was after Paolo Kwan’s legacy.  

Jafa had gone to great lengths to hide it. And Anguis Regina longed to understand her father.  

That meant Paolo Kwan was no ordinary man. He wasn’t just a simple chef or a poor archaeologist.

"Let's say I have information about Paolo Kwan. Jafa doesn't want you to know about him. I have no reason to go against her wishes just to share that information with you."  

"A child wanting to know about their parent is natural. Hiding it isn’t right."  

"When you lack a solid argument, you start talking about fairness. Don’t you think that’s a rather flimsy complaint? Especially when you’ve armed yourself under those flowing sleeves. Weapons like that are pointless. Who are you trying to threaten? Me? Or Jafa?"  

I already knew Anguis Regina was armed. A small, easily concealed pistol rested inside her loose sleeve, and glimpses of bulletproof underclothing peeked through.  

"...I don’t know. I just felt like I had to be prepared for something."  

Her pupils wavered. She had sharp instincts. Even if she couldn’t put it into words, she was sensing the subtle shifts in Jafa’s mood.  

"Being prepared doesn’t mean suddenly arming yourself one day. True preparation is built up daily, brick by brick, in anticipation of the disaster that will inevitably come. Whether it's violence, wealth, or something else entirely. Anguis Regina, fighting isn’t your specialty. Your true weapon is inciting the masses."  

Propaganda was far more dangerous than clumsy personal violence. I knew that well.  

People liked to pretend they cared about the truth, but that was a lie. Most of them preferred comfortable falsehoods over inconvenient truths.  

"Is that advice?"  

"It’s just the truth. If you really want to know about your father, offer me something useful in return. To most people, your fame, your seductive looks, and your charming words would be more than enough compensation. But you know better than anyone that I’m not like most people."  

Anguis Regina's eyes widened slightly before she smiled. She stood before me, radiating confidence.  

"Well… you do like men, after all. For the first time, I truly regret having full curves but no stick."  

Ah. A joke I once made had come back to bite me.  

"Think whatever you want."  

Her gaze shimmered like starlight.  

"If that bothers you, why don’t you prove you’re a real man in bed? Or do you prefer playing the woman’s role in—"  

Hmm. That was quite the provocation. The aggression I had pushed down began to stir.

"If anyone else had said that, their face would be a mess right now. But since that pretty face of yours is your only asset, I’ll let it slide—for the sake of your livelihood."  

"Heh…"  

Anguis Regina chuckled. As she moved away from me, she casually tossed out a remark.  

"…I think I finally understand now. No matter how strong-willed you are, you didn’t give in to Border City’s pleasures or to my temptations. And it wasn’t for the same reason as Kinuan."  

"If you’ve got something to say, say it clearly."  

"Your resolve comes from something deeply human. I don’t know who the woman buried in your heart is, but… I envy her."  

A woman’s intuition was frighteningly sharp in moments like this. If I stayed silent now, it would look like she had struck a nerve.  

"I’m a hopeless romantic, you see."  

Damn it. Was that really the best response, Luka? What a waste of Akies Victima.  

"I figured as much. You haven’t had many women, have you? That woman must be everything to you. It’s adorable. Acting all decadent, pretending you’d do anything, yet deep down, you’re just a sentimental fool."  

She was steering the conversation, and I was losing control. This wasn’t my strong suit.  

"I might not smash your face, but I could always break your leg again."  

"Oh dear, how terrifying."  

Anguis Regina took a few quick steps back, feigning fear.  

As she gained distance, she clasped her hands behind her back and threw out one last remark.  

"…But there’s no guarantee she feels the same way about you. People betray expectations with surprising ease. If she ever breaks your heart, come find me. I like tending to wounded men."  

I let out a dry chuckle.  

"Keep dreaming. The Anguis Regina I know is unstable—one step away from completely falling apart. If I ever get weak enough to rely on someone like you? I’d rather bite my tongue and die."  

"And that’s exactly why I’d love to see you broken."  

That sent a chill down my spine.  

I’d thought this for a while now…  

Anguis Regina wasn’t just masochistic—she was sadistic, too.  

In other words… she was a complete pervert.  

Well, that wasn’t exactly news.

*         *         *

As soon as my encounter with Anguis Regina ended, I headed straight for Jafa’s office.  

Her intuition had been spot on. She possessed an uncanny sense for these things.  

Today was the day. The day Paolo Kwan’s legacy would finally be revealed.  

There was no way Anguis Regina could have known the exact time and date it would happen. She had merely sensed the subtle shifts in the atmosphere.  

Ding.  

The elevator doors slid open. A straight hallway led directly to Jafa’s office.  

And… the scene before me was different from usual.  

‘Equessian mercenaries.’  

Armed Equessians stood in formation, their intimidating combat helmets making them look all the more menacing. There were twenty of them lining the hallway alone.  

Creak. Creak.  

The optical lenses embedded in their helmets scanned me repeatedly.  

‘A gaze filled with hostility.’  

Well, now. How amusing.  

I felt excitement rising within me. Just imagine—if these Equessians all attacked at once…  

A major crisis! How would I get out of this one? Was there a way?  

My battle instincts kicked in automatically. The rush of excitement wouldn’t stop, and combat hormones began flooding my system.  

The world sharpened. Colors grew vivid. A strange taste spread down the back of my throat—an effect of heightened senses caused by the exhilaration.  

Creak.  

I stepped into Jafa’s office.  

"Hohooo! You’ve arrived, Luka."  

Jafa stood with her back to the window. Beside her were En and five high-ranking Equessian mercenaries.  

‘The Equessians are even more heavily armed than usual. They look like they’re preparing for war.’  

I walked over and sank into the sofa, letting my back settle against the cushions. A part of my mind kept running scenarios for the worst possible outcome.  

Hmm. I could already feel a nosebleed coming on.  

At this point, nosebleeds were just a part of life. I preemptively covered my nose with my hand.  

Drip.  

As expected, blood trickled down. I wiped it away and flashed a sharp grin.  

"We're close enough now that we can skip the formalities. So let’s get to it, Jafa. Bring out what you’ve prepared."

"Hoyot, hoyot. Quite right. But I’ll say it again—Paolo’s legacy has nothing to do with Kinuan’s pursuit. Even now, I would prefer if you turned back. Because the moment you lay eyes on these things… you and I will be bound by fate. And for the record, refusal is not an option."  

A clear threat.  

I could barely resist the urge to be snarky. Right now, those damn battle hormones had taken full control of my mind and body.  

"If this is a marriage proposal from a Tajirun female, I’d rather decline."  

Jafa flicked her tongue and curled her fingers in a slow, fluid motion, far smoother than usual.  

"Hoyot, Luka, your imagination is disappointingly lacking. The ‘offer you can’t refuse’ I just mentioned… includes that as well."  

I flinched. Jafa continued.  

"…Just kidding. I simply wanted to teach you not to tease your elders."  

Hmm. Note to self—avoid joking about this topic with her in the future.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.