Published: August 10, 2026
Yan Dutchman's housekeeper, Bibi, had told us where Hadwell was staying—the warehouses by the harbor.
Though they were called warehouses, it was not the kind of place with a bunch of sheds lined up together. It was more like a row house: one large, long building with many small rooms connected inside. That was something often seen in port towns. It must have been there since the island first started being developed. It had a long history to it.
The red brick walls had faded from years of salt wind, and there were cracks here and there.
The area was very quiet. Probably because it was quite far from the harbor market. Even though it was daytime, there was a strange gloom to the place, and the wind that blew through made my bones feel cold.
...This place is probably pretty cold inside too. Even if you layered on a warm coat, it would be hard to call sleeping here comfortable. Even if you brought bedding in, a warehouse was still just a warehouse, not a proper home or a hotel. There would be all sorts of inconveniences.
"Are we in the right place?"
When Lord Cyrus asked, Bibi glared at him with resentment. After he asked again, in a low, growling voice, she let out a tiny squeak and nodded.
"Y-yes, definitely... Lord Yan said that... when he comes back home, he makes the other merchants use this place as their regular lodging..."
"So he gets to stay warm and cozy at the duke's mansion or a resort hotel, huh. What a jerk."
Lord Cyrus said this with half-lidded eyes. I agreed from the bottom of my heart. Yan was a jerk.
"So he's definitely here today too?"
"Yes... when I met with Lord Yan last night, he said... until Cyrus Granado leaves the island, he'll be keeping himself out of sight... so send reports to Hadwell by letter..."
"And he told you to check the sheds this morning to see if there were any intruders."
"...Y-yes. That's right..."
Bibi nodded, trembling.
She was absolutely terrified, but Lord Cyrus hadn't done anything to her. She was simply cowering before him on her own.
Cyrus Granado was tall. And though I sometimes forgot it as his wife, his face was actually pretty intimidating too. His sharply carved, handsome features, dark skin, and those eerie green eyes made him not only beautiful but strangely bewitching. If he ever truly glared at someone, even a lion would probably tremble.
"So then, they already know we've come to Ildanaf Island."
"Yeah, that's how it looks."
"In that case, we really do have to get in touch with Mr. Hadwell before they do..."
When I said that, Lord Cyrus nodded.
"Hadwell Decken is only being blackmailed because they've taken his family hostage. We can't fight him head-on. It's important to separate him from Yan and make sure he can't protect him."
"If his family comes back safely, do you think Mr. Hadwell will side with us?"
"...I don't know if we'll ever be close enough to call him an ally, but... he won't stand in the way of us catching Yan."
"I want to reunite him with his family as soon as possible. And I want to get them out of that jail as quickly as we can too..."
Lord Cyrus and I met each other's eyes and nodded.
...Hadwell Decken's message had been a demand for the release of his imprisoned family.
Last night, after Lord Cyrus told me about their condition in the jail, I couldn't stop crying. They had been thrown into prison without being told anything, separated from their husband, with no idea whether he was even safe. I could only imagine how frightened and miserable they must have been.
Lord Cyrus, perhaps seeing his own wife and child in their faces, had even shed tears once while telling me about them.
—We have to save them, no matter what.
We held each other's hands and made that vow.
...That day, the weather was awful. Thick clouds hung low in the sky, and it looked like rain could start at any moment. On top of that, the sea breeze was damp and lukewarm, stripping moisture from my hair and skin at a frightening pace. If I touched my face right now, it felt like it might crack.
A heavy iron door opened.