There’s Something Special About Her Chapter 3

It had already been a year since I avenged my family against Wickers.

After barely escaping the Kingdom of Krollin, I wanted to head straight for the Bernheim Empire, but…

I didn’t have an identity that would let me cross the border safely while avoiding the pursuit that could begin at any moment.

Identification papers listed things like one’s appearance and eye color, so they couldn’t be forged overnight.

The artifact necklace my father left me had one fatal limitation.

Artifacts weren’t all-powerful, so it couldn’t be helped.

Changing my hair length and color, eye color, and facial features was relatively easy.

But altering my height, bone structure, or body frame had its limits.

And every night, I had to deactivate the disguise for several hours to let the artifact replenish its mana.

It could maintain the transformation for a few days without recharging, but it was always better to keep it as close to a full charge as possible.

After thinking long and hard about how to throw Wickers off my trail, I came up with the perfect solution.

I would change my sex as well.

Cut my hair short.

Alter my face and bone structure just enough.

Flatten my chest to resemble a man’s.

Still, disguising myself as a man apparently consumed far more mana, because I couldn’t completely change my voice.

Nor could I make myself any taller.

In the end, I looked less like a grown man and more like a boy in his late teens.

After several weeks of preparation, I created the identity I still used today—

Runelk Eins.

With that identity, I crossed into the Bernheim Empire and successfully found work in House Nox’s action squad.

Looking back now…

It had been the perfect decision.

Trees are best hidden in a forest.

Books are best hidden in a library.

No one would ever imagine that Helena of Wickers—a woman with countless grudges and ties to Nox—was openly working inside Nox itself.

Especially while disguised as a man.

“Go ahead. Search as hard as you like.”

I smiled to myself, imagining Edward wearing that infuriated, obsessive expression of his.

“Next!”

I beckoned to the next supply wagon waiting in line.

I’d only joined the action squad because it had plenty of openings and was easy for someone at the bottom to get into.

But everyone entering Nox had to pass through the main gate, making it the perfect place to watch for anyone trying to sneak inside while tracking me down.

On top of that, because of my own circumstances, I tended to inspect travelers more thoroughly than others.

Before long, I had earned a reputation within the squad for having a sharp eye and good instincts.

“Ugh… it’s hot.”

Though that didn’t stop me from doing gate duty.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead, pulled back the wagon’s cover, and said,

“Mr. Baker of the Cheshire Trading Company.”

“Y-Yes, that’s me.”

“According to the order form, you’re delivering thirty barrels of Kenzia wine.”

“Th-That’s right…”

“Then explain why I can clearly count thirty-three.”

“W-What? No, you’re mistaken!”

“Mr. Baker… if you keep insisting, I’ll inspect every single barrel.”

I stared at him sideways.

After avoiding my gaze for a moment, the merchant quietly turned his wagon around.

House Nox was practically a town unto itself.

Smugglers often tried to conduct illegal trades within its walls.

But Nox kept strict control over every item entering the estate.

For all I knew, those extra barrels contained drugs.

Or people.

“Next—”

Just as I was about to call the next person…

“The Duke has returned!”

The action squad lounging around the guard post sprang into motion, directing every carriage waiting at the gate to move aside.

Thud-thud-thud!

Clop! Clop!

With thunderous hoofbeats, a dark green carriage bearing House Nox’s crest shot through the main gate.

Several riders followed close behind, their cloaks whipping in the wind.

It all happened so quickly that a gust swept past us in their wake.

“Whew. Terrifying.”

Jake, my senior, had wandered over beside me and let out a whistle.

“Last year I had an errand at the main estate.”

The main estate referred to the castle at the heart of the enormous Nox domain, where the Duke’s office and the organization’s central departments were located.

“I happened to see the captain of the royal guard in one of the hallways.”

“The captain? Kane Degrave?”

“Yeah.”

Jake nodded vigorously.

“I went straight to the bathroom afterward.”

“…Why?”

“Thought I’d pissed myself.”

He shuddered dramatically.

“They say he’s the strongest man in Nox, but if even the captain’s that scary…”

“If you met the Duke himself, you’d probably die of a heart attack on the spot.”

Normally, I ignored most of Jake’s exaggerations.

This time, though…

I nodded in agreement.

Killian Nox.

His full name was Killian Crestear Nox.

The very reason I had hesitated before hiding inside Nox.

He was the only Duke of the Bernheim Empire.

At the same time, he ruled the organization known as Nox.

The authority he held in both hands was immense.

But power alone wasn’t what made him terrifying.

Killian Nox was ruthless.

At eighteen, he killed his stepmother and younger half-brother.

Killian Nox was cruel.

After disposing of them, he personally tortured every member of the faction that had supported them until they confessed their crimes.

The screams from Nox Manor’s underground prison had reportedly continued without pause for a hundred days.

Killian Nox was absurdly competent.

After inheriting both the ducal title and leadership of Nox, he expanded the organization several times over during the following eight years.

Every illegal business that might become a weakness was quietly transferred—on paper—to loyal outside families with no official connection to House Nox.

Then he aggressively expanded into legitimate industries.

Railroads.

Civil engineering.

Distribution.

Mercenary work.

Trade through the Nox Merchant Company.

Even opera houses and art museums.

Every single venture became a goose that laid golden eggs under Killian Nox’s management.

Without a single failure.

The enormous wealth he amassed soon became absolute power.

Nearly every noble in the Empire owed House Nox money.

Even the Emperor was constantly looking for an opportunity to curry favor with Killian Nox.

Finally…

Killian Nox possessed exceptional instincts.

A sixth sense that went beyond ordinary human perception.

That, above all else, was why I had hesitated to hide here.

Those instincts were like a gleaming blade that severed the heads of spies and traitors.

In fact, that was what he was most famous for.

His ability to sniff them out bordered on supernatural.

Even back when I was with Wickers, we’d tried planting spies inside Nox.

I’d personally trained several of them.

Every single one had been exposed.

Well… we did eventually succeed.

Still, rumors spread that Killian Nox possessed some mysterious ability to peer into people’s minds.

And strangely enough, those rumors gained credibility because of the Golden Dragon Eye said to have been passed down through House Nox for generations.

Not ordinary round pupils.

But vertically slit pupils like those of the dragons from legend.

Supposedly one of their ancestors had actually been a dragon.

According to those who had met Killian Nox in person, once you looked into those eyes, it was as though you had fallen under a spell.

You couldn’t move.

Of course, stories like that couldn’t possibly be true.

Even so…

There was no doubt he possessed instincts that could only be described as supernatural.

At present, I wasn’t another organization’s spy.

Nor did I intend to betray Nox.

Still, I had my own secrets.

The wisest course was to stay as far away from Killian Nox’s gaze as possible.

“Not that I’ll ever meet him.”

I might belong to Nox, but I was nothing more than a gate guard stationed on the outskirts.

And even within the action squad, I was just another low-ranking member.

There was absolutely no chance I’d ever cross paths with Killian Nox.

“Rookie. Shift change.”

The night shift had arrived and taken the entry ledger from me.

I headed straight for the action squad barracks on the edge of the ducal estate.

“Man… I’m exhausted.”

If there was one thing I appreciated about Nox, it was that even low-ranking members were given private rooms with their own bathrooms.

After forcing my tired body through a quick wash, I prepared for bed.

It was still early, but I intended to sleep until morning.

Click.

I locked the door carefully.

Then I drew the curtains shut so no one could see inside.

Standing before the mirror, I deactivated my artifact.

Whoosh…

A sensation like a gentle breeze wrapped around my body as my appearance slowly returned to normal.

My short, messy ash-blond hair lengthened in soft waves until it reached my waist, darkening into jet black.

At the same time, my facial structure softened, and I grew by the width of two fingers.

But the greatest change, as always, was my eyes.

Runelk’s cloudy gray eyes gradually deepened into crimson, like the sky at sunset, until they became the color of fresh blood.

The face of Helena Morton.

A face known to no one but myself.

Everything’s working fine.

After confirming that the necklace was functioning perfectly, I threw myself onto the bed and fell asleep.

The terrible insomnia that had tormented me throughout my years in Wickers had long since disappeared.

…

How long had I slept?

My eyes snapped open.

In one swift motion, I grabbed the dagger hidden beneath my pillow.

Creak… creak…

Suspicious footsteps were approaching my bedroom door.