A few minutes later, after a long journey by horse carriage, Liam arrived at Navana Street, in the southern part of the district, around three hundred meters from the previous location, unaware of what was happening at Forn's residence.
In front of him stood a luxurious mansion surrounded by high stone walls topped with iron bars. Two uniformed guards stood at the gate, strictly monitoring access.
Before he could step closer, the guards stopped him.
"What is your purpose?" one of them asked firmly.
Liam slipped his hand into his trouser pocket. The movement made both guards reflexively prepare to draw their weapons, but they lowered their guard when they saw that Liam merely pulled out a sheet of paper.
"Check this," Liam said, handing it over.
'Yes, hopefully this will get me inside.' he thought, hoping.
The two guards stepped closer, unfolded the paper, and read it carefully.
"It's authentic. This is Master Albert's handwriting, and the seal belongs to the Hammond family," whispered the neatly groomed black haired guard.
He glanced at his partner before saying, "Very well. Please wait a moment."
The two guards promptly opened the gate. They both nodded, signaling Liam to enter. After Liam had taken several steps past the gate, it closed again, and the guards resumed their duties.
'An influential figure, huh?' Liam continued walking.
Although the mansion was not the main residence, it already had two floors and around twenty rooms, one large kitchen, a separate dining room, an archery and horseback riding area, and the rest consisted of bedrooms, bathrooms, and several storage rooms. Outside, a fountain stood elegantly in the center of the path, its water flowing in two directions, while neatly arranged gardens lined both sides, bordered by well maintained grass.
Liam climbed the wide stone steps, unable to conceal his astonishment, then stopped in front of a tall and magnificent door that gleamed faintly. He took a deep breath and knocked.
Tok. Tok. Tok.
'There's no bell?' he thought, slightly doubtful.
He waited. Within seconds, faint footsteps could be heard from inside, the sound of shoes striking the steps growing clearer with each passing moment.
Then—
The doorknob turned, and the large door opened. In front of him stood a man with neatly arranged straight black hair and brown eyes, wearing a shirt with the top two buttons undone.
They stared at each other for several seconds before the man spoke in an almost startled tone.
"Oh, it's you, Mr Actitus. Did you see 'him' behaving strangely? Or notice any unusual signs?" Albert buttoned his shirt again.
"I didn't see him clearly," Liam replied. "But for sure, he went down the stairs and then went back up again, around five times. And I'm also curious… how did you know that 'he' could act like that?"
Albert glanced left and right, making sure no one was around, even though he knew there were only three people in the vast mansion. "Come in," he said quietly. "I will tell you about my experience handling cases like this. I have faced things like that more than once."
'For that question, I cannot answer it. I'm sorry, it's too risky.' Albert could not hide his fear.
He suddenly laughed.
"Alright," Liam replied, confused. He stepped inside, with Albert following behind him.
The heavy door closed with a deep sound. Albert led him to the right, toward a living room arranged with authority and elegance. Two pairs of plush silk sofas flanked a large round table made of aged wood carved with intricate symbols, upon which crystal glasses and a teapot engraved with the city's emblem, a full moon, were neatly arranged.
Tall bookshelves filled the walls, packed with thick leather bound books, archives, and official documents. The floor was covered in polished gray marble, each step reflecting light and creating an imposing atmosphere.
Glass cabinets displayed scrolls sealed with wax, city maps, and old family genealogies. A large desk with locked drawers and a royal seal stood in the corner of the room, emphasizing its function.
A chandelier emitting a calm blue glow cast warm light, yet the atmosphere remained rigid and vigilant. Clearly, this was the home of an influential figure, the keeper of the city's important documents as well as the guardian of great secrets known only to a select few within the kingdom.
The mansion was vast and spacious. Liam's sudden arrival made him feel uneasy, and at the same time afraid of getting involved with important figures in Moran.
After a brief moment of thought, he gathered his courage and asked for further explanation.
"There is something I want to discuss," he said quietly. "Forgive me if it sounds presumptuous."
Albert turned while taking something from a drawer. He nodded and gestured for Liam to continue.
"Are you—" Before he could finish his sentence, a woman with wavy black hair flowing down her back and brown eyes similar to Albert's suddenly appeared on the stairs and hurried toward them.
"Brother," the woman said in a panicked voice.
Hearing his younger sister's voice, Albert immediately approached her. "What is it? Is something bothering you?" he asked firmly.
"No," she answered softly. "Who is that man? Is he your friend?" she asked curiously after noticing a stranger in her house.
"Hey, that's impolite," he whispered. Albert chuckled softly before continuing, "Oh, you could say he's my friend. Why do you ask?"
The beautiful young woman was named Anastasia Hammond, Albert's younger sister. She was the same age as Zavi, twenty years old.
Like Zavi, she was currently unemployed, yet her life remained comfortable without the need to earn a living. Her daily routine was simple, staying in her room, eating, drinking, bathing, and taking walks when her brother was not busy. If she felt bored, she would occasionally ask a servant to accompany her somewhere she wished to visit.
However, behind all of that, those activities had hidden purposes unknown to others, including her own family.
Their parents worked as keepers of important documents in the city of Moran. Because of that occupation, they often dealt with high ranking nobles of the Kingdom of Norn, ranging from Counts who governed territories to Dukes directly involved in royal affairs, as well as documents concerning internal state interests.
Through that closeness and cooperation, the Hammond family received various compensations and special access, including permission to enter areas closed to the public. These connections were later utilized by Albert and his colleagues to handle supernatural cases while expanding their vigilance throughout the city.
The work was extremely dangerous. Their parents often handled documents that could trigger political conflict, thus requiring trusted individuals to protect them. The guards were not merely assigned to stand watch, but were also prepared to fight at any time if assassination attempts threatened their lives.
Meanwhile, Anastasia turned her head, her deep brown eyes staring sharply at Liam, who had been observing her. Reflexively, Liam shifted his gaze to the bookshelves, staring at the covers in hopes of not worsening the atmosphere.
"My name is Anastasia Hammond. May I know your name?" she asked gently, suddenly already standing beside him.
His heartbeat seemed to stop as Liam quickly turned and looked at the woman standing next to him. Behind them, Albert let out a soft chuckle, realizing his sister was either simply curious or perhaps interested in Liam's presence.
Anastasia stood very close, only a few inches from Liam who was seated, almost touching him. From behind, Albert froze, his mouth agape. He could not believe what he was seeing, never once had he seen his sister behave like this.
There was an age gap of about six years between them, yet this was the first time Albert had witnessed a side of Anastasia completely unfamiliar to him.
'Hey, this is too close… This woman is really strange, damn it.' Liam complained uneasily.
All he could do was smile, curse inwardly, and glance toward Albert, hoping the man would tell his sister to step away.
As he had expected, Albert ordered his sister to step back and return to her room. His command was absolute. Until now, Anastasia had always obeyed her brother, no matter how trivial the order.
Yet for some reason, today she refused, as if something was influencing her. Albert remained calm and ordered her again, this time with his teeth clenched.
"Aunt…" he shouted. The voice echoed briefly in the living room.
Hearing that, Anastasia immediately grew frightened, running as fast as she could up the stairs and into her room on the upper floor.
'Ck… Another interruption.' Anastasia thought irritably.
Downstairs, Albert glanced at Liam with a crooked smile. Liam could only scratch his cheek after witnessing the strange scene.
They intended to continue their previous conversation, sitting facing each other, and the atmosphere became tense for several seconds.
Meanwhile, Anastasia had not truly returned to her room. From upstairs, through a small gap in the stair railing, she listened to the conversation between her brother and Liam, her curiosity growing because rarely did someone like Liam visit their house.
On the other hand, her earlier strange behavior had merely been an act to conceal her true nature.
'Ugh… Another intruder. Damn it.' Anastasia thought irritably.
An incident like this had happened around two years ago. The arrival of three strange people at this mansion, similar to what Liam was experiencing now.
To investigate, she had pretended to be a strange woman so as not to be suspected, gathering information and seeking solid evidence.
For two years, or more precisely since the death of her older sister, she had grown increasingly curious about Albert's behavior, which had become more and more peculiar.
Anastasia suspected Albert. On that ill fated day, there had only been five people in the house. Her older sister, Niva, Albert, who happened to have a day off from his part time job, two servants, and a male gardener.
Coincidentally, Anastasia had still been in school at the time, not yet graduated. While she had been enjoying herself with her friends at school, she was suddenly startled by someone who came to pick her up. They told her that her older sister had died under unnatural circumstances.
Anastasia knew that Niva was her half sister, the daughter of her stepmother, whom her father had married after her biological mother died from a severe illness.
Even though Niva was her half sister, the woman had been very kind to her. Unlike Albert, her biological brother, who felt distant, or perhaps Anastasia simply did not know how to act in front of him?
"Who is that man? Is he my brother's accomplice?" she muttered curiously.
Despite her deep suspicion toward Albert, Anastasia still called him "Brother." Was it because she had grown accustomed to her disguise, or because her true feelings from the beginning had been born from her need for attention?
That question suddenly surfaced in her mind. Yet she remained determined to investigate whether her brother was truly as she suspected, and why two years ago she had begun to doubt him.