The moment Seo-jun stepped into the Sebastian Hanwick estate, Edmund—who had just come down the stairs—pulled his son into a crushing embrace.
"Adrian?! I thought the monastery had already turned you into a servant like your brother! Thank goodness… my heart can finally rest."
Both of Adrian's parents were clearly overreacting. Their worry had consumed them so completely that they'd forgotten their own health in the process.
"All right, that's enough. Let's have dinner," Margaret said to the head butler.
"Call everyone. Now."
The head butler immediately relayed the orders, then hurried to the kitchen to have the chefs speed things up. The entire family had already gathered earlier than usual.
Fresh from a long journey, Seo-jun chose to change first.
His sweat-soaked body was cleaned with warm water and soft, fragrant towels by the maids. Once his hair was styled, they dressed him in elegant yet relaxed clothing. The dust and exhaustion vanished—his usual Adrian Hanwick aura fully restored.
Mischievously, Seo-jun poked each maid's cheek in turn, earning flustered blushes all around.
Before things could go any further, a soft knock sounded against the window.
Seo-jun instantly knew who it was.
"Go," he said shortly.
"Help the chef and prepare the dining room."
The maids left without protest, though disappointment was written all over their faces—teased, but denied.
Once he was alone, Seo-jun shut the door and approached the window. Chewie was already waiting outside.
"Come in. You're earlier than we agreed," Seo-jun said calmly.
"Sit and relax. I need to have dinner with my family first."
Chewie nodded.
"Yes, Sir Adrian. I'll wait here. I'm also waiting for the boy."
Not long after, Rowan's voice sounded from outside the room. Seo-jun opened the door.
Rowan clearly wanted to dive straight into business—he had already read the report from the disguised bodyguard—but Seo-jun stopped him.
"Later. Eat first."
In the dining room, Margaret welcomed them with a radiant smile and shining eyes.
"Sit down, my children. At last, we're having dinner together again."
Everyone smiled in response.
But midway through the meal, Edmund—who had been watching closely—finally spoke.
"Where did you go today, Adrian?"
His tone was sharp.
"You didn't go to the monastery, did you?"
Seo-jun's heart skipped.
A direct hit.
"Of course not, Father," he replied calmly.
"I visited the isolated villages beyond the mountains—the last of our territories near Prince Julian's lands."
Edmund's gaze remained suspicious.
"And their condition? Dire, or still manageable?"
Seo-jun paused.
He hadn't gone anywhere near those villages.
As his mind stalled—
Crash!
The glass in Rowan's hand "accidentally" slipped and shattered across the floor.
Instant chaos.
Margaret stood up in alarm, shouting for everyone to stay still and avoid the shards. Servants rushed in to clean up, voices overlapping as the tension dispersed.
The room's attention shifted completely.
Almost completely.
Lucien, who had been watching Adrian and Rowan from the start, narrowed his eyes.
There was no doubt about it.
They were hiding something.
After dinner—and a leisurely walk through the gardens of the Sebastian Hanwick estate with Margaret—Seo-jun headed straight back to his room.
He barely took a few steps before a sight made his temple throb.
Lucien and Rowan were arguing right outside his door.
"What is this?" Seo-jun's voice dropped instantly.
"If you're going to fight, do it somewhere else."
Both of them reflexively lowered their heads—yet still bumped shoulders, neither willing to back down. Seo-jun let out a long sigh.
"You two. Leave."
Instead of leaving, Rowan and Lucien moved behind him, clearly waiting for an explanation.
"Why are you still here?" Seo-jun shot them a sharp look.
"What exactly are you waiting for?"
"But, Brother Adrian—" Rowan cut in quickly.
"I'm involved in your plan too, right? That means I have the right to be here. Not this paint-smelling kid."
Lucien snapped back instantly.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY—"
Thud!
Lucien's fist flew—but Rowan dodged.
Unfortunately…
Seo-jun's face was right behind him.
The punch landed squarely on Seo-jun's left eye.
Silence.
The next second—
Smack! Smack!
Seo-jun slapped both of them without hesitation.
"You're BOTH IDIOTS."
Instead of calming down, things nearly turned into a full-blown scuffle. To preserve what remained of his handsome face, Seo-jun finally gave up.
"GET. IN. NOW."
The door opened, and the moment they stepped inside—
"—?!"
Chewie, fresh from a bath, dropped her towel right in front of them.
Two pairs of innocent eyes went wide. Their brains shut down completely.
Seo-jun reacted on instinct, shoving Chewie into the dressing room.
"PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!"
Chewie froze as well—standing stiffly like someone who'd just lost their soul.
A few moments later, the four of them sat with their heads lowered.
Silence.
Awkward. Painfully so.
Seo-jun rubbed his temples.
Forget it.
Focus.
His goal was clear: get the woman falsely accused of witchcraft out of the monastery—without handing a single coin to that hypocritical archbishop. He refused to let his hard work enrich someone who twisted religion for power.
Chewie's involvement wasn't without reason.
Seo-jun had already shown her proof of the archbishop's connection to her master—Princess Victoria Aurelion.
To maintain the princess's trust, Chewie agreed to cooperate. Besides… they were targeting the same person.
The prophet woman.
Princess Victoria had known about her existence from the beginning, but the monastery moved faster—hiding her away and nearly erasing her.
That left Chewie with no choice but to work with Seo-jun.
The man she'd been avoiding.
The man who—without her realizing it—had already shaken her heart.
While Chewie tried to erase the towel incident from her mind, Rowan and Lucien listened to the explanation—though they still occasionally elbowed each other whenever one of them suddenly grinned for no reason.
Seo-jun simply shook his head and glanced toward the window.
The boy would arrive soon.
As Seo-jun reached for a sheet of paper to sketch the secret route only Chewie knew—
Tok... tok...
A soft knock on the window.
Lucien jumped and immediately hid behind Rowan.
Rowan stiffened too—eyes squeezed shut, refusing to look.
Seo-jun sighed.
"So… you've arrived."