When You Turned Your Back On Me, We Became Strangers [EN]: Chapter 31

Ren’s words were credible. She had been suspicious at first too. Reilly grabbed her coat and stood up.

“I need to check it out.”

She could find out if this information was accurate by checking it herself.

“Where are you going?”

“To an informant. Thanks for the interesting story.”

“Hmm.”

Ren approached Reilly and bent down. She opened Reilly’s hand, who was staring blankly, and drew a symbol on her palm with her finger.

“Go to Veron. And call me if it’s dangerous, okay?”

“Is this symbol drawn on it?”

“Yeah, you’ll know when you go.”

Reilly nodded at Ren’s words. She looked at the symbol drawn on her palm and clenched her fist.

As Reilly left the detached building, Ren pondered and then disappeared.

A maid who saw Reilly coming out of the detached building hurriedly approached her.

“Where are you going…”

“Did the Duke tell you to watch me? You don’t need to pay attention to me.”

After all, she was just a guest who would stay for a while and leave.

Theo might not have brought her here with that intention, but Reilly was different. There was only one purpose for entering this place.

To be his eyes and ears here. No, at least she had to take measures to prevent anyone from interfering with her work.

“Ah… That’s not it…”

The maid hesitated and rolled her eyes. Reilly, who saw through what she was thinking, took out a gold coin and placed it in the maid’s hand.

“This is probably a month’s salary for you.”

“Gasp!”

“If you pretend not to see me in the future, you will be sufficiently rewarded. Originally, I was the owner of this place, wasn’t I?”

“But…”

“It’s simple. Just keep your mouth shut about my business.”

The maid hesitated, then put the gold coin in her pocket and nodded. Anna trusted and entrusted the maids, but Reilly was different.

There was no need to trust them or struggle to build trust. They moved according to power and authority. Unlike the nobles, honor and the eyes of the people were not important to them.

“You’re a smart girl.”

Reilly smiled at the maid and got into the carriage.

The maid received the gold coin in exchange for keeping her mouth shut, but her heart was uneasy. The maid just watched Reilly’s carriage leave the Duke’s residence.

Reilly, wearing a large hat, got out of the carriage in an alley where information guilds were gathered. Reilly lowered her head slightly and looked at the symbol drawn on her palm again.

‘I just need to find the symbol.’

If Ren hadn’t told her this, she might have wandered around because the information guilds were lined up. Above all, she was a little nervous because it was her first time in a place like this.

It wasn’t a place for a woman to go in and out alone without a guard. But Reilly wasn’t afraid. It was always because she felt like Ren was with her.

She looked around and scanned the buildings. Reilly felt the gazes that occasionally looked at her, but she tried not to pay attention.

“Hey, a noble lady came to this rough place alone?”

“…”

With blatant mockery, the men giggled and laughed. She tried to ignore them and walked forward. Her tightly clenched fists trembled slightly.

‘After all, they won’t be able to touch me, a noble, carelessly.’

Reilly’s lips were dry, and she kept swallowing hard. Just go a little further. She pretended to be indifferent, pulled her hat down deeper, and walked forward.

A little further inside, she saw a guild with a flag with the symbol Ren had drawn.

“Ah, there…”

Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm roughly from behind. Reilly was startled for a moment and screamed as she staggered.

“Ah!”

Kaver, who had been watching, was about to reveal himself. At that moment, a man’s painful voice was heard.

“If you keep ignoring me like that- Keuaaak!”

Before the man could finish speaking, a symbol glowed on Reilly’s neck, and a blue aura enveloped her entire body. The surprised man let go of her hand and stepped back.

‘……Her ability has manifested.’

Kaver bit his lip at Reilly’s blue aura. Now was the time for him to step in for her and Ren, whether she accepted him or not.

“Ugh, Aagh!”

Even though the man’s hand had only touched her for a moment, his entire body felt like it was burned. His clothes were burning and turning to ashes. The man writhed in pain, clutching his arm.

“Gasp…”

Reilly was just as surprised. She felt an aura in her body for a moment. And the moment mana was activated, she felt like she was losing consciousness.

‘What… is this?’

Reilly froze on the spot. The guild members came out one by one to check the situation at the man’s scream. As the situation grew, Reilly stepped back.

“What’s wrong, Kenta?”

“Kueuk, my arm… That woman!”

This was a big deal. Reilly felt like she had to get out of here. She hurriedly reached out her hand and said.

“Stay there. You might get hurt again if you come closer.”

“What?”

“Wait… That symbol…”

The man frowned when he saw the symbol drawn on Reilly’s palm as she reached out her hand.

He spat and stepped back.

He was about to rush at her as if he was going to kill her, but everyone quietly avoided her because of the symbol Ren had drawn.

“…Well, you sent a noisy guest.”

Reilly turned around at the man’s voice that suddenly rang out. A short-haired blonde man was looking at Reilly with his arms crossed.

“Perhaps…”

“I am Veron.”

Reilly sat down on the spot as if her tension had been relieved. She let out a sigh of relief with her legs shaking.

“Reilly!”

Kaver hurriedly checked Reilly’s condition. Fortunately, there seemed to be no problem with her body. She looked tired, perhaps because she had overdone it.

“Huh?”

The moment Reilly made eye contact with the man with black hair, whose voice was so familiar, she recognized him at once.

The beautifully shining golden eyes still existed in her memories.

Besides, hadn’t she seen him disguised before? When he was disguised as an employee, and when he came to the store with Leta.

Why was Kaver here…

She hadn’t been able to say a word to him properly since that day. Reilly hadn’t even thought about contacting him first.

‘It would be better for each other not to contact each other.’

There were many things she wanted to ask, like how Leta was doing and how she was alive.

However, she shouldn’t do anything that would raise suspicion. Because there would be no better time for Reilly than now.

“Shh, it would be better to call me a bodyguard here.”

Reilly glanced at Veron at Kaver’s words and then turned her gaze back. He was still staring at her with affectionate eyes.

The child who was clearly in her memory.

“…Let’s talk later.”

Reilly, who had come to her senses, got up from her seat, dusted off her skirt, and approached Veron.

“This is my bodyguard. Then shall we go inside and talk now?”

“Well, I didn’t think you would come without a bodyguard, but it’s unexpected.”

Veron glanced at Kaver and stroked his chin lightly.

“Well, shall we go then?”

He stretched out one hand to the side, turned his body, and went ahead. Reilly nodded slightly and followed him into the guild.

‘I think he noticed something.’

It seemed that Veron had vaguely felt her mana. It was very difficult to have one’s own unique mana [magical energy].

Kaver had been changing his body for over 10 years, but a small amount of mana leaked from his body.

“There are still rats left.”

Kaver stood at the entrance of the door and turned around slightly.

Judging from the signs, there were three people following her.

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers, and the hidden knights came out and scattered.

‘You can kill them.’

That was Kaver’s sign to the knights.

* * *

Veron led them to his room.

‘It would be easier to talk if I wasn’t there.’

Kaver didn’t go inside and stood outside, quietly listening.

“Do you know Duke Theo Albert of the Printz family?”

Reilly sat on the sofa, faced Veron, and said directly.

“There was a scandal caused by someone’s report. I remember it being quite noisy.”

Veron smiled at Reilly. It was a tone that knew who had reported it.

“Then it will be a little easier to talk.”

Reilly let out a sigh of relief.

“Now, what does our client want?”

Veron clasped his hands together and brought them to his chin. Judging from the way his upper body was leaning forward slightly, it was clear that he was interested in Reilly.

‘Fortunately, it seems like he will actively help me.’

Reilly also leaned forward slightly like Veron.

“Find out about Anna, that woman. From her family to her recent actions, and who the father of the child in her womb is.”

As her calm voice rang in the room, Veron’s lips twitched at her relaxed attitude and smile.

“Do you think the father of the child is not Duke Theo Albert?”

Veron twirled a pen and asked Reilly. He wrote something on the paper on the table, then rested his chin and waited for Reilly’s answer.

He was testing her now. Reilly took out money from her pocket, smiled, and answered.

“You already know.”

Who was the person who told Ren the interesting story? Reilly sensed it. Veron was constantly giving information to Ren.

“The guild only needs to provide the information the client wants. I don’t think you need to wonder about the reason for it.”

“Well, that’s not wrong, so let’s find information about her.”

Reilly’s brow furrowed subtly as Veron shrugged his shoulders lightly.

“There’s no need for that, is there?”

She pulled the paper in front of Veron towards her. Reilly slowly turned the paper over with her hand and said.

“It’s already here.”

Veron was not flustered by Reilly’s unexpected actions and smiled with his chin resting on his hand.

On the overturned paper, information about Anna was listed in a row. As if he had expected Reilly to come.