[AFYC] Chapter 12

The carriage, carrying the oblivious foreigner, rolled down the tree-lined street, following the banks of the Daube River. 

Seo Ah kept her hands tightly clenched as she stared out the window. The riverbank was lined with buildings, their warm lights spilling into the night. The carriage passed by an enormous, grand stone mansion that loomed ominously in the dark. A massive black carriage stood at the mansion’s entrance, its imposing presence casting a long shadow. 

What kind of place is this? And what sort of person owns a carriage like that? 

The thought disappeared as quickly as it had come, disappearing as they passed the mansion. In its place, her anxiety returned, stronger than ever. 

I don’t have much money left. What if I can’t afford the carriage fare or the inn? And what if that man finds me again? 

As her fears spiralled, the carriage began to slow down noticeably. Soon, it came to a complete stop, and the coachman called out from outside. 

“We’re here!” 

Seo Ah gripped her luggage and coat collar tightly, peering out the window. She saw another grand mansion, just as luxurious and beautiful as the one they had just passed. 

♔♔♔ 

“Have you found the vault key yet?” 

Oscar did not answer. 

He simply smoked his cigarette, the smoke dissipating like a transparent ghost. As the smoke thinned, he casually tossed out another question. 

“Have you received any news from Felphe Bank?” 

Ah, of course. 

The Duke inwardly rejoiced. He held the very piece of information that would intrigue this unsettling man. How fortunate that such news had come at just the right moment! What incredible luck that this information had fallen into his hands at precisely the right time! 

Instead of answering, the Duke took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke. As the thick haze drifted between them, their gazes locked. 

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

A strangely unsettling knock echoed through the room. 

The Duke turned to look at the door while Oscar repeated his question. 

“Is there any news related to Felphe Bank?” 

The Duke’s gaze shifted from the door back to Oscar. The cigarette in his hand emitted a thin stream of smoke, rising into the air aimlessly. 

“…” 

“…” 

A few seconds of silence stretched between them. Oscar nodded thoughtfully to himself, then slowly rose from his seat. As his shadow fell over the Duke, the world had darkened around him. 

“Marquis?” 

Was it because Oscar was the only one standing? Was it because he was alone in the room? Or was it because he was being engulfed by the shadow Oscar cast? 

A suffocating pressure settled over the room like a thick, impenetrable darkness. 

Oscar’s handsome features softened into a smile, but it was a smile that made the Duke feel as if he were being strangled. 

“You said you found it amusing, so I’m curious.” 

“I… well, that is…” 

The Duke stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence, but Oscar had no patience for such incompetence. As a dry laugh escaped his lips, the Duke’s words faltered and died in his throat. Oscar nodded in acknowledgement. 

“Please excuse me for a moment.” 

Meanwhile, while waiting outside, Simon saw Oscar emerge from the room and immediately sensed his patience had run thin. He quickly relayed the latest information, and Oscar, standing like a silent spectre, simply nodded and returned to the room without a word. 

The Duke’s mouth went dry as Oscar sat back down, his expression unchanged. Oscar, still smiling, lit another cigarette, enveloping himself in a cloud of smoke. The smile disappeared, leaving only his cold blue eyes visible through the haze. 

“Your Grace, the Duke of Baden.” 

The Duke’s forehead broke out in a cold sweat at the chilling voice that drifted through the smoke. His naked body trembled, his shrivelled manhood twitching pathetically. Oscar couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. 

The laughter that came from deep within him, like the rumbling from the depths of a mine, was as cold as the wind that howled through a dark, underground tunnel. 

The Duke instinctively grabbed the woman beside him, pulling her close as if she were a shield, and stared back at Oscar. 

“Ah! Y-Your Grace…!” 

A dog may bark, but a wolf does not. 

In the quiet, murderous forest, the wolf simply waits, lowering itself and biding its time. It was only when 

the wolf finally bared its fangs, and the Duke realised he was standing alone in a deadly, silent forest. 

“Is there any news from Felphe Bank?” 

For the third time. 

The Duke’s intuition screamed that there wouldn’t be a fourth, and he quickly began to speak, his voice trembling. 

“S-Someone with the key to vault 5555 has appeared!” 

“Is that so?” 

“It’s a woman, uh, and…” 

“When will I be able to open that vault?” 

“…” 

“Can’t I?” 

Oscar’s voice was deceptively calm, but the undercurrent of menace was unmistakable. 

The Duke gulped, his throat dry, and stammered, “It… it should be soon. I’ll make sure it’s soon!” 

Oscar leaned back slightly; his expression unreadable. The Duke’s heart pounded in his chest, fear coiling tighter with each passing second. 

“See to it that you do,” Oscar said, his voice low and dangerous. 

The Duke nodded frantically, desperate to appease the man before him. As Oscar turned away, the Duke felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest, though the lingering fear made breathing hard. 

But as Oscar’s cold blue eyes met his once more, the Duke knew the storm was far from over.