“What do you lot want from here? What happened?”

Chohong sounded combative as she climbed up the stairs. The members of Sicilia simply glanced at her and stepped aside without saying a word.

Once she and Seol Jihu entered the third-floor office, they found quite a lot of people waiting for them – so much so that the already small space looked even more cramped than before. Three people were sitting on the couches; two sitting on one couch were Dylan and Hugo, while a lone woman sat on the opposite side. And there were 5, 6 people standing stiffly behind her.

“You finally came, Chung Chohong?”

The woman wearing a thick coat turned her head to greet the newly-entering duo. Her lengthy hair sported the color of a bloody waterfall. Her matching crimson eyes seemed to gleam dangerously like a ferocious wild beast. Seol Jihu saw the clear scar extending from her brow down to her cheek and finally recognized who she was.

“Oh? Is it you, rookie?”

The 'general manager' of this year March's Neutral Zone, and the boss of Sicilia, the most powerful organization in Haramark – it was none other than Cinzia.

“What brings you here, Noonim?”

Chohong strode forward fearlessly and inquired as she plopped down next to Cinzia. Thanks to that, Seol Jihu had nowhere to sit now, so he went behind Dylan and Hugo to stand there, instead.

“Obviously, there can only be one reason why I came to speak to you guys. It's work.”

“Work? What kinda?”

“We've already discussed it. Sorry, you aren't invited this time.”

“What were you guys even talking about?”

While Chohong and Cinzia continued to converse in a rather friendly manner, Seol Jihu began scanning the crowd behind them. He didn't know the reason for the Sicilians' sudden visit, but never mind that, he was hoping to find someone he knew in the group.

Such as Leorda Salvatore, or….

“Un?”

It was then; a certain woman standing tall and silent right behind Cinzia caught his attention. Her lemon-colored hair neatly pulled up into a ponytail, as well as a pair of glasses worn over her sharp, probing eyes were both especially eye-catching. Seol Jihu belatedly confirmed her unmistakable maid outfit next. His eyes opened wider, and he began displaying a bit of over-the-top happiness at seeing her like this again.

“Miss Ag….!!”

He was about to finish saying “…nes” but hurriedly shut his mouth up in time. He wasn't stupid enough to not notice the current atmosphere of the office.

“?”

Maybe she sensed his gaze? Agnes had been maintaining her cold and strict facial expression of the head maid being employed by the famous aristocrat household until then. But she began sneaking a glance at the youth on her opposite side. When their gazes met, he began smiling innocently and waved his hand.

Since there were way too many eyes watching here, Agnes pretended to have not noticed him. Her silent indifference seemingly resulted in Seol Jihu receiving a powerful punch to his guts. He dazedly stared at her with blurry eyes for a while, before his hand powerlessly faltered to his side. Way past looking sad now, he even looked as if he was wallowing in the pits of despair and dejection.

“….”

In the end, Agnes let a soundless sigh escape from her lips. She then nodded lightly once and sneakily waved her hand. It all happened in a short period of time, but that was more than enough to bring vigor...