The ballroom was full of peacock-like people.

Men and women alike were dressed to the nines. A bundle of people with strong egos, each vying to shine. But even among all those with overwhelming presences, that man and woman stood out unmistakably.

I inhaled the suffocating air surrounding them and exhaled slowly.

“Do we really have to greet them?”

“To be honest, at first I thought I should keep you hidden.”

Yehyeon said something I hadn’t expected.

I blinked and turned to look at the men standing beside me. Since leaving the house they hadn’t relaxed for a second. Even my mentor’s nerves were wound razor-sharp. That alone confirmed these were not people one could dismiss. Giants had gathered here.

Though I still didn’t know exactly what kind of giants.

A dazzling crystal chandelier gleamed overhead.

Yehyeon studied my face.

“In the end, you can’t be hidden forever. Better to confront them head-on than to linger in ambiguity.”

“I still don’t understand why they’re interested in me at all... but I’ll follow your lead.”

“Hilde.”

Yehyeon called my name with weight.

I met the Commander’s large eyes silently. Yun, with his hands shoved in his pockets, listened quietly without interfering.

As I waited for a response, Yehyeon spoke.

“If we can finish introducing you to the Elders today without incident, I’ll tell you everything I know.”

“...What?”

“I don’t know everything. But if the introduction goes safely, I’ll have no reason left to keep things from you.”

A refined smile curved Yehyeon’s lips.

I had seen that smile once before. In the Commander’s office, the day I first heard Jaeyeon’s name. The smile he gave a subordinate who had met his expectations.

“Thank you for enduring all this without complaint. It must have been frustrating.”

I lost my words for a moment.

Then, finally, I nodded. I still didn’t know what to say.

My stiff reaction made Yun chuckle.

Black suited him so well that it was odd he didn’t wear it more often. Twisting his body, he said,

“I’ll stay out of it. Nothing good comes from getting close to those people.”

“Yes. Stay as far as you can.”

Yehyeon replied evenly, before turning his gaze back toward the pair.

“They’re people you don’t want entanglement with.”

And yet he walked straight toward them.

He approached the woman first, the one with silvery-gray hair pinned up. That was the proper order. Yehyeon explained that she ranked above the platinum-haired man. The hierarchy had to be observed scrupulously. Never, ever mix up the order, he had advised.

The second most powerful among the Elders.

Codename: Sukhoi.

As soon as I halted nearby, I saw her turn gracefully within her circle of attendants.

Silver ornaments on her black dress chimed with a clear sound, as if swallowing the light.

She had a stern face. Her elegant, bound-up silver hair framed strong features. Her eyes — far brighter than Ricardo’s — shone green. Pale green eyes that seemed to bore straight through the back of my skull.

There was no smile on her face.

“Yekaterina.”

Yehyeon quietly spoke her name.

“I’d like to introduce my subordinate.”

Her gaze struck me like an arrow.

The eyes surrounding Yekaterina followed, narrowing to scrutinize me. Each of them different, each measuring me in their own way.

There were wary eyes, even a few envious ones, but those were rare.

Most carried the same sentiment.

Dismissal.

Contempt. Derision: who is this nobody? In this place, reputation was power. I couldn’t identify them all, but I had no doubt they were prominent in their fields.

I recognized several faces immediately — which meant they were exceedingly famous. A movie star. A party leader. A prime-time news anchor. A renowned influencer.

People with hordes of fans.

And among them stood me — a rookie Badger who had appeared in the news just once. How laughable I must have looked.

It was natural to be treated like this when invited to a place I didn’t belong. Still, even under the blatant appraisal, the audible snickers, the murmurs — who is he? A rookie Badger, they say — I paid no mind.

Or rather, I couldn’t. Because I couldn’t look away from Yekaterina. Facing her gaze directly, her presence pressed down on me harder than it had from a distance.

And what was that? The sharp pricks at the back of my neck.

Snipers? Hidden bodyguards, no doubt.

“At last, I see you.”

Yekaterina stepped closer, her voice heavy.

“The Commander’s special guest. You’ve endured much.”

Strange greeting.

I couldn’t question it. I simply returned a polite smile and accepted.

Her hand was firm.

As we shook, the noise around us dimmed. The eyes on me grew hotter.

Everyone was staring as though this handshake were of monumental importance.

She looked into me with those bright eyes and greeted me again.

“I trust you’ll continue making the right choices, as you did then.”

“Thank you. I’ll keep doing my best.”

Something told me “then” didn’t mean the time I had saved Forden. But I let it pass with a smile.

“So that when you look back, you’ll have no regrets about your choices.”

When I answered, a spark lit briefly in Yekaterina’s eyes.

It vanished in an instant. Probably no one noticed but me. I didn’t bother to figure out what had caused it.

We let go of hands, and I kept smiling as I stepped back.

Even among celebrities wielding their fame like weapons, she was overwhelming.

I wanted no long conversation with this embodiment of power. The back of my neck still prickled with those lethal stares — not the petty glances of famous people, but the warnings of killers.

Send me home!

Yehyeon gave her a perfectly businesslike smile.

“Please look after our recruit.”

“Of course.”

Yekaterina replied flatly, then turned away.

As she returned to her circle of attendants, she spoke one more offhanded line.

“It’s been a long time since a meeting pleased me. I’ll be watching with interest.”

Me?

Why me? I wanted to ask, but swallowed it.

If I could just make it through this gathering, Yehyeon had promised to tell me everything he knew. Just a few more hours, and maybe things would make sense.

So instead of blinking in confusion, I smiled.

Yehyeon shifted his body.

In a low voice, he whispered, “Let’s go.”

I nodded and followed.

Maybe because of Yekaterina’s last words, a few curious eyes moved to approach me. But since I was following my superior, I had no choice but to pretend not to notice.

The mix of curiosity, contempt, ridicule, wariness, and killing intent fell away.

We had left Yekaterina’s domain.

Feeling the coolness return to the back of my neck, I crossed the vast hall.

***

The second Elder was a man with platinum blond hair.

He wore a snow-white three-piece suit so flawlessly it seemed made for him. Even if time had left traces on his face, he was still dazzlingly handsome compared to most. His slicked-back hair and smooth features, the leisurely smile on his lips — all of it exuded elegance.

He, too, was surrounded by people.

But the atmosphere around him felt different from those gathered near Yekaterina. As we drew closer, the man turned his body with graceful ease.

Ugh. Again, that prickling sensation of stares on the back of my neck.

It was not the same as the cold gazes of Yekaterina’s guards.

There was killing intent in their eyes, but strangely, also a kind of excitement?

What sort of people does he even hire as guards.

The man, holding a champagne glass delicately between his fingers, paused when he saw us and lifted his glass.

When his eyes found Yehyeon, his smile widened brightly.

“Commander!”

What the hell. Why is he so happy to see Yehyeon.

“We meet again. I’ve been waiting for you to arrive. You’re giving off an even better air these days. Once this gathering ends, shall we have some tea together?”

Yehyeon sighed openly.

I blinked, unable to follow the situation.

Why was the man known as third in Elder hierarchy smiling so warmly at Yehyeon, practically flirting? Why did my superior react with such a weary sigh, not even bothering to hide his darkening expression?

The Commander spoke in a gloomy voice.

“I thought I’d improved enough lately that you would lose interest.”

“Haha. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look that way.”

The platinum-haired middle-aged man only laughed brightly at Yehyeon’s words.

People nearby watched us with curiosity, but not with the same intensity as those around Yekaterina. Their stares were not as blatant; they were intrigued by a new face but, at their core, were still more focused on themselves.

As I blinked, comparing this clear difference, I caught Yehyeon’s muttered words.

“You still love the ones who look diseased.”

“Because when polished, they shine brighter than anyone.”

The man kept his eyes fixed on Yehyeon, smiling.

He looked like someone born with nobility in his very blood.

“And you will be no different, Yehyeon. I promise, no complicated talk. Just a cup of tea with me afterward, won’t you?”

“I came here to introduce my subordinate.”

Yehyeon cut his suggestion coldly.

He shifted slightly, opening a path for me. With an awkward expression, I stepped past Yehyeon and approached the man. The elegant Elder didn’t seem pleased that his conversation with Yehyeon had ended so abruptly.

But what power did I have.

I bowed my head politely.

“My subordinate, Hildebert Taleb.”

“Ah~...”

The man drew out the sound as if something had just occurred to him, studying me closely.

I met the Elder’s bright ash-colored eyes and waited for what would follow.

“The one from the rumors.”

“It’s an honor to meet you. Hildebert Taleb.”

“Prometheus.”

...What?

“Today’s special guest. Just as I thought, not a particularly interesting type to me.”

“I apologize. As you can see, I’m nothing more than a useless rookie.”

“It’s only that I personally feel no stir of interest. Circumstances make you someone impossible to overlook.”

Like Yekaterina, he spoke in riddles I couldn’t grasp.

When I blinked in confusion, he smirked. His tilted smile was sly and self-assured, different from Ricardo’s or Yun’s.

It was the smile of someone who had been different from birth, carrying innate grace and confidence.

He extended his hand to me.

“Erich Erhart. I’ll be in your care from now on.”

Codename Spitfire.

I shook his hand silently. After the formal greeting, Yehyeon quickly left, ignoring Erhart’s suggestion that he seriously consider the tea invitation.

Following Yehyeon as ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) he cut across the ballroom, I felt the eyes on my nape finally lift away.

God, the relief in my neck.

All I did was exchange greetings, and I’m already drained like this. No wonder Yun avoids dealing with them.

I shivered once and returned with Yehyeon to where my mentor was seated.

***

The ballroom began to stir about thirty minutes later, while I was sitting between my seniors, nibbling on green grapes.

Yehyeon was in good spirits, pleased that Erich had shown no real interest in me. My mentor, meanwhile, seemed amused watching me awkwardly introduce myself to Elders. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

I was still reeling from the explanation that Erich was some kind of pervert who loved broken souls and took pleasure in “saving” them. The fact that I hadn’t caught his radar was apparently proof I was living well.

What a fucking lunatic.

I was thinking that when the ballroom froze.

Literally froze. The noisy space fell into sudden silence, heavy with chilling tension.

I lifted my head, feeling the air shift.

Everyone was staring at the same place.

Yun and Yehyeon were no exception. The men who had been in their best moods since arrival now set their utensils down and stared without a word. Every gaze in the ballroom shot toward one point.

The annex entrance. The door framed in golden trim.

Until now it had remained closed. Now it opened, and someone stepped inside.

“Falcon has arrived.”

Someone at the next table whispered breathlessly.

“So the rumor was true.”

Codename Falcon.

Elder rank 1. Power rank 1. The throne he had never once vacated.

I saw the man walking in slowly through the frozen crowd.

He wore a dark suit, immaculate. A tall man followed behind him as he entered.

An older gentleman with hair streaked in gray, slicked back neatly. Not a single flaw to be found. He radiated an aura as if blue blood would spill if he were cut. Smooth leather gloves covered his hands. A pocket-watch chain caught the chandelier light and gleamed.

His features were clean and refined. Somewhere between middle-aged and elderly, but clearly untouched by cruelty of time. The lines around his eyes and mouth only added depth and calm grace.

He must have been stunning when younger.

Blue eyes and smooth golden hair.

A cold aura that kept people at bay, yet charisma and brilliance that drew followers to him.

Cruel, but clever enough to conceal it.

Ah.

“Colton.”

At my whisper, both Yehyeon and Yun snapped their heads toward me.

But I couldn’t spare attention for their reactions. My mind was reeling.

The rush of memories, the shock of meeting for the first time in this world someone I had known.

The past sharpened in my mind.

Memories surged dizzyingly.

“Colton Wiseman.”

So you were an Elder.