"What the heck, Wei Yenwu! He took Chi Xiao without even telling me. I was worried sick for half the day!"
"..."
"Good thing Aunt Fumizuki told me when I went looking for it. Otherwise, I'd probably still be running circles around Lungmen's main street right now."
"...Ch'en, does Wei Yenwu often come and take Chi Xiao from you?"
"No, not at all! Actually, this is the first time he's ever taken it without telling me... Seriously, would it kill him to give me a heads-up?"
"...Ch'en, could you lend me Aunt Fumizuki's motorcycle? I have a really bad feeling about this."
"Huh?"
"Please."
"Alright… fine."
---
"Now, now, Governor Wei—calm yourself, calm yourself. A true politician mustn't be ruled by emotion~"
Kashchey's voice was light, teasing, almost mocking.
"Besides," he continued, "haven't you already done enough for your dear brother? You even found a body double to die in Edward's place. If it weren't for Edward's growing ambition—his desire to take your sister back to Victoria and reclaim the throne—you wouldn't have been forced to kill him, would you?"
Wei Yenwu and Lin Kojui fell silent.
Back then, after Edward, Lin Kojui, and Wei Yenwu had reclaimed Lungmen from the Ursus nobles, those same nobles leaked Edward's true identity to the Emperor of Yan.
A legitimate heir to the Victorian throne, alive and active on Yanese soil—and worse, married to a Yanese princess of royal blood.
How could a suspicious and jealous emperor not see that as a threat?
The imperial edict soon followed.
But Wei Yenwu, young and prideful after defeating the Ursus lords, had no intention of handing over his sworn brother like a criminal.
To protect his sister, he had already been forced to marry her off into one of Yan's powerful noble families against her will.
He wasn't about to lose his brother too.
So he lied.
He reported Edward's death.
But as the years passed, Edward watched helplessly from the shadows—his wife and daughter living within reach, yet forever out of his grasp.
That kind of torment... who could understand it but him?
Then, just as his despair reached its peak, a letter arrived from Victoria.
On the envelope was a striking seal:
a plump purple cat clutching a giant gold coin, sitting atop piles of cash.
"The Cape Group welcomes the great Draco's return!"
At first, Edward was uneasy.
He should have shown the letter to Wei Yenwu—discussed it, decided together.
But hesitation took root.
He clung to that fragile sliver of hope.
And so, without telling Wei Yenwu, he took the governor's sister and young Talulah, and fled toward Victoria.
But he failed.
He was nothing more than one of the Cape Group's investments—a disposable project.
At that time, the Cape Group had two major ventures:
One was the Kazdel Regent—Theresis of the Sarkaz.
The other, Edward Artorius, the exiled heir of Victoria.
Cape's specialty had always been risk hedging.
And when one side faltered, they simply cut their losses.
Edward was abandoned.
He returned to Lungmen, defeated and ashamed, bringing Talulah and his "wife" back with him—only to face Wei Yenwu's fury.
To Wei Yenwu, Edward's act was betrayal—pure and simple.
He had broken their pact.
And worse, if Edward's presence drew attention, the lie Wei Yenwu had told to the Yan Emperor could unravel at any moment.
His jealous brother—the Emperor himself—would never forgive him.
So, ignoring his sister's desperate pleas, Wei Yenwu executed Edward, who did not resist.
His sister, grief-stricken, soon passed away as well.
And Talulah... was taken by the vengeful Ursus nobles.
"..."
In the end, Wei Yenwu buried his sister and Edward in the slums—then built a courtyard over the site, disguising it as the territory of Lungmen's most infamous crime lord, Lin Kojui.
---
"Talulah... that girl's intuition has gotten frighteningly sharp."
Sensing her approaching presence, Kashchey grew uneasy.
He wanted to finish this matter—quickly.
How should one put it… this operation's true purpose was to find a replacement for Talulah.
Or, phrased more tactfully—its goal was to free her from the expectations and burdens Kashchey had imposed upon her, so that she could finally live as she wished.
"Hmph… I really am such an enlightened parent, aren't I?"
The Black Snake found this whole "parenting simulation" rather amusing.
To him, raising Talulah was like playing a management game—one where he could shape, test, and observe her growth.
At the very least, his novelty and enthusiasm for this "game" hadn't yet faded.
"Looks like it's time to move things along."
Deep beneath the courtyard, his serpentine extensions had already located the coffin containing Edward's remains.
"Well now… still in pretty good condition."
Just as the serpents began to pull the coffin up from the land, three unexpected guests arrived.
---
"...Hey, Skullshatterer," Mephisto said, running his hand along the courtyard's old brick wall, "why do you think a slum like this even exists in Lungmen? And more importantly, why would a place like this—this kind of house—even be here?"
"I don't know," Skullshatterer replied honestly. "I think Sister Alina mentioned something about it once, but... I kinda forgot."
Faust remained silent, his expression unreadable as he calmly scanned for potential sniper vantage points.
"Whatever. Why don't we just ask someone?" said Eno, excitement flickering in his voice. "Anyone who owns a house like this in a slum's gotta be some kind of big shot around here, right?"
Skullshatterer nodded slightly.
After all, they were still just children—wounded and hardened by tragedy, yes, but children nonetheless.
And children without guidance often acted... impulsively.
The more they stared at this courtyard—so out of place among the decay of the slums—the more it provoked them.
"Out of my way, Mephisto," Skullshatterer growled, hoisting his grenade launcher. "I'm blowing this door open."
"Violence," Talulah had once told them, "is the first step to communication."
It was the one lesson Sister Alina had always opposed... yet Talulah had stubbornly upheld.
---
BOOM!
The explosion thundered through the courtyard.
The Black Snake's underlings immediately stopped hauling the coffin, slithering back toward their master in alarm.
Wei Yenwu's hand tightened around Chi Xiao, the blade ready to be drawn at a moment's notice.
"He dares make a move? Was he only pretending to yield earlier? Could Edward's body really matter that much to him? I may have miscalculated…"
"Damn that snake—he even laid an ambush around the area. Does he not fear that open conflict could spark war between Yan and Ursus? The death of Lungmen's governor alone would be enough to shake the entire nation."
Neither man's fears were baseless.
In times like these, such a move was not just possible—it was probable.
As for the trio of reckless intruders…
Neither side had even considered such an absurd variable.