What Happened Before:
The door opened wider, and the voices of William and Edward rang out. Edward said cheerfully,
"Hello, boss!"
William said politely and calmly,
"Greetings and respect to you… my lord."
Morven turned, surprised, and saw William and Edward…
Two Servants:
When Morven turned and saw William and Edward, he felt a sense of calm. He turned to Marcus with a smile and said quietly,
"Well done, Marcus… guide them to my office!"
Marcus scratched near his eyebrow with his finger and said,
"Sir… I took them to your room, but it was such a mess—it was kind of embarrassing!"
Morven turned back to William and Edward. Edward turned his head and chuckled softly, while William stared at the book in his hand and said,
"Usually, smart and wise people have messy rooms."
Edward stifled his laugh with two coughs and added,
"Yes, boss… William's right!"
Morven took a deep breath and said,
"Edward, go make a fool of yourself…"
Marcus chuckled quietly under his breath so no one would hear. Morven took another deep breath, turned to Marcus, and stared at him. Marcus quickly returned to his normal expression and said,
"Master, shouldn't we go inside!? We're all gathered at the door—what's this about!"
Morven nodded slightly in agreement and said,
"Then go in… all three of you!"
Edward stepped back from the doorway and sat on one of the indoor steps. William moved aside to let Morven and Marcus pass. Marcus hurried inside, worried Morven might close the door on him.
Morven glanced at them, then stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
A Discussion About a Family Enemy:
After closing the door, Morven leaned against it and, without preamble, said,
"So, the enemy—Lucien… do you know where—"
Edward cut him off before he could finish.
"Your older brother, a high-ranking member of the black market and popular among nobles for his power in trade—is that right!?"
Marcus's eyes widened in shock, but William calmly added,
"You're doing the job before it's even assigned to you…!?"
Edward grinned and said,
"Exactly!"
Morven took a deep breath, stared into Edward's eyes, and said,
"The black market!? Really…!!"
Edward took a deep breath and replied,
"Yes, it's true… he's one of the high-ranking members in the black market trade!"
Morven stepped away from the door, clasped his hands behind his back, and started pacing.
"Well, if that's the case, isn't this an advantage for us!? He's kind of an important figure, so there's a high chance he's targeted for assassination!"
Edward took a deep breath and said,
"No, because he's an important member, he has guards—and they usually wear black to stay unnoticed!"
Morven paused for a moment and said,
"Hmm… what can we do!? Is there really a way to handle him!?"
William said calmly and quietly,
"We could kill him from a distance… but only if he's standing!"
Morven closed his eyes and said,
"No, I want him to suffer… I don't want him to die quickly!"
Edward looked at Marcus and asked,
"Don't you have an opinion, Marcus!?"
Marcus, who had been silently listening the whole time, said,
"I'm more into clockmaking… these are pretty much strategic matters!"
Morven opened his eyes and said,
"Marcus is right—strategically, most of our plans would probably fail!"
Marcus was surprised and started,
"W-wait, I didn't mean—"
Edward interrupted him and said,
"Yeah, you're right, boss. Marcus is correct—strategically, we've got a high chance of losing in most plans!"
Marcus tried to speak again to clarify his mistake when William said,
"I agree with Marcus too. Direct and aggressive strategies won't work… at least most of them. We should use hostage-taking methods!"
Marcus took a deep breath, rubbed his head against the kitchen wall, and thought to himself,
"Why did they misunderstand me… oh Jesus, help me get rid of these guys!"
Morven sighed and said,
"Edward, keep spying for now. William, hold off on any potential killing moves!"
William closed his book and said quietly,
"Yes, my lord, I'll avoid any possible actions!"
Edward glanced at William with a laugh and said,
"Sure thing, boss. I'll gather so much info you'll drown in it!"
Morven took a deep breath and said,
"Good… now go!"
Marcus opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Edward and William left the house one after the other.
End of November 20:
A few hours after Edward and William left, Morven sat in his office, took a deep breath, finished the last drops of port wine in his glass, placed the glass on the table, and stepped out. He closed the office door behind him.
Morven headed to his room, opened the door, and glanced at the wall clock.
"Oh… it's past 1 AM. Lucky Marcus, who went to bed at 10 PM…!"
He sat on the edge of his bed, thought for a moment, then lay down. After a few minutes of thinking, he finally fell asleep.