Karasuma Mansion – Midnight
Deep within the shadows of Karasuma Mansion, where time itself seemed afraid to move forward, an old man sat silently.
His body was frail.
His presence was not.
Karasuma Renya, a man who had lived for more than a century, opened his eyes as the secure line connected.
"Speak," he said calmly.
On the other end, Vermouth's voice was low and steady.
"Boss… Harumi Kurosaki has been cheating on Keith. She was seen openly embracing Kazuto Amamiya."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Then—
The air in the vast room changed.
A crushing killing intent surged outward, so dense it felt as though the walls themselves would crack. Even from miles away, it was as if the Amamiya and Kurosaki families had already been marked for death.
Renya's hand tightened around his cane.
"So," he murmured, voice cold and ancient, "they dared."
Vermouth said nothing.
She knew better than anyone—when the Boss spoke like this, destinies were already being rewritten.
"Keep an eye on them," Karasuma Renya ordered.
"Both families. And Keith."
"Yes, Boss," Vermouth replied without hesitation.
The call ended.
Vermouth lowered the phone slowly.
For a moment, she simply stood there, staring into the darkness.
Keith…
She had met him many times—through countless disguises, countless faces—but to her, he had always been the same child.
Her mind drifted back.
Fourteen Years Ago
The day Keith was born, Vermouth had stood quietly beside Kaori Yamamoto's hospital bed.
Kaori had smiled weakly.
"Do you want to hold him?"
Vermouth hesitated… then nodded.
The moment she touched him, the newborn's tiny hand wrapped tightly around her finger.
Her breath caught.
Those eyes—clear, gentle, and impossibly warm—looked straight at her.
In that instant, something inside her broke.
And something else was born.
From that day on, Vermouth made sure to see him once every week, no matter what mission, no matter what identity she wore.
After the deaths of Kaori and Lucian, that promise never changed.
She became strangers.
Neighbors.
Teachers.
Tourists.
Doctors.
She watched him grow—quiet, kind, selfless.
And every time he smiled at her, with those same eyes that had once looked up at her from a hospital cradle…
Her tension faded.
Her sins felt lighter.
Around Keith, she could breathe.
"He has Kaori's eyes," Vermouth whispered softly to herself.
And now—
Someone had hurt him.
Her lips curved into a dangerous smile.
"Harumi Kurosaki… Kazuto Amamiya…"
She slipped into the shadows, her resolve firm.
"For Keith," she murmured,
"I will burn the world if I have to."