The Bait Named Yeon-woo
It was then.
“Sir Orsini, I’m coming in.”
Estea’s voice rang out.
“Enter.”
The door opened and a tall woman strode inside. She didn’t spare Canna so much as a glance as she walked straight past her and stopped before Orsini.
“The Black Apostle?”
“He was dead.”
At those words, Orsini’s gaze slid toward Canna. She shook her head.
“I didn’t kill him… probably.”
She had smashed the marble vase into his skull with all her strength, but it shouldn’t have been enough to kill him. Probably.
“However, we found this on the man’s body.”
“What is it?”
“A letter. It appears to be correspondence with the Black Apostles. It says they’re holding a gathering tomorrow night at nine.”
“Perfect. Prepare the knights.”
I need to leave. Canna turned on her heel.
Part of her desperately wanted to keep fighting Orsini until she forced him to submit, but now was not the time.
When she returned to her room, a man was waiting for her.
“Lord Sergei?”
Sergei. He was the younger brother of the Lord of Britzke.
“Physician Tatiana, could you spare some time tomorrow?”
“What is this about?”
“I wish to attend an auction. I’d like to give you a gift.”
“Pardon?”
“I heard from my personal servant that a rather fine auction is taking place.”
“Why would you give me a gift…?”
“What other reason does a man need to give a woman a present?”
Canna bit down hard on her lip to keep from cursing.
This shameless bastard.
Even if she was being generous, the man looked well into his late fifties. Was he seriously making a pass at her?
She answered curtly.
“That would be difficult. His Highness the Crown Prince is quite jealous.”
Her relationship with Alexei was so well-known that hardly anyone was unaware of it. Therefore, she didn’t need to struggle through a polite refusal—one sentence was enough to shake off any man who dared to cling.
“His Highness the Crown Prince? Physician Tatiana, have you not heard the news?”
“What?”
“They say His Highness will be engaged soon.”
Canna nearly scoffed. As if that would happen.
That rumor again.
Alexei’s engagement rumors had circulated for years, so she answered calmly.
“My answer remains the same.”
“If you ever change your mind, feel free to tell me.”
He smiled with veiled intent and continued.
“Unlike His Highness, I am willing to take you as my legal wife.”
Once he left, Canna tilted her head.
“Is he insane?”
To say such things sincerely—he had clearly lost his mind.
Whether he had prepared them in advance or not, a bouquet of roses and an auction catalog sat on the table. It seemed he had intended for them to go together; two invitation cards rested on top of the booklet.
It’s even a slave auction.
Come to think of it, slavery was legal in the Western Continent.
Canna smiled bitterly and flipped through the catalog. It contained portraits of the slaves along with brief information about them.
He was going to buy me a slave?
She had no idea which servant had recommended it, but Sergei himself had to be out of his mind for accepting the suggestion.
The type of man who’ll never be popular with women in his entire life.
Disgusted, Canna moved to toss the catalog away. But then—
…Wait a moment.
What had she just seen?
She flipped back to the page she had barely glanced at. The moment she saw it, her mind went completely white. The hand holding the catalog began to tremble violently.
No.
It couldn’t be.
This is impossible. This can’t be happening.
NAME: Yeon-woo (Grade AAA+)
HEIGHT: 181 cm WEIGHT: 75 kg
ORIGIN: Eastern Continent
NOTABLE TRAITS: Extensive knowledge of Eastern Continental medicine and healing arts
Yeon-woo’s face was drawn there.
Canna stood frozen, swallowed by shock, unable to move for a long time.
This can’t be real.
How could Yeon-woo be in this world—let alone as a slave? How?
When is the auction?
Canna frantically searched for the information. The auction was scheduled for tomorrow evening at nine.
“Tomorrow night at nine, the Black Apostles will hold their gathering.”
Is this a coincidence?
Canna bit her lip.
A Black Apostle had appeared. A note announcing the gathering’s date had been found on his body. Then Sergei had handed her a slave auction catalog containing Yeon-woo. Even the times matched exactly.
This is a trap.
Canna was certain. This was a snare meant to draw her in. They must have assumed that seeing Yeon-woo would make her attend the auction.
But Orsini and the Addis knights would be heading to the Black Apostles’ gathering.
They think I’ll come alone.
Her thoughts tangled chaotically as anxiety began to surge through her.
Trap or not, how do these people even know about Yeon-woo?
Could he truly be here?
As much as she hated to admit it, it was possible. If Seon-hui had come to this world, then Yeon-woo could have as well.
What if the Black Apostles have captured him?
A terror like the ground crumbling beneath her feet slammed into her. Canna let out a low groan.
“No.”
Yeon-woo was a “foreign substance.”
His blood was an incredibly potent alchemical ingredient. If he had truly been caught by the Black Apostles, even if their attempt to lure her failed, they would still use him as material.
I can’t allow that. I absolutely cannot.
The next instant, Canna shot up from her seat. The moment she opened the door and stepped out, she screamed.
“Ah!”
She nearly jumped out of her skin. Sergei was lying right in front of her door!
Fury erupted inside her. What the hell was this madman doing now?
“Lord Sergei! What on earth—”
…Wait. Why was Sergei’s face so deathly pale?
Canna hurriedly knelt and checked his pulse. Then she spat a curse.
“Goddammit.”
Sergei was dead.
The entire castle was thrown into chaos.
The knight who had served as gatekeeper for the past two years was a Black Apostle, and Sergei had been murdered. His personal servant had vanished like a shadow.
Canna went to find Orsini.
“That servant must be a Black Apostle too. He killed Lord Sergei and fled.”
“A servant who fails to protect his master receives punishment. Have you considered he might have run away out of fear of that punishment?”
Orsini’s point was reasonable. Yet Canna spoke firmly.
“That servant was the one who recommended the slave auction. Lord Sergei was trying to take me there.”
She held out the catalog to Orsini. Even then, dozens of conflicting emotions clashed violently inside her.
The man before her was Orsini Addis.
That damned Orsini. Her mortal enemy. The man she hated more than anyone.
Did she truly have to ask for help from such a man? Did she have to hope for his cooperation?
This is no time to worry about pride!
Yeon-woo might be captured. That single thought made her forget everything else.
She didn’t want to admit it, but when it came to the Black Apostles, Orsini was the greatest expert in this world. She needed his help.
“This auction is a trap meant to lure me in.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“The Black Apostles are targeting me.”
Canna calmly spun a lie.
“I am the Holy Spirit’s daughter. I would make an excellent test subject for them.”
“Fine, let’s say the Black Apostles are after you.”
Orsini saw straight through to the core. He stared at her fiercely.
“I asked why this slave auction is a trap.”
“……”
“There’s no need to ask, is there? Something in there must have caught your eye.”
He drew his own conclusion and opened the catalog. He turned the pages carefully, one by one, until he finally stopped at Yeon-woo’s portrait.
“Yeon-woo?”
A snort of laughter escaped Orsini’s lips.
“So it’s that bastard you were sobbing and calling for.”
“……”
Canna glared at him.
Pailon Island. When she had been addicted to ergot and hallucinating, she had cried out his name in anguish.
She had wailed those words through her tears.
He still remembers that?
It was a foreign-sounding name that she hadn’t even called out many times, yet he remembered it like a ghost and immediately connected the dots.
“What kind of woman are you?”
He looked back and forth between Yeon-woo’s portrait and Canna.
“The Crown Prince’s mistress and an Eastern Continental lover on top of that.”
“…It’s not like that.”
“Then explain.”
“Why should I explain anything to you?”
Irritation began to boil over.
Her nerves were already razor-sharp because of Yeon-woo!
“Aren’t you the one asking for my help? Then you should explain the situation.”
Orsini leaned back in his chair with leisurely arrogance.
“Orsini, this is something you’re supposed to do. Catching the Black Apostles is the Addis family’s mission, isn’t it?”
“If you thought I was the kind of man who’d be ruled by duty, then you don’t know me at all.”
“…You son of a bitch.”
“Looks like this son of a bitch’s hand is exactly what you need right now.”
He gave a mocking smile.
“Get on your knees and beg. Then I’ll save your precious Eastern Continental lover for you.”
“I don’t need it!”
Canna exploded. She violently snatched the catalog from Orsini’s hands and shouted.
“Forget everything I said! I was an idiot for expecting anything from you in the first place!”
She spun around and walked away quickly. The moment she flung the door open—
“…Huh?”
She came face to face with Claude.
He stared at her blankly for a moment before jumping in surprise.
“M-M-M-Miss?”
“Get lost!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
When Canna roared, Claude quickly stepped back.
She cursed under her breath as she strode past him.
This is insane. The whole situation is completely insane.
Now even Claude had overheard. There was no turning back anymore. It was a total catastrophe. Bombs were exploding everywhere.
Tatiana Evgenia’s life had been blown to pieces, and now it looked like her sanity would be next.
And among all those bombs, the largest by far was Yeon-woo.
That bastard Orsini. Is begging you really my only option?
If that had truly been her only choice, she would have even considered kneeling.
Three years ago she had kissed him just to kill him, so kneeling was nothing if it was necessary.
She had grown used to using her body harshly to achieve her goals.
But that’s only when there’s no other way.
Not now.
Right now, there were other options besides Orsini.