The room was surprisingly simple.

Ryn had expected overflowing gold, jeweled statues, perhaps a gaudy display of wealth fitting the House of Radiance.

Instead, it was a quiet lounge lit by pale crystal lamps—soft, steady, and almost serene.

At the center sat a crescent-shaped sofa with two cups of steaming tea already prepared, their aroma drifting faintly through the air.

And on that sofa sat the same woman he'd seen the night he first stepped into this place.

Lady Maria Blackwood.

She was dressed in another black dress, but this time, opting for radiant gold trims that complimented the darks well. Her hair was pinned with a neat crescent moon-shaped accessory, elegant and deliberate.

Ryn's instincts screamed that the woman in front of him was a high-ranking noble.

But no matter how he looked at it…House Blackwood did not exist.

Maria lifted her eyes as though she'd been waiting for him. A small, refined smile curved at the edges of her lips.

"Have a seat, Ryn Eden Arctis."

Ryn stepped into the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click. He didn't sit immediately. He wanted a second, however small, to gauge her.

"Before that," Ryn said quietly, "who are you?"

Maria's smile deepened, refined and unreadable.

"Straight to the point. Good."

She rested her hands on her lap.

"Blackwood is not the name I was born with, as you might've guessed."

Maria suddenly pulled up the sleeve of her dress, revealing an all too familiar symbol, a birthmark.

The symbol was a hand, to represent how the God of Creation molded the humans and gave them her Blessings.

Rhea.

But only those who are from her direct lineage had this…unless.

Ryn's eyes widened at the fact.

"My true name is Maria Rhea. Daughter of the previous Pope. Sister of the current one. "

It confirmed his suspicion, but led way to another.

Ryn finally spoke, voice lower than before.

"…That still doesn't explain why you're here. Why any of this involves me?"

She leaned back, as if to make herself comfortable before she spoke.

"Mind if this old lady share a life story?"

Then, almost casually:

"Tell me, Ryn." She tilted her head just slightly.

"Do you know what happened to the old Pope?"

Ryn blinked.

That was not the question he expected, having to search his memory before coming up with an answer.

"…Died of an illness."

Maria's smile vanished.

Completely.

She set her teacup down with a soft click, though the sound echoed loud in the quiet room.

"Wrong."

Ryn's posture stiffened.

Maria continued, tone level but edged with poison:

"My father was murdered."

Ryn stared.

"…But the church—"

"Lied," Maria cut in smoothly. "As did the nobles. As did every witness who feared the truth."

She exhaled. Not shakily, but with the steady release of a burden she'd never truly put down.

"I was the only one who saw the real cause."

Maria inhaled slowly.

"They came for us that night. Men who wore porcelain black masks, those who wanted us siblings dead. He protected us…at the cost of his life."

Ryn's heart dropped.

He knew exactly who she meant.

His breath hitched before he could stop it. Maria noticed.

"You've seen them."

Not a question, a statement.

"Good."

She leaned back, fingers intertwining calmly.

"Then you know why I left the Rhea Palace. I've built an empire for myself, and used whatever I had to hunt them down."

Her voice softened.

"However, they've all disappeared without a trace…until recently."

She met his eyes again, this time almost like staring into his soul.

"Deimos."

His stomach tightened.

Maria flung her arms over the couch's backrest, with a slight grin on her face.

"Now you've probably realized why you're here, Ryn Arctis?"

Ryn didn't answer immediately, sweat started pooling down his face without him even noticing it.

"I looked into the incident. A monster wave, along with the attempted assassination of Amelia Grandal. Truly horrible."

Ryn's throat tightened. His pulse stuttered.

He couldn't form words, not without giving something away.

Maria noticed, of course.

She lifted one elegant finger.

"See, when you're in my line of work, rumors tend to carry a grain of truth."

Her smile sharpened

"Citizens praised a 'masked savior', one that repelled the monster wave and defeated a heinous criminal."

She tapped her finger against the armrest.

"A masked figure that…just so happened to stroll right into my lap."

Her gaze drifted to the mask Ryn had placed on the side table.

Then back to him.

He tried to deflect, words finally able to form with coherence.

"The masks were common.I just so happened to buy one at Deimos," Ryn said evenly

"Folk legends make easy business after all."

A clean lie. Believable. Said with the confidence of someone who wanted it to be true.

Maria's lips curved, recognition with a tinge of amusement.

She tilted her head.

"A convenient explanation."

Her eyes remained locked on him, unreadable.

"But unfortunately…" she lifted her hand, tapping her thumb once against her fingers.

"…insufficient."

Then she leaned forward, not with gusto, but grace.

"Tell me something, Ryn."

"When Amelia Grandal returned to her territory after the attack…

Why wasn't her fiancé with her?"

Ryn froze.

Maria continued, voice silk-smooth:

"Strange, isn't it?"

She tapped a finger lightly against the table.

"Reports clearly say that the duke's heir was attacked… while accompanied by her betrothed."

Her eyes sharpened.

"Yet the next morning, Amelia returns alone."

A beat.

"And her fiancé?"

Her smile widened now, devastatingly assured that she had him cornered.

"He appears in Lumen one day later."

Maria let the silence stretch, just long enough to make it undeniable.

Then, with a quiet rustle of fabric, she reached beneath the table.

A crisp black folder slid across the polished wood and stopped in front of Ryn.

A contract.

Ryn's fingers hovered above it, but he didn't touch it.

Maria rested her chin lightly on her hand.

"You've fought them before."

Maria continued, voice smooth as warm steel:

"And you're here for them again."

Ryn opened it cautiously.

His eyes widened.

One name was written in precise, elegant script:

JAY FERRIS

Secured Under Blackwood Protection—

And below it, a simple exchange clause:

In return:

Ryn Eden Arctis will cooperate with Maria Blackwood on all matters related to Lumen.

Ryn looked up sharply.

Maria smiled. Not kindly, but with the satisfaction of someone who had just reinforced her position on the board.

"They're here for an artifact," she said softly.

"And for Jay Ferris."

His stomach twisted.

She continued:

"I recognized the boy's value before they did. So I took him first."

Ryn's throat tightened at the implication.

Maria folded her hands.

"You cannot protect all your pieces alone."

She leaned forward just slightly.

"And I cannot strike at shadows without a light."

A beat.

"So we cooperate."

Maria let the last words hang in the air like a noose tightening around his identity.

Ryn's hands curled slowly into fists.

Everything she said in this room was true. He couldn't shake the feeling of being played like a fiddle. Even with his past life knowledge, none of it could prepare him for this.

However…they were aligned, at least in goals.

But Ryn couldn't sign before he knew everything.

Maria read the hesitation instantly.

"You're not impulsive. Good. Then, let me give you the full picture."

She slid her hand beneath the table and produced another sheet of parchment, this one stamped with gold sigils. Maria put it lightly on the table, its contents shimmering under the crystal lights.

It was a catalogue of all the items within the auction, along with their slots.

"From what I've gathered, they will participate. However…there are three problems."

She raised her fingers, "One: The House of Radiance is neutral ground. If they win the bid, the artifact is legally theirs."

Ryn's expression darkened.

She raised a second finger.

"Two: I have no idea who their representative is. They're hiding among nobles, masked bidders, foreign merchants… anyone could be theirs."

A third finger.

"Three: I do not know which artifact they want."

Silence pooled between them.

Maria folded her hands.

"That," she said softly, "is where you come in."

Ryn arched a brow.

"So I'm your bloodhound. A sniffing dog."

Maria's smile widened, this time full of amusement.

"If that helps you understand, then so be it. Remember, your words not mine."

Ryn sighed, pinching his temples.

Maria continued:

"You will accompany me into the VIP chamber tonight. Your task is simple: identify which bidder belongs to them before the sale ends. If they win…"

She leaned forward slightly, voice dropping.

"…we stop them before they exit Lumen."

"Because once they leave this city, Ryn…they will vanish back into the dark, and we will never find them or the artifact again."

He exhaled slowly.

Then picked up the pen.

The scratch of ink across parchment felt much louder than it should have.

Maria's eyes glimmered with quiet satisfaction.

Ryn slid the contract back to her.

"…Fine," he said. "I'll bite."

Maria folded the document with elegant precision.

"Good."

Ryn stood, steadying himself.

"When does the auction start?"

She rose to her feet, making her way to a nearby table. She looked at Ryn without amusement while slipping on some accessories.

"An hour."

Ryn froze.

He leaned back into his seat as the color drained from his face.

"I really did just get played… didn't I?"

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