Chapter 26
“The message says there’s a rat in the east.”
East referred to the Dawn Palace, where Damian resided. And rat meant a spy.
In other words—there was a traitor in the Dawn Palace.
“This time, he’s brought us something actually useful. Seems he’s finally decided to cooperate properly.”
“But we still can’t fully trust him. He is, after all, a bat by name and nature.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t trust him either.” Helion smirked before suddenly tilting his head back, his gaze sliding toward Katie. “By the way, Katie. If you stare any harder, you’ll burn a hole through the back of my skull.”
Only then did Katie realize she had been glaring at the letter with far too much intensity. If she had to make an excuse, it was only because the paper had been partially obscured by his head—she couldn’t help it.
“My apologies. I was just thinking… if there’s a rat in the palace, it must be serious. If a plague breaks out, it’d be troublesome.”
She deliberately played dumb, masking her panic with a perfectly straight face—so convincing that anyone watching would think she genuinely meant it.
“Hm? A rat?” Helion arched an eyebrow, as if baffled by her words. Then, shaking his head in exasperation, he burst into loud, hearty laughter.
She had only recently learned this, but his laughter was unrestrained. And for some reason, he seemed to take extra delight in teasing her more than anyone else.
“You really have a talent for making people laugh. Well, yes, if rats are running rampant, it is a serious problem. If Damian catches some disease and dies, His Majesty the Emperor would be devastated.”
“Indeed.”
Katie responded smoothly, but her fists clenched under the table.
She didn’t know how many spies the Kingdom had infiltrated, but there couldn’t be many stationed in the Dawn Palace. Damian’s incompetence was legendary, even reaching the ears of the Kingdom. He was particularly clueless in military affairs—so much so that he’d been sidelined in the last war.
Considering that, the “rat in the east” mentioned in the letter was likely either her—who had only recently left the palace—or Wayne, who was probably still working in the infirmary there.
‘Whose name is written on that paper?’
Her heartbeat thundered in her chest, layers of unease piling up.
‘The way he’s laughing… it probably isn’t mine.’
She quickly analyzed Helion’s expression. If her name had been written there, he wouldn’t be sitting so casually. He’d have ordered the guards to arrest her on the spot.
‘Then… is it Wayne?’
A wave of relief washed over her—followed immediately by self-loathing.
Wayne had been her comrade, a fellow spy who had looked out for her since the day she first infiltrated this place.
And yet, here she was, feeling relieved just because it might be his name instead of hers.
She had never found herself more disgusting.
“Come to think of it, you were in the eastern palace before this.”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Sorry to disappoint, but the ‘rat’ Edward just mentioned wasn’t the literal kind. It’s a little rodent sent by the Kingdom.”
“What do you mean?”
Even though she already knew, Katie did her best to feign surprise.
“A spy. While you were at the Dawn Palace, did you notice anyone suspicious?”
“My apologies, Your Highness. As a mere mid-rank knight, I wasn’t privy to the palace’s inner workings.”
“Oh? What a shame.”
Helion flicked the letter between his fingers. Katie pretended to be distracted, letting her eyes dart toward it.
She skimmed the contents quickly—but no names were written there. Just a single, concise line: There is a rat in the east.
Only then did she allow herself to relax. No specific information meant no immediate threat. It was too early to let her guard down, but at least she had bought herself time to cover her tracks.
“Assign someone to the eastern palace. Monitor all correspondence—and shipments. Who knows what they might be smuggling out.”
“Understood.”
Even as he gave orders to Edward, Helion’s gaze remained fixed on Katie.
His eyes trailed slowly from her eyes to her lips, then drifted lower—lingering somewhere around the lower half of her abdomen.
‘Where the hell is he looking?’
Now that the tension had eased, Katie followed his gaze with a more relaxed expression—only to realize he was staring at the gap between her thighs, barely concealed beneath her uniform.
‘That damn pervert.’
Just as she lifted her head with a scowl, Helion brought his fingers to his mouth, dragging the tip of one slowly across his parted lips.
Glossy, pink lips. A long, sun-kissed finger tracing them in a way that was—
‘Familiar.’
It was the same deliberate motion he’d used that night, when his fingers had—
Katie’s face burned. She whipped her head away before she could even glare at him, shame flaring hot in her chest.
“Adorable.”
His low chuckle pierced through her reddened ears. She didn’t need to look to know he was smirking.
‘Damn it.’
She gritted her teeth. He hadn’t even touched her, yet the place he’d been staring at throbbed faintly.
Come to think of it, it had already been two weeks since her assignment here.
A dangerous time—with a spy now exposed.
And, as always, her next heat was approaching.
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