KFBRV Ch 24

His eyes gleamed as he inspected the jewels.

Jackpot. My first customer of the festival, and it’s a whale.

The stones were exquisite, their cuts so precise they could only be the work of a master.

Despite his heart racing at the sight of such treasure, he maintained his best poker face.

[Wolfgang] "In a hurry for some festival cash, little lady? Are you looking for a loan, or are you selling these outright?"

He assumed she was just another noble daughter who had raided her parents’ jewelry box for a night of forbidden fun.

[Odette] "I’m selling. What is your offer?"

[Wolfgang] "Let’s see. Hm... the carats are there, but the craftsmanship is lacking. Tsk. This style is everywhere. I can give you 20 Atasha each. And that's being generous."

He spoke as if he were doing her a massive favor, even though his offer was less than one percent of the actual value.

[Wolfgang] "How about seventy for the pair? Only because you’re young and I’m in a good mood."

In a blur of movement, the jewels vanished from his palm.

[Wolfgang] "Hey!"

The girl had snatched them back with the lightning-fast reflexes of a street thief.

[Wolfgang] "Where are your manners? You don't grab something back while it's being appraised!"

[Odette] "Keep your mouth shut, you shameless swindler."

Her voice was like ice, cutting through his bravado.

He realized he had made a mistake in underestimating her. He licked his lips and tried a more realistic figure.

[Wolfgang] "Fine, fine. Eight hundred Atasha? Nine hundred? Surely you don't expect a thousand."

[Odette] "Ten thousand."

He nearly choked.

[Wolfgang] "Ten thousand?! Be reasonable!"

[Odette] "You really aren't cut out for the pawnshop business. Your eyes are failing you if you can't recognize the mark of an Imperial jeweler."

His face went pale. Pieces from the Imperial palace were legendary—the kind of rarities a pawnshop owner might see once in a lifetime. Handling even one would skyrocket his shop's reputation.

[Odette] "It seems your talents are better suited for your old job. Or should I call you 'Goetz'?"

The name hit him like a physical blow. Goetz—a name that was supposed to be dead and buried.

His expression shifted instantly. He reached beneath the counter, pulled out a loaded pistol, and aimed it directly at her head.

[Wolfgang] "How do you know that name? Who sent you?"

Despite the barrel of a gun inches from her face, she didn't flinch. She reached up and pulled back her hood with a faint, knowing smile.

She looked entirely unbothered by the violence radiating from him. As the hood fell, the most beautiful face in the Empire was revealed.

He swallowed hard as he recognized her.

[Wolfgang] "Lady... Albrecht."

[Odette] "It’s a pleasure to see you again, Goetz."

She was nothing like the rumors. The gossip described a vulgar, screaming brat, but the woman standing before him remained poised even at gunpoint. No noble raised in a greenhouse should have been able to withstand the killing intent of a veteran fixer.

But his fear went deeper than that.

[Wolfgang] "Did... did Ulrich find me?"

Ulrich was the name of Count Albrecht—the man to whom the fixer Goetz had once sworn his life.

For generations, the Goetz family had handled the Albrecht family’s dirty work. But fifteen years ago, disgusted by the Count’s cruelty, he had faked his death to escape. He had lived as Wolfgang ever since.

[Odette] "I’m sorry for the scare. My father, Ulrich, has no idea you’re alive. And he never will. You have my word."

Goetz didn't remember, but in her previous life, he was the one who had found her. He had told her that while he hated the Albrechts, he would help her disappear.

Because of him, I managed to avoid the Transcendents for two years.

It wasn't because his network was better than Zion’s, but because he was a ghost—a man who lived in the shadows and knew how to stay invisible.

[Wolfgang] "The fixer Goetz is dead! I want nothing to do with that bastard Ulrich. If you don't want a hole in your head, get out."

[Odette] "Goetz, that is exactly why I'm here."

[Wolfgang] "What?"

[Odette] "You hate Ulrich, but you don't hate the Albrecht name itself, do you?"

[Odette] "You said once that you couldn't stand to watch me die. You hated Ulrich, but you couldn't turn your back on me."

She repeated the words Wolfgang had said to her in her past life. As she spoke, she reached out and gently took the pistol from his hand.

[Odette] "It’s a bit crude, but practical. Just your style."

He blinked, looking stunned.

In her past life, she had sensed he missed his old life. A fixer working in the shadows never receives the title of a knight, yet it’s a job that requires absolute loyalty. Goetz had been born for it; he had grown up watching his own father serve the Albrechts.

How could he not miss it? Some men viewed rolling in the mud to keep their masters clean as the ultimate form of romance.

[Odette] "Can you find me a handsome dealer? I’m planning to ruin my father’s casino in the city."

[Wolfgang] "What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Why should I trust you—"

[Odette] "He can't just be average. He needs to be a true heartthrob. Hire the best one you can find."

[Wolfgang] "Are you even listening to me, My Lady?"

[Odette] "Oh, and keep the ten thousand Atasha. It’s a down payment. Unlike my father, I prefer to buy a fixer’s loyalty with proper coin."

She engaged the safety on the pistol with practiced ease and smiled.

He let out a breathless, hollow laugh, looking at her as if she were a total enigma.

[Wolfgang] "You certainly have a lot of nerve, My Lady."

Despite his grumbling, she saw his eyes waver. She recognized that look—it was longing. She knew then that she could win his loyalty back in no time.

---

Because of the festival's chaos, Odette had to pay four times the usual rate just to find a carriage. Inside, she watched the rowdy crowds and grew pensive.

After hearing her plan, Goetz had grumpily agreed to find the dealer.

[Wolfgang] "Don't think this means I've accepted your proposal! I only agreed because I want to see that trashy casino burn to the ground!"

He had shouted at her to take her money back, claiming he had no intention of becoming her servant again, but she had forced the ten thousand Atasha into his hands anyway. He always complained the loudest when he was actually going to help.

Now that I have Goetz, my revenge is on track. But the real problem is the male leads.

Lowering their Loathing levels was turning out to be much harder than expected. Johan, who was currently the most favorable toward her, still sat at a Loathing level of 70. If she hadn't stopped his rampage, it would have been at 100 long ago.

Even if I get it down to 2, it will likely jump back to 100 the moment Charlotte appears.

She couldn't just focus on being liked. She needed a Plan B—a way to escape the male leads even more effectively than she had in her last life.

Her mood darkened as she viewed the city, which was alive with music and drinking.

The "Generation of Miracles." The drunken citizens were chanting the names of the S-Class Transcendents like heroes. It was because of those men that the city was safe enough to celebrate.

This is a problem. I didn't expect the city center to be this loud already.

If the main square was this chaotic, the rest of the city would be a nightmare. Unfortunately, her destination was the worst of the slums—a place where violence was common even on a quiet day. Combined with the festival's heat, it was a powder keg.

The carriage reached its stop. As expected, a group of drunks was already brawling at the entrance to the slums. She pressed a hand to her forehead in irritation.

[Odette] "If my luck is bad, I might run into the King of the Underworld."

She wanted to avoid the male leads as much as possible—especially the ruler of the slums, Viktor König.

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