By the time Veil returned to his villa, it was nearly ten o'clock at night.
Alice wasn't home. Before he'd gone to the hot springs, she'd already asked for the night off—said the children at the orphanage had been getting overly excited these past few days, and the director couldn't handle it all alone, so she stayed behind to help.
As he walked upstairs, Veil wondered if Alice was actually avoiding him. Maybe she was afraid that coming back meant she'd have to teach him more lessons?
Just as that thought crossed his mind, he pushed open his bedroom door—and a flash of cold light swept toward his neck.
A dagger.
Without flinching, Veil grabbed the delicate wrist behind the blade. He applied a bit of force, and with a small cry of pain, the dagger clattered to the floor.
Veil temporarily cast aside thoughts of Alice and looked at the figure in front of him, clad entirely in a stealthy night suit—Blood Mandala.
He sighed. He wasn't the type to hold grudges against the sick and mentally unstable. His voice was even, almost gentle.
"We've known each other for a while now," he said. "Why is it your personality still hasn't changed? All because I didn't treat your injury last night, you try to stab me?"
"…"
"Relax," Veil added with a soft smile. "I've got time tonight."
Without further ado, he expertly tied her up.
Then, pulling out his phone, he dialed an unfamiliar number.
"Hello?" A woman's voice came through—warm, gentle.
Veil smiled. "It's Veil. We've met twice now, and I've been thinking about you ever since. Tonight, I specially invited you to come enjoy the moonlight and have a heartfelt talk. Would you give me the honor?"
A sharp rebuke came immediately. "Veil! In your dreams! Don't think you can scare me into backing down! I've done nothing wrong—I'm not afraid of ghosts knocking at midnight! That case up in the mountains is shady as hell, and there's no way I'm letting it slide!"
Veil silently sighed. As expected of the Captain—steadfast in her principles.
And truth be told, the case on the mountain was suspicious. Roy's death hadn't been properly investigated, the Black Dragon Society's members had all walked free, and the only ones who took the fall were some unfortunate hitmen from the killer rankings—sacrificial pawns used to help Kai get promoted.
But what did any of that have to do with him?
After tapping a few things on his phone, Veil added calmly, "I've sent you the location. Be here in an hour. If not, I won't be held responsible for what happens."
"Keep dreaming!" the woman snapped.
Veil didn't reply.
Instead, he walked back over to Blood Mandala and smiled at her. "Why don't you say a few words to your cousin, hmm?"
Blood Mandala trembled. She clenched her teeth. Only now did she realize—what she thought was her chance at redemption had all been a trap. Veil had used her—used everything. And now, she herself was nothing more than leverage to threaten her cousin.
She'd recognized the voice on the other end of the call. Harvey.
She refused to speak. Even though they'd only recently found each other, she and Harvey were the only family either of them had left in this world.
Even if it cost her life—she would never let her sister fall into the devil's hands.
"…So stubborn." Veil sighed and shook his head. Then, without warning, he pinched her waist sharply.
"Ah!"
A sharp scream escaped her lips.
On the other end of the line, Harvey completely lost it. "Veil! What are you trying to do? Don't hurt her! Please, don't hurt her—we can talk! We can talk about anything! Just don't hurt her, okay?!"
Veil's voice was cold as ice. He glanced down at the timer on his phone.
"Fifty-seven minutes and twenty-six seconds. Fifty-seven minutes and twenty-five seconds…"
"I'm coming! I'll be there! I'm on my way!"
Harvey's voice no longer carried the authority it did during the day. She sounded like a different person—shaking, panicked. Something crashed loudly in the background.
"Don't come! Don't come, sis! He's a monster—he's a devil, please don't come!" Blood Mandala screamed, her voice hoarse and frantic.
But Veil didn't give them any more time for sentimentality. He cut the call.
Then he turned back to Blood Mandala, wearing a warm, almost friendly smile.
"You know, it's funny. You two aren't even related by blood, yet you act more like sisters than real ones."
He crouched beside her, voice almost conversational.
"If my sources are correct, you two didn't even know the other was alive until a month ago. And in just a month, you're already willing to throw your lives away for each other?"
Of course he knew the full story. He knew exactly what kind of bond they shared.
He hadn't originally planned to use this kind of tactic on Harvey. But she had pushed him—forced his hand.
So now, he'd simply return the favor.
Let Harvey feel what it was like to be powerless.
Let her understand what it meant to provoke a devil.
"Veil, you're a demon! If you dare hurt my sister, I'll never forgive you!"
Suspended in midair, Blood Mandala shouted through clenched teeth, her voice full of fury.
One had to admit, the already voluptuous assassin looked even more stunning in her agitation. Her curves, usually hidden beneath the shadows of night, now seemed to come alive.
"You're really sick—you need more treatment," Veil said with a sigh, patting her lightly on the rear, as if offering heartfelt advice. "Seriously."
A demon?
He actually quite liked that title.
After all, to be called such by a woman who killed without blinking—it was oddly satisfying.
Time ticked by.
When the countdown hit fifteen minutes remaining, a knock came at the door.
"She's here."
Veil grinned. He had timed everything down to the second. From the station to his villa, the drive should've taken exactly one hour at legal speed.
Yet despite the delays, Harvey had arrived over ten minutes early. That alone told Veil just how fast the ever-righteous Captain Chen Ziqi had driven.
Clutching Blood Mandala by the waist, he casually tossed her onto the living room floor, then unhurriedly opened the door.
Harvey burst in the moment the door cracked open, panic written all over her face.
Her eyes locked instantly onto the scene—the absurd sight of Blood Mandala bound on the floor—and in a flash, she drew her Nepalese kukri and lunged straight for Veil.
"Tsk."
Veil clicked his tongue. Just like her cousin—no biological relation, but every bit as stubborn. Always trying to kill someone.
Bang!
He kicked without hesitation.
The knife clattered to the floor. Harvey clutched her stomach, doubling over in pain where the shadowy blow had landed. Her forehead was slick with sweat.
"You... You shameless bastard!" she gasped.
Veil strolled toward her, calm as ever. As she reached for her fallen blade, he stepped on her hand.
"Ahhh!"
Harvey screamed in agony—fingers were sensitive, and the pain shot straight to her brain.
"Let go of my sister! Let her go, damn you!" Blood Mandala cried, her voice laced with heartbreak.
But Veil ignored her.
Still pinning Harvey's hand to the ground, he crouched down and lifted her chin with a cold smile.
"Have you completely lost touch with reality? Or did your righteous fury make you forget? Even the number three assassin on the Kill List is lying tied up in my living room—and you think you can kill me?"
Harvey glared at him with hatred burning in her eyes, but said nothing.
Veil didn't mind. He went on casually, "You came alone. No backup. Is it because you underestimated me—or because you're terrified your darling sister's identity might be exposed?"
Harvey and Blood Mandala.
One, a rising star in law enforcement. The other, a shadow assassin collecting bounties in the dark.
Anyone would be shocked to learn they were related—except Veil, who already knew the truth.
He smiled gently, but his words were like icy needles stabbing Harvey's heart.
"Haven't you always wanted to bring me to justice? Well, I think now is a perfect time. Should I turn myself in? Maybe they'll arrest me alongside your beautiful assassin sister. Who knows? We might become a pair of romantic fugitives."
"No! Don't!"
Harvey struggled to rise, but her hand was still pinned, and Veil held her chin tight. She could only shake her head in pain.
"Please, I'm begging you. Don't do this. You can punish me however you like, just let her go!"
Tears welled in her eyes.
All her relentless pursuit of Veil, all her obsession with justice—it stemmed from a scarred childhood. The person who destroyed her family had never been caught. How could she not be consumed with rage? How could she stand to watch criminals walk free?
She wanted the truth. She wanted justice.
But all of that meant nothing now—because Veil had Blood Mandala. Her only family. The person more precious to her than life itself.
Her ideals shattered.
Tears rolled down Harvey's face—not from the pain, but from shame. Shame for her hypocrisy.
She always claimed she stood for justice. But when it came to her sister, she crumbled. Selfish. Desperate.
Her beliefs had been shattered like broken glass—scattered, jagged, and irreparable.
In this battle of wills, Harvey had lost completely.
"I'll stay. Just let her go."
Harvey took a deep breath and looked up at Veil, her eyes stubborn despite the tears still clinging to her lashes.
Veil glanced down at Blood Mandala, who lay bound on the floor.
"No! Don't hurt her! I've killed too many—I'm the guilty one! Let me stay!"
Blood Mandala refused to back down either, dragging herself along the floor inch by inch.
One sister begging to stay in exchange for the other's freedom. The other crawling, desperate to take her place.
Veil couldn't help but feel something was… off.
Maybe Harvey was genuinely trying to save her cousin.
But the way Blood Mandala was crawling on the floor—was it just his imagination, or did she look like she was about to relapse?
Was this... some kind of treatment addiction?