Seo-jun was still focused on the rough map Chewie had drawn when he told his two younger brothers to open the window and let the boy inside.
Instead of moving, Rowan and Lucien started shoving each other, like whoever got closer to the window would be dragged away by some nighttime curse.
Seeing that, Chewie clicked her tongue in irritation, stepped forward, and yanked the window open herself.
"Pathetic nobles," she scoffed.
She lowered her head again and continued working on the map, fully focused, while the boy sat stiffly on the sofa—back straight, shoulders tight, his discomfort painfully obvious in a room full of nobles.
"Sit properly. Don't be shy," Seo-jun said flatly.
At that, the boy slowly shifted, scooting back and leaning against the sofa. Rowan and Lucien, who'd been watching him closely, immediately demanded that Seo-jun introduce the kid.
The problem was… Seo-jun hadn't even asked for his name yet.
The moment they realized that, his brothers burst out laughing—mocking him for teaming up with a total stranger without knowing who he was or where he came from.
The boy, perceptive enough to catch on, spoke up before anyone could ask.
"My name is Jake. I'm fourteen. I come from a land far from here," he said calmly—far too calm for someone his age.
"We came because my sister insisted… to save this kingdom from destruction."
Seo-jun and Chewie exchanged a glance.
Silently, they both understood: whatever ability Jake's sister had, it was anything but ordinary.
"Then why were you arrested?" Seo-jun asked, his tone sharpening.
"Did you attack someone at the monastery?"
Jake slowly shook his head, lowering his gaze as the memory pressed down on him.
"I accidentally bumped into a man in robes late at night—the same day as your promotion celebration. My sister said you were different… not like the other nobles she knew. She wanted to see you up close. But because of our status, we could only watch from afar. Before we realized it, it was already late."
He took a breath, his voice growing heavier.
"On the way back, I was hopping around because I was excited to see noble life. That's when I ran into him and accidentally broke something he was carrying—a small bottle filled with dark liquid."
Jake stood up, walked to the window, and nervously pulled the curtain aside, as if afraid someone might be watching from outside.
"And then?" Seo-jun prompted.
"He grabbed me by the collar. My sister got angry. She shoved him away and pulled me behind her. When he stood back up… his hood slipped."
Jake swallowed.
"It was the Archbishop."
The air in the room went cold.
"My sister burst out laughing. She hurled insults at him—filthy ones, just like what you heard before. That's when she was taken away. I escaped using a secret route she told me about… but to protect me, she sacrificed herself."
Jake dropped to his knees.
"I hate myself. Sir… please save my sister."
Clearly uncomfortable, Seo-jun quickly hauled the boy up and forced him back onto the sofa.
"Don't do that," he said firmly.
After hearing the full story, Seo-jun fell silent, weighing every possible outcome—searching for a way forward that wouldn't create more victims.
"If this mission fails," he murmured, sweeping his gaze across the room,
"everyone involved could lose their lives."
He let out a long breath and rubbed his forehead.
"We kidnap the woman," he said at last.
"Quietly. Without anyone at the monastery realizing it. Then we pin everything on the holy knight assigned to spy on me."
Rowan frowned deeply.
"How?" he shot back.
"You're the one who ordered her to be guarded at all costs. Security will be airtight!"
Seo-jun smiled faintly.
"We do it the way Jake did," he replied calmly.
"He managed to get in and out whenever he wanted."
He paused, then added with a dry, almost mocking tone—
"Besides… this century doesn't exactly have CCTV."
Everyone reacted to Seo-jun's last remark almost at the same time.
"CCTV? What's that?"
Seo-jun went silent for a beat, then waved a hand as if brushing away an annoying fly.
"CCTV—never mind. What matters is this: we need to create a disaster. Something big enough to gather everyone in one place, fast," he said, his mind already racing.
"Burning a building would work. Or staging a phenomenon so disruptive that people panic and lose focus."
Rowan, who had never cared about anything that didn't directly benefit him, agreed without hesitation.
"Fine," he said coldly.
"Better than handing over three thousand five hundred gold coins. You know that's the combined fortune of several mid-tier noble families."
Lucien snapped instantly. His expression hardened, as if the suggestion itself had insulted him.
"No. Absolutely not," he shot back.
"Don't ruin this city. There are works of beauty here—things I cherish."
Chewie and Jake exchanged glances, then nodded faintly. They knew they didn't have the authority to fully oppose—or approve—any of it. Every idea the three of them proposed carried both light and shadow.
In the span of a single heartbeat, Seo-jun's thoughts shifted.
He imagined the aftermath of arson—extra taxes, restoration costs, royal audits that never spared anyone, even when the true culprit was never found. In the end, the burden would still fall on him as a noble.
Before he could settle on a final decision—
Tok.
A knock came from the door.
Lucien, who recognized the woman behind it instantly, ran over and flung it open without thinking.
"Hey, Sora! Come in!" he said brightly, not bothering to ask anyone else.
Seo-jun let out a long sigh. His brother's recklessness was nothing new. Rowan, already immune to Lucien's antics, hurled a sandal straight at the back of his head in irritation.
Chewie and Jake stayed silent, their eyes shifting toward the newcomer.
Sora, who had come to deliver a report and had no idea what kind of meeting she'd walked into, froze awkwardly in place. She hesitated, unsure whether to approach Seo-jun—
Then her gaze landed on Chewie.
And something inside her snapped.
She lunged forward and grabbed Chewie by the hair without warning.
"You traitorous woman!" Sora screamed.
"How dare you show your face here! You cursed spy!"
Chewie hissed in pain, struggling to pry her hands away.
Seeing the situation spiral out of control, Seo-jun immediately stepped in and forced them apart.
"That's enough," he said sharply.
"Calm down, Sora. Why are you here? Do you have a report?"
Still breathing hard, Sora finally explained. She laid out several new products she had been developing—one of them a specialized aromatic enhancer for enclosed spaces: bedrooms, halls, sealed rooms.
"The scent spreads instantly once the seal is opened and a few drops are added to a flower vase," she explained.
"It doesn't alter the water, doesn't harm plants—only changes the smell."
Seo-jun's eyes lit up.
An idea bloomed—wild, dangerous, and perfect.
Something shocking. A phenomenon powerful enough to rattle the entire kingdom.
He stepped forward, pulled Sora into a tight hug, then released her with a satisfied smile.
"You're brilliant," he said sincerely.
"Can you turn water red—like blood—in both color and smell, without poisoning it? Something people could still drink?"
His tone was calm… almost chilling.
Sora thought for a moment, then nodded casually.
"I think so," she replied lightly.
"Food coloring, corn syrup, or natural thickeners would do. For the metallic smell, a fish or shrimp broth would be enough. Easy."
The moment she finished speaking, Seo-jun burst into laughter. He spun around the room, steps uneven—like someone who had just uncovered a universal truth… or lost his sanity entirely.
Everyone else exchanged uneasy glances.
They all knew one thing:
When Seo-jun laughed like that, a grand plan had just been born.
And sure enough—
He began assigning roles.
Sora and Lucien would work together to produce the fake blood—the core of the operation.
Chewie and Jake would identify the safest routes to infiltrate the monastery undetected.
As for Seo-jun himself—
He would bring back the holy knight.
As the first witness.
He would weaponize the man's drunken state, stir rumors, and let the public construct their own version of the truth.
A massive lie—
one that would sound exactly like a MIRACLE.