There is a word, "fall.

Regardless of one's own will, one is simply pushed by impulses and tossed about in a whirlpool of uncontrollable emotions.
You can't stop, and you can't control it.
By the time you realize it, it's too late, and you can't go back to the time when you didn't know.

By the time you realize it's too late, you can't go back to the time when you didn't know.

***********

Kai does not know his origins. For as long as he can remember, he has been traveling around the kingdom on the back of his current father.

His father had many acquaintances who worked in various places, and Kai had learned early on from the conversations around him that he had been picked up and raised by his father as an abandoned child, and that his father's work was the kind that never went out into the sunlight. Nevertheless, he has never been pessimistic about his life.
My father, known as "The Kuro Lion" to his colleagues and clients, was a clumsy but kind father. He was fast, strong, and wise enough to never wield power for nothing. Kai knows that his father was always loving and watched over him.

As he grew older, he began to imitate his father, carrying weapons and helping him with his work. His father was a kind man, but also an extremely strict teacher, who trained him relentlessly, telling him, "If you are going to carry a weapon, you must be prepared.
Whether it was because of this training, or because he had always been good at it, Kai's skills improved rapidly. In addition to simple combat, he was able to gather information under the cover of darkness, to go down to inhabited towns and live there for a while, to spy on targets.

As Kai became accustomed to his work, he began to receive more and more "behind-the-scenes" jobs, not only from his father but also from him. The Kuro Lion was well known in the world of the underworld for his abilities, and there was no shortage of requests for work, but life was not easy for the two of them.
--The reason for this is clear.

"Look, Kai. No matter how lucrative the job is, don't take it if it involves the Countess of Clester.

This is what my father used to say, and this is the only "restriction" he imposed on himself.
While I was working with my father, I didn't mind his preference, but as I started to work on my own more and more, I soon realized how difficult it was. After all, the Countess of Clester is the one who supports the entire world behind the scenes from the front and acts as a go-between in times of need. There is hardly any work that comes from the "back" that is not connected to them, and any request from the "front" that doesn't involve the "Crester family" has a certain air of mystery to it.

"Why do you hate the Cresters so much, Dad?

The reason I asked was because I didn't want to go through the trouble of picking and choosing jobs. With the reputation of the Kuro Lion and his skills, he could do the job more efficiently.
When asked, my father lost his temper for a moment, and then had a complicated look on his face, as if he was in some kind of pain, but at the same time thinking back to the good old days.

It's not that I don't like them. It's just that I can't face those people.
"You can't face them?
"The old ....... I've done things I'll never forgive. Even though I didn't know it, ...... after what I did, I can't face those people.
But the people of the Cresta family are not. ......

The fact that they don't have any ill feelings towards the Kuro Lion is obvious if you go behind the scenes in a certain way. The father smiled softly at his son, who told him that he was not overly concerned.

I know. Those people don't care. Are they really noblemen?　The Cresta's have deep pockets that make you wonder if they are really noble.
"Then there's .......
But... You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

--That's why I won't get involved with the Cresta family.
I'm not going to get involved with the Cresters.

But I guess you've reached the age where you're concerned about such things. I've made you go along with me so far, but if you choose to work for yourself, you won't have to go along with me anymore.
"Don't say that now, please.　Nowadays I'm called 'lion cub' because I'm my father's son. If I get a job related to the Cresta family, they'll know about my father in a straight line.

I don't know what happened between my father and the Cresta family. But if my father, whom I respect and cherish so much, had made a decision to stay out of it, I wasn't going to betray that decision.

I was not going to betray that decision. ......

"Kuro Lion". I've heard of you. He's one of the heavyweights of the underworld, no less than Sirius, isn't he?
I don't know if he's a heavyweight. I don't know if he's a heavyweight, but he's pretty famous.

I'm not sure what to make of this, but I think it's a good idea. In the event that you have any kind of questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site. When her face is expressionless, she looks as if she is planning something, and when she smiles, she looks as if she has come up with a devious plan. My father had told me about the faces of the Cresta family before, but when I saw how evil they looked, I couldn't help but laugh, beyond admiration.

Sirius would be surprised to hear that Kai was the Kuro Lion's son.
"Sirius seemed to know, though. Besides, I'm not my father's real son.
What are you talking about? If the black lion thinks you're his son and you think he's your father, then you're definitely father and son.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out. ...... However, the only thing that looks bad is the way it looks. It's obvious from talking to her that there's an interesting disconnect between what she looks like and what she is.
When asked to tell her about herself, Kai told her that she had been picked up by a man called the Kuro Lion, raised by him, and worked with him. She doesn't seem to know that the Kuro Lion avoids the Crester family, so I'll keep it to myself.

--It was my father who, with or without his permission, had come into conflict with the Cresta family, which he had avoided. My father, who had been in good health and had never caught a cold as far as Kai knew, suddenly collapsed around this summer.
He was rushed to see a familiar doctor, and it turned out that he had contracted a very rare disease. When he heard that all he needed was rest and recuperation and a very rare herb from the desert country beyond the mountains, Kai's eyes went dark, though this rarely happens.

They had been very selective in their work, and were living on the edge. There was no way they had any savings, and of course they had no money to buy such medicinal herbs. The Kuro Lion politely but firmly refused the doctor's offer to contact the Crester family.



Kai decided to break his promise to his father.

Kai decided to break his promise to his father when the doctor told him with a difficult look on his face.

"I'll go get the money. You have to fix him.

There was no time to choose between jobs. Leaving his father in the care of the doctor, Kai went straight to King's Landing and jumped at the highest paying job, no questions asked. --He left his father at the doctor's office and went to King's Landing, jumping at the highest paying job with no questions asked. The fact that it was against the Cresta family, of all people, was retribution for all the time he had spent running away from them.

When they were gathered at some mansion and heard the details of the job from an important man - they found out that the target was Diana, the daughter of the Countess of Crestor, who had entered the Red Rose Room of the palace, the experts who had gathered behind the scenes left the front line without a second thought. In the meantime, the only one who has declared that he will stay behind.
When Kai announced that he would stay behind alone, the more experienced members of the group warned him with pale faces.

'Are you stupid too?　You can't make an enemy of the Cresta family and be safe. You know that, don't you?
"Hmm, I've heard a lot about it. I've heard a lot about them, but I don't know how scary they really are.
"In all your years of living in this world, you've never been involved with the Cresta family?
'Yes.

They stared back at Kai intently.

'...... That's amazing. That's some miraculous odds, man.
'Really?　Well, I'm still young.
I'm still young." "Just because you're young doesn't mean you're inexperienced. ...... Don't say anything bad, just don't do it.
You're worried about me?　Thank you. ...... But I'm in urgent need of some money.
But I need some money, urgently." "Do you really need this money to make enemies with the Cresta family?
"If not, I'm out of here.

I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've.

"......, I gave you a heads up.
'Yeah, I know. I'll do my best to stay out of the way of the Cresta family.

You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.

The "employer" he met there was one of the worst people Kai had ever dealt with. His face is pretty, but it's really just a face.

"Find out the Red Rose's weakness!
Why won't you come to me, Your Majesty?　Make her look at you!
The Red Rose wants me dead, I'm sure of it. Protect me!

She changes her orders from time to time depending on her mood, and yells at you when she doesn't like something. However, this is only in her private room. Once she steps out of the room, she plays the role of a pretty girl who is adored by the noble girls and whom they want to protect.
Liliane Landrose, the lady of the Peony Room, is Kai's direct employer and the one he takes orders from. She doesn't even think of Kai as a person who lives behind the scenes. If she finds out that he's useless, she's ready to throw him away.

In the first contract, he promised to pay him on a weekly basis, and since that promise has been fulfilled, Kai has obeyed the orders of Master Peony, but only outwardly. However, the Red Rose's room was always guarded by guards (we knew that they were a group called the "Darkness" that had served the Crester family for generations), and it would be impossible to turn the king's attention to the Peony (after all, he was in the midst of his first love), and the Red Rose did not wish to harm the Peony in any way. So Kai's job was mainly limited to wandering around the palace, gathering information that might be useful (but not to the extent that it would offend the Cresta family), and informing the Peony-sama about it. In the event that you have any kind of questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site.

In the event that you have any kind of questions regarding where and how to use the internet, you can contact us at the following web site: ....... In the event that you're not sure what to do, it is possible that you'll be able to find out more about the best way to do it. If I do that, I'll end up being surrounded by all the 'darkness' of the Crester family.
At the very least, I want to get close enough to see her face and voice clearly. The opportunity came surprisingly quickly to Kai, who had been fidgeting in the ceiling.

In the middle of an evening party held at the royal palace. There was a bit of a commotion and the Darkness' guards left her side. If he missed this, he didn't know when he would be able to get close to her again.
Kai chased after the Red Rose, using the ceiling and hidden passages. He ended up in a corner of the royal palace. There, he witnesses an unexpected scene.

"......, what's wrong?

The "Red Rose" - Deanna Crester, who has the voice of a calm and gentle woman and a worried expression on her face, cares for the "favored princess" behind the corner. She was careful not to be recognized as herself, yet with a sincere light in her eyes, she was seriously worrying and encouraging the "favored princess" from the bottom of her heart.
There was neither the "Red Rose" who reigned at the top of the palace, nor the "Rose Princess of Ice and Fire" who could win over all the nobles. It's not that I don't like it, but I don't like it. She was perplexed and troubled by something unexpectedly said. --I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one.

"...... Kai?　What's wrong?
What?　Oh, what was it?

Before I knew it, I had sunk into a whirlpool of thoughts. Dee's expression was the same as it had been when she had first seen him in front of Kai.

You looked like you were in some kind of trouble. Are you okay?
"I'm fine. We're almost to the cabin, are you okay?

Even though she was an extraordinary young lady, this was the first time she had ever run on a mountain road in a dress. As I was thinking about how fast I was walking, Dee suddenly grabbed me by the hem of my dress.

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you that too. "Dee" is the name .......


"...... Oh.

...... oops. Perhaps it was because he was in a hurry, but he had been calling her by the name he was familiar with. It seems that I was more upset than I thought I would be about losing her in the woods.

After the soiree, the palace suddenly became very busy. This was because the Red Roses, in cooperation with the other Named Ladies, had created a new hidden faction to protect the weaker members of the entourage. At the same time, in the Peony Faction, information about the side chambers that the king had come into contact with during the night party was flying around, and Kai's position was no longer able to remain silent any longer. The reason why he was so reluctant to talk about Miss Shayla Callerd was because he knew that it was only a matter of time before he would be found out if he didn't tell anyone, and also because he knew better than anyone else that the Red Rose liked the Favored Princess.

It was practically impossible to find the Red Rose in the Red Rose Room. Only once or twice had he been able to get close enough to slip through the gaps in the changing of the guards, but he was quickly spotted and driven away. It would have been a disaster if he had persisted and been targeted in earnest, so Kai stayed within the limits of what the darkness could tolerate. Inevitably, the only time Kai could observe the Red Rose was when she was outside the room, and even then, only when she was intentionally walking alone. --A large percentage of the time, it was when she was talking to Shayla, as Dee.
The way she cheers Shayla up and encourages her to be positive is different from the way she usually is as the Red Rose. I wonder if the fact that she doesn't show her face, but only her voice, allows her to express her honest emotions on her face. She smiles, gets angry, gets depressed. It's hard to get tired of watching his ever-changing expressions.

It wasn't long before Kai realized that when she was "Dee", she was "real". She was calling herself "Dee" because she wanted to talk to Shayla as herself, not as the Red Rose.
If you only look at the fact that she hides her normal self behind the mask of the Red Rose, there should be no difference between her and Liliane, but the impression they give is so different.

From the beginning - and even now.
Kai softly covered Dee's hand that was grabbing the hem of her dress, so as not to startle her.

"Well, 'Dee' is Diana's name when she's 'plain' in the palace, right?
It's not wrong, but ...... I'm pretty sure Shayla is the only one who knows that name.
Well, ....... In fact, when you two first met in the corner of the hallway, did you sneak a peek?

I smile and try to cover it up. The person who said that to me seemed to be expecting that answer. He stared at me with steely eyes.

You're ...... never too careful.
"Are you mad?
You're a secret agent of the Peony Faction, I have no right to be angry with you.
Don't get me wrong, I 'was' a secret agent. Not anymore.

Yes, from that moment when I first faced her head-on. Somewhere in my heart, I had stopped being a secret agent of the Peony.

When she returned to her room, she shouted at Kai, "Kill the Red Rose! she shouted at Kai. She obeyed him because she knew that he would not listen to her opinion now and she wanted to talk to Deanna Crester directly.
In person, she was as intelligent as I had expected, and more innocent than I had imagined. Despite the attempt on her life, she carefully unpacked Kai's words and read what he wanted. She even said, "If you ever need anything, I'm always here for you.
To be honest, Kai had no intention of relying on the Crester family, then or now. It would have been better if she could have told him that she didn't want any harm to the Cresters. As long as the Cresters didn't recognize him as an enemy, he could go anywhere and hide if the need arose.
Even so, I was dazzled by the generosity, strength, and straightforwardness with which she was able to say that she would help the person who attacked her. I had a strange whim that if I had gotten involved to this extent, I might as well get involved more deeply. The result is "Double Secret.

While still ostensibly employed by Peony, Kai actively passed on information to the Red Rose. At first, he was a bit reserved, ...... but then he forgot about his restraint and started talking. The closer he got to Dee, the more dangerous she became, and the more he couldn't leave her alone.
In the event that you've got a lot of time, you'll be able to take a look at a few of the best ways to get the most out of your time. She has completely surpassed the capacity of a seventeen-year-old girl. When an event such as a garden party is thrown at her, she struggles to deal with the uncooperative maids. For some reason, I felt fiercely irritated by her recklessness in taking on everything.

(Why are you doing this?　It's not like it's going to do Dee any good.

She must have been piling on without realizing it. She took in a child she had no connection to, worked and worked and worked to raise him, and then he collapsed without saying a word about being sick - just like his father, who was so good-natured and overworked.

His frustration reached its peak when she broke down in tears at the school playground. Kai could only watch, frustrated and helpless, as she cried, clinging to her mother as if she were on the verge of breaking. I was so angry with myself.

(I knew it, but ...... I didn't do anything.)

I didn't want to make her cry. He loved Dee's ever-changing facial expressions, and it didn't matter who gave him that smile, as long as he was happy and smiling.
If he could protect that smile closer than anyone else...

I don't want to give it away.

Kai was surprised at himself for thinking so. It was taboo to have personal feelings for the object of one's work, and yet the feelings had grown before he knew it, and by the time he realized it, it was too late, they were sitting inside him.
I can't ignore these feelings.

--Hand in hand, Kai led Dee to a hut that overlooked the village at the foot of the mountain. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. ...... has no women's clothing, as expected.
I'm not sure if you've seen this before.

I'm going to run and get some clothes for Dee.
You're going by yourself?
You're going alone?" "I'm sure you'll stand out in those clothes. Once you're dressed, why don't you and I go down to the village and finish getting ready for tomorrow?

After patting Dee on the head, Kai went outside, quickly changed his clothes, and went down to the village. The country was in the midst of one of the liveliest festivals of the year, and the lights were on all night long. As a large village, there are plenty of stalls.
When I returned to the hut with some comfortable clothes, Dee was rummaging around in the dark.



...... What are you doing?
"Oh my God!　You scared the shit out of me. Don't make me feel uncomfortable.
I didn't mean to.

A normal Dee would have heard the door open. You're very tired, after all. I think I'd better stay in the village today.

So, what were you doing?
I thought I made you pay for my clothes, so I was looking for something that I could ...... exchange for cash.

The girl in the gorgeous dress slumped her shoulders dejectedly.

I'm not sure what to do. It's going to be difficult to exchange them for cash without attracting suspicion. ....... I'm sorry, okay?　I'll give you this jewelry and you can use it at Nolan's when you get back to King's Landing.
Don't worry about that.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. I'm not going to let you get away with it.

It's not that unusual, so I think I can wear it by myself.
It's probably fine ......, but Kai,
Come on, we're running out of time to sleep. Come on, get dressed. I'll be outside.

Without waiting for an answer, Kai left the cabin. After a short pause, he heard the sound of clothes being worn. Letting out a deep breath, Kai chuckled.

(She really is a ...... strange lady.)

She's not even wearing the mask of a noblewoman now, probably because she's completely separated from the rest of the royal court. Perhaps because she trusts Kai so much, the expression on her face is younger than usual, as if she is seventeen years old.
I guess it's nice that she trusts me, but I can't help but feel like reaching out to her when she's so defenseless. She's a noblewoman, the Red Rose, not within Kai's reach.

"Kai?　I changed my clothes.
Are you okay with the size?
Yeah, I'm fine. I'm much more mobile now.

She stretched, and the next thing I knew, she was walking up to me and shoving the jewelry in my hand.

You can't say you won't take it.
"You know, Dee.
I don't know the details of your situation, but I can imagine that you are in urgent need of a lot of money. I don't want you to get away from Liliane, and I don't want you to leave me alone so that you can't fulfill your purpose.

The same straightforward eyes that have been there since the day we met, pierce through Kai.

I'm not sure if it's me or Lillian, but money is money. Don't be stubborn, just take it.
"......, Dee.
"......And you don't want to take it from the Cresta family, which you hate, do you?

The words that rang in my ears and the sorrowful look in my eyes blew away my reason. I grabbed the jewel in his hand and closed the distance between us.

It's not that I don't like you. Did you notice ......?
It's impossible for someone who lives in the underworld to not 'accidentally' get involved with the Cresta family. I thought you were avoiding my family for some reason. I thought it was because you hated .......
I don't choose my job for that simple reason. ...... Well, I don't know the truth either.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who's not afraid to ask questions.

"Thanks, Dee. I'll take that.
"Yeah, you do.

She smiled relievedly, and to Kai, she looked prettier than anyone else. Dee had a very mature face, but the expression on her face when she was out of the blue was adorable and girlish. The best adjective for her, Kai thought, would be pretty rather than beautiful.

"Well... Shall we go to the village?
Yeah. ...... Oh, yeah, where are we?
It's just off the palace wagon path, a bit east. It would be faster to go to the Mist Temple now.
That's what I thought. Well, I suppose we should be glad that we don't have to spend the whole day in a carriage.
"You didn't like the carriage?

Dee's face twisted into an honest grimace as she giggled.

I hated it!　You can't go where you want to go, you can't relax because there are people outside, and you can't take a break without being a Red Rose!　You don't even have to be seen outside the palace.
There's a proverb that says, 'The wall has ears and the door has eyes.
I've never heard of that. What does it mean?

"What does it mean?" "Kai has never heard anyone other than his father use it either. It seems to be a proverb of the place where he grew up.

It means you have to be careful what you say and do, because you never know who might be listening.


Oh, ......, there are people like you.
You know, like the Crester family, the Dark Ones.
Well, yeah, I guess so. But still, .......

Dee tilted her head to the side.

I know what an ear in the wall is, but what is ...... Shoji?
"It's a door made of paper and wood. That's what my dad said.
"A door made of paper and wood. ......?　It's not that easy to break down. The paper would melt in the rain. It's not a door.
I've never seen one, I don't know. I've never seen one. I don't know. It's not uncommon in buildings in the east. Maybe that's why they have a saying.

I've never seen one before.
--At that moment, Dee's expression changed dramatically. At that moment, Dee's expression changed dramatically. Her blue eyes sparkled as if they were capturing the starry sky.

I've never heard of such a thing in the east. Shouji or ...... what kind of thing is it?
"Do you want to see ......?
I can't imagine what it would be like. A door made of paper and wood and a house with it, right?　And a town lined with them. ....... It's exciting to see a world you don't know.

I'm sure you'll agree that ...... is the wrong lady to be a nobleman. It's a great way to get to know the world around you, and it's a great way to get to know the world around you. If the word "Shoji" can make her eyes sparkle so brightly, I wonder how brightly she will shine when she actually ventures out into the unknown.

"So, ....... Let's go sometime.
What?
Let's go see Shouji, the house made of it, and the town. If you can't imagine it, you might as well see it in person.

Dee stopped abruptly. She turned around and looked at Kai, her eyes full of curiosity, inquisitiveness, and hope for the future.

"Really?　Are you sure you want to go with me?
"...... Yeah. Let's go.

Her eyes sparkled with joy, and her unclouded smile bloomed like a bright sunflower shining in the sun. Kai stood there for a moment, forgetting to breathe, as a huge flower suddenly opened in front of him.

I promise. --That's a promise!

She laughs. She smiled, so happy for a promise that she didn't even know if it would come true.
It's not like she doesn't know the world is twisted. It's not that I haven't been hurt by the ugliness of people.
She chose to be straight, even in the midst of the muck and mire of the world. She chose to be pure. She chose to be kind.
How precious it is, how supple, how lovely, how strong.

I want so badly to protect you. I want to protect her, closer than anyone else, never leaving her, smiling with happiness.
I want to keep her smile unclouded, so that she can be who she is.
I'm sure I can do anything to make that happen.

As he takes Dee's hand and heads for the village with its flickering lights, Kai renews his resolve.