Chapter 26
Chapter 26
He thought of Rose Taylor and let out a small laugh.
It had already been two months since she’d suddenly appeared and stolen a night with him.
Then she vanished, leaving him in agonizing suspense—only to return and drag him into a world of irrationality.
Still, considering he’d secured various assurances from the Minister of Land and Development as a result, perhaps she was a goddess of fortune after all.
“I only meant to keep her quietly by my side to prevent rumors, that’s all.”
Either way, a day that would be unbelievable to any normal person had come to an end without incident.
He decided to reward himself with a glass of whiskey.
Just as he was about to pour the golden liquid into a beautifully cut glass—
Knock! Knock! Knock!
An urgent knock thundered against his ears.
“Mister James! Are you awake?”
Knock! Knock! Knock!
It looked like he’d have to postpone his small pleasure.
To prevent the dainty hand responsible for the fierce knocking from breaking, James went to open the door himself in a gentlemanly manner.
“Come in.”
“Mister James! I—I’ve decided I’m not going back to Romberton!”
Her eyes were red like a rabbit’s—perhaps she’d been crying. Rose shouted in a nasal voice:
“I’m going to join that damn Golden Crow Unit!”
James pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed at the abrupt, contextless declaration.
Just what had the letter said to cause such an uproar?
“Miss, please calm down. There’s no one chasing you, so take your time.”
He guided the thoroughly rattled Rose into the sitting room adjoining the deluxe suite.
At the top floor of the hotel, James’s private sitting room was modest in size but carried a refined elegance and comfort that stood in contrast to the intimidating grandeur of the Chaldea Hotel’s suites.
At his gesture, a staff member who had been waiting quietly inside moved with practiced precision to set down tea and refreshments before vanishing like the wind.
It was top-tier service, worthy of the Bellamonte Hotel operated by the Dautryche Company.
“Feeling a little better now?”
“…Yes, thank you.”
Rose nodded as she wrapped her hands around the herbal tea he passed her.
“Rose. If you don’t mind me asking, may I know what brought on this sudden decision?”
There were only the two of them in the room. Though he asked, Rose remained silent.
“Whether you agree with it or not, we’re already tied by a bond neither of us can break on our own. I believe I have the right to know what you’re thinking, and what you’re planning.”
James was right.
No matter her intentions, they were already linked by the soulmate bond.
If not for Rose, James might have lived out his life peacefully as a Logos. But now, he’d been dragged into the world of Mythos.
Other than her ambitious goal to prevent the world’s destruction, there was little left she needed to hide from him.
After hesitating, Rose opened her mouth with difficulty.
“I finally received the letters from my parents—letters I didn’t get before because I ran away from home.”
Her voice sounded muffled, like she was struggling to hold back tears.
“The final letters my late parents left for me.”
At that, James sat up straighter, signaling his intent to listen.
But Rose found herself unable to continue.
Where to even begin? The explanation felt too large.
Thankfully, James was patient; he waited silently while she gathered her thoughts.
“To be honest, I hate the Royal Paranormal Investigation Bureau. And the Golden Crow Unit. I despise them.”
What?
The words that burst from her mouth didn’t seem to make sense.
Despise them? Hadn’t she just shouted she wanted to join the Golden Crow Unit?
James didn’t press her but raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
“My parents,” she exhaled, “were elite agents of the Golden Crow Unit.”
Her heart pounded. It was hard to speak of something she’d suppressed for five years.
She didn’t have to tell him any of this.
But something in her wanted to confide in someone—and James happened to be nearby.
Though they had seen the worst of each other, James Dautryche, once known as Jack Dillon, was still a stranger.
They shared a soulmate bond, exchanged magic. That should’ve made them closer than anyone else—but…
“They died during a classified mission.”
Maybe this strange distance between them was why she felt free to speak so candidly.
If not for the Golden Crow Unit—
If only they hadn’t been deployed that day—
Would her parents still be alive?
She remembered that day, five years ago.
Rain since early morning. The air heavy and damp.
Her parents’ colleagues visited the Stellanian Estate.
Wearing the same black uniforms. The same gold crow badges.
And in their hands, a small black box.
“These are the effects of Agents Rosaline Stellania Taylor and Albert Stellania Taylor.”
That day marked the worst day of Rose Taylor’s life.
Inside the box was nothing more than a worn notebook with a red leather cover and a ruby ring.
“We’re sorry, Miss Rose. By the time we arrived…”
She wasn’t even granted the time to say goodbye at a proper memorial.
Her parents’ bodies, caught in a blast, had been unrecoverable.
She was told they had died honorably for their country. That they had been brave until the very end. Rose, only seventeen then, had no choice but to accept it.
“Why? Why were only my mother and father sent?”
“Miss Rose…”
“Why was there no backup? Was it really that difficult? Huh?”
“We’re sorry.”
The funeral proceeded with empty coffins.
As the seasons changed, agents from the Royal Paranormal Investigation Bureau visited again.
They brought papers filled with difficult terms no teenager could understand. Compensation forms. Documents to sign.
And then—she remembered—they handed her a recruitment form for the Golden Crow Unit.
As if losing her parents wasn’t enough—now they wanted to use her, too?
“You bastards. Do you even have a conscience?”
“Miss Taylor! Please calm down!”
She had torn the form to pieces in front of the agents.
What pride the Mythos have!
What did it matter that they were a royal agency?
They couldn’t even protect her parents. How could they protect the world?
That night, she packed her parents’ belongings and ran away.
From those hypocrites. From the golden crows.
So they would never find her again.
She crossed the northern border under cover of night, heading for the frigid land of Morgenia.
It had been snowing sleet that day.
“…So you illegally crossed into Morgenia. Quite the dramatic runaway, I must say.”
“And in the end, it didn’t mean a thing. Not changing my name to something Morgenian. Nothing worked.”
A bitter smile tugged at her lips.
For five years, five letters had waited for her to be ready.
Inside the envelope were three letters from her parents, and two filled with Crowley’s lectures.
Crowley had known where she was all along. The Bureau had tracked her easily. He had chosen to wait until she returned on her own.
“But if the Minister knew where you were, why didn’t he give you the letters sooner?”
“He thought I needed time. That’s the kind of person he is.”
Even after answering James’s question, Rose continued to fidget with her teacup in silence.
“Then.”
“Yes?”
“Miss Taylor, what do you think?”
“About what?”
“Whether the Rose Stellania Taylor of today can finally accept it.”
She hated the world.
Why did it have to be her beloved mother and father, of all the Golden Crow agents?
Why had the Bureau sent only them, to such a deadly place?
Where were the other agents then?
Why wasn’t a single strand of their hair left?
Why were the others completely unscathed?
Why?
And five years passed.
The girl who had once run away was now a woman, finally reading her parents’ last words.
‘My beloved daughter, Rosie. I hope that someday, you’ll understand this decision was made to give you a world where you can live without fear.’
‘No matter what happens—even if we can no longer be by your side—our beloved daughter, please believe us when we say we will always be with you.’
“The truth is, I’ve been denying their deaths all this time.”
“…”
“For five years, I couldn’t accept it. I just ran from reality, pathetically.”
“It’s not pathetic.”
James replied quietly.