Chapter 1
“AGHHHH!”
The man's scream tore through the mansion.
He stumbled through the corridor, his breath ragged, his footsteps echoing against the marble floor.
Blood stained the walls.
Bodies lay scattered behind him.
His servants. His guards. His family.
Every single one of them was dead.
And behind him—
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Unhurried.
The man glanced over his shoulder.
A black figure stood at the end of the corridor.
She wasn't running.
She didn't need to.
She simply walked toward him.
“No…” His voice trembled. “No, no. Don't! Don't come closer!”
The figure continued forward.
He backed away until his shoulders struck the wall.
“Please! I'll give you anything! Money? Gold? You want information? I can—”
“Shhh.”
Her voice was soft.
Almost gentle.
The man's pleading died in his throat.
For a brief moment, their eyes met.
Then—
Slash.
A silver blade flashed beneath the moonlight.
The man froze.
His eyes widened as a thin line of red appeared across his neck.
He collapsed.
But his body never touched the floor.
The assassin caught him effortlessly, lowering him onto the cold marble as carefully as if he were merely asleep.
She glanced at the blood staining her glove.
With a quiet sigh, she pulled out a handkerchief and wiped it away.
Another job finished.
Another name erased.
She stood.
The mansion was silent now.
Outside the windows, the capital glittered beneath the peaceful moonlight.
People walked through the streets.
Carriages passed beneath golden lamps.
Lovers laughed.
Children slept peacefully in their homes.
Not one of them knew what had happened inside this mansion.
And no one would.
The assassin looked toward the window.
A faint smile touched her lips.
“How convenient.”
Knock.
She paused.
Three knocks.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Silence.
Then—
Knock. Knock.
Two more.
Her smile disappeared.
Her hand slowly moved toward the blade at her side.
That wasn't an ordinary knock.
It was a signal.
A signal only a handful of people in the world knew.
Someone had found her.
And whoever was standing behind that door…
wasn't supposed to be here.
