Chapter 31: Echoes Under Surveillance
The air inside the estate had changed.
What started as a mission…
Was turning into something far more dangerous.
"Did you forget me?"
The man's voice was no longer teasing.
It was heavy.
Real.
Valley Lily stared at him, confusion and irritation clashing inside her.
"We don't know you."
The man smiled faintly.
"That's the problem."
He took a step closer.
"Because I know you."
Silent Duchess moved slightly in front of Valley Lily.
"Enough. Speak clearly."
The man's gaze softened… almost painfully.
"Eighteen," he said quietly.
Both of them froze.
"You were both eighteen… when we met."
A flicker.
Just a flicker.
"A small café shop," he continued.
"Corner street. Old signboard. Cheap coffee… but you still said it was the best."
Valley Lily's breath hitched.
A sound.
A bell.
A smell.
"No…" she whispered.
"You wore a blue apron," he said, looking directly at her.
"You always complained about morning shifts."
His eyes shifted to Silent Duchess.
"And you… you acted cold all the time… but you used to secretly give free pastries to kids."
Silent Duchess's fingers tightened.
Something inside her—
Shook.
Flash-
Laughter.
Three shadows behind a counter.
A boy leaning casually.
Two girls arguing.
"Stop it," Silent Duchess said sharply.
But her voice wasn't steady.
The man stepped even closer.
"You used to sit outside after closing time," he said softly.
"Talking about dreams… about leaving everything behind…"
Valley Lily held her head slightly.
Fragments.
Just fragments.
But they hurt.
"You said…" his voice dropped,
"…we would never leave each other."
Silence.
"Who are you…" Valley Lily whispered.
The man looked at her—
Not as an enemy.
But as someone he had lost.
"I'm the one you forgot."
A pause.
Then—
"I'm the one they erased."
Meanwhile — Leo's Side
Leo sat alone, documents scattered everywhere.
His frustration was visible.
"This isn't making sense…"
Every file led to nothing complete.
Every clue—
Half truth.
As he bent down to pick up fallen papers—
He noticed something unusual.
A small device, attached under the table.
Hidden.
Carefully placed.
Leo's eyes narrowed.
"…what is this?"
He pulled it out.
A micro device.
Not a recorder.
Not storage.
A transmitter.
His expression changed instantly.
Cold.
Serious.
"Jhosen!" he called sharply.
Jhosen rushed in.
"What happened?"
Leo held up the device.
"This isn't ours."
Jhosen frowned.
"…Then whose is it?"
Leo's jaw tightened.
"It's active."
A pause.
Then—
"It's transmitting."
Silence.
Jhosen's eyes widened.
"You mean—"
"Yes."
Leo's voice turned dark.
"Everything we've been saying…"
"…every plan…"
"…every move…"
He crushed the device slightly in his hand.
"Someone has been listening."
Back at the Estate
The man watched them quietly.
Letting the truth sink in.
"You were normal once," he said softly.
"No missions… no blood… no lies…"
Valley Lily looked at him, her voice shaking slightly.
"…and you?"
A faint smile.
"I was part of that life."
Silent Duchess stepped forward.
"Then tell us everything."
The man was about to speak—
Beep.
A faint sound.
Almost unnoticeable.
But not to Silent Duchess.
Her eyes instantly shifted.
Sharp.
Focused.
"…we're not alone."
Valley Lily tensed.
"What?"
Silent Duchess's gaze moved toward the walls.
The corners.
The shadows.
Then she said something chilling—
"Our communication…"
A pause.
"…has been compromised."
The man's expression changed.
"Already?"
Silent Duchess looked back at him.
Cold.
Calculated.
"They're listening."
Far away—
Leo stood still.
Holding the broken transmitter.
Two sides.
Same truth.
A silent war had already begun.
And none of them…
Were in control anymore.