Episode 4. Apostle of Justice
"Croa Beach is to die for. Wanna go this summer? What do you say?"
This time, Gray joined the inane conversation.
"Yeah? But what if the beach doesn't kill me?"
"Then I'll kill you with something fancy instead of the sea."
"Hahaha. That's not bad either. But before that, what if I kill you first? For lèse-majesté."
"Gray, are you saying you'd actually report your friend?"
"Leo, that bluster of yours would get you at least a short jail term. Now that I think about it, I'm really curious—should we bring in our Security Bureau Chief, Noel, for an exact ruling?"
In an instant, the balcony's atmosphere froze. Everyone knew Gray could actually call the Security Bureau Chief and uncover some hidden crime of Leo's.
Talian, Gray's closest friend, quickly stepped in. He naturally draped an arm over Leo's startled shoulder and forced a light tone.
"Ha. This guy Gray always says the nastiest things in that soft voice of his. What a waste of talent."
Gray casually scanned his awkward friends and smirked. A gentle smile spread across his face again.
"Soft? You're embarrassing me. Fine, forget calling Noel. You're exploiting my soft heart like this. Too much, Talian."
Gray quickly took center stage in the conversation again, and the stiffened friends burst into hahaha laughter.
"Yeah, that's not the nastiest thing. Not too bad."
"You could get reported too. Watch out, Talian."
"No way. Our Talian has no crimes even if you dig forever. Being ugly isn't a crime yet, right?"
"You jerk, everything but your voice is nasty! Get off me!"
Leo, the one who'd suggested the beach trip, looked a bit dazed before quickly laughing along.
The balcony's mood turned cheerful in an instant. Everyone except one: Adel.
Adel now felt isolated, as if surrounded by glass walls. Blocked from a conversation she couldn't join at all.
They were ignoring even the bare minimum manners owed to a guest as nobles, treating her as if she weren't there.
So it seemed her earlier hunch was right—that had been Gray's test. He, who dominated the balcony's vibe, had cut off her chance to speak, giving his friends justification to dismiss her.
Whether intentional or not, his shrewd friends had picked up on it just from him no longer glancing her way.
"So, you going, Gray?"
"Crazy? Beaches are exactly my nightmare."
Gray swept back his disheveled bangs. That single phrase 'nightmare' rendered the entire prior exchange pointless.
Meanwhile, the smile he flashed at his dumbfounded friends was annoyingly charming.
Ha. Adel swallowed a hollow laugh. She sensed it instinctively. This man was someone to keep her distance from. Someone who bent those around him to his will. Utterly exhausting and troublesome.
Adel decided to neatly abandon today's goal of applying for Gray's personal aide position. No matter how easy access to Valoneck family secrets it offered, she had no desire to deal with someone like him daily. Not that he'd hire her anyway.
That was when it happened. Sudden commotion erupted from afar.
"Kyaaak!"
It started with a splash from the lake beyond the balcony and a scream echoing across it. The club's garden quickly grew chaotic.
"What is it?!"
Everyone startled and looked toward the garden beyond the fence. Adel did too. Even Gray slowly turned his gaze.
"Help!"
People by the lakeside shouted. Deep in the lake, a woman thrashed about.
Her desperate struggles sent large waves across the surface. An empty rowboat floating nearby bobbed along with the circular ripples radiating from her.
"Huh? Isn't that Grace?"
"What?!"
Mensha, who'd said he'd been friends with Grace since childhood, shot up in shock. Adel's upper body swayed beside him.
Meanwhile, the balcony group remained calm. Some even snickered.
"Looks like she bet with friends? Rowing alone or something?"
Mensha grimaced and sighed.
"Ah, that idiot. I knew she'd cause an accident someday. She's insane."
He hurriedly turned toward the building interior, clearly intending to head to the lake for Grace.
But suddenly, screams from the lake grew louder. Mensha and the others looked back at the garden. Everyone's faces turned blank.
Grace, thrashing about, suddenly appeared to be unclothed.
"What the heck is that?"
"Oh no…."
Unlike the chaos outside, the balcony group stayed fairly composed. But on closer look, it wasn't composure—it was embarrassment. The reason became clear from Gray's soft voice even in this situation.
"Leo. Isn't that the spot where you drunkenly threw that weird net a few days ago to catch a bluegill?"
The group's eyes wavered as they grasped the gravity. They glanced at Mensha. But one oblivious fool shouted back loudly.
"That? The net with tons of needles?"
Silence fell for a moment. Leo grimaced wordlessly. From the looks of it, Grace's clothes had snagged on the needles from Leo's net and torn off.
"Damn it!"
Mensha, who'd been heading for the building door, spun around, crossed the balcony, and vaulted the fence. He plunged through the shrubs between the building and garden, racing to the lake.
The balcony group still eyed each other cautiously.
"That deep, don't you need a boat to get in?"
"Hey, Leo. Where's the boat you used back then?"
"It hit a rock and went in for repairs."
"Hmm."
Silence settled again. People by the lakeside fidgeted, muttering that the other boat was also in for repairs.
By then, Mensha reached the lakeside. Someone firmly grabbed his shoulder just as he was about to jump in.
"Mensha, no."
"Why?!"
"Calm down, think a bit more."
With that, he gestured toward Grace with his eyes. Even from the distance, her pale limbs rising and falling through the water—chest, shoulder curves—were starkly visible.
Mensha gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. Only then did he realize why the garden men hadn't rushed to save Grace.
Dragging a naked woman out in front of everyone would become endless high-society gossip fodder. In this tight-knit social circle, it planted a landmine on their marriage paths—trivial or devastating.
The watching women could only stomp their feet. Educated only in embroidery and table etiquette, they couldn't swim. And boldly jumping in now risked ending up like Grace—exposed.
Watching it all, Adel naturally realized. She was the only one who could save Grace.
Adel swam well and had no fear of diving into that pitch-black lake.
But she didn't want to step in. No need for flimsy self-deceptive excuses. She simply had no desire to help these club people. A few hours here had soured her completely. Especially this balcony's dismissal and coldness.
Adel was quick on the uptake and knew drawing their eyes would just make her a laughingstock. That was how 'haves' she'd encountered usually were. They saw courage or skill from those beneath them as loyalty or flattery toward themselves.
And sadly, they were often right. That was why the 'haves' read the world shrewdly.
Knowing it all, she didn't want to step forward. She didn't want to look like she was flattering them even a little.
However….
Adel glanced at Grace thrashing far away, then at Mensha worrying over her. His pale, drained face tugged at Adel's heart like a fishhook.
She wanted to do nothing, really ignore it, but her eyes stuck to Mensha. The kindness he'd shown a lowly subordinate wouldn't let her look away.
Bear-like Mensha. Rough like a bear, but kinder than anyone.
Adel sighed softly. Fine, she was going to save her anyway. So Mensha, close that gaping mouth before your jaw drops.
Adel finally stood.
She looked down at her dress. Too cumbersome for deep water. This length might snag on the net needles too.
Adel grabbed the hem. Planning to tear just enough for easy movement in water. But the silk was tougher than expected, refusing to rip. Grunting as she strained, her hands only hurt.
Suddenly, a ripping sound burst nearby. Startled, Adel paused as the sharp handle of a cocktail glass—its cup shattered—flew toward her fists. Looking up, she saw Gray's smiling face.
"Thought you might need it."
How long had he been watching?
Adel stared at Gray briefly. He still had that oddly chilling innocence.
With the balcony's master watching Adel, now everyone on the balcony looked at her.
Adel swallowed a snort. People she'd never speak to again anyway. She didn't care how they saw her.
Since she needed it, Adel took the glass shard. She jammed it into her dress and tore the hem. Fabric ripping sounds revealed ragged threads up to her knees. And the long calves beneath.
The balcony group gawked as if to say, 'No way you're going, right?' Of course, Adel ignored them, crossed the balcony, vaulted the fence swiftly, and navigated the narrow path Mensha had taken.
Before the lakeside crowd noticed her sudden appearance, she entered the water. When it reached her waist, Adel confirmed Grace's position. Then she removed her glasses, bit them in her mouth, and began swimming underwater.
The shrieking women and babbling men fell silent. The balcony group held their breath watching Adel. Only Gray remained half-reclined on the sofa, leisurely observing the spectacle like an intriguing match.
Then suddenly, he sat up. His usually straight spine lolled drunkenly.
"You… what are you doing?"
Talian asked, watching Gray unbutton his ornate vest one by one.
"Looks fun."
"What?"
Gray grinned.
"Only fun for me? Talian, wanna go for a swim after so long?"
Having shed his vest, he pulled a gold pocket watch from his pants pocket too. Talian paled and shook his head frantically.
Gray winked one eye slyly and tossed his clothes and watch beside Adel's discarded dress hem. He undid a few shirt buttons, crossed his hands behind his back, and yanked the shirt off.
The shirt slid smoothly off his abundant silver hair and fell atop the vest and watch. Women blushed and averted their eyes.
"Gray, you're really going? With Grace like that right now…?"
Gray, who'd kicked off his shoes carelessly, looked at Grace bobbing on the surface and laughed.
"Yeah, look at her. Sexy even in a moment like that."
One corner of Talian's mouth twitched.
"Are you… insane?"
"News to you?"
"But Gray, you're pretty drunk, right?"
"True. But I always beat you even when wasted, don't I?"
"At what? Card games?"
"Anything."
"Hey! I let you win all those!"
Gray laughed foolishly and lightly shoved Talian's shoulder.
"I know, you love me. But aren't you jealous at a time like this?"
With that, he loosely gripped the fence with one hand and hopped over. His friends' bewildered cheers followed his sauntering figure.
"You okay for real, Gray?"
"Be careful, you rascal!"
Gray waved lazily.
Moments later, the lakeside crowd panicked at Gray's arrival.
"Gray? No way you're jumping in?"
"Yep. Apostle of Justice arriving."
He plunged into the water without giving anyone a chance to stop him. Gradually receding, he submerged below the surface and soon vanished completely.
