At the Duke's mansion.

As expected, it was heavily guarded, making it nearly impossible to sneak in quietly.

To conceal her identity, Freya wore a human skin mask and appeared at the door as Mystica.

She squinted around, noticing guards everywhere, and surveillance cameras installed all over.

Seeing this, she took out a super mini tablet and hacked into the entire mansion's surveillance system.

Silently taking down a few guards with silver needles, she climbed over the wall and entered.

The night was quiet.

The vast mansion was silent. Freya dodged the guards, making her way to Ian's room.

A man lay on the bed, with a young and beautiful woman beside him.

With the man having his back to her, Freya couldn't see clearly under the sole yellow light illuminating the room.

She took out a mini blade from her hand and slowly approached the man.

Suddenly, the blade flashed, and blood gushed.

"Assassin! Capture the assassin!"

A commotion suddenly erupted outside.

Freya narrowed her eyes.

Quickly retracting, she left through the window.

She had barely left when Ian and his guards rushed in.

"Duke, he is dead!"

A guard approached to check the man's pulse, confirming his death.

Such a commotion woke the woman who was sleeping.

She screamed when she saw blood on the bed.

Disgust flashed in Ian's eyes as he gestured for the guards to take the woman away. He examined the man's wound.

His throat had been slit, indicating that the assailant was indeed skilled.

Long before Kevin hosted the banquet, his spy had informed him that Kevin had hired an assassin to kill him.

These days, he had increased security in the mansion, but he hadn't expected the assassin to still infiltrate.

He was fortunate to be naturally suspicious and vigilant, having arranged for people to stay in his room these days.

Otherwise, tonight's victim would have been him.

"Send the body to Kevin's mansion. I want to see how he explains this!" Ian's eyes gleamed with malice.

He had been working for the royal family for so many years, but Kevin, disregarding their friendship, had tried to kill him.

In that case, he saw no reason to show mercy!

On the rooftop across, Freya peered down at the villa below.

She hadn't anticipated Ian's deceitfulness, resorting to finding a scapegoat.

Observing several guards dragging the body into a box, she turned and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

The sky was pitch-black, devoid of even the faintest glimmer of moonlight to illuminate the surroundings.

Freya made her way along the street back to her residence.

Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes, tightening her grip on the silver needle in her hand.

Swiveling around, she scanned her surroundings, her voice as cold as frost, "How long do you intend to continue trailing me?"

Since she entered the Duke's mansion, Freya had faintly sensed someone watching her.

However, as the observer maintained a respectful distance and hadn't made any overt moves, coupled with Freya's urgency to eliminate Ian, she hadn't paid much attention.

But even after leaving the mansion, the sense of being followed persisted, unsettling her.

Emerging from the shadows, a man clads in a black trench coat made his presence known.

His half-face mask gleamed ominously in the moonlight, exuding a cold, sharp aura.

The man stood before her, tall and imposing, his dark, frigid gaze fixed upon her.

"Mystica?"

"I am Mystica. And who might you be?"

Freya scrutinized him, a glint of hostility flashing in her eyes. "Are you one of Ian's lackeys?"

"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is that both you and I want Ian dead!"

"Heh, turns out we're allies!"

No wonder he hadn't intervened when she killed someone.

His target was also Ian.

However, she couldn't completely trust this man based on this alone.

"Ian is still not dead, you should go complete the business. Why are you still following me?"

Freya didn't have time to waste with him and turned to leave.

But the man persisted, his expression indifferent. "I want to know why you want to kill Ian."

"I didn't like him. Is this reason sufficient for you?"

Freya's voice was cold, her gaze fixed ahead as she resumed walking.

"The world's top assassin, Mystica, attacking someone just because she doesn't like them. That doesn't seem like your style."

The man remarked, keeping pace with her. His tall figure casting a long shadow.

Freya suddenly stopped in her tracks, glaring fiercely at him. "Stop following me, or... I'll kill you!"

A faint smile played on the man's lips, unfazed by her warning. Freya's eyes turned cold.

Freya's eyes turned cold.

In an instant, she drew her dagger from her waist, brimming with killing intent as she lunged at him.

Meanwhile.

Inside the villa.

Matthew woke up in the middle of the night, feeling for his parents beside him, but finding himself alone.

His eyes widened in alarm, tears welling up as he felt a sense of abandonment.

"Waaah!"

His cry echoed through the villa, alarming everyone.

"Sir Matthew, what's wrong?"

The nanny rushed in and found Matthew curled up, crying bitterly. She hurriedly picked him up, soothing him with gentle words.

Concerned that Matthew might cause further disturbance, the nanny decided to stay in the villa and rushed over as soon as she heard his cries.

"Daddy... Mommy... are gone"

Matthew cried sorrowfully, his speech stuttering.

"Your daddy and mommy just went out for something. They'll be back soon."

"I want mommy."

He kept crying, his eyes swollen like walnuts.

The nanny looked at him with pity, constantly soothing his emotions.

But Matthew kept crying, and eventually had a seizure.

This really scared the nanny, who quickly went downstairs to call the doctor.

"Mommy…"

He kept on repeating the word.

The nanny was worried that something had happened, so she called Patrick.

Patrick immediately called Bradley.

It was already late at night.

The man squinted at the woman in front of him, his figure flashing as he easily dodged her attack.

His strong hand grabbed her slender wrist.

Freya winced in pain, using her body to push against him.

In an instant, her legs hooked around his waist, a silver needle pressing against his neck.

In the night, the silver needle emitted a chilling light.

Freya looked coldly at him, her voice frosty, "Take one more step, and you will die here."

The man's eyes narrowed.

But he remained calm, not showing any panic at being held hostage.

He spoke in a deep voice, "Interested in cooperating? You can set the terms."

"I don't cooperate with stalkers!"

Freya's face was full of arrogance.

The man sneered at her response, then exerted force on her wrist, causing her to wince.

At that moment, he exerted his strength and threw her out forcefully.

Freya managed to stabilize herself with one hand as she hit the ground.