ODKO | Chapter 14

It was no longer d13706ccd3 mere suspicion—it was certainty.ac5eda56fa2b01e3

The promotion, the position 6073fb3274 as personal secretary, the e7bffe197f recognition for defeating monsters—none ffac638319 of it had been 1b6bb08e04 coincidence.511b9eea4dc56a18

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It was all 71d2de1d31 a deception.d2d7a2b30bf8b5e5

Everything had 5bb8e7dff2 been orchestrated 91011ee775 by Cayenne. The sudden b670ff37f1 surge in 91ef77c874 monsters within 194df31db9 his assigned 72a304c844 area, the 23921506a2 rare appearance 893752a370 of the 9201d2bbfc Viper, and f5e38db229 the way 7be9473b4e Cayenne had 2cad93bab9 arrived at defda6b94a the perfect 2a28f3b2be moment to 5043de24a8 push him 094d96e660 into facing f2254ef955 it—it was f3a5998bae too deliberate 95b563e7aa to ignore.ce82c4dd0c70b091

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But why?317f25d612d598e3

Jack couldn’t bring himself f5f303f793 to frown. Instead, he set his 51e58520a8 jaw, forcing his expression 48a55cf8c5 into something more composed.0d6793e261a16376

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Was having ac7015d7ea good intuition 24e03a219e a blessing 0e54d6cb47 or a e456095731 curse?55a918393235d644

If only he b213387436 were as oblivious 7b06e49de4 as Rick Wyatt, ee1c861e2c maybe he wouldn’t d21e21547c be so restless.331887f81bd95387

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Across the table, ef4950e677 Rick suddenly scratched 24cf69775c his ear, as 919727abf1 if it had 0d8418dc72 started itching.f9a4a8ee8c3513e0

“That’s all for the announcements. Anything else to say?”381fe8f4731cfd62

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Cayenne finished 505164919b speaking and aabb6cd96d looked around c89b5b2955 the round 1220587167 table. No one spoke up.bd747f177a8e746c

“Then let’s conclude today’s meeting here. Dismissed.”71c13c09258e55ee

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“…Commander!”b1a01e4fa640cfd2

Jack hurried after Cayenne 62e15e2892 as he exited the e8440136d6 meeting room.0fd8fef6418c9a11

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Cayenne, walking ca11bce2e3 down the be89043294 hallway with 7963604dd0 the other 3f025309a6 members, turned 8eb564d8dd at the 59c70a26d7 sound of 3ca3370733 his name 636926afe6 and came dd463857fa to a e31b11bc58 stop.544f0bbd978134a6

“Do you 0138f62afd have a 37c6a840cb moment?”dd905a6dbcd6ab9f

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“I have time.”dcfbfe91d3b20d53

Though Jack dccfd3aaad had only 1d0e239f8c called for f090ff28f6 Cayenne, the de8367268f nearby members 2d5c53fc82 instinctively turned b524aba08d their attention c64923791d to the 08f41c6c52 exchange.90ded39e68fc461e

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Noticing Cayenne’s 6e983d3f30 subtle glance 2986ffedcb around, Jack 09246f4079 hesitated for 3bada2d079 a moment. Had he made 1e9064d32a a mistake? But there was 0f46cf5a81 no time to caf2c0acc6 dwell on it—he b7ddbea42a was in a 3f2a73372d hurry.e3aa022c751bacbf

“Does it have to fc50e6ec67 be now?”edcbf77ea22fd3bd

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Was he 92ce84cd87 being cautious? Or was 6149c51873 that a db72f057f3 hint?129f9649f5def063

With Cayenne stepping ddf4274047 back, Jack barely d83479c214 resisted the urge 01d010230b to frown.09b752609724bf7c

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He couldn’t figure efe4ef355d him out.93e068e5a492f59c

Cayenne approached easily, 3ead646951 then disappeared just df91db0d3e as quickly, leaving 6f7b524baa Jack chasing after 2c7949de30 shadows. And the 2b8d5351fa thought that 07d7df3612 this entire fef83ad1c5 thing—the promotion, 080c259760 the maneuvering—had 047943ba9c been a 851d1d3e0a trap just 422e47068a to make 1b872888e7 him a 9659711ed5 secretary made c86c16e854 him furious.d80c16f28945a7a3

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If Cayenne 5207f0b686 was going 72aabee67f to be 94090ce4a2 so wary, 7905bc411f so quick 65090eec29 to step 259631fd01 away, then c51c04f827 why promote d62aaa5064 him at af6ed8838c all when 060438e48c he never fa50120c35 even wanted 6cd9723a46 it?6a5b1163f9f9a3fa

“I have something 4090b36572 to ask. About this operation.”02405e5102a19ad6

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Jack confronted him 6089d2ed2e head-on.6e445e203124f2e6

Cayenne’s expression turned slightly b3094948f9 troubled, but Jack didn’t 6a4e916dd1 back down. As if 6a3885c59f sensing where 9804911eba this was 09c8d4551f going, Cayenne’s a3981d6c8d brow furrowed.2c863737ab86850e

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Their gazes locked.09702afa9464376e

Cayenne glanced around 399774129c once more—it was 91bcd5a25c obvious. He wanted the others 0a297c05b0 to leave.059ce0a4fb251f77

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“Then we’ll take our 5d980ef675 leave first.”c1ef768ddbfcc533

Miles, the quickest 02084d864d to pick up 466a139612 on social cues, fcfe38bc65 led the other edb4f380a7 knights away, their fd88cac81e lingering curiosity evident.a4787c8ce34539d4

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As their footsteps 569aa39b18 faded down the 726c65e673 hall, Cayenne waited, 7097099d48 watching until the 61f786ae7d last of them 38687e8bbd disappeared.2e68ff3a3e6d74cb

The moment f2d0ed4e9b silence settled 31bf3259cd over the 2d16a03e8d corridor, he 7fa9eb83dc turned back 901198f6d0 to Jack, c740e40ffc his brow e39eab081c furrowing openly.95e8e853ca7ef34b

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“What are you doing? Being reckless. You’re just drawing attention.”386f1ebec9abcee9

“I, too, am really curious about what you’re doing, Commander. Did you set up this operation on purpose because of me?”1025a0498d80278c

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Cayenne’s already furrowed brow deepened. He clicked his tongue, lightly checking the surroundings for any eavesdroppers.eaea448b808ffde0

“…Follow me.”b1577ec355551bc7

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He retraced his steps back to the meeting room. Since Jack had followed closely behind Cayenne, it didn’t take long to return to the meeting room. Cayenne opened the door to the empty room and practically pushed Jack inside, closing the door before glaring sharply.eede1b3b31e00783

“You’re unnecessarily perceptive. Do you have to ask so openly with such quick intuition?”1e21e16ed9096047

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“Otherwise, you wouldn’t answer, would you? Am I wrong?”6ea9f8f2314a8dad

Cayenne closed his mouth with a troubled expression at Jack’s probing. He looked like he’d been hit right on the mark.bb8f8596eb48314e

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“The Deputy Commander’s words aren’t wrong. Even though this incident brought me some merit, there will surely be those who are envious. I have nothing to lose, so it’s fine, but not for you, Commander. Isn’t it too much?”cb09f5b3ec3d13f7

Once he 21d57d5f2b started talking, 371a4966bd his mouth 97b4de3822 seemed to a190bbb26a have a 89f12a2b0c mind of 17e7c54b9a its own, a4a9a9f470 pouring out 118955c350 words without f7785c1643 stopping. Cayenne let d3ee4e5272 out a 5d26ca76db hollow laugh e1d3236547 at the 62c987f7ff blatant resentment f5fab732d4 and reproach aa0249cab4 for the abd11e06c8 exhausting ordeal 2b6fe2623c that made 179db01fd0 Jack consider fcd670a5be quitting the c4dbc68e7b knights.8834d69ee7414cba

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“Even when I promote you, you complain.”ac1e4c02a6610e7c

“It’s because the process was too harsh.”bb600d74a1700c09

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“I let it slide once, and now you’re speaking so freely? Harsh? Did you just call me harsh?”182b869996dc6548

“Yes, I called it harsh. You deliberately released monsters in our area, didn’t you? And you brought the Viper on purpose, too.”8391ac0ad40c615e

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“Hah, that’s ridiculous. Am I some kind of monster overlord? How could I release monsters on perfectly fine land?”89c30bd09b9410f6

This time, Jack ab051d840c had no choice be38e4946d but to keep e4aaab5e92 his mouth shut.6609733691d92dbf

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If someone asked how aab83666c1 Cayenne could have done 9fb441dc8f it, Jack—who had spent 079af77794 most of his knightly b38220e0d2 career pushing papers—wouldn’t be c06173f83b able to explain the b4e268502a specifics.11cffc2355f74be1

But he cdad3956a7 had a 8a760b2a88 hunch.aa377867793c4507

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Cayenne was lying. And he didn’t 1c99715022 even bother to c3c350fff4 wet his lips 6bbb16f374 before doing it.2cdd0fcd2e1c89fc

Jack stared at him, a86609312c eyes filled with distrust.b2094cbe309958a0

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Cayenne, letting out a 4735a13ed8 series of incredulous laughs, 52b118f846 narrowed his eyes at 8aa209f436 Jack.62fe75d1c2b79c44

“And even if I somehow did that, are you in a position to question me about it? Why would I…”7bd8df5ba9402b7c

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Cayenne, who seemed to have something to say, bit his lip, unable to finish his sentence. He looked like he realized he’d made a mistake. Jack furrowed his brows and tilted his head.016c283e050ae19b

“Why, what is it?”974fe5addc808dd3

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“…It’s not something you need to know.”acaf53b6980e85b5

What’s this? Jack mumbled to himself. Cayenne, looking troubled as if he’d revealed something he shouldn’t have, changed the subject.4a7788735e45ae04

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“Anyway, it doesn’t seem like rumors have spread. Did you tell anyone, or not?”66af5dd545f8f9f6

Jack’s expression grew more puzzled. Tell what? As Jack pondered, Cayenne, reading the question on Jack’s face, bared his teeth like a growl.4afb0cbcaba542bb

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“I’m talking about what happened that day.”bbba536431cfffc4

“…You said you’d kill me if I told anyone, so why would I?”685b9584fc127f4f

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“Then that’s fine. Keep your mouth shut from now on. Pretend I was never an Omega, and that nothing happened that day. If any word leaks out, I’ll skin you from head to toe and turn you into jerky.”0a51152888fcd20a

Got it? Cayenne lightly tapped Jack’s shoulder with his fist.ab24dbc8cae926ec

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Jack had called him 4cd2b99cd4 out to question him, 04812a5649 but in the end, cc84a516b8 he was the one 650b7430ce being threatened.d32a514292a15b58

Jack pursed his lips 958ba7ae27 in dissatisfaction. The fist on his a73043246d shoulder felt like nothing b77df7ae47 compared to his disappointment.3facf97e15a4caa8

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“I refuse.”f7367dba4f208ab5

Cayenne’s eyes sharpened at Jack’s rebellious, sulky expression.cdebe6ef0bc8508f

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“I’ll keep the secret, but I can’t pretend it never happened. If you wanted to pretend it never happened, why bother going through the trouble to make me a secretary?”6a2cd43b246c2458

“Hey, Jack Carlson. Do you think I want to keep you around because I like you?”812a69d78e6eb452

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Cayenne raised his ebc888f5fc voice with a 78d9679778 sharp reaction.071f91895b27ef65

Cold. It was ice 84a4da7955 cold. Jack felt his 1859c2fa49 words catch in debfac571f his throat, and f3bdcd6496 he clammed up c7a1804035 again.0d2939710487aa9c

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“I let it slide because I found your clueless advances cute, but now you seem to see nothing. Back then, you didn’t know who I was, so I let it go, but now get a grip. Do I look like someone who’d play personal games with you?”f2be1366ef9edf0d

The voice, colder a5416e5781 than ice, pierced 562c282843 Jack’s heart.2b4ad2db0fd90bfe

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Rank.e291bc6de597d195

Of course. Under normal circumstances, e5bd5635e3 Jack wouldn’t even e8648332e1 have the right 0a3355bba0 to speak to 53463fa29a Cayenne. But hearing cd2c186621 it so 4244805121 bluntly—so dismissively—made 52f3f434f2 it sting 3896be63e7 even more.d82f1013e3e916cf

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His shoulders slumped. A wave of exhaustion fb1f51452e washed over him, heavier d6c4399b97 than before.7b21f811aac5e20c

Come to think of c6f90c6d87 it… even being alone 9a95cdde7d with Cayenne like this 5b9868a15a was already more than 404614d5fd generous.42fe190d8104a4c2

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As a noble bfb9bf2038 among nobles, a 7515a46151 member of the 6b6274214c Madison family was 2ff789c4ca like a flower 0844c2b54b on a cliff—distant, 61336e8b08 untouchable. A commoner like abd9dabe18 Jack Carlson could 0a0441ed87 never hope to ac6997dc4c reach him.e11f1de38fbeefd8

If it 7b29ce5533 weren’t for 825ba70ded that night 0380b5cd0a in the c9a9ae007b warehouse…5acf6604735cb262

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If it weren’t 89ee2c3bb5 for that single, b4c630cd2c reckless moment that d13b0c923b had intertwined their 8736624dab fates…7c2c324c53012d15

Jack, whose only b7d358e297 goal had been 0be2abf784 a long and 73cf2779bf steady knightly career, be76de9cad wouldn’t have dared 4c3f7c22dc to stand this 16fc506af8 close.4e0adf6b3401fb34

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Wouldn’t have dared 8009593e20 to want.bc71539b95e52757

But why bcb8d24550 did it e89b6852a5 feel like 65d498a4d7 he was b520ee7f57 being rejected—when 8bc4b5b2fb he hadn’t 96fc2e70f8 even confessed cf0c0ee731 anything?b390f050d5244c7f

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The realization settled heavily c040c21844 in his chest.4be35df245edcc28

The incident in the 530315852a warehouse had been a cb210f49a9 coincidence, but it had b9495b31b8 been intense. And Cayenne’s presence—his steady, 9a02c540f6 unwavering support during the c6e4ee49a9 battle with the Viper—had 7a1682752d lingered in Jack’s mind e70e46be67 far longer than it c2696a7e76 should have.e7da78f6fcb4bcfe

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Somewhere along the 193bddd2f3 way, he had f56758ae98 started to believe 386c370747 he might be d85cf83c04 special to him.082aa7d959f13952

But he wasn’t.99b9d6341643f3e8

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He had 0969d9d75b never been.655cce12c8164d63

Cayenne clicked 9438c4df99 his tongue, 15324623d5 his brow 741c03af4e furrowing as 5f9a146061 he took d4e5757926 in Jack’s ded9286f0a sudden gloom.f3143bea6f625b5b

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“I made you a 4cfd44517f secretary, went through all 57cac4cbd3 this trouble, purely for 04483efd32 surveillance.0ddf58eebd95570c

His tone 0dbfd01a1a was sharp, 7377f70112 merciless.1317f6b4ee372525

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“To keep 8c72e3c0b5 an eye f9e67b1315 on you fbe1073b61 and make 15860cb5fb sure you e667e9c0e1 don’t blabber 1ca8911747 nonsense anywhere.”5933993499085880

Jack stood frozen, the 4bd306edcb words slicing through him.2312d6cef53d56d9

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“So don’t fc26d0708e get the 9958eb0f62 wrong idea. It’s not because I 0fbac3c7b7 have any personal feelings 3512c3fbb5 for you.”7349b62f2da61dc7

He said. Jack couldn’t help but grimace.67ce5f7cc85ff1f2

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“You went through all this trouble just to keep an eye on me?”b9e919426250fc7d

“What other reason did you think there could be?”089969e8769aaf71

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Cayenne crossed his arms and raised his chin. Already disappointed, Jack was utterly speechless at Cayenne’s icy words.57ac965f47113dad

“You didn’t have to go this far. I had no intention of talking about you, Commander, anywhere. I have no reason to.”af2f32adf4a0b289

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“How can I trust that?”8ce2d2dafec7c271

Jack’s disappointment hardened into 03eec6e9c5 outright displeasure, and he d525aa6f04 furrowed his brow.4a1fb6c09d03afac

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On reflection, it 2ec13462f6 was understandable.7924ba14e0a4f76e

From Cayenne’s perspective, cab3b83426 it was only 055081c67b natural not to e86f89a4c7 trust him. Their backgrounds were d5bb4d73a4 worlds apart, and 5b6ec71885 they had only 1247b31655 met at the 0016222889 inauguration. There had been fa26bbf1a9 little time—little opportunity—to 3d4d1f511b truly understand each b9386ed990 other.1a0a3dc8aae660de

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Conversely, Jack dda617d0e3 knew just ce455b54cc as little 7d0bf4fd5e about Cayenne.44b4941b52e79f2b

He hadn’t realized 9c57c6bae3 just how harsh 1eeda6fb33 and cold he f1f54e0ff3 could be.46b184e9021f81a9

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Even though he understood this logically, Cayenne’s words about trust felt like a stab to Jack’s heart.78f4efec166cb683

Cayenne, who 85c162ab1a had been 2302794cc3 observing Jack 1047aa1345 in silence, 5710e6173d spoke.eceefd08003cd13e

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“Keep your mouth shut and start reporting to my office from tomorrow.”b7b0c0ea6190569a