With the previous day being so hectic and full of panic, everyone could only hope that the next one would be much more tranquil. Surely there would be a calm after yesterday's storm? Just one day without death; is that too much to ask? It probably is—especially at The Killers' Rendezvous, for it won't be long before they notice that the Ace of Hearts is missing.

It was much quieter in the dining hall that morning. Perhaps they were just tired. Perhaps one of them had just learned of an unwanted truth. And Youngjae didn't like it—the silence was unnecessary. He cleared his throat as he leaned forward on the table, taking care not to plant his elbows into his food. 

"Juno told me that you know where The House Of Cards is located. Daehyun, is this true?"

Daehyun hesitated for a second before nodding at him. What was the point in lying? He wanted Youngjae to know that he could be trusted. Lying would only do more harm than anything. But since it had been many years since he entered The House Of Cards, he wasn't so sure if he could even remember the password. Would they be able to get in? Daehyun lifted more food up to his mouth. I needn't worry. I'll probably remember it when I get there. If not, I’ll find some other way to get in.

After breakfast, they boarded the carriage. Though all the blood had been cleaned off and the shattered window had been replaced, it was still shrouded in the awful memories yesterday held. Not only that, they were heading to Porles again. Only that time, Junhong wasn't with them. Youngjae insisted that he stay back and let his injured hand heal. But of course, Daehyun knew better. Youngjae didn't leave Junhong at the manor because of his hand. No, Youngjae left him at the manor because he didn't want Junhong to become associated with The House Of Cards. And though Junhong argued that it wasn't safe, he eventually agreed to stay behind—if Daehyun brought his sword with him. 

Please, Daehyun-hyung. At least take my sword with you. You can never be too safe—especially in Porles.

Daehyun looked down at the sword in his hands, admiring the designs he had previously overlooked. The silver hilt took the shape of a two-headed snake with garnets for eyes. With the black snakeskin scabbard, the sword truly lived up to its name. As deadly as it was beautiful—what Daehyun held in his hands was the Medusa sword. It must have cost a fortune to buy that rare antique of a sword. He had to wonder, where did that old merchant get it from? Was it a family heirloom? Maybe he stole it?

Daehyun pulled apart the hilt and the scabbard, uncovering the blade. It is said that Medusa herself was killed upon seeing her own reflection. He thought as he stared at his face. Noticing that the bruises and scars were finally starting to fade, he smiled at himself.

Thank you for saving me, Youngjae.

Upon hearing a light chuckle in front of him, his cheeks reddened and the air around him suddenly felt unusually warm.

"I'd say the same to you, Dae."

Youngjae's voice echoed in his mind.

Dae. He called me 'Dae'.

Looking up, he found Youngjae smiling at him. It was the sweetest smile he'd ever seen. And that sweet smile—it was all for him. Oddly enough, Youngjae was blushing just as much as he was.

"D-did I say that out loud?" Daehyun stammered without trying to sound too flustered.

"I'm glad you did."

Once they arrived outside the marketplace, Daehyun attached the sword to his belt. Making sure to keep their faces hidden from the crowd's eyes, they walked past the busy marketplace. Being the duke of Porles, it would hurt his reputation if Youngjae was seen where they were going. And he didn't want to be a subject to the people's gossiping tongues. 

In the more dilapidated area of Porles, far, far from the city center was a certain building that many men were familiar with. Luxuria. Now, do not be fooled by its name. The place was just as decrepit as its neighboring buildings. As they opened the door, they were bombarded by unfamiliar scents and women's laughter. It was a sinful place to be and whatever stood behind the doors Luxuria had to offer could only be worse. Youngjae brushed his bangs over his eyes. No noble in their right mind would want to be caught inside a brothel.

He followed Daehyun to the front desk, where a middle-aged woman was twirling her fire-like red hair with her pointy finger. She raised an eyebrow at them as they approached the desk.

"How can I help you two fine gentlemen? Were you two looking for a ménage à trois?" 

They both shook their head.

"No? Oh, I see. You want me to take just you two to a room?" She smirked at them.

"Yes. Please."

Youngjae looked at Daehyun with shock, confusion and—was he blushing again?

"Alright, boys." She announced, completely ignoring Youngjae's defiance. 

"Do you have any specific room in mind? The ones with the thicker walls are quite popular." She twirled around a key ring on her finger. 

"52."

"I beg your pardon?" The woman raised her eyebrows in confusion. False confusion. She knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Take us to Room 52."

"I'm sorry, mister, are you drunk? Surely you don't believe that a building as small as this can have 52 rooms." There it was again—the false confusion that could fool any ordinary person. It could easily fool someone like Youngjae.

"Daehyun, she already said that there is no Room 52." Youngjae tried to pull him away from the desk but Daehyun simply shot him a look. I know what I'm doing, Jae. Don’t you worry.

"Queen of Hearts, surely you haven't forgotten about the Joker, have you?"

The seemingly endless tunnels that stood beneath Luxuria's floors brought Daehyun a sense of nostalgia. Eventually, the tunnel reached its end and before them stood an old wooden door. Minerva, the owner of Luxuria and the 'gatekeeper' of The House Of Cards pulled out her key ring. There were four keyholes in the door, each were in the shape of one of the four suits. As the door opened, they were welcomed by an array of noises. The scent of alcohol and meat was overwhelming and many of the tables were crowded. To Youngjae, it seemed to be just like an ordinary tavern. And of course, that place was anything but ordinary tavern. Though, there was something he didn't understand.

"There must be hundreds of people here. Aren't there only 52 members in The House Of Cards?"

"There are 53, now that the Joker has returned." Minerva corrected.

"And not everyone here is a card. We have supporting merchants providing our members with all sorts of supplies. Some of them are visitors from ally guilds. And the rest are our clients."

That's right. How could I forget? Youngjae thought.

The House Of Cards was one of many guilds. There were plenty of others that were just as powerful, though they were situated in other cities.

Youngjae looked around at his surroundings. The place was similar in size to the city center. On each of the four corners was a marble platform. And atop those platforms was a large statue—probably of one of the four original members.

"So why did you choose to come back, Daryn?" Minerva asked. Clearly, she wasn't aware of his true name. 

Daehyun took her hand and placed a small object onto her palm. Puzzled, she looked down and saw that it was a small bloodstone ring. And as she realized what it meant, her whole face was overcast with shock. 

“Your sister tried to kill someone very important to me.” What was just a mere whisper sounded almost like a threat. 

“W-what do you want from me?” She whispered back. Pure fear—towards him. It was a sight Daehyun hadn’t seen in a long time. 

“I want everyone in this room to know that The Black Butterfly will not hesitate to kill anyone who tries to harm Yoo Youngjae.”

Silently nodding at him, Minerva turned towards the stage. She acknowledged his strength; his power—and she feared it. Even as a young boy, he never failed any of his tasks. They only took him in as the 53^rd card out of pity. But in doing so, they created a monster that remained untamable. To attempt to overcome The Black Butterfly’s paramount skills would be a fatal mistake. He was truly deserving of his name.

“Daehyun…please don’t hurt anyone.” Youngjae whispered. 

“I won’t.” Daehyun intertwined his fingers with Youngjae’s. 

“But I won’t let you die, either.”

Together, they watched as Minerva stepped onto the stage.
It’s the Queen of Hearts! Everyone shut up! Someone shouted. 
Minerva mouthed ‘thank you’ to the shouter’s direction. She cleared as a hush fell throughout the room. 

“Everyone, I have an announcement to make.” She took a deep breath as she gathered the right words to say. 
“Our Joker card has returned. And he has asked me to tell all of you this.”

The crowd began to chatter.

The Joker card? Who’s that?
Isn’t that Daryn?
He was that little kid wasn’t he?
 

I thought he was dead.

“From this day forward, I forbid any attacks towards the duke of Porles. Unless you wish death be brought upon you by the hands of The Black Butterfly.”

With the complete silence, Minerva stepped off the stage with her grim words echoing in everyone’s mind. And before Minerva could reach them, Daehyun pulled on Youngjae’s hand, leading him to the exit.

Through the snake-like tunnel they went, but instead of directing them back to Luxuria, they found themselves at the bottom of a ladder. The walls of stone bricks continued up to a faint light high above them and they realized just how far underground they were. Sparing no time, Daehyun began to climb the ladder, urging Youngjae to do so too. After all, Daehyun had used that same exit many times before and from what he could remember, it would be another hour of walking until they would arrive back at the marketplace. Perhaps he had much more energy as a child or his memories were simply warped by time passing but whichever one it was, he was getting tired—fast. With every rung he grasped, he could feel his body growing heavier, heavier than what his limbs could support. Oh dear. He could only hope that Youngjae was still holding on to the ladder.

Upon reaching the top, Daehyun found that the upmost rung had been broken off. With the larger gap between the ladder and their exit, he was glad that it was he who climbed up first. Wedging his fingers into the fissures between bricks, he heaved himself up. Oh, so this is a well, he noted. Though, instead of landing on his two feet, Daehyun lost his balance and fell flat onto the grass. His limbs ached. Not even once did he lift his head as he kept his eyes shut, panting for air—until he heard someone shouting his name. Realizing that Youngjae was still on the ladder and probably just as tired as he was, Daehyun pushed himself onto his feet and reached his arm down into the well.

Youngjae took his hand and Daehyun lifted him up onto the line of bricks. Only that time, both of them lost their balance and they fell to the ground in each other’s arms.

The grass was soft. Youngjae never thought that he would find lying on the forest floor to be so comfortable. And it was warm, too. Unlike the cold wind that blew past the trees, that spot he was lying on seemed to be so much warmer—almost as if it was alive, with a beating heart. 

How can that be? The ground doesn’t have a heart.

He let his eyes shift to the person beside him.

But Daehyun does.

“Sleep for now, Jae. We still have a long way to go.”

Youngjae nodded and sighed. Closing his eyes, he felt himself falling asleep as Daehyun’s fingers combed through his hair. 

“Sleep well.”

Perhaps it was just a dream, but Youngjae swore that he heard a nightingale singing. How rare that is for this area of the forest.

Youngjae woke up with a quiet yawn. He was still in Daehyun’s arms. Though, instead of lying still on the ground, they were moving. Daehyun had picked him up and carried him as he was asleep. 
“We’re almost there.”

Youngjae looked around him. Some of the trees were pierced with white arrows and he smiled. Those are my arrows. 
“I know this place. Put me down, Dae. I know where there’s water.”

The moment his feet touched the ground, he held on to Daehyun’s hand and ran. Past the tall trees they went and over a little hill. The sound of rushing water grew closer as they ran. And as more light seeped through the treetops, a small clearing was revealed—with a stream splitting it in half.

Youngjae took out his dry flask and submerged it into the water.

“Are you sure this water’s safe?”

Youngjae handed the flask to Daehyun and smiled. 
“I’ve drank from this stream many times before and I’m perfectly fine.”

The two continued to walk side-by-side until they finally found Yoongi waiting for them. He seemed relieved when they came back. By the time they boarded their carriage again, the sky was beginning to turn a bright shade of orange. And like always, the streets of Porles were still just as busy as before.

They slumped down on the seat, tired from their little hike. And instead of sitting on opposite sides, Youngjae sat beside Daehyun. 
“Why don’t you sleep, Daehyun? You carried me through Levert forest, for Christ’s sake.”

“It’s only fair, isn’t it?” Daehyun chuckled. He lay his head down on Youngjae’s lap and yawned.
“Don’t do anything foolish while I’m gone.”

“I won’t.”

After a while, Daehyun had fallen asleep and Youngjae was left in complete silence. That was until the carriage stopped. They weren’t at the manor yet, so why did they stop?

The carriage door was opened by Yoongi.
“Sir, there’s a—“

Youngjae held his index finger up to his lips.
Shh.

“There’s a little girl standing on the path. She’s refusing to move.” He whispered.

Deciding to see for himself, Youngjae carefully lifted up Daehyun’s head off of his lap and set him down on the seat. And as he stepped off the carriage, he could hear the child crying.

“Young girl, what’s wrong?”

She wiped her tears away with her sleeve and looked up at Youngjae with her doe eyes.

“I can't find my mommy!" She cried.

Youngjae stooped down and tried to console the poor girl. She seemed so scared; so fragile. Did she get lost while walking through the woods? The sun had already set—the moon and stars populated the sky. And though it would be a difficult task to do at night, he wanted to return the girl to her mother. With an oil lamp Yoongi gave him, Youngjae followed the young girl into the forest. Though the light was dim, she avoided rocks and fallen logs with ease. Finally, she stopped sniffing and crying and the faint song of a nightingale could be heard. With every step they took, the song grew louder and oddly enough, it sounded almost identical to the one he heard in his dream. Were they following the birdsong?

"Do you remember where you last saw your mother?" Youngjae asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"I don't have a mother." She answered; her voice just as lifeless as her eyes. The girl stopped walking and everything around them stopped moving too. Everything was still—even the nightingale's song stopped. And before Youngjae could even react to anything, someone grabbed him from behind and held a hunting knife against his throat.

"You're Yoo Youngjae?" An emotionless yet piercing voice asked.

"What's this? Minerva said there would be no more attacks from The House Of Cards."

The voice chuckled and he could feel the warm breath right against his ear.
"Oh no, this isn't from The House Of Cards. This is personal."

"We will avenge Juno." The girl announced.

And as he felt the blade pressing against his skin and a drop of blood rolling down his neck, he heard a rustle in the bushes behind him. 

"Janus, Vesta. Stop this nonsense." Ah, that voice. That sweet, sweet voice. He could recognize it anywhere. 

Startled, Vesta pulled three darts of red and black from her sleeve and held them between her fingers.
"Who's there?" She stared at Daehyun's direction.

Daehyun stepped forward into the lamp's light and revealed himself.
"Remember me?"

Vesta stared at Daehyun for a while before her eyes widened upon realizing who it was.

"Who is it, Vesta?" Janus asked. He still hadn't turned around to look and his knife was still pressed against Youngjae's throat.

"It's Daryn!" Vesta dropped her darts on the grass and ran to Daehyun, giving him a tight hug.

So, these are Daehyun's old friends., Youngjae thought as he was finally released.

"Daryn, buddy, it's been years. Everyone thought you were dead." Janus said as though he didn't just try to kill someone.

"I would be dead if it wasn't for Youngjae." Daehyun looked towards him and gasped as he noticed the shallow cut across his neck.

"Jae, you're bleeding!" He ran to him and started wiping away the blood with his handkerchief.

"You've changed a lot over the years, haven't you, Ryn?"

"And apparently, so did your name." Youngjae mumbled, earning a sarcastic laugh from Daehyun.

“Yeah? Well, I told you not to do anything foolish.” He whispered to Youngjae.

"What were you saying earlier, Vesta? Right when Janus was about to slit my friend's throat—you said you were avenging Juno?"

Vesta nodded. "Your friend killed her. She never came back after she left for Yoo manor."

"Well, that's not how I remember it. Juno got injured so Youngjae took her to Yoo manor to heal. She's still there—alive."

'Oh' was written on their faces.

By the time the carriage dropped them off at the manor, many of the servants had already gone to bed. Even Yongguk, who always seemed to be full of energy, welcomed them back with his eyes half-closed. Everyone was either tired or asleep—except for Youngjae and Daehyun. They both have had enough naps during that day. And although that was the case, they were both more than happy for the day to end. For when they were trudging through the forest, Daehyun was told that his mother eloped with Orcus, one of the strongest members of The House Of Cards—a brute amongst the silent killers. And they learned that the couple moved to Karivia. Karivia of all places. The fact that Dina abandoned Daehyun for a man just as dangerous—it hurt him. And seeing Daehyun that way—it hurt Youngjae too.

But just before they went to bed, they released Juno from her cell. A deal was a deal, after all. And they needn't worry about any more attacks from her; she already got what she came for. And they all knew very well that the only person who could kill Youngjae was the one protecting him.