The damp stone stairs behind the wardrobe in Vespera's room plunged sharply into the bowels of the earth. The scent of white rose oil mingled with cold air mixed with copper vapor, dried blood, and the residual decay of forbidden magic.Gavin stepped down silently. Behind him, Vespera followed with a languid stride, her black silk robe parting to reveal her smooth thighs, still flushed from the engraving of the Soul-Ledger seal."This Red Room used to be a detention cell for renegade wizards who owed debts to The Crimson Rose," Vespera whispered, her warm breath blowing against the back of Gavin's neck. "But for Selene... this place is just a quarantine room. If the Vane clan's poison explodes inside her body, her decay aura could ruin my entire brothel."A thick iron door inscribed with sound-proofing trigger carvings stood at the end of the stone hallway. Vespera pressed her palm against the iron surface, letting a stream of succubus magic open the three automatic locking slots.CLA

On the ground floor of the shop, Gavin sat behind a thick mahogany desk. A gas lantern cast a dim yellowish light, reflecting the silvery glint of the Calloway Emerald Ring on his index finger. Beside the desk, Selene stood gracefully in an all-black evening gown, meticulously mapping the blueprint of the Vane clan's secret headquarters on old parchment paper.SWISH.The silver bell above the main door did not ring, but blades of black shadow suddenly bloomed from the cracks in the wooden floor.A cold venomous aura spread rapidly, freezing the steam of the tea on Gavin's desk. Ten dark-hooded figures broke in through the front window glass, which shattered into pieces.CRASH!Shards of glass flew through the air. The assassins from the Shadow Blade group—a secret slaughter unit hired by Cassian Montgomery—glided silently. The blades of their poisoned stilettos aimed straight for Gavin and Selene's necks."Shop wreckers..." Abraxas's blue blob echo drifted lazily from the ceiling. "Wh

"Please tell me this seizure document is just a piece of garbage, Pendelton!"Cassian Montgomery's scream shattered the roar of the rain inside the enclosed study in the Soho financial district. The nobleman gripped Inspector Pendelton's coat collar with both of his violently shaking hands. His bloodshot eyes stared wildly, glaring at the piles of parchment sheets stamped with the Royal seal scattered across the mahogany desk.Pendelton didn't move. The Inspector's face was rigidly pale, his eyes empty—fully bound by fear and the debt seal of Shop No. 13 fused beneath the skin of his neck."I can't do anything, Lord Montgomery," Pendelton's voice was flat, almost emotionless. "All the evidence of your clan's bribery, illegal mana crystal transactions in the Docklands, down to the Montgomery clan's arrears of blood debt to Shop No. 13... have been handed over to the Royal High Court. From this second onward, the Montgomery clan is officially bankrupt. All your assets have been seized b

Inside the curved glass-roofed room, hundreds of dark-red Blood-Rose petals bloomed under the moonlight. Small crystal lamps hung stiffly among the winding vine tendrils, emitting a dim, eye-pleasing yellowish light.The sound of high-heeled footsteps echoed softly from behind rows of white marble pillars."Shop No. 13, Blackfriars Lane..." a woman's voice glided like the stroke of expensive silk, laden with noble elegance accustomed to ruling. "I thought Soho's gutter filth would change your walking style, Gavin."Arabella Vane stepped out from among the lush red roses.Her evening gown was made of blood-red velvet fabric that tightly hugged her mature curves. A small diamond crown was pinned rigidly atop her golden blonde hair. A gold lace mask carved with peacock feathers covered the upper half of her face, but her lips, painted with bright red lipstick, smiled faintly—a smile full of immense contempt.Gavin stood calmly two meters in front of a giant marble pillar. His cold, gold-

"Who authorized the dogs of the Royal Inquisition to set foot upon the threshold of Shop No. 13?"That heavy, cold voice cut through the dawn silence in Blackfriars Lane.Outside Shop No. 13, the thick London fog mixed with ice vapor had not yet fully lifted. However, the usually quiet stone street was now completely blocked by a dozen warhorses clad in black iron armor. Thirty Royal Guard soldiers of the Kingdom stood in rigid rows with gold-plated spears raised, surrounding the old two-story building.In the very front row stood a tall middle-aged man in a dark red religious robe studded with silver threads. High Inquisitor Valerius—the supreme leader of the Kingdom's law enforcement order—held a roll of seals coated with Royal golden wax."Gavin Calloway!" Valerius screamed, his voice shrill with the arrogance of a high Mayfair official. "In the name of the High Council of the Kingdom and the Crown Prince's Decree, Shop No. 13 is seized! You are accused of high treason, using the f