Atonement, For Your Cruelty — Chapter 1

MY HOMETOWN, YONGCHEON, IS HOME TO THE LARGEST PORT IN THE LAND.

THE SHIPS THAT SAILED THE CLEAR, BLUE WATERS OFF YONGCHEON'S COAST

BROUGHT WITH THEM EXOTIC PEOPLE AND NEW CULTURES.

AND FROM BEYOND THE BARELY VISIBLE INNER COURT...

DON'T YOU THINK THE YOUNGEST LADY LOOKS MORE AND MORE DIFFERENT AS SHE GETS OLDER?

SHH! THEY'LL HEAR YOU!

WITH THAT PALE SKIN AND BROWN HAIR, SHE LOOKS JUST LIKE A WESTERNER.

THAT'S WHY THEY DON'T LET HER SET FOOT OUTSIDE THE INNER COURT!

YOU KNOW HOW SOME WESTERNERS WHO COME BY SHIP FALL IN LOVE HERE AND NEVER GO BACK?

MAYBE THE MISTRESS HAD AN AFFAIR—

WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

Gasp!

M-MADAM!

YOU ARE NOT TO SET FOOT NEAR THE INNER COURT FOR THE NEXT 3 MONTHS.

YES... MY APOLOGIES.

M—

M-M—

MOTHER...

I DON'T EVEN WANT TO SEE YOUR SHADOW OUTSIDE THIS COURT.

CONSIDER THIS A WARNING.

YES...

THE HUSHED WHISPERS.

THE COLD STARES.

YOUNG AS I WAS, I INSTINCTIVELY UNDERSTOOD WHAT IT ALL MEANT.

BUT...

MY CHILD.

WHY ARE YOU STARING AT THE GROUND LIKE THAT?

F—

FATHER...

MY GAZE, SO USED TO THE DUSTY FLOOR,

WAS GUIDED BY A HAND TOWARD THE BRILLIANT SUNLIGHT.

WOW...!

DOESN'T THAT VAST BLUE CLEAR YOUR MIND?

YES! IT'S SO, SO BEAUTIFUL!

SEOAH.

YES, FATHER.

YOU ARE

MY DAUGHTER.

EVEN THOUGH I KNEW IT WASN'T TRUE,

I CLUNG TO THOSE WORDS TO GET BY.

HE WAS ENDLESSLY KIND,

LIKE THE BRILLIANT SUN AND THE WIND THAT TICKLED MY CHEEKS.

THAT REMINDS ME, THERE'S SOMEONE I'D LIKE YOU TO MEET TODAY.

WHO...?

MY FATHER'S KINDNESS, BORN OF PITY FOR ME,

BROUGHT A TEACHER INTO MY LIFE.

THANKS TO MY FATHER AND MY TEACHER,

I BEGAN TO SLOWLY BROADEN MY HORIZONS

BEYOND THIS LARGE HALL AND TWO SMALL ROOMS.

WHEN MY FATHER PASSED AWAY

UNDER THE CRUEL WEIGHT OF TIME,

AND I WAS LEFT ALONE ONCE MORE...

...MY TEACHER REMAINED BY MY SIDE AS MY FRIEND.

TRAPPED IN THIS SMALL WORLD THAT DENIED THE TRUTH,

I WOULD HAVE LIVED OUT MY DAYS AS THE YOUNGEST DAUGHTER OF HONGHEON HAN,

THE LORD OF YONGCHEON.

BUT...

MY LIFE OF LIES WAS SHATTERED WITHOUT WARNING.

FIRE!!!

WHAT'S GOING ON? ISN'T THAT THE LORD'S HOUSE?

MADAM, QUICKLY, GET AWAY!!

W-water! We Need To Put It Out, Now!

IS THIS

MY PENANCE FOR TURNING A BLIND EYE

AND LIVING A COMPLACENT LIFE?

TEACHER...

ARE YOU GOING TO LEAVE?

YES...

I'M GOING TO CROSS THE SEA.

IT'S NOTHING LIKE THE LIFE YOU'VE KNOWN.

YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THERE'S NO OTHER WAY.

THE FOREIGNER WHO DID THIS...

I... I'M THE ONE WHO HAS TO FIND HIM.

I'M HIS—

LISTEN TO ME CAREFULLY.

YOUR DECISION INVOLVES MORE THAN JUST THAT MAN.

THERE IS ANOTHER. A MAN — AS SHARP AS A BLADE —

WHO IS ALSO HUNTING HIM.

BOTH OF THEM ARE LOOKING FOR THE SAME KEY.

TO THINK...

YOU HAD IT ALL ALONG...

IN THAT CASE, MAYBE I SHOULD GIVE THE KEY

TO THE MAN WHO'S HUNTING HIM—

NO!

HE'S THE KIND OF MAN WHO WOULD TURN HIS BLADE ON YOU, TOO.

AS SOON AS YOU REACH THE CONTINENT, GO STRAIGHT TO THE ROYAL BANK OF FELPE.

THERE, YOU MUST PROVE THAT YOU ARE THE KEY'S RIGHTFUL OWNER—!

D-DON'T SAY ANY MORE. YOU'RE BLEEDING!

YOU HAVE TO PROVE YOU'RE THE OWNER OF THE KEY!

IF YOU DO...

THEY WILL BOTH COME LOOKING FOR YOU.

THE WOLF...

TEACHER!

TEACHER...!

THE WOLF IS COMING...

TEACHER...?

WAKE UP.

BREATHE.

OPEN YOUR EYES.

PLEASE... I'M BEGGING YOU.

PLEASE..

DID YOU REALLY THINK THIS WOULD WORK?

THEN AGAIN...

IF YOU KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE COME, WOULD YOU?

URGH—!

AAAAAARGH!!!!

URGH!

TWO CAPTURED ALIVE, MY LORD. THE REST ARE CONFIRMED DEAD.

BURY THE DEAD.

AND MAKE THE ONES WE CAPTURED TALK. FIND OUT WHO ORDERED THE ASSASSINATION.

UNDERSTOOD.

WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF YOUR SCHEDULE?

WELL.

A PROMISE IS A PROMISE, SIMON.

HOW CRUDE AND TIRESOME.

NO DOUBT THIS IS

THE KING OF LUXEN'S HANDIWORK. HOW PREDICTABLE.

I WONDER IF THIS NONSENSE WILL ONLY END WHEN ONE OF US LOSES OUR HEAD.

WE'VE ARRIVED, MY LORD.

AMANDROSE ESTATE

THERE ISN'T A SINGLE WINDOW WITH A VIEW INSIDE.

WHAT ARE THEY DOING THAT REQUIRES SO MUCH SECRECY?

NGH... AH!

MMPH...!

HAAAH...

NGH, YOUR GRACE.

NGH...

GRAND DUKE BADEN, PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL BANK OF FELPE

TSK, WHAT'S ALL THAT NOISE OUTSIDE?

I TOLD THEM NOT TO DISTURB US.

COME ON, MAKE SOME NOISE! LOUDER!

YES, THAT'S IT... NGH—!

ANNOUNCE ME AND OPEN THE DOOR. NOW.

M-MY LORD, PLEASE...

PERHAPS IT WOULD BE BETTER TO ARRANGE A SEPARATE MEETING—

I SAID, OPEN IT.

DO YOU LIKE IT? IS THAT WHY YOU'RE CLENCHING SO TIGHT?!

SAY MY NAME! MORE!!!

YOUR GRAAACE!

AAHHHNGH...

NNNGH...

W-WHAT THE—?!

W-WAIT! AGH!

AAAAAAH!!!

WHAT THE HELL? I TOLD YOU NOT TO OPEN THE DOOR WITHOUT—

GASP!!

M-MARQUIS?

W-WHAT IS THE... I MEAN—

I CAN WAIT. WHY DON'T YOU FINISH WHAT YOU WERE DOING?

DAMN IT...!

GET OUT, ALL OF YOU! NOW!!

WHAT THE...? THE MARQUIS IS HERE... DOES THAT MEAN THE ASSASSINATION FAILED?

HOW COULD THE KING HAVE MESSED THIS UP?!

OSCAR VON REICHENHART

Daily

OWNER OF THE LARGEST STEEL COMPANY ON THE CONTINENT OF NORFOLK

AND THE WOLF OF LUXEN, WHOM EVEN THE KING OF FELPE IS RELUCTANT TO FACE.

IT'S NO WONDER HE'S SO ARROGANT, WITH THAT SMUG FACE OF HIS.

3 YEARS AGO, I WAS A ROYAL IN NAME ONLY, AND THAT MAN GAVE ME

ACCESS TO THE NORFOLK ROYAL ALLIANCE COUNCIL MEETINGS AND THE POSITION OF PRESIDENT AT THE BANK OF FELPE.

BUT IT WASN'T FOR FREE, OF COURSE.

HE GAVE ME THE PRESIDENT POSITION IN EXCHANGE FOR FINDING SOME INFORMATION FOR HIM.

YOUR GRACE. JUST NOW, AT THE BANK...

...THAT IS ALL.

HOW INTERESTING.

VERY WELL. YOU MAY LEAVE.

SO WHAT IF THE PLAN WENT AWRY?

THE "INFORMATION" I JUST HEARD IS SURE TO WHET HIS APPETITE.

HE WON'T TAKE THE BAIT EASILY.

MARQUIS REICHENHART. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF THIS DISCOURTESY.

MY APOLOGIES IF MY TARDINESS WAS RUDE.

SOME UNINVITED GUESTS WERE BLOCKING MY PATH, YOU SEE.

BE THAT AS IT MAY,

IT SEEMS YOUR SECRETARY BROUGHT YOU SOME INTERESTING NEWS.

ARE YOU CURIOUS?

THAT'S...

HOW MUCH DOES HE KNOW? COULD HE... HAVE FIGURED IT OUT?

NO, THERE'S NO WAY HE COULD HAVE HEARD

BEFORE THE PRESIDENT OF THE BANK.

THAT SAFE YOU'VE BEEN EYEING...

WHAT NUMBER WAS IT AGAIN?

THE FOUR-THOUSAND SERIES?

NO, WAS IT THE SIX-THOUSANDS?

NUMBER 5555.

HAVE YOU FOUND IT?

THE KEY?

2 HOURS EARLIER

EXCUSE ME, MISS.

COULD YOU PLEASE TELL ME

THE SAFE NUMBER FOR THIS KEY AGAIN?

IT'S FOR... NUMBER 5555.