Chapter Twenty-Two: Concealment

Upon returning to the mansion, Fletcher went straight to Vira's room. Seeing Vira sitting at the desk and reading as instructed, the tension in Fletcher’s head eased slightly. "How much do you remember?"

"The book is quite obscure, but with Chris’s annotations, personal insights, and reflections, I can barely make sense of it," Vira replied, standing up as Fletcher approached.

"This was Master Chris’s favorite book before he passed. You will inevitably have to discuss it with others in the future, so you must study it thoroughly and read it multiple times," Fletcher instructed.

"I will, Mr. Fletcher," Vira said.

Fletcher looked at Vira intently. "Continue memorizing. I will come back to check your progress before dinner."

"Very well." Vira sat down and buried himself in his studies.

Seeing this, Fletcher left the room.

After reading for a while, Vira opened the wardrobe and took out the file folder regarding the rebel organization. In terms of importance, the rebel organization was the key. If he could not bind himself to the rebels, the leverage he held would be useless on its own. Thus, he prioritized reviewing the contents of the rebel files.

The folder contained more than just bills; it held dozens of letters and several notebooks.

Vira took a deep breath and began with the letters. They were marked with dates. He flipped to the earliest one from a year ago and opened it. Inside was a draft—a letter Chris had sent to someone else, which, for some reason, had found its way back into his hands.

[Dear Francis:

It feels like our last meeting was back at university graduation. Who could have imagined that in just one year, the entirety of Bresci would change so drastically? Whenever I suffer from insomnia, I recall our time as students, the issues we discussed, and the future we envisioned together. In the depths of the long nights, we swore an oath to work toward a more equal world. It is a pity that after graduation, I began helping my father manage the company, while you upheld our former convictions, pursuing things that seem like dreams.

I heard about your efforts in organizing the workers' strike in Lezein. Brother, you are changing the world! You will be written into the history books! Although it only reduced the workers' daily hours by one hour, it is undoubtedly a great step forward for humanity! I envy your ability to pursue these things without restraint. I know you have been struggling with liquidity lately, so I am enclosing a check to help with your immediate needs.

I hope to assist you in more ways. To my friend, whom I admire beyond measure, I stand with you always.

Chris Thomas
April 5, 1432]

From this letter, it was clear that while Chris had harbored these thoughts long ago, it was only after reconnecting with his friend Francis a year prior that he officially became involved with the rebel organization. Furthermore, it appeared that the rebels were not merely interested in usurping power as Vira had imagined, but were striving to improve the treatment and status of workers.

One other thing surprised Vira: the movement that erupted in Lezein a year ago, which had tangibly improved the workers' conditions, was organized by this man who was two years younger than himself.

While admiring him, he continued to flip through the other letters. They were all from Francis to Chris. Although Chris’s responses were missing, one could roughly piece together the events of the past year.

Francis had been dedicated to elevating workers' conditions and improving the flawed existing system. He organized increasingly influential movements and published theories that challenged Bresci’s ruling class. Then, the letters stopped; the last one sent to Chris was dated four months ago.

Vira frowned, stacked the letters, and opened the first notebook. The first page contained only a handwritten line: "Dedicated to my dearest friend, Francis Leroux."

On the second page, there were only three words: "On Equality."

From the third page onward, the notebook was densely packed with Chris’s observations and arguments regarding the historical development of equality. Many of the theories cited the contents of Francis’s letters; it could be said that the work was co-authored by the two of them.

This book, titled *On Equality*, concluded with a final chapter titled "Three Possibilities of Inequality." Although completed, it raised even more questions at the end. Vira speculated that Chris was still writing it in his final days, but before he could finish this political work—one that might have shaken the foundations of Bresci—he had regretfully committed suicide.

Vira set the unfinished *On Equality* aside after a few glances and turned to the other two notebooks.

One contained Chris’s plans for the future development of the rebel organization and records of his secret support for them in various forms. The other contained a roster of members, which was nearly filled, estimated at several thousand names.

To Vira, the priorities were clear: the roster, the strategy book, *On Equality*, and then the letters from Francis.

The roster involved too many people for Vira to memorize in a short time, and he doubted Chris had maintained close contact with everyone on it. The most urgent task was to screen the individuals, filter out core members and those whose public identities were linked to Chris, and prioritize learning about them.

Next was a detailed study of the strategy book. After all, Chloe had passed him a note stating that the rebel organization was in urgent need of a defined development direction. The next time they met, she would certainly bring this up, and Vira had to be prepared to answer.

Furthermore, since Chris had been dead for some time and the rebels had undergone a major purge of infiltrators, Vira would need to update the roster and potentially adjust the development plans accordingly.

Having organized the three main stages of his upcoming tasks, Vira put everything back into the file folder and began to consider a hiding place.

Even if Carmine suspected the rebels after discovering the theft, Vira was an outsider, and his room would certainly be searched thoroughly.

Hidden in a secret compartment in Chris’s bedroom? The bathroom? Vira felt that as long as it was his room, there was no place that was truly safe.

There was only one safe place: Julia’s room.

Carmine would not suspect his school-going daughter of stealing the files, and Julia’s room was the only place Vira had access to. It was the optimal choice.

Time was pressing; Julia would be home from school soon. Vira rose, hurried to her room, and tucked the file folder under her bed.