Chapter 144
Marquis Dershina passed by the stiff Count of Aradman and picked up the dagger he had just bought.
Then he casually rested his elbow on the count’s shoulder and spoke.
“Count Aradman, was it?”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
“It seems the child I sponsor, Irene Terrins, once fought with your daughter……”
That was true.
When Izriella had hit Iby, she had actually fought more fiercely with Irene than with Iby.
Irene had skillfully yanked her hair hard, pinched her stomach, and kicked below her knees.
Wasn’t Izriella’s condition the next day absolutely miserable?
At the time, Izriella had screamed about not letting it go, but once she learned the opponent was a Terrins, she redirected all her anger toward Iby, a commoner.
Having heard the whole story from Irene, the marquis’s lips slowly curled upward.
“Shall we start by talking about that story first?”
* * *
Bang!
Count Aradman slammed the door to the room assigned to him in the main palace.
“Damn it!”
He collapsed onto the sofa and grabbed his already messy hair.
“Why…… why is everything turning out like this?!”
The moment Eve was acknowledged as royalty, he had cheered inwardly.
Since the emperor had loved his wife so deeply, he believed Eve would be accepted faster than anyone.
At the same time, he was confident his family’s authority would rise so high that no one would dare look down on them.
But now, a week had passed, and nothing had been resolved.
‘This won’t do.’
The problem was what to do next.
As he pondered, he let out a sigh.
Up until now, none of this had been his plan—it had all been Noma’s.
“I need Noma…….”
He had thought of discarding her once everything was gained.
But it seemed he would have to contact her again.
* * *
Shortly after Marquis Dershina dragged Count Aradman away, the chief attendant came and told Duke Kailen that the emperor had summoned him.
‘Perfect timing.’
If the attendant had arrived a little earlier, Count Aradman would have caused a scene insisting on coming along.
Duke Kailen entered the inner chamber.
Clois, who had stormed out the previous day, now looked no different from his usual self.
“I called you because I heard you saw Sabina and the child. Have you confirmed things?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Sabina said she lived deep in the mountains for seven years. I sent the fastest men to the location she mentioned and received a message by carrier pigeon. There was a house there, along with items that looked like they had been used during that time. We’ll receive a more detailed report when they return, but so far, nothing seems suspicious.”
“Then why didn’t she come looking for me for seven years?”
“She believed the former emperor’s soldiers might still be pursuing her, so she avoided all contact with people and moved only through remote wilderness. Because of that, she learned of Your Majesty’s situation very late.”
“…….”
“And how did she come to know Count Aradman?”
“She was badly injured in the forest and had no choice but to come down to the nearest village for treatment. There, she learned the former emperor had died and asked a physician for help. That physician happened to be a retainer of the count’s family, so he brought her straight to the capital.”
“Hm…….”
Even so, living in hiding for seven years was hard to accept.
But then again, Sabina had no reason to lie.
Her hardships were obvious just from her appearance.
She was younger than Clois.
When she had been beside Lillian, she was always smiling and chatting nonstop.
Now, she looked like someone who had lived alone for decades.
“For now, Sabina…… seems to need more stability. I’ve assigned a physician to watch over her. She still wakes up screaming at night, as if she can’t believe she’s back in the imperial palace.”
“And the child?”
“Lady Eve is doing very well. She requested that Count Aradman’s daughter be brought to the palace, so we had no choice but to allow her entry.”
“……I see.”
He didn’t like it, but Clois reminded himself that Eve was only seven years old.
Being in an unfamiliar place, she likely wanted someone she knew nearby.
“Does she look for Sabina?”
“The maids say she does sometimes, but when she’s with Miss Izriella, she doesn’t ask for her much. It seems she prefers someone her own age.”
“I see…….”
Still, it bothered him that she didn’t seem strongly attached to the woman who had raised her for most of her life.
After finishing several smaller reports, Duke Kailen concluded.
“You’ve done well. You may go.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Normally, he would have left immediately, but Clois noticed the duke hesitating.
“What is it?”
“It’s…… nothing.”
The duke closed his mouth.
‘Under normal circumstances, I would have carefully brought up Iby to His Majesty.’
The emperor had only just emerged from great shock and confusion.
On top of that, the inn had vanished, leaving no concrete evidence.
And now, a true imperial princess—Eve—had appeared.
Cold logic said the chance of Eve being Princess Ebbvien was overwhelmingly high.
Above all, the crest on her hand.
That alone was powerful proof.
Her age, eye color, hair, and even her nanny, Sabina—nothing could be more perfect.
And yet, why did he keep searching for traces of Lillian in Iby?
Even after Eve appeared, his doubts had not faded—they had grown stronger.
He couldn’t explain why.
It was just how he felt.
‘Riden should be reporting back soon.’
If that report also yielded nothing, he would temporarily stop investigating Iby’s past and instead assign his men to verify Eve and Sabina’s movements.
* * *
Seraphina felt like she was dying.
“I’ve really lost my mind…….”
Everyone she met asked the same thing.
Wasn’t there some magic to confirm blood relations?
‘There is no such thing!’
If there were, she would have made a fortune on the side.
People who doubted whether their children were truly theirs were everywhere.
If it were Clois saying such a thing, she might have understood.
But the ones pestering her all day to create such magic were people connected to Count Aradman.
‘They must be desperate since Eve still isn’t fully acknowledged as a princess.’
Finding a royal was impressive, sure.
But what they really wanted was the credit for “finding the princess.”
‘The reward would be enormous.’
If Eve were truly recognized as Clois’s daughter, the count’s faction would receive rewards worthy of being recorded in history.
Since those people had guardian access to the academy, Seraphina couldn’t even block their visits.
‘If I can’t block them…… then I’ll just disappear.’
Chuckling to herself, she headed toward the library.
A nap on the rooftop under the autumn sun might finally ease her exhaustion.
As she entered the library and moved toward the stairs, she spotted Iby walking briskly, carrying a large stack of books.
“……Sigh.”
She sighed the moment she saw her.
On the day of the banquet, Iby had been crouched on the path between the palace and the academy, waiting for Seraphina.
“Dean, is His Majesty all right?”
How long had she waited?
While tapping her sore legs, that had been the first thing she asked.
Since Seraphina had been casting protective magic around Eve instead of the emperor, she replied that she didn’t know—and Iby had looked so disappointed.
Now, Seraphina examined the books in Iby’s arms.
There wasn’t just one.
Squinting, she read the titles.
“Secrets of the Imperial Family, Ancient Traces Hidden in Noble Blood, Imperial Records…….”
All of them were about the imperial family.
Seeing this, Seraphina clicked her tongue without realizing it.
It seemed Eve’s appearance had deeply affected Iby.
‘Because of this incident, the imperial crest has drawn attention again.’
Something only historians and elderly ministers used to know.
Now that it had been used to verify royalty, people everywhere were asking about it.
Of course Iby would be curious too.
‘More importantly, judging by Eve’s personality…… she won’t look kindly on Iby.’
They had only been together briefly, but Seraphina could tell Eve was a very greedy child.
There was no way she would calmly accept her newly found father caring for another child.
“Haaah…….”
With a long sigh, Seraphina climbed up to the rooftop.
For now, it seemed best to keep Iby safe inside the academy until things settled down.
On the rooftop, she stretched wide and pulled a small stone from her pocket.
“Hehe, they didn’t notice I hid one.”
She stomped her foot, her behavior far from dignified for an academy dean.
It was a mana stone she had borrowed while searching for Iby in the past.
It had cracked during return, leaving a small fragment.
She had pocketed it.
‘Yep, no conscience at all.’
Mages lost all sense of conscience when it came to mana stones.
‘And I’m using it for the imperial palace anyway, so it’s fine.’
After forgiving herself, Seraphina stood on the rooftop and examined the lingering traces of the tracking spell she had once cast over the entire palace.
So much time had passed that only faint remnants remained.
‘Let’s see. If I follow this…….’
She sensed the inner palace.
Two unusual flows stood out.
‘His Majesty and Eve.’
The imperial crests they carried disrupted the surrounding mana.
Then—
“Ah!”
Seraphina cried out and jumped in surprise.
Right beneath her feet, she felt another distinct flow of power.
