Chapter 15
The Grand Duke stayed silent, his expression calm and unreadable.
At least he wasn’t denying it — maybe he had some conscience left.
If I couldn’t prove that I was useful, this cold-hearted man wouldn’t lift a finger to help me. No — he’d probably pretend to help, just to watch me die later.
Rather than risk that, it was better to tell him about my foresight and ask for his cooperation honestly.
If I have to survive, I need to side with the winning team.
The long battle between the Emperor and the Grand Duke would end with the Duke’s victory. He would weaken the Imperial power and rule the North as its true master.
And the main characters — the male and female leads — would find happiness under his protection.
So if I wanted to stay alive and live quietly, I had to cooperate with him.
I took a step forward and spoke honestly.
“Please help me. If you do, I’ll use my ability to help you in return.”
Grand Duke Terence Lentz looked carefully at the woman standing before him — his fiancée.
He had never once liked her.
Iveness was dumber than his hunting dogs.
At least the dogs could memorize the shape of the forest and follow scents — but she didn’t even know her way around the palace.
But today… she looks different.
He remembered her earlier that day in the temple — how she’d pushed a flower into his hand and insisted he take it.
Even when he refused, she followed him, begging him to accept it.
It was bold — no, shameless.
To make it worse, there had been a small, folded note hidden among the petals.
Hiding a note in a flower… I’ll admit, that’s at least a little romantic.
He was used to women trying to seduce him.
Since he’d come of age, he’d received countless letters from noblewomen asking to meet him in secret.
More than half of them were from this very princess.
He’d never even bothered to read them — most went straight into the fire.
He almost did the same this time, but something about that flower made him hesitate.
When he’d touched her pale hand, she had been trembling. And her quiet voice, asking him to “keep the flower close,” hadn’t sounded like a flirtation.
It was filled with fear.
That uneasy feeling had made him open the note — and what he found inside had been completely unexpected.
It described the location of a lost heirloom of his family — and asked him to meet her here, at this exact time.
And the princess had been right. Inside the goddess statue, he’d found the missing scabbard.
So, out of curiosity, he had decided to listen to what she had to say.
Terence thought nothing could surprise him anymore.
But the words that came out of her mouth had done exactly that.
“The Emperor will kill me… and blame it on you.”
He rubbed his chin, thinking.
Even if he ignored her talk of foresight, what she said could happen.
If she suddenly died, he would indeed be the prime suspect.
“If I didn’t tell you about my foresight, and only warned you about the Emperor’s plan, you wouldn’t save me. You’d pretend not to know, and let me die — because it would benefit you. Am I wrong?”
She was right.
If he’d known of such a plan, he would have let it happen. It would have been easier to reveal the Emperor’s corruption afterward.
Apparently, this princess understood that too.
So she’s not completely stupid.
That made the situation… interesting.
Maybe this was the Emperor’s trap? But what would he gain from it?
All she wanted was his protection — nothing more.
Terence studied her pale, innocent-looking face. There was no trace of deceit. She truly seemed to believe every word she said.
After a long pause, he spoke.
“You said you saw me at the wedding ceremony, correct?”
“Yes, but that was—”
“Then answer me one thing.”
He cut her off, his tone calm but sharp.
“What was I wearing that day?”
Lies are like sandcastles — they look solid but collapse at the slightest touch.
To test if someone’s lying, you ask about something trivial — a detail they wouldn’t have thought to invent.
If it’s a lie, they’ll hesitate.
But Iveness didn’t flinch.
She blinked at him and replied,
“You were wearing a black court uniform.”
Terence’s violet eyes widened slightly.
Just yesterday morning, his butler had asked, “Shall I prepare the formal military dress for the ceremony, Your Grace?”
He’d said yes without much thought.
But later that day, while watching his younger brother play in the garden, he’d remembered something.
“Why don’t you ever wear your court clothes, brother? You’d look even cooler than the princes if you did!”
That was months ago, and he’d forgotten about it until now.
He’d always worn his military attire, even at court events.
But this time… maybe black court clothes would be fine.
He hadn’t told anyone yet.
So how did she know?
Coincidence, maybe.
She could’ve guessed. Men’s formal clothes were usually dark — black, navy, or gray. It wasn’t impossible.
Still, the fact that she’d been right made him feel uneasy.
Maybe… it wasn’t a coincidence.
Princess Iveness was known to have been born with foresight. She had seen a few visions as a child — until her power vanished around age ten.
So she’s regained it?
He still didn’t believe it completely, but it was worth testing.
Terence folded his arms and said quietly,
“To be honest, what you’re saying is too absurd to accept.”
“I understand. But if you just wait a few days, you’ll see the solar eclipse yourself—”
“I’m not patient enough to wait five days just to see whether you’re insane or not.”
He cut her off coldly.
“So if you truly have the power of foresight…”
He looked straight into her clear blue eyes.
“Show me. Tell me what will happen to me tonight.”
“…What?”
For a second, I thought I misheard him.
He wanted me to see his future? Tonight?
Sure, I remembered most of the original story — but what happened to him tonight?
I tried to recall, but nothing came to mind.
I don’t think the novel ever mentioned this night at all.
At this point in the original story, the focus was on Sorel at the warfront. The capital scenes were only briefly summarized.
The Duke didn’t even become a major character until after my death.
Of course, the novel couldn’t describe every little detail of every side character’s life. That would be boring.
Even the main character’s daily routine wasn’t written in such detail.
After a long moment, I stammered,
“Um… I’m not sure I can see that right now…”
