Chapter 13
Meanwhile, Cassian narrowed his eyes.
Why is the Empress at the monster research lab at this hour…?
Over the years, while wandering from country to country under the pretense of studying abroad, he had nearly lost his life to assassins more times than he could count. After his mother—the former Empress—died, Serena Montreger, who rose from imperial consort to the new Empress, had been the one to send them.
His eyesight, several times sharper than most people’s, was an inborn gift. But his ability to sense killing intent and human presence had been honed through countless accumulated threats.
He had detected someone approaching through the darkness and hidden himself first—but the person who appeared was utterly unexpected.
From Nina, whose back was pressed firmly against his chest, he could also feel clear shock and confusion.
Creeeak—
Moments later, the outer iron gate of the monster lab opened with a groan, and Desmorak stepped out.
The way he scanned the surroundings was identical to what Empress Catalina had done moments before.
‘Did they arrange to meet here?’
‘Mother came to the monster lab at this hour to see Desmorak?’
Sharing similar thoughts, the two watched the Empress and Desmorak.
Smack—!
In the next instant, the Empress’s hand flew harshly across Desmorak’s cheek.
Though he was two heads taller than her, he silently bowed his head.
The Empress, glaring at him, was breathing so heavily her chest visibly heaved. Soon, her suppressed voice, thick with fury, echoed quietly in the night.
“It’s already been ten days! We’ve poured money and manpower into finding that so-called saintess, yet not a single person has properly seen her since!”
“I apologize, Your Majesty. I—I will find her no matter what.”
“I was a fool to trust you. And what about the High Priest and the priests who were there when the final oracle was given? You handled them properly, didn’t you? You said you killed them all! Then how could the saintess reappear after twenty years?!”
Ten days earlier, Cedric Bellan, Duke of Bellan and Catalina’s elder brother, had rushed into the palace pale as a ghost.
“Your Majesty the Empress. Do you know who visited the ducal estate yesterday?”
“A beggar, perhaps?”
“It’s not that!”
Only then did Catalina notice that her brother looked deeply unsettled. Straightening from where she had been reclining on the sofa, she watched as the Duke wiped cold sweat from his brow with a handkerchief and swallowed hard before continuing.
“The saintess who delivered the final oracle twenty years ago—the one we killed. It was her!”
Clang—
The teacup slipped from Catalina’s hand and shattered sharply against the floor.
“W-What are you saying, Brother? The saintess who died twenty years ago suddenly came to the ducal house?!”
“How would I know? She said it was time for everything to return to its rightful place—and then she disappeared.”
“That’s absurd. Are you sure it was really her? Perhaps… perhaps just some madwoman?”
The Duke angrily threw the handkerchief onto the table.
“She was already over sixty back then, yet appeared as a young girl! She looked exactly the same as she did twenty years ago. I couldn’t possibly be mistaken!”
“T-That’s impossible… You said they were all killed back then. I’ll look into it. Perhaps… perhaps there was some mistake.”
“What mistake! That fool Randino must have botched the job!”
Catalina had decided then that she must resolve this matter personally.
If the Emperor were to learn that the saintess who delivered the final oracle was still alive, he would surely go mad.
Twenty years ago, after eliminating the saintess, the High Priest, and the clergy of the Grand Temple who had proclaimed the oracle, the Bellan ducal house and the Emperor had become bound in a deeply intertwined, inseparable relationship.
The privileges the Bellan family gained from that alliance were beyond counting.
There was no one in Arsed who did not know that the wealthiest and most powerful noble house was the Empress’s own Bellan family.
If things went wrong, the Emperor would deal with the Bellans first.
Catalina knew well that his wariness toward the Bellan house—who shared far too many of his secrets—was growing by the day. No matter how much he claimed to love her, if even a scratch touched the authority he cherished like his life, he would not hesitate to turn on her.
Suppressing her rising agitation, Catalina said to Desmorak:
“Before His Majesty finds out, we must find her first. Before that woman goes anywhere and speaks a word about the oracle, we must find her and eliminate her. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I’ve already commissioned the information guild in Shadow Street to search for her. Naturally, I did not reveal that she is the saintess. They are known for discreet and precise work. We should have results soon.”
“…Ran.”
“My Lady…”
When the Empress called him “Ran,” she raised her hand to Desmorak’s cheek.
He, in turn, called her “My Lady,” his voice filled with aching tenderness.
Gently stroking the cheek she had just struck, the Empress looked at him with affectionate eyes.
“You can grant me anything I desire. Even stake your life for it. Isn’t that right, Ran?”
She whispered, her fingertips brushing the collar of his robe.
Desmorak gently clasped her hand and smiled.
“Of course. It was you who gave me the name Randino, My Lady.”
Pressing a kiss to the back of her hand, he murmured lowly:
“For my beloved lady—anything.”
Hidden in the darkness, Nina’s eyes trembled violently as she watched.
After the oracle she had received, the temple, the High Priest, the saintess, and the clergy had all vanished from Arsed.
‘I believed that after the late Emperor passed away suddenly and the throne was vacant, the Marquis of Demont conspired with the Grand Temple to seize imperial power—and failed. I believed they were executed for treason.’
But Desmorak had dealt with them privately.
That was not what she had known.
And if the reappeared saintess had to be silenced before the Emperor learned of it, then there was something that must never be revealed.
On top of that—
Her own mother was having an affair with the Emperor’s sorcerer.
The shocks came one after another, throwing Nina’s mind into chaos.
Yet unlike Nina, whose world felt as though it were collapsing, Cassian’s eyes gleamed with interest.
From the moment the Empress appeared alone at such a late hour, he had suspected this was no ordinary matter.
But an affair with Desmorak?
A fine card to play one day, he thought, the corners of his lips lifting faintly.
Forgetting even that she was still in Cassian’s arms, Nina continued to watch them in silence.
“Ran, we must hurry.”
“I will not disappoint you. My Lady, please do not worry about anything.”
“Just remember—if it is revealed that the final oracle was false, everything we have worked for over the past twenty years will be destroyed.”
Crash—!
Lightning split through the clouds lit by moonlight, and thunder roared loud enough to shake the imperial palace.
The flash stabbed into Nina’s blue eyes.
Startled by the thunder, Catalina looked up at the sky, fear flooding her gaze as though heaven itself had witnessed her sin.
Snatching her hand away coldly, she turned and hurried back the way she had come without a backward glance.
Desmorak, who had been staring blankly after her, also turned—not toward the lab, but toward his own quarters.
Even after they disappeared, Nina stood motionless for a long time before slowly turning around.
Cassian’s arm, which had been wrapped around her waist, slipped away.
“…You heard it too… didn’t you?”
Meeting Cassian’s eyes as if to confirm she had not misheard, Nina’s gaze twisted in pain for the first time.
“The oracle I received… was a lie.”
