“…So you say you went up the hill to look for a lost friend and ended up entering the forest.”
I lowered my eyes and nodded sheepishly.
“And then you nearly died after running into a pack of wyverns and nefas in the middle of the night…”
Father’s voice was as cold as a winter frost. I swallowed hard.
“You barely survived, but he ended up like that… is that it?”
His gaze shifted to Cassian, who was sitting awkwardly on the edge of the bed.
Cassian still had thick bandages wrapped around his leg.
“You explain.”
At Father’s order, Cassian stiffened. Then, in a voice full of military discipline, he blurted out,
“Th-That is! The young lady was looking for someone! We went up the hill, but then she suddenly ran into the forest…! I tried to stop her, but couldn’t! Next thing I knew, it was night, and we had to escape…!”
“Enough.”
Father cut him off with a deep sigh. Then he turned to me, his expression hardening slightly.
“Was that the reason?”
“…”
“The reason you insisted on going to the temple.”
His gaze pierced directly into my face, and I gave a small nod.
His eyes were cold, but now I understood the true meaning behind them.
‘He’s not angry…’
He’s worried.
I nervously rubbed my palms together.
“Well… Actually…”
I glanced toward Cassian. Father quietly said,
“You leave us.”
Cassian gave a sharp nod, got up, and hobbled out of the room.
Left alone with Father, an awkward silence fell between us.
‘…This is bad.’
I hadn’t even figured out how to explain it yet…!
I really didn’t expect him to return after just two days, like Rubel said.
I hesitated for a while, then finally shut my eyes and began,
“The truth is, I actually…”
Father’s brow furrowed a bit more, as if to ask what nonsense I was about to say.
After a few more seconds of hesitation, I muttered very quietly,
“…I found the prince.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, a suffocating silence followed. I took a deep breath and continued.
“Not the prince in the capital. The missing son of the former emperor.”
Then I carefully looked up to gauge Father’s reaction—and found myself dumbfounded.
He, who rarely showed any expression, was staring at me with wide eyes.
His stiff lips slowly parted.
“…Rubel.”
“…”
“You’re saying you found Rubel.”
I nodded, my face still stunned.
A long silence hung in the air. Then suddenly, Father leaned forward and asked in a hushed voice,
“Did you tell anyone else about this?”
My eyes widened. I quickly shook my head and replied,
“N-No one else knows. I only told you. As you saw earlier, Cassian thinks Rubel is just a friend of mine.”
Father’s expression eased a little. But there was still wariness and doubt in his eyes.
‘He must be wondering how I managed to find Rubel.’
But I couldn’t tell him everything.
If I did, he’d find out I wasn’t the real Selenea.
I clenched my fists tightly, cold sweat dripping from my hands.
Would he still accept me as his daughter if he knew the truth?
…No, probably not.
‘He’s already been haunted for years by guilt over losing his wife.’
If he found out his daughter wasn’t real either, I had no idea how he’d react.
Somewhere between fear and worry, an unpleasant feeling crept in—like I’d stolen someone else’s place.
‘Come to think of it, where did the real Selenea go?’
Did Mayer’s brainwashing completely break her? Did her soul vanish and I somehow took over her empty body?
Whatever the truth was, one thing was certain—I couldn’t confess everything just yet.
I slowly raised my head and muttered with a trembling voice,
“It was because of the relic.”
“The relic?”
“Yes. The one Calista came to retrieve. It reacted to me.”
Father’s eyes widened slightly.
“What do you mean, reacted?”
“When I first touched it, I felt a strange vibration, and then a man appeared.”
“A man appeared?”
“Yes. He told me where to find Rubel.”
I pulled out the pendant from inside my collar. It responded in my hand as if waiting, emitting a faint glow.
“That’s why I didn’t give it back to Calista.”
“…What do you mean?”
“He… he seemed to know a lot of things that ordinary people wouldn’t.”
After finishing, I lowered my head again. Mixing truth and lies made my face flush with shame.
‘…Is it okay to lie like this?’
I felt guilty—but there was no other choice. This was the best I could do for now.
‘…Not yet.’
It was too soon to reveal that I wasn’t the real Selenea.
And this was all…
‘To protect Father and this family.’
Yes. Mayer had said it—Frater would soon become the state religion.
That meant the temple’s power would only grow.
And because of me, Tigris had earned the temple’s wrath.
No—it might be more than just wrath.
I’d stolen their relic, and even intimidated Calista, the high priestess, into leaving.
Then Father’s calm voice broke through my thoughts.
“So the old legend was true.”
“Legend?”
I looked up in surprise.
Father tapped the table thoughtfully.
“Yes. The legend that the ancient god Frater sealed his disciples within the three relics.”
“He sealed them…?”
“He cherished them so much that when their lifespans ended, he sealed their souls in relics to let them live forever.”
My eyes widened.
I remembered the moment I met Adam, when he said, “Let’s just say I’m an angel.”
‘Was Adam really a disciple of the god Frater?’
As I blinked, Father murmured,
“…You did well.”
I froze, not believing my ears.
“Pardon?”
“I didn’t know the legend was real, but… It’s not a bad thing to have a relic in our possession.”
He calmly stared at the pendant hanging from my neck.
“But we should look into why the relic reacted to you. Also…”
His red eyes gleamed with a quiet glow.
“Where is the prince you brought?”
That evening.
‘Just help me this once, please? We need to hide Rubel, at least for now. That’ll be safest—for us and for him.’
Alleon looked at Selenea’s peacefully sleeping face, her head resting on his shoulder.
They were in a carriage heading for the Tigris estate.
The schedule was rushed, but they had to return to the territory as soon as possible.
All because of the “missing prince” sitting before them.
“I remember seeing you when you were young… Duke Tigris.”
Alleon met Rubel’s golden eyes.
That face—identical to the late emperor he once swore loyalty to.
Back then, Rubel had still looked very young.
Now his features were more defined and mature. Alleon stared quietly before speaking.
“Selenea wanted to hide you.”
“She told me the same.”
Though Alleon had spoken informally, Rubel remained composed.
Alleon gave a brief, wry smile. But his eyes didn’t smile at all.
“You’ll be joining my knights.”
Rubel’s pupils dilated slightly.
“I hope you’re not expecting any special treatment. Times have changed. You’ll be in danger no matter where you go.”
Their eyes met in the darkness.
“But the Tigris Knights are different. Not even the emperor can touch my army. It’s the safest place for you—for now.”
Rubel slowly nodded. A heavy silence followed.
Then Alleon added,
“…There was a time I truly served your father. I believed it my duty to be loyal to the imperial family.”
Rubel frowned slightly.
He didn’t understand why Alleon was bringing up the past.
But Alleon muttered coldly,
“But not anymore.”
His crimson eyes gleamed sharply.
“I don’t care if you’re of imperial blood or the lost prince.”
“Then why are you taking me in?”
“Because my daughter wants it. No other reason.”
Rubel finally understood Alleon’s intentions.
“So if anything happens to my daughter because of you…”
Alleon’s eyes flashed with menace. Rubel chuckled quietly at the sight.
“That won’t happen. And even if it does…”
“…”
“I’ll handle it myself.”
Alleon raised a brow slightly. Just then, murmuring was heard beyond the window.
Something outside felt… off.
Alleon glanced at Rubel, then gently pulled back the curtain so Selenea wouldn’t wake.
His sharpened senses detected dozens of dangerous presences.
“…Ghouls?”
He muttered just as someone rode up to the window. It was Koppel, sword in hand.
“Commander. Something’s odd. They’re just circling, not attacking.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just that. Normally, they’d rush us on sight… Should we just strike first?”
Instead of replying, Alleon’s gaze slowly turned to Rubel.
Rubel sat still, but his golden eyes glowed vividly in the dark.
Alleon finally spoke.
“…It’s you.”
So, the royal bloodline really had inherited it.
“The reason the cursed land had no monsters.”
Even as their sharp gazes clashed, Selenea remained fast asleep—unaware of the world around her.
