#135. Prophecy (4)
Pavel played with the pendant and fell into deep thought. He wanted to talk with Sasha, but her letters—which usually came regularly—were late these days. Maybe she was busy.
‘She’s already having a hard time managing the estate. I shouldn’t add more worries for her.’
There were no clear problems yet, so Pavel decided not to trouble Sasha, who was working so hard far away.
‘We promised to do our best in our own places. I need to do my part here, too.’
Just then, Pavel heard unfamiliar footsteps.
His tent was guarded strictly, and at night it was so quiet that he could hear even a small whisper. The guards made it possible for him to rest, but their presence also helped spot anyone approaching.
Pavel remembered the footsteps of everyone who had ever visited his tent. Igor’s steps were heavy and regular, Andrey’s were a bit faster, and Nikolai’s were light and cheerful.
But these footsteps were unfamiliar.
Holding his breath, Pavel let go of the pendant and stared sharply at the door of his tent.
The sound came closer, then stopped at the entrance.
Rustle.
Pavel got up and grabbed the sword lying next to him, ready for anything.
He moved toward the entrance, and just beyond the thick curtain, a voice called softly:
“Grand Duke.”
It was a gentle, high-pitched woman’s voice—unusual on the battlefield.
“It’s me, Naina. I have something important to say. May I come in?”
Before Pavel could answer, the woman tried to open the tent.
A strangely white hand reached inside, but Pavel grabbed the wrist and twisted it, holding her down without mercy.
“Ouch! Ow, that hurts!”
Naina’s pale skin was scratched and bruised by the rough dirt and stones.
‘How dare this monster hurt my pretty skin!’ she thought, frowning hard inside.
“What is it?” Pavel’s voice above her was cold and calm.
Naina quickly changed her expression and started acting again.
“Grand Duke…”
She looked up with tears, playing the pitiful victim.
“I asked what you want,” Pavel repeated, staring with icy eyes.
‘Why isn’t this working?’ Naina bit her lip.
She had used her charm magic, but it had no effect at all. Any other man would have fallen for her by now—even the knight guarding outside…
“Even for just a moment, please, let me meet you, Grand Duke. I really need to tell you something important. Please…”
She pleaded with tears.
“No…” the knight outside had said, but eventually let her through after her begging.
‘Even getting in here is a hassle! Nothing goes the way I want,’ Naina grumbled to herself and tried the charm magic again.
“I have something to say… Could you please, maybe, untie me—”
But the magic still had no effect.
Pavel cut her off firmly and asked only what he wanted to know.
“What happened to the knight outside? I’m sure Igor ordered strict security and didn’t let you approach. How did you get in?”
“Igor was away for a moment, and the knight let me in after I begged, saying it was really important.”
Pavel clicked his tongue.
Whoever that knight was, Igor would be furious when he found out.
“Sorry. But it’s really important. I needed to tell you myself,” Naina sniffled.
“If it’s that important, follow the rules and tell Igor first. I’ll hear his report.”
“No! I can’t trust anyone else. You must listen to me directly, Grand Duke!”
Even as she pleaded, Pavel was unmoved and tried to send her out.
Suddenly, Naina spoke desperately:
“Actually, I lied. I’m sorry. Chernomor, that man, is not my real father.”
That finally made Pavel pause.
“I… I’m being threatened. That man outside killed my real father… and is pretending to be him.”
She was trembling with fear. It didn’t sound like a lie.
But Pavel couldn’t trust her. He never believed anything she said unless he could check it himself.
Still, he continued the conversation.
“Then who is that man outside?”
He needed to break through the layers of lies to find the truth, so Pavel questioned her hard.
“The seal on that letter was real. Only the head of the Volkov family can use it. Why does he have it?”
The Volkov family seal was always kept safe, used with great care—even for private matters.
Naina hesitated, glancing nervously.
“The real identity of that man is…”
“Say it,” Pavel urged.
“He’s… Gregory Volkov.”
“…!”
Pavel’s eyes widened. He never expected to hear that name here.
“Are you trying to deceive me?” he growled, forcing himself to calm down.
He stared at the crying woman with icy eyes.
“That man is already dead.”
“He’s not dead.”
Naina answered without wavering.
“He nearly died, but just before he did, he got power from a demon and came back to life. With that new power, he’s planning revenge…”
She whispered,
“He wants revenge.”
Pavel held his breath.
Naina—actually Raisa—saw his reaction and continued.
“He already took revenge once. He killed the one who killed him.”
Pavel’s thoughts spun.
The man who killed Gregory Volkov…
No one had killed him directly—maybe it was the prison manager. But Pavel thought Gregory would blame Volkov for his death, not just some manager.
As Pavel reached the truth in his mind, Naina sealed it.
“Oh! He said he was finally happy to kill his brother.”
Pavel remembered Dmitri’s last moments—killed after fighting monsters.
His father had reacted strangely, as if recognizing someone—or seeing someone he never wanted to see.
‘Was the monster really Gregory Volkov?’
Pavel’s eyes shook.
He wanted to shout at Naina to stop lying, but his instincts told him she was telling the truth.
“But it’s not enough. He said he would take revenge on everyone who led him to death, and steal everything they owned.”
Pavel barely held onto his calm. His mind was a storm of anger and confusion, but he knew he couldn’t ignore what he just heard.
“It’s true. You might not believe me, but it is.”
Naina tried to persuade him more, but Pavel stopped her by grabbing her throat.
“Let’s say I believe you. But why should I trust you?”
He tilted his head and tightened his grip. Naina choked, tears falling from her eyes.
“You said he killed your family—so why did he let you live?”
Coughing, Naina finally answered:
“To use me. Because I can predict the future.”
Her voice shook.
“He said my power was useful, so he kept me alive to use me. Look, even now, my prophecies let us stay here without suspicion.”
She was right. The only reason they were allowed to stay was because people believed she was a prophet.
“And… with my power, he plans to get rid of his last obstacle—his nephew. You, Grand Duke. He said he’d bury you next to your father…”
Naina’s voice faded, and Pavel’s mind went blank.
He felt like he might vomit. Fury boiled inside him.
He wanted to run out and stab Gregory—who was wearing Chernomor’s face—right now, the same way Gregory had killed Dmitri, Pavel’s father.
But at that moment—
Clink.
Because he was bent over, his pendant slipped out of his clothes.
Magically, the pendant opened on its own.
‘Sasha.’
Inside was Sasha’s portrait. For a moment, Pavel felt like she was looking straight at him, smiling gently.
“Pavel.”
He thought he heard Sasha’s voice—a gentle, scolding voice that always stopped him from doing something rash.
“Don’t act impulsively, or you’ll regret it.”
Pavel’s bloodshot eyes slowly closed.
Just like that, the volcano of emotion inside him calmed down.
