Chapter 09
Rizeana followed Ian down the corridor without the slightest hesitation, walking smoothly behind him.
The Tenzel Imperial Palace was rougher than Avid’s, yet it carried a unique kind of elegance.
Unlike Avid’s palace, which was decorated with overwhelming gold and jewels, Tenzel’s interior emphasized massive scale—its corridors, stairways, and structures all built on an imposing size. It was a palace fitting for the Tenzel Empire.
Ian, who had been matching her pace, glanced at her briefly.
‘Not even a hint of nervousness.’
Strange. In many ways.
Ian looked at Rizeana as she followed him in silence.
When they first met, she had boldly asked to be taken away, as if she had been waiting for him all along.
That boldness had moved him. It had piqued his interest.
But even now, he couldn’t fully dismiss his suspicion of her.
That was why he hadn’t given her a time limit for her “probation” by his side—just in case.
More than anything, she might be the key to lifting his curse.
That day, when she touched him, the pain in his chest and the splitting headache that had felt like his skull was being crushed had gradually subsided, returning him to normal.
‘Just what… is this woman?’
A woman from an enemy nation, a prisoner, yet someone who sharpened her teeth toward revenge without hesitation—unlike the delicate noble ladies he knew who only cared about appearances.
Even now, walking through an enemy palace, she remained composed and elegant.
She merely glanced around once, neither anxious nor tense.
Watching her with growing curiosity, Ian finally asked:
“So? What do you plan to do when you meet the Emperor?”
“I intend to give His Majesty what he wants.”
“That would be Gwanggak grass?”
“Yes. I am the Crown Princess of Avid—I am aware of it. And I also know Tenzel is in serious trouble because of it. I hold the key to it.”
“How confident.”
Rizeana nodded.
She knew better than anyone that trembling before an important moment changed nothing.
As the Crown Princess of Avid, she had dealt with countless crises—even matters involving killing people.
She pushed down her anxiety and steadied her mind.
Before long, they arrived in front of the audience chamber.
“Don’t let your guard down. The Emperor of Tenzel is cruel,” Ian whispered in a low voice.
The Imperial Audience Chamber
“Duke Ian Rendi Devencia has arrived!”
In front of the massive, ornamented doors, a knight in black armor engraved with Tenzel’s silver dragon emblem announced his arrival in a booming voice.
The tightly shut doors slowly opened.
Ian strode forward across the red carpet laid over the black imperial floor.
Rizeana, her hands bound with rope, followed behind him.
“You come to report so late. What happened, Duke?”
A middle-aged man sat high on the throne, looking down at them.
Emperor Adam Tenzel Tiberah.
A heavy pressure filled the air.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. I regret causing you concern.”
“You know better than anyone how sensitive I am regarding Gwanggak grass. Do not test my patience.”
A familiar word reached Rizeana’s ears.
‘Gwanggak grass.’
A dangerous herb that could half-drive a person mad if inhaled, and kill them if ingested—turning them into monsters through magical backlash.
It was a rare substance requiring complex magical refinement.
Rizeana knew it better than most.
She recalled her memories from before regression.
‘Around this time, Gwanggak grass started circulating in the slums of northern Tenzel.’
Magic was rare in Tenzel, making it unlikely they could produce Gwanggak grass internally.
That meant it must have been imported.
More importantly, it wasn’t something created by magic alone.
It required a precise combination of dozens of plants, fused through magical processing.
‘It must be Father… no, Duke Philorentia.’
Philorentia Duke ran a large perfume business called Parfumis, based in Avid’s capital.
On the surface, it was a luxurious perfume brand catering only to nobles.
But in truth, it was a corrupt enterprise hiding filthy secrets.
The perfumes sold there were made from forbidden poisonous herbs.
Each bottle cost more than a house, yet its addictive scent ensured success.
And the only person Rizeana knew who had both access to such herbs and absolute loyalty to the imperial family…
Was Duke Philorentia.
She believed her father had secretly distributed Gwanggak grass through Parfumis.
“So, the one behind you is the Countess Crodenne?”
The Emperor pointed at Rizeana.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Ian replied.
He pulled her forward and forced her to kneel before the steps of the throne.
“Hahaha! Finally, we can strike back at that filthy Avid Empire!”
The Emperor laughed cruelly.
“I ordered you to find the source of Gwanggak grass and bring back the antidote. And now you stand before me. Do you understand what that means?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Delisa had been kidnapped because of Gwanggak grass.
The Emperor believed she, as Laiphin’s mistress, would know something useful.
“Indeed. The source is clearly the Avid Crown Prince’s doing, but we needed proof. Someone who stood right beside him.”
Rizeana listened carefully.
This might be her chance.
“Originally, we intended to bring the Crown Princess, but rumor has it the prince has a favored mistress instead.”
Rizeana bit her lip and scoffed internally.
‘So Delisa was kidnapped for something so ridiculous?’
Her anger rose further.
Because of Delisa’s kidnapping, she had met a brutal end in her previous life.
And it all came down to Laiphin’s pathetic devotion to that woman.
The Emperor spoke again, his voice cold.
“Delisa, was it?”
Silence fell over the chamber.
The Emperor studied her slowly.
Ian watched her with tense eyes.
‘Good. I’ll expose everything about Avid. I will not be discovered.’
The Emperor’s voice rang sharply.
“Now, Delisa. Tell me everything you know about Gwanggak grass.”
Rizeana lifted her head.
Confidence was the best disguise.
She met his gaze directly.
“The source of Gwanggak grass is indeed the Avid Empire.”
“Oh?”
“And the family supporting the imperial operations behind it is…”
She paused briefly.
“The Philorentia House, family of the Crown Princess of Avid.”
She spoke without a single change in expression.
To her, her family no longer mattered.
That made it easier to remain composed.
The Emperor leaned forward slightly.
“And there is something more important, is there not?”
“Something important?”
“The recipe for Gwanggak grass.”
Rizeana was slightly taken aback, but quickly masked her expression.
‘So they even want the recipe.’
He continued pressing.
“Speak.”
Rizeana searched her memory.
She recalled a glimpse she once saw in Duke Philorentia’s study.
Top note—herbs.
Middle note—datura, coca leaves.
And…
Base note—balsamic.
A disturbing list of poisonous plants.
But one crucial ingredient was missing.
She bit her lip.
“I remember… datura.”
“And?”
“Coca leaves.”
“Next?”
She listed everything she could recall—except the final ingredient.
“…is also included.”
The Emperor narrowed his eyes.
“Those are all known ingredients. Yet you could not produce Gwanggak grass with them. There is one more, is there not?”
Damn it.
Rizeana frowned.
Even the Emperor knew the same ingredients she did.
But the final herb wouldn’t come to her.
“Is that all you know?”
The guard’s hand moved toward his sword.
Ian closed his eyes briefly, sensing danger.
‘Think. Think, Rizeana. I can’t end my second life here like this!’
