***

The magician’s laboratory reeked of burning medicinal herbs. The sharp, bitter scent stung the air and was so strong that it could be tasted.

In one corner of the room stood a huge cauldron, bubbling loudly above the blazing furnace.

The shelves were lined with dried lizards and shriveled bat wings, as well as glass flasks containing unknown liquids in which grotesque eyeballs floated eerily. The sight alone was enough to make anyone’s stomach churn.

Turning her gaze away from this disturbing display, Valietta crossed the room with crisp, controlled steps.

She finally seated herself beside a table piled high with documents covered in indecipherable symbols, and spoke in a cold, emotionless voice.

“Explain to me exactly why Calix is still alive.”

The magician, who had been crouched on the floor endlessly writing and erasing formulas within a magic circle made of strange symbols, abruptly lifted his head.

“Y-Your Majesty the Queen! I was just about to request an audience myself to explain this utterly dreadful situation, yet to think you would personally grace this humble place with your presence…”

As the magician hurriedly jumped to his feet, piles of paper stacked upon his back scattered wildly across the floor.

Valietta frowned deeply at the disastrous mess.

Pressing the heel of her shoe firmly onto one of the fallen sheets near her feet, she spoke in a low voice.

“Was Calix truly cursed at all?”

At Valietta’s quiet accusation, the magician’s already pale face turned even whiter.

In a voice that sounded almost strangled, he hurriedly answered,

“It is certain that the Grand Duke was cursed. Even now, the curse has not been lifted, and the proof remains in the form of the mark.”

Then the magician began murmuring a spell under his breath.

A dark, ominous energy slowly rose into the air.

Moments later, a strange pattern appeared on the back of his hand.

It was identical to the mark engraved on Calix’s body.

“The one who cast the curse and the one bound by it both bear the same mark. Only when the Grand Duke dies from the curse will the mark engraved upon me finally disappear.”

“And you are absolutely certain of that?”

“How could I ever dare lie before someone as noble and exalted as Your Majesty?”

Even after seeing proof that the curse remained intact, Valietta’s mood did not improve in the slightest.

“Then why is the Grand Duke not dying despite being cursed?”

“That is… I believe the Grand Duke may have discovered some method of slowing the progression of the curse.”

“Didn’t you say it was an ancient curse with virtually no known way to break it?”

“There is still very little known about ancient magic. It seems there were aspects even I failed to fully understand.”

Valietta frowned deeply at the magician’s explanation.

What a completely incompetent fool.

Listening to him desperately pile excuse upon excuse was utterly pathetic.

“You did promise to offer up your life if you failed, did you not?”

Her cold gaze settled on the magician.

The knights standing beside the queen immediately raised their swords to his throat.

Although she had not uttered a sound, the magician realized that her fury had reached its zenith and swallowed dryly.

“Please calm down, Your Majesty! I have already started researching ways to increase the curse’s power. It’s almost finished, so it’ll be ready for testing soon!”

The magician shrieked frantically.

The whites of his bloodshot eyes gleamed with an unnaturally disturbing light.

Valietta suppressed the overwhelming urge to cut off the creature’s disgusting head.

Only the slender thread of her patience allowed the magician to continue living for a little while longer.

Meanwhile, the magician rambled on eagerly.

“At the moment, the curse has only been temporarily weakened. However, once this magic circle is activated, its power will return stronger than before. Just imagine it: an invisible hand wrapping around the Grand Duke’s heart and crushing it tighter and tighter. Doesn’t the thought of the Grand Duke writhing in agony send chills through your body?”

The magician suddenly began to tremble all over, his eyes clouding over with disturbing ecstasy.

Then, with bloodshot eyes flashing wildly, he flung himself onto the floor.

Muttering incomprehensible words under his breath, he started to draw strange symbols on the ground with charcoal.

Valietta looked down at the magician, showing no attempt to hide her disgust.

“My patience is not endless. Finish it quickly.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

At Valietta’s gesture, the knights slowly lowered their swords.

Mistaking this for mercy, the magician seemed deeply moved by what he thought was leniency.

But Valietta’s eyes remained ice-cold.

She had only spared his life because he was still useful to her.

Pulling her robe tightly around her, Valietta stepped into the carriage.

The streets were silent in the late hours of the night.

And yet, the echoes ringing in her ears remained painfully vivid.

When the cheers of the crowd chanting Calix’s name reached the royal palace, the same thought surfaced in her mind once again: Calix.

Why had she not killed that child much sooner?

She had hesitated because it seemed distasteful to stain her hands with the blood of a child. She had assumed that, by sending him to the battlefield, he would die without her having to get her hands dirty.

That had been her mistake.

She had never imagined that he would survive and return to seek vengeance for his mother.

Valietta bit down hard on her lip.

Luciel.

Her cursed connection to that woman refused to end, clinging to her like a relentless ghost.

***

The neatly divided garden was still covered in snow that had not yet fully melted.

A servant wearing thick gloves was sweeping the pathways diligently with a broom that was almost as tall as he was.

Lianna watched quietly as the servant’s white breath drifted into the cold winter air.

Beyond the mist-like clouds of breath, an elegant old mansion slowly came into view.

After Calix vaguely mentioned that they needed to go somewhere, Lianna found herself climbing into the carriage without knowing why.

Whenever she asked where they were headed, the man simply brushed the question aside with a curt, “You’ll know once we arrive”.

Unable to argue with his unhelpful attitude, she had no choice but to sit quietly beside him until now.

At last, it seemed they had finally reached their destination.

After passing through the wide, snow-covered garden, the carriage slowly came to a stop, leaving deep wheel tracks in the snow.

The butler quickly came out to greet them.

The moment he realized that such high-status guests had arrived, he hurried off to inform the estate’s master.

Meanwhile, a servant politely guided them into the drawing room.

Warm tea and delicate pastries were soon arranged neatly on the table.

Soon afterwards, the owner of the estate finally appeared.

A noblewoman dressed in a deep green gown stepped gracefully into the room.

“My goodness, Your Highness. To arrive without sending word…”

The moment she saw Calix, the lady looked startled enough to have seen a ghost.

But soon afterward, a smile spread across her face.

“I’m truly relieved to see you returned safely. Do you know how worried I’ve been all this time?”

“I’m glad to see you are doing well too.”

Calix lightly kissed the back of the noblewoman’s hand.

Their greeting was marked by the easy warmth of people who had known each other for a long time.

After welcoming Calix affectionately, the noblewoman’s gaze naturally shifted towards Lianna.

In that instant, the countess’s eyes widened with unmistakable shock.

Lianna could not understand why the woman had reacted so strongly the moment she saw her and was quietly puzzled by the response.

However, the countess quickly regained her composure.

Then, with graceful calm, she stepped towards Lianna.

“It’s lovely to meet you. I am Countess Clotilde. His Highness and I have known each other for quite some time.”

The Countess spoke with a warm smile.

Lianna bowed her head politely and introduced herself in return.

However, aside from stating her name, she had no idea how to explain who she was.

Had she unintentionally committed some sort of discourtesy?

As Lianna worried about that possibility, fortunately the Countess turned to Calix and spoke to him instead.

“Your Highness, I believe you should introduce this young lady properly.”

Seated across the drawing-room table from Lianna, Countess Clotilde regarded her with open curiosity, taking care not to cross the line into rudeness.

Meanwhile, Calix simply turned to face Lianna directly.

A business partner.

If he had to describe this woman, that would be the most accurate description possible.

Of course, he could not say that aloud here.

Countess Clotilde was one of the few people he trusted, yet even she knew nothing about the curse that had been placed upon him.

Finally bringing his brief thoughts to an end, Calix spoke.

“She is the woman who will become my wife.”

His tone was so calm and matter-of-fact that the countess briefly suspected he was joking.

“What a terrible joke, Your Highness. You’re hardly amusing.”

The countess answered with a graceful smile.

But the moment she realized Calix was completely serious, the smile vanished from her face.

“You truly mean that?”

“Do I look like I came all this way simply to make pointless jokes?”

Calix’s expression remained as indifferent as ever.

How was she supposed to understand the prince who had returned from the battlefield after eight years, only to appear before her accompanied by a woman he intended to marry?

Countess Clotilde, who had once served as Luciel’s lady-in-waiting before becoming Calix’s nursemaid, suddenly felt a headache coming on.

“Yes… you were never the sort to visit simply for nostalgia.”

The Countess took a sip of her black tea as she spoke.

She would usually have savored the tea slowly, but right now she could barely taste it.

Nevertheless, she forced a composed smile onto her face.

It certainly seemed that His Highness had some hidden motive.

Still, this was hardly the place to voice such suspicions openly.

Elegantly setting down her teacup, the Countess asked,

“So… I assume there is something you need me to do?”

“I’m glad you understand quickly.”

Calix gestured toward Lianna, who had been standing awkwardly the entire time.

“As you can see, she can’t exactly appear before my father looking like this. Make her at least somewhat presentable.”

Of course, it would be unreasonable to expect a woman who had lived her whole life as a commoner to suddenly start carrying herself like a noblewoman.

At the same time, however, it would be equally impossible to send her to the royal palace with no knowledge of noble etiquette.

Whether or not his father approved of the marriage remained uncertain, but one thing was clear: Queen Valietta would never willingly accept Lianna as her son’s future wife.

She would undoubtedly try to install a woman of her own choosing as Grand Duchess instead.

Of course, Calix had no intention of allowing things to unfold according to the queen’s wishes.

This meant that Lianna could not afford to give anyone the slightest excuse to criticize or look down on her.

“Learn proper etiquette from the countess. You don’t necessarily have to become perfect… but you’ll need to come close.”

Lianna seemed slightly flustered by the sudden responsibility that had been placed upon her.

Then again, perhaps it was not entirely unexpected.

After all, hadn’t Calix warned her that there were many things she would need to learn if she wanted to become his wife?

To be honest, she had no confidence at all.

But she couldn’t bring herself to admit that she was incapable of doing it, either.

If she wanted Joel to recover, she still needed this man’s help.

For that reason, she could only give one answer.

“I’ll do my best.”

As though he had expected exactly that response, Calix slowly curved his lips into a faint smile.