Chapter 5

“Lady Rohana, you must sleep propped up tonight. It’s dangerous to lie down.”

Rohana nodded at the doctor’s words.

“You need to wake up every two hours so we can check your pupil reactions. It will be uncomfortable, but you must endure it for tonight. If you feel nauseous or start vomiting, call for me immediately.”

Kaiden’s voice echoed in her mind: “If you feel dizzy or nauseous, please let us know. You might have hit your head.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Just then, the bedroom door burst open.

“Lady Rohana!”

It was Jody.

“Jody!”

“Lady Rohana, are you alright? What happened?”

Jody ran to her side, tears streaming down her face.

“Don’t make a fuss. It’s nothing serious. I’m not really hurt; this is just a precaution.”

Rohana spoke cheerfully. As the doctor excused himself and left, Jody’s crying grew louder. Rohana’s gaze fixed on Jody’s small hands.

“Jody, are you alright?”

Rohana asked, forcing the words out.

“I’m fine, Lady Rohana. Really, I’m okay.”

A lie.

Jody was already wearing her winter maid uniform—thick, long sleeves, and black tights. Like a madman.

Rohana couldn’t count how many times she’d heard Jody downplay her father’s violence and cruelty, saying it wasn’t worse than any other nobles.

That made it all the more disgusting.

“Lady Rohana, you must remain calm. You need absolute rest!”

Marie scolded Jody, giving her a stern look.

“Oh, right. Sorry. I just wanted to see you so badly.”

Jody laughed sheepishly.

“You should rest too. I’ll take care of Lady Rohana tonight, so don’t worry.”

Marie spoke firmly.

“Alright. Lady Rohana, I’ll be going then.”

Rohana nodded and released Jody’s hand. She leaned back against the bed, staring out. The sound of rain filled the silence.

‘I nearly died.’

A chill ran from her toes to her spine. Living aimlessly like this, she nearly saw the ‘white light’ again. The sharp sound of metal was similar too.

Rohana clutched the rustling sheet tightly.

She was cold.

‘So cold…’

She wondered how to warm up, feeling exhausted but knowing sleep would not come easily.

***

The palace was as extravagant as ever. Besides a few additional wings for the nobles, not much had changed.

The inner chamber reserved for royalty was especially lavish. Under the endlessly high ceiling, walls adorned with stiff, ornate lace glowed softly in the moonlight.

“Look at this.”

Heath approached, shaking his wet hair. Kaiden spoke first.

In his large hand was the severed end of the chandelier’s rod. The strong iron ring was forcibly pried open.

“When did you get that? Snatching important evidence.”

Heath joked as he flopped onto a sofa. Kaiden set the piece down and walked to the window. His damp silver hair shimmered faintly in the moonlight.

“Well…”

Heath continued.

“It’s better we handle this ourselves than have another mass execution of Karks.”

Magic was a forbidden power most believed to be extinct.

To wield it required Kark blood, so whenever a ‘sinister’ event occurred, Karks were the first to be suspected, regardless of the truth.

Kaiden said nothing, just gazed outside. Following his silent stare, Heath saw the central garden and fountain. Beyond that was the opulent annex of the Hanover Duchy.

“It was really close.”

Heath added with a smirk.

“For an ordinary person.”

Kaiden frowned.

“It’s unclear if the target was Rohana Hanover, Aurelia, or just general chaos.”

“You’re unusually talkative. It must be bothering you.”

“You seem unfazed.”

Kaiden replied indifferently, his sharp gaze shifting from the Hanover annex to the chandelier fragment. The thick iron was unnaturally bent apart.

Someone with magic was in the palace.

“Well, I’m just a bit glad.”

Heath tossed the chandelier piece, catching it again. He had been half-joking, but Kaiden’s serious look made him raise an eyebrow.

Handling a magic user within their ranks wasn’t new, but something about this incident felt different.

‘Maybe because it’s in the palace?’

Heath internally groaned, stretching.

They had ridden a three-day journey in one day. Though he was known for never tiring, he made an exception around Kaiden.

Kaiden lounged on the sofa, lost in thought, seemingly unbothered.

That monster.

Heath shook his head, pressing a hot cloth to his eyes.

***

Rohana dreamed of her past life again. Her father’s funeral. Her mother’s face, unfamiliar as if she were a stranger, flashed in her last sight. Full of resentment.

“A man can do that, but divorce and ruin the family?”

It rained that day. Her mother’s screams and the low voices of people’s pity and scorn mixed with the smell of rain, tearing her heart apart.

While crossing the street, she heard a strange voice in the bright headlights. It was a voice that seemed to be embedded in her mind and wouldn’t leave.

“I’m sorry, I needed you.”

“Gasp!”

Rohana woke up, gasping for breath. The ceiling decorated with shimmering silk came into view. The blue dawn light outside the window indicated the early hour.

Then she heard familiar footsteps outside, followed by the maids’ respectful greetings.

A man who would worry enough to visit at this early hour. Her only family by blood, Brandt Hanover.

Despite his small stature and a thinner frame than his sister, his guard uniform looked somehow awkward. However, Rohana knew how hard he worked to become a disciplined soldier, and to her, he looked just fine.

In their ruthless father’s eyes, he was an unsatisfactory son in every way, but his kind heart meant he would do anything for his sister.

Seeing Rohana, in her nightgown and lace robe, rise from the bed, her body wrapped in bandages, Brandt didn’t know what to do.

It was only after Rohana repeatedly reassured him that it was just a scratch and that she was fine that Brandt finally sat opposite her.

“Sister, I’m sorry. My duty ended too late last night.”

“No, it wasn’t a big deal.”

Despite Rohana’s smile, Brandt’s pale face remained worried.

“I heard the Crown Prince executed all the lighting managers the next day. Not just the person in charge but also their subordinates.”

“What? Already?”

“Yeah, just last night.”

She didn’t realize such a thing had happened while she slept.

“Without a trial? Can decisions be made that quickly?”

Brandt nodded, then hesitated as if he had more to say.

Seeing only Jody quietly drawing the curtains, he cautiously continued.

“Normally, that shouldn’t be done, but it seems the Crown Prince was quite upset this time. He must have been really worried about you.”

It must have been Aurelia he was worried about, Rohana thought but kept it to herself.

Seeing his sister’s expression, Brandt, who understood her thoughts, hesitated again. He seemed to struggle to find the right comforting words.

Nonetheless, he continued.

“That… That woman was staying at Duke Delcliff’s estate, it seems.”

“Staying together at the estate?”

“I only found out that it was from quite a young age.”

As Rohana pondered, Brandt continued.

“The Crown Prince probably thought it would be difficult for her to live among the Kark people, so he brought her back this time.”

This was something Bardi had explained many times. Rohana chuckled and looked out at the dawn breaking.

For some reason, if Kaiden and Aurelia met in Nopthal, their relationship must have started there.

Chasing after a beloved woman madly was typical of Kaiden, as Rohana knew him.

“Don’t worry too much. I need to go somewhere today.”

“What? What are you talking about? You should rest at home; your body isn’t well yet.”

“Quietly, I have somewhere to go.”

The word “quietly” suggested she planned to go alone.

Without a carriage, not even a horse with the family crest, a woman alone.

Brandt was always unnerved by his sister’s unexpected side. It was probably something no one could imagine.

“I’ll be back soon, don’t worry.”

“No, where are you going? Can’t you at least tell me?”

Rohana thought of the hidden passage in the garden she discovered by chance as a child. She smiled playfully and shook her head.

Of course, Brandt’s face fell into deep worry again. It seemed like he wasn’t just worried about the usual things.

“Sister, something is strange. I think you should be careful.”

“The chandelier incident was just an accident. Unfortunate, but such things happen.”

Rohana dismissed it lightly and stood up.

If she wanted to return unnoticed, she had to prepare quickly. The maritime merchants were busy from dawn.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her brother’s urgent voice.

“Sister, something is really strange.”

“What is it?”

“Well…”

Brandt hesitated, lips twitching, then finally spoke.

“Something odd happened. Duke Delcliff asked strange questions at every palace gate.”

Kaiden?

Brandt looked uneasy, clasping his hands.

“What questions?”

“Well, I don’t know exactly. But be careful, sister. Really.”

“What is it?”

When Rohana pressed him, Brandt looked around again before finally speaking.

“He asked where Lady Rohana was, from the palace entrance to the guards at the banquet hall.”