“Heath!”

“What is it?”

“Didn’t you hear it again just now?”

Her already large eyes widened even further, a sharp gleam flashing in them.

“Right now.”

Suddenly, the duchess sprang to her feet. Heath tried to grab her, but her swift movements rendered it futile.

Rohana dashed out to the center of the lawn, her gaze fixed on the sky.

“My lady!”

“Shh!”

With a finger pressed to her lips, she frowned while staring upward.

“It’s moved further away.”

“What is it?”

Heath’s hand instinctively moved toward his sword, but Rohana gently placed her hand over his. She shook her head slightly.

“It’s gone now.”

“Was it that sound again?”

That eerie yet beautiful sound she once heard in Nopthal. Heath had never failed to hear anything before, so it was clear that something was reaching her alone.

“What did you hear?”

“A song, I think… It was beautiful, but a bit chilling.”

Saying it aloud made it sound vague and surreal. Rohana sighed lightly. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she looked up.

“The Hanover library.”

It was practically the heart of Ardgold, where all knowledge and hidden secrets were gathered.

All information about magical creatures had supposedly been lost long ago, even leaving Kaiden knowing little. But perhaps the library held something still.

“I need to go to the library,” Rohana declared.

“I’ll go with you.”

“Technically, only Brandt, Gregory, and I are allowed to enter the library.”

Rohana shook her head. She could use force if necessary, but stirring up trouble wouldn’t benefit anyone.

“It’s better to be quiet. I can handle it alone. I need to go quickly.”

Rohana spoke as she casually popped the rest of the sandwich into her mouth. With no other choice, Heath nodded, his hand resting on his waist.

Not wanting to draw unnecessary attention, Heath retreated while Rohana headed to the library.

The wooden doors of the library, adorned with amethyst, remained as thick and tall as ever. Rohana strolled between the towering bookshelves at a slow pace.

It was somewhere around here.

The heavy bookshelf creaked and stirred up dust as it moved for the first time in a while.

Rohana rolled up her sleeves and pushed the shelf to the very end. With a loud *clunk*, a door behind the wall creaked open.

Inside, she found several safes and dozens of dusty shelves.

‘You trusted your daughter too much.’

Her father’s arrogance was evident as she recalled how her wealth had been treated like a well-behaved child. Rohana frowned at the memory.

When she was younger, or even until just recently, she had been terrified.

What had she been so afraid of?

This is why people tied down in their youth are so pitiable. Like elephants bound by a chain.

Magic, magical creatures, magic circles, wizards…

Pushing aside her thoughts, Rohana methodically searched through the old books on the shelves. She had to wipe the dust off with her sleeve just to see the titles.

None of them seemed important. There wasn’t even a hint of the word ‘magic’ to be found. Just as she sighed, her mind suddenly recalled the safe.

She had occasionally handled it for bonds and certificates.

Surprisingly, the key had always been with her. Both she and her brother had long been used by their father in his schemes, passing the key back and forth without question.

*Clunk.*

The safe opened with a heavy sound. The space in front of the safe was spotless, not a speck of dust in sight. Inside were several gold bars, familiar bonds, certificates, and insignias all piled together.

Then something caught Rohana’s eye.

Beyond the many documents that had always been there, lay a pile of very old envelopes. And now, faint Roman letters on those envelopes stood out to her.

Beneath them was an even older, worn envelope.

Rohana’s heart pounded slowly but heavily. Her fingers trembled slightly. Both sets of envelopes were sealed with the wax insignia of the Rentworth Imperial Family and the Hanover Family.

Now that she thought about it, when had the seals of both families ever been used together?

Just then—

*Bang!*

The door burst open with a crash.

*Thump, thump, thump, thump.*

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed, each one slamming down with force.

The state meeting couldn’t have ended yet, could it? The documents Fels had taken would surely prolong the session, so Rohana hadn’t even considered the meeting ending early.

Despite her pounding heart, her trembling hands moved quickly.

Just as she hurriedly returned the file to its original place, the heavy footsteps stopped in front of the secret door in the wall.

‘Don’t be afraid.’

Automatically, her heart raced. Steeling herself, Rohana forced a smile, even as her jaw tightened.

“Is the meeting already over?”

Gregory Hanover was glaring at his daughter as if he was ready to kill her on the spot.

“You’ve gone mad.”

“I thought I’d be arrested immediately.”

Rohana tiptoed to peek behind him. The imperial guards stood sternly at attention.

“Oh, so you’re about to be.”

As she spoke calmly and tried to close the safe, something suddenly lunged at her from behind and violently grabbed her. It happened in an instant.

Thud.

The rough sound that could easily break a bone echoed as her head snapped back, and her body slammed into the floor.

As the blinding light slowly faded from her vision, she saw Heath’s blade pressed against Gregory’s throat, while the imperial guards’ swords were drawn and aimed at him.

Her ears were ringing. Raising her hand, Rohana looked at Heath.

“I cannot lower my sword.”

The sly, calm voice carried an unmistakable murderous intent.

“Put it down. You’ll get hurt, and Heath might get hurt too.”

Swallowing the blood in her mouth, Rohana reassured him with her eyes. After a long hesitation, Heath reluctantly lowered his sword, though his gaze remained fixed on the imperial guards.

As she stood up, the imperial guards, following Heath’s lead, also lowered their weapons. The sharp clink of metal shattered the tense silence.

Gregory still looked in disbelief.

Well, he wouldn’t have expected this from his once obedient daughter.

“Was this Delcliff’s doing?”

“Did you really think this wouldn’t happen without Delcliff?”

“How do you plan to survive without your family’s backing…?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

“If you think you’ll walk away from this unscathed, you’re mistaken! What you’ve done is serious too.”

Her father’s voice, suddenly close and whispered in her ear, sent a shiver down her spine, but Rohana remained composed.

“Then why don’t you try and accuse me as well?”

Gregory’s eyebrow twitched.

“You can’t, can you?”

At Rohana’s sly smile, Gregory’s violet eyes narrowed like a snake’s. His clenched jaw trembled with anger.

“There’s no evidence, and who would believe a woman did all this? Everyone knows I’m just an innocent daughter. No records, no trace. Even if I was involved, everyone assumes I was merely passing on information.”

Rohana’s whispered words caused Gregory to clench his fists as if he wanted to strike her again, but perhaps he knew doing so would lead to real trouble with Heath, and he restrained himself.

He was genuinely flustered.

‘All those times I kept my head down were worth it.’

For all the women who collapsed covered in bruises, for my maid who died so quietly at the age I now am, and for Cecile’s too-silent death.

It’s too late, but still.

Rohana saw the gears turning in Gregory’s mind. She leaned in and whispered again.

“You should reconsider who you need to impress… and think carefully about how the situation has changed.”

She meant it.

And then another thought she had yet to mention suddenly came to her.

“Oh, and if I were you, I’d double-check who really owns the trading companies under Hanover’s management.”

Gregory’s face turned ashen.

At that moment, Gregory reached out, not with a sudden attack this time, but slowly toward the vault.

Rohana frowned as he calmly picked up the documents she had been examining moments before.

“I thought you were clever… Let me show you who’s really being used.”

He held the mysterious documents, stamped with the dual wax seals. Their eyes met in a dangerous glare.

A flood of realizations raced through Rohana’s mind.

The unusually distant people of Nopthal, Kaiden Delcliff, who barely reacted when assassins set fire to their surroundings, his oddly romantic confessions, and how she had briefly been so taken by them.

Gregory’s hands peeled away the aged seals.

“Well, I suppose it’s not too surprising you didn’t know.”

Suddenly, Kaiden’s puzzling words echoed in Rohana’s mind—words she hadn’t fully understood at the time.

“If the lady doesn’t want it, then don’t go through with the marriage.”

And Brandt’s trembling voice, filled with fear:

“They were asking where Lady Rohana is.”

The truth she had buried deep in her mind started to surface, like an itch she couldn’t ignore.

The war between the Kark and Arin clans, which seemed inevitable—how could she truly believe he wouldn’t harm her, an Arin?

The wax seals dropped to the floor.

“I finally figured out why Kaiden Delcliff married you.”

‘It’s just a physical reaction to an old event. Even this will pass.’

The mental barrier she had repeated to herself countless times collapsed, leaving her spine chilled.

“Sure, the emperor was naive because he was young, but how could you have been foolish enough to trust even Kaiden Delcliff?”

Hearing the harsh reality from someone else’s mouth was like being awakened from a long, cold sleep.

TL NOTE: Visit and bookmark the story at dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and updates of its latest release.