“What…… does that mean?”

Ratius didn’t want to believe it.

He thought she was just tired, that her body was unwell from overusing her power recently.

His eyes showed great disturbance. His hands gripping the chair tightened unconsciously.

He couldn’t say anything as he watched Selvia speak so calmly about her own death.

“You told me before that you could use the power of god, right?”

“I did.”

“Your Majesty, I’ll ask you directly.”

Her eyes sparkled like sand reflecting sunlight.

Ratius’s throat moved noticeably.

It was the moment when what was hidden among countless grains of sand would surface.

“Are you ‘the one who wields the power of god’?”

He nodded while looking at her steady gaze.

“……Yes. I am the one who wields the power of god.”

“Found you.”

A smile spread across Selvia’s face.

She had suspected it, but there had been no concrete evidence.

Their meeting had certainly seemed too significant to be mere coincidence.

Perhaps they had been connected by some thread from before.

“To survive, I needed to find the one who wields the power of god. That’s why I went to the temple.”

“……Did Amon know all of this?”

Selvia nodded slowly. Ratius’s eyebrow twitched slightly, but he soon composed his expression.

“Amon said he heard the prophecy. That’s why he gave me holy water to build resistance.”

Ratius finally understood everything. And an inexplicable joy welled up.

“It seems I am necessary to you.”

“Yes, very much so.”

Ratius’s lips curved upward at the relief spreading across Selvia’s face.

It was a very welcome thing to hear.

“Now we have nothing hidden from each other.”

Ratius shrugged at Selvia’s words.

“The same goes for you.”

The two moved to sit in chairs.

She carefully continued speaking.

“I learned about my existence through a prophecy I heard long ago.”

“You knew you were the child of prophecy before the prophecy came down?”

“Yes, I learned it from the will my mother left me.”

Selvia took out the necklace from inside her clothes.

Then she tapped the jewel to let her mother’s voice be heard.

“……”

“……”

However, there was no response.

A flustered Selvia tapped the necklace again.

Still there was no movement.

Ratius watched Selvia quietly before standing up.

“Wait here a moment. I just remembered something to give you.”

“Suddenly remembered something to give me… You know this looks very suspicious, right?”

“It won’t take long.”

Selvia nodded at Ratius’s words.

* * *

Ratius headed straight to his office.

“Now I can finally give her the necklace I kept from back then.”

He worried briefly. This would mean she would learn that the necklace she had treasured until now was fake.

“I did it to receive her affection, but now it will raise suspicion.”

Ratius scratched his head as he quickened his pace.

The path to his office felt unusually long today.

“You left in such a hurry but took your time coming back.”

Belrocan spoke to Ratius as he entered the office. He walked to his desk without responding.

He opened the drawer and took out the necklace he had kept there.

“……Why are you suddenly taking out the necklace? You said it wasn’t time yet.”

“That time has come now.”

“Does Lady Selvia know? That the necklace she has is fake?”

“No, but she’ll find out soon.”

“……Will this be alright?”

Belrocan sighed. His voice was full of worry.

Ratius didn’t answer.

He too worried about the same thing.

Belrocan wanted to know Ratius’s true intentions.

He had approached Selvia knowing about her existence from the start. He was certain she was the child of prophecy, and after pushing strongly, she was now by Ratius’s side.

Moreover, Selvia was the one who had drawn out both Ratius’s obsessive and gentle sides.

Ratius said he owed her a debt, but no one knew what that debt was.

“I don’t understand what debt you could owe to go this far.”

Originally Ratius rarely showed his emotions and thoughts, but Selvia was different.

“What is Lady Selvia to Your Majesty? Don’t tell me it’s because she’s the child of prophecy. That won’t work.”

Ping ping.

Belrocan’s mind raced quickly. His expression was resolute, as if excuses wouldn’t work.

Ratius didn’t care what Belrocan thought.

However, that didn’t mean he didn’t understand why Belrocan spoke to him this way.

Belrocan was genuinely worried about him now.

“You think too much. That’s your problem. So cool your head.”

“Really……”

“Think I’m annoying? Well, this position is meant for annoying people. I’m quite annoying, aren’t I?”

Belrocan deflated at Ratius’s words.

He thought he might get his neck cut off, but here he was just talking nonsense.

He shook his head as if none of it mattered.

“Hah…… Fine. But are you leaving right after coming to the office?”

“Someone is waiting for me.”

Belrocan nodded with a resigned face.

“Yes, go ahead. I’ll stay and work hard. You know Lady Selvia’s education starts tomorrow, right?”

“I know. We’ll probably talk for quite a while today, so don’t wait up.”

“You wouldn’t come back even if I waited anyway.”

“You know me well.”

At Ratius’s words, he shrugged as if he’d expected as much.

“Ah, right. Selvia found out that I’m the one who wields the power of god.”

“……What?”

Belrocan jumped up from his seat with his mouth agape.

“H-how did she? No, did you tell her?”

Ratius smiled silently.

“She seemed to already know. Given that she tried to confirm it.”

“Confirm?”

“You don’t need to know that much. Just keep it in mind.”

“Aren’t you keeping too many secrets from me?”

Belrocan spoke sulkily with a gloomy face. Ratius’s hair stood on end seeing that expression.

“……You’d better not make that face anymore.”

“Your dislike makes me want to do it more.”

“Are you going to keep acting like a contrary child?”

Ratius’s head tilted to the side. Belrocan immediately waved his hands and walked toward the door.

Creak.

“Shouldn’t you be going? I remember you said someone was waiting.”

Ratius placed his hand on Belrocan’s shoulder and grinned.

“Well then, good work. Don’t worry, I’ve already finished everything.”

“When did you do all that……”

Belrocan felt touched inside.

He thought he would have to handle the aftermath since Ratius had been so busy running around, but he had finished everything.

Could it be that His Majesty doesn’t sleep? That would certainly explain things.

Does becoming able to use the power of god mean you no longer need sleep?

Belrocan suddenly felt pathetic.

He had worked all day in the office but hadn’t even finished half!

Watching Ratius’s back as he leisurely left the office, Belrocan let out a hollow laugh.

‘……Says he’s somewhat annoying. He really doesn’t know himself.’

While Ratius seemed to think he was somewhat annoying, that was completely wrong.

He wasn’t just somewhat annoying—he was completely annoying.

Smarter than others thought, more calculating, and beyond imagination.

That was Ratius Walter Hassel.

What Ratius handed her when he returned to the room was a necklace.

It was identical to the keepsake her mother had left behind.

Selvia’s eyes shook violently.

“……So the keepsake I had was fake.”

But she had definitely heard her mother’s voice at first.

That meant it must have been switched at some point. But she couldn’t remember when no matter how hard she thought.

“The Duke of Flandre probably switched it.”

“How did Your Majesty know?”

What Selvia was curious about was why Ratius had it.

Even if her father had switched it, why did he have something that should be in her house?

“I requested it as the price for breaking off the engagement.”

“……But why?”

“I knew it was important to you.”

“Was that also something God told you?”

Ratius nodded. He really seemed to know everything about her.

Except that she was dying.

“Then your claim of falling in love at first sight must have been a lie too.”

“That was genuine.”

It was true that he fell in love at first sight.

Even if it wasn’t the same feeling as now.

Back then, he was completely captivated by Selvia who appeared before him.

Perhaps that day, his fate was stolen as well?

“……I don’t mind if it’s a lie.”

Ratius observed Selvia’s tightly closed lips.

The slightly downturned corners of her mouth were a habitual gesture she made when something displeased her.

Since all his attention was on Selvia, he had naturally memorized everything from her habits to the smallest details.

“My eyes are always filled with only you.”

His blue eyes, like waves with settled foam, sent a loving gaze.

“Really, every time……”

What a smooth talker.