Just like that day long ago when she was a child, Diana once again fell into a deep sleep and dreamed a mysterious dream.

In her dream, Diana was watching someone. Far away, in the middle of a lavender field, stood two people.

A man and a woman were facing each other.

“Ellen.”

When the man called the woman’s name, she turned to look at him.

But at that moment, Diana’s perspective shifted.

“Ellen.”

Suddenly, the man was standing in front of her.

“Edgar.”

Diana realized the voice coming from her mouth was not her own. She had never heard it before, but she instantly understood.

She had become her mother, Ellen.

‘A dream…? Why am I having a dream like this…?’

“Hurry! We have to run, Ellen!”

The sensation of her father, whom she had only seen in photos, grabbing her arm was so vivid. He looked so young, Diana had almost mistaken him for Louis at first.

And then, in that moment—

Diana, or rather, Ellen, shook off his hand.

As she did, a dazzling light flashed.

It was light flowing from her hand.

“Ellen, no! They’re chasing you. You can’t let them notice!”

“Edgar. There’s no escape now. If you’re going to run, do it alone.”

Ellen’s voice was resolute.

“There’s only one way left… I’ll go find ‘that person.’”

“Ellen…”

“Only that person, Edgar.”

Ellen took Edgar’s hand and placed it on her belly.

“We must protect our child.”

Our child.

The one awaited by God…

Diana Ahiel.

***

“Ha… I’m so tired.”

Because of the dream she’d had last night, Diana felt even more exhausted from her recent trip to Naka.

But in front of Diana, piles of overdue paperwork were stacked high.

—I was proud of you.

“….”

Diana’s hand stopped as she was reviewing the documents. Ever since returning to the capital, that moment kept coming back to her.

Of all places, he had said that in the lavender field.

“Sigh… I promised myself I wouldn’t get weak, lost in memories.”

Diana let out a deep sigh and shook her head.

Just then, the door burst open and Ian stormed into the office.

“Your Highness! You can’t handle work like this!”

“…Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to pull myself together before I got too soft.”

Diana replied, calming her rising annoyance after her initial surprise.

“I’d appreciate it if you stopped barging in so rudely.”

“It was urgent, I had no choice. And if Your Highness did your work properly, I wouldn’t have to come twice.”

“What did you say?”

The glare between the two, as if they might devour each other, was interrupted by Natasha.

“That’s enough for today, both of you. You have a guest.”

She spoke as she entered behind Ian.

“I’ll go right away.”

Diana answered, taking her eyes off Ian. This was a guest she had been waiting for ever since returning from Naka.

Diana followed Natasha to the palace chapel.

And there, at last, was the person she had so longed to meet.

“Pope Winsister…”

Diana murmured when she saw him. He was on the pulpit, reciting the divine teachings for those who had come to pray.

Diana quietly took a seat at the very back.

Ian stood nearby, watching the Pope.

The Pope, seemingly unaware of their arrival, kept his eyes closed and recited his sermon in a low, resonant voice. There was a mysterious power in his voice, like the deep sound of a bell echoing.

Listening to him, it felt as if the entire chapel—from ceiling to floor—was filled with a sacred aura.

People were focused on their prayers.

Before long, Diana too had closed her eyes. But Ian simply gazed indifferently at the scene before him, as if it were a painting he had no interest in.

If anything, he seemed to be mocking the people who were moved to tears by the Pope’s sermon.

“Princess Diana Ahiel.”

When the Pope finished his sermon and spotted Diana, she rose from her seat and approached him.

“You’ve become a lady since I last saw you.”

“Thank you for coming all this way, Your Holiness Pope Winsister.”

After exchanging polite greetings, the two headed to a small prayer room inside the chapel.

“I’ll go alone.”

As she was about to enter the prayer room, Diana turned to Ian.

“…As you wish.”

Ian stared intently at the tightly closed door of the prayer room.

For a moment, a deep hatred seemed to flash in his eyes.

“You’ve changed your aide, haven’t you? The previous aide… was it Sir Jerome Milton?”

His graying hair and deep wrinkles hinted at his age, but his voice was strikingly clear as it echoed through the small prayer room.

“Jerome is no longer my aide.”

“I see. So Sir Jerome is now assisting someone else?”

At the Pope’s question, Diana hesitated to answer.

Jerome had failed to clear his name and was ultimately dismissed. The investigation dragged on, so he returned to his hometown under supervision—not by his own choice.

It was as good as exile.

This had all happened while Diana was away in Naka, before she could intervene.

“…Your Holiness knows well that someone who has served as an aide for a long time cannot, for security reasons, become another’s aide.”

It was possible with special permission, of course.

“I didn’t want that either. In recognition of his service, I gave him an extended vacation. I will send your regards to Jerome.”

Diana answered curtly, then went straight to the point.

“Your Holiness, I’ve briefly informed you of my situation, but there’s something you need to know.”

As she spoke, Diana pulled out a photograph. The Pope adjusted his glasses and studied the photo she handed him.

“There’s a small chapel on the hill of the Nakia estate. This is the statue there.”

“….”

“I believe you know something about it.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because you were close to my mother.”

“….”

The Pope remained silent.

After a long pause, his gaze still fixed on the photo, he finally spoke.

“This is simply a statue modeled after the goddess Elena, isn’t it?”

“…Your Holiness.”

Diana frowned at his words.

“It’s just an ordinary sculpture, Your Highness. I don’t understand why you’re showing me this photo.”

“Your Holiness!”

Diana’s voice rang out in the prayer room, where silence should have been kept.

The Pope met her frustrated gaze.

“You called me here just for this, Your Highness?”

“….”

Under his piercing, almost accusatory gaze, Diana swallowed hard.

“I understand there are divine intentions in this world far beyond my comprehension. But, Your Holiness, this is something I must know.”

Diana resolved not to back down.

“Am I… cursed?”

“….”

The Pope remained silent at her question, but Diana saw it for a moment—

A flicker of agitation in his eyes.

“Your Highness, a curse? That’s nonsense.”

“No. No matter how I think about it, there’s no other way to explain all this except as a curse.”

Diana stubbornly held the Pope’s gaze.

“Your Holiness, my mother foresaw my existence long before I was born. She knew exactly when and how I would come into this world. In other words, my mother foresaw her own death.”

“You are not cursed, Your Highness.”

“My mother had a clear choice. She could have chosen not to give birth to me. But she made another choice—the choice everyone now calls fate.”

“You are not cursed.”

The Pope repeated the same words, as if unwilling to hear her.

Diana cried out desperately.

“But Your Holiness, look at me now! In the end, my mother made the wrong choice. Even I realize every day that I am nothing but an ordinary, powerless being who can never meet God’s expectations!”

“Your Highness. You will never…”

“You say it could never be a curse? How can you say that!”

Diana pointed behind her and screamed.

“Even now, I see my mother’s ghost glaring down at me from above! If this isn’t a curse, then what is it, Pope Winsister!”

“….”

“You can see it, can’t you? Others may not, but you—at least you…”

Sobbing, Diana finally collapsed, burying her face in her hands.

The Pope looked at her with sorrow, then slowly raised his head.

He had known all along.

From the moment Diana entered the chapel. No, from the very moment Diana was born.

Ellen Ahiel had always been—right there, where Diana had pointed.