Adelia walked steadily to the window. Gathering white magic at her fingertips, she touched the window, revealing the magic circles engraved throughout the room.

The magic circle engraved on the floor was for managing the defensive magic cast over the entire guild, while the magic circles that actually worked were engraved throughout the building.

No one but Adelia could see the magic circles covering the walls. She erased part of the magic circle on the window and drew in a new formula.

“What are you doing in the air?”

“There’s a magic circle that others can’t see. I’ve added a recording magic, we need to know something when they come back. They won’t notice because it’s hidden by the defensive magic.”

People who handle magic can vaguely sense the flow of magic. Even with white magic, they can sense by feeling if magic has been broken or if the magic circle has been damaged. However, it was nearly impossible to notice that a minor part had changed in a complex magic circle or detailed formula.

After finishing everything, Adelia took a step back and sighed deeply. She turned and gestured to Conrad.

“The magic circle only has a small scratch, so there shouldn’t be any problems with its function. You should go home and rest too.”

“That’s the most welcome thing I’ve heard. I can finally go home and wash!”

“I’ll just finish up the documents that have been submitted and then leave, so you go ahead.”

“I would really, really like to stay by your side, Master, but with the smell coming from all over my body, I’m sure you wouldn’t be able to concentrate if I stayed. So I’ll leave first.”

“You look happy?”

“Oh, how could you say that. Goodbye, take care.”

Conrad hastily gave his farewell and dashed out of the room. Adelia waved one hand towards the door while keeping the other behind her back. As the door slammed shut and Conrad’s presence completely disappeared, Adelia’s face turned cold.

“Ha, damn it. This is serious.”

Adelia ruffled her hair and slumped into a chair.

“If this reaches the imperial palace, it’ll be really troublesome.”

In fact, this was what Adelia was most worried about. If someone was targeting the white mage and doing this, if they found out that Adelia and the guild master were the same person, the culprit would naturally enter the imperial palace.

Although the security at the imperial palace was strict, it wasn’t as strong as the guild building wrapped in the white mage’s defensive magic.

It was clear that whoever had managed to scratch the defensive magic that no one else could touch was no ordinary human.

“This won’t do. I need to firmly establish that I’m not the guild master. But I can’t destroy my relationship with the guild…”

She needed to completely separate the Crown Princess and the guild master in preparation for any possible situation. She couldn’t be complacent with stereotypes anymore.

She wasn’t afraid of her identity being revealed. Although she hadn’t finished her preparations, she could handle some noise. But if there was a dangerous force targeting the white mage, it was a different story. Moreover, if that force was using an unknown power, she absolutely couldn’t reveal her identity.

Adelia sat in the chair, tapping the armrest as she fell into deep thought. How could she maintain her closeness with the guild and gain benefits while firmly establishing that she couldn’t possibly be the guild master?

Tap tap tap. The regular sound Adelia made while thinking filled the room. And at that moment, the hand movement stopped.

“I need to become the opposite of the white mage.”

* * *

The next morning, Adelia was reading the newspaper while eating breakfast as usual. A breakfast of golden-brown well-toasted bread, eggs with yolks oozing, crispy bacon, and warm milk tea whetted her appetite just right.

Adelia put down the teacup she was holding and called Gina, who was standing beside her.

“Gina, could you go to the imperial library for me?”

“Yes, of course. What kind of book should I bring?”

“I need a book that records the history of past saintesses. Preferably one with accurate sources, written by someone everyone can trust and with credibility.”

“Yes! I’ll find it and bring it right away.”

Gina bowed her head and left the room, returning around the time Adelia had finished her breakfast and was leisurely drinking coffee.

She was holding a thick book in her hand. The title [Records of the Saintesses] was boldly embossed on the book.

“When I asked the librarian, they said this book has the most information about the saintesses. It’s a must-read book used by clergy for study, written directly by the Pope long ago.”

Gina explained about the book with a proud face. As if reading Adelia’s mind, Gina had brought the book she exactly wanted. Since it was written directly by the Pope and used by clergy for study, to challenge the content written here would be tantamount to blasphemy.

As she held out the book, Adelia received it with a smile in response.

“Thank you for your hard work. I’ll be reading the book and resting, so everyone can leave now.”

The palace servants quickly left the room at Adelia’s command. But Gina alone hesitated, unable to leave the room.

Adelia blinked rapidly at Gina.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Um… While Your Highness was on your honeymoon, I visited my hometown.”

“Yes, that’s right. I even allowed you to use the teleportation magic circle.”

Gina was someone Adelia had hired separately for her convenience. There was no reason for her to do odd jobs in the imperial palace while Adelia was away. Thinking that there wouldn’t be time to give her a vacation for at least two years, she gave her leave to visit her hometown. She had given her ample vacation pay and permission to use the teleportation magic circle.

“So I was able to visit my hometown quickly. While there, I met one of the maids from the Count’s mansion in the market, and she took me to the Count’s mansion saying she had something to deliver to Your Highness.”

“Something to deliver to me?”

“Yes, this.”

Gina pulled something out from her pocket. It was a notebook with a cover made of thin leather, bearing the marks of many years of weathering.

Adelia took the notebook handed to her. At that moment, a white magic circle appeared on the notebook.

‘A locking magic that only designated people can open?’

The magic circle with short ancient words inscribed in a small circle quickly disappeared. It was a common locking magic that could only be opened by people designated by the user, and it was widely used in many places because it could be used semi-permanently once set.

Adelia held the notebook between her thumb and index finger, waving it in the air.

“Whose is this?”

“There was a major renovation at the mansion after Your Highness came to the capital. They say this was found in the room of the late Countess. It seems to be her diary.”

“What?”

When the words ‘late Countess’ came out of Gina’s mouth, Adelia’s face contorted in an instant. Her straight eyebrows drew closer, and wrinkles formed on her smooth bridge of nose.

Adelia’s lips trembled, unable to continue speaking.

‘If it’s the late Countess, that means Adelia’s birth mother…’

Adelia gripped the armrest of the chair she was sitting on tightly. Her upper body stiffened, her heart pounded loudly, and her breathing quickened.

She tried to regain her composure by swallowing her excited breath, but it was useless. Although it didn’t show outwardly, she still couldn’t hear anything else over the pounding of her heart.

“Your Highness… Your Highness! What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Gina asked with a slightly puzzled expression. She found Adelia’s behavior somewhat strange.

One would expect to be happy or nostalgic when seeing a keepsake from their birth mother, but Adelia looked at the notebook with a face full of fear.

Having taken over Adelia’s body without knowing how she died, she naturally couldn’t feel happy or sad seeing her birth mother’s keepsake.

‘This must have been a diary left for Adelia.’

Her blue eyes sank into a deep sea, filled with guilt. Her whole body trembled as if left alone in the cold, dark depths.

Because you know how miserable a life your daughter lived.

Because you don’t even know how your daughter’s end came.

Because I recklessly took over your daughter’s body and vowed revenge.

Because I made her know things she shouldn’t have known and experience things she shouldn’t have experienced.

‘I feel guilty.’

She quietly placed it on the desk and sent Gina out.

“Thank you for bringing it, you can go now too.”

“Ah, understood. Please rest.”

Gina bowed and left the room. The room left with Adelia alone was filled with an indescribably heavy atmosphere.

Adelia clenched her fist while looking at the notebook.

“Let’s open it.”

She felt too guilty towards Adelia’s birth mother.

So if this notebook contained how her mother wanted Adelia to live, she would live accordingly.

If she wanted her to marry into a suitable family, she would look for a suitable husband after her revenge was complete. If she wanted her to become a lady of a noble house, she would bury her bones in the imperial palace. If she wanted her to become an empress, she was even prepared to dedicate her life to establishing a new empire in a far-off place.

Adelia swallowed hard and opened the notebook. Or rather, tried to open it.

“Huh…?”

The notebook, hardened like stone, wouldn’t open easily. She frowned and tried to force it open, but it remained tightly sealed, not revealing its contents as if it had become one solid piece.

Adelia withdrew her hand with a blank face.

“Ha… How did it know I’m not Adelia.”