“……How cruel of Duke Tartien to keep such an interesting story to himself.”

Karl muttered indifferently while handing the article draft to Chris.

“Translate this and break it through foreign press first. It should spread to Karien after the articles appear in Berhe or Ingsten first. That way Schultz won’t dare try anything.”

“I’ll do as instructed.”

How would Schultz and Landers’ faces contort when this spreads?

Just thinking about it made his core tingle with excitement.

“President, we’re almost at the place you mentioned.”

But before that, there was something else to check first.

Karl looked through the carriage window at the approaching location.

In his mind, Karl recalled the contents of the letter Tamia gave him.

Her voice dominated his mind like an auditory hallucination.

The note she placed in his hand contained what he needed to do.

[The first thing I must tell you is that you’re the only one who can find a certain flower I’m looking for.

It’s a purple flower called anti-exius, which can only be found on an island that preserves pristine nature.

Count, I heard your island is famous for maintaining its primordial state.

They say outsiders aren’t even allowed to enter that island freely?

But you, the island’s owner, would have no such restrictions.

Please, find the ‘anti-exius’ that grows wild on that island.

It will become a very important medicinal ingredient for both me and my lady.

We must find this flower quickly.

You may doubt me, but I beg you to determine responsibility only after finding the flower.

Just in case, I’m sending you some materials I found.]

‘Anti-exius.’

The scientific name belonged to a completely unfamiliar flower.

But the moment Karl saw the flower drawing in the materials she gave with the note, he recognized it immediately.

Every time he visited Cissus Island, the islanders served him food made with flowers.

The flower topped salads, teas, and even some alcoholic drinks and bread.

‘It’s our ancient tradition. A flower that protects us from disease and evil spirits. We’ve been reluctant to open the island to protect this.’

That’s what the lord who had protected the island for generations said on the day Karl became its owner.

He never expected to see it here.

“Chris, you sent the messenger to the lord of Cissus right away?”

“Yes, President. They left four days ago, so they should reach the island in two days.”

Karl nodded at Chris’s words.

An island of secrets, preserving pristine nature.

Cissus.

The island his maternal grandfather, Gert Winger Swimpton, gifted to support his grandson’s other life.

‘Grandfather……’

Karl suddenly remembered his grandfather.

A strong and benevolent man who never lost his composure.

That calm gaze from those gentle green eyes that resembled his mother’s.

‘What do you want to do now?’

‘……I can’t let it stay buried. I want everyone in the world to know about that day’s injustice, that day’s tragedy, that day’s lies.’

After hearing the child’s bitter cry, he said nothing.

He just stroked his hair with his large, warm hand and muttered ‘I see, you’ve chosen a difficult path.’

“……I should visit grandfather soon.”

“Pardon? You mean His Majesty the King of Berhe, right?”

“You state the obvious. He’s my only grandfather, Chris.”

Oops.

Chris bowed his head to apologize for his rudeness.

Leperto II remained harsh to Karl until his death.

In his final year, he even developed dementia and mistook Karl for the dead crown prince, slapping his face whenever he saw him.

‘How dare you shame me! How dare you!’

The old man’s strikes nearly knocked off his artificial skin several times.

After that, Karl prostrated himself to protect his face whenever he faced Leperto II.

Leperto hated that sight too and threw things at him or kicked him.

Though bedridden and ill, he became surprisingly energetic when hitting Karl.

Anyway, Karl’s only grandfather was Gert Winger Swimpton of Berhe.

In the past, present, and future.

“……President?”

Chris strangely watched Karl, who sat still staring out the window even after arriving at their destination.

Karl stared at the closed door.

Would the truth he sought lie beyond it?

He slowly closed and opened his eyes after taking a trembling breath.

Tamia’s note contents came to mind again.

[There once was a woman named Roa.

Her family had a unique hereditary spell that could bind someone’s body by placing a taboo.

Roa had a very lovely lover who one day contracted a severely painful disease.

For her lover, Roa thought of the forbidden spell.

Though the spell couldn’t stop the disease, it seemed possible to create a state like having no disease.

The condition was that both people must never mention the ‘spell’ and ‘what the spell touches.’

What if they broke these rules?

Well.

None of her family members ever played such dangerous games, so no one knew how terrifying the consequences would be.

Unknown power always carries incomplete terror.

Overcoming that fear, Roa decided to cast the spell.

Fortunately, her family members never broke the ‘taboo,’ or there were no records of them suffering terrible consequences.

The spell was simple but required a ‘sacrifice.’

The sacrifice had to be something precious to the person receiving the spell.

But Roa’s lover, facing death, cared nothing for money, honor, jewels, or mansions.

He withered in pain every day, so finally Roa offered herself as sacrifice.

The thing he loved most, cherished most.

Herself.

Thanks to this, the spell worked perfectly, and the man could spend his remaining year without any pain.

But he lost her.

More precisely, he lost all memories and feelings about her.

He merely ‘existed’ without pain.

Roa stayed by his side, having lost her name, face, and even voice.

And on the day he departed, she kissed her lover with empty eyes.

She traced out words she couldn’t speak aloud with her tongue.

I love you.

Right before his last breath, the man found his true feelings for the first time in a year.

But after staring blankly at his lover, he soon cried with a distorted face.

What showed on his face was grief, resentment, sadness.

‘I would have been fine dying, but you…… you who would be left alone without me……’

I wanted to love you fully.

You’ll be lonely when I’m gone.

Roa’s lover felt no joy. That painless year had taken something more important from him.

He died without pain, just as she wished.

After the man left, the woman regained her appearance and voice.

But her loved one’s final appearance remained a more painful afterimage than when he endured physical pain.

Was she happy for the rest of her life?

And can we really call this fairy tale a happy ending?

1. If you go to the address I wrote, you’ll find the real ending to this fairy tale.

If you’re ready to believe the unbelievable, you might want to visit once.]

Karl slowly opened the carriage door after taking a deep breath.

“Chris, wait here.”

After getting out of the carriage, Karl slowly looked around.

The address was in a remote location about two hours from Karien.

Past sparse grasslands and a small orchard, following the yellow path uphill, stood a shabby two-story house.

Karl left the carriage waiting on the side of the road and stood before the old wooden door with faded patches of color.

Knock knock.

Very slow footsteps followed the knocking.

Thump, thump, thump, just when he heard something hitting the floor, the door slowly opened.

“Who is it?”

A white-haired old woman with a completely bent waist blinked her cloudy eyes at Karl.

“Tamia Moom sent me.”

“……Ah.”

The hesitating old woman slowly moved aside and said.

“So you’re sent by Tamia. Yes, come in.”