Knock, knock. With the sound of knocking, the woman entered, guided by Alex. Upon seeing Jean, she bowed courteously.

The sunset light streaming through the window rippled, following her elegant movement. His silver-blue eyes gleamed sharply at the series of movements as she bowed and straightened.

A cool smile soon appeared on his lips.

As he had expected, she was no ordinary merchant.

No matter how much one tries to hide it, unconsciously revealed attitudes and habits cannot be concealed.

What Jean sensed from her was the elegance and noble bearing unique to aristocrats who had received strict education for many years.

‘How interesting. But was there such a woman among the noble ladies?’

Though he rarely attended social gatherings due to his lack of interest, he had never heard rumors of such a woman.

For once, his interest was piqued.

It was a vivid sensation he hadn’t felt even during countless battles over five years of war.

His sharp instincts were showing their thorns toward this small, delicate woman.

Warning that she was dangerous, that he should kill her immediately.

“This is unexpected. I gave you a chance to live, yet you come seeking your own death.”

“Was it a chance? It wasn’t the type of opportunity I wanted.”

Jean frowned, displeased with Roen’s answer.

“You’re truly interesting.”

“I’m glad you find my answer intriguing. That way, perhaps we can make a deal…”

“No, there will be no deal. You wanted an equal contract, but we were never equals to begin with. You couldn’t stop me if I decided to kill you.”

Roen’s lips tightened at Jean’s languid smile.

He made it clear that the reason she was still alive was not because of her own merit, but because he had spared her.

And that he was the predator who held the upper hand in any agreement.

“You don’t seem afraid of what I might do.”

“That’s right. Unlike you, I’m not afraid of having my secrets revealed.”

Was it true that she wasn’t afraid?

Or was this another trick?

“You seem confident. But would His Majesty and the nobles think the same way? About the Duke of Reushden, second in line to the throne, who has swallowed a dragon’s heart.”

The unpleasant word “distrust” lingered in Jean’s mouth.

“So you believe in that charlatan’s prophecy too. Nonsense that has never been proven.”

“Until recently, I didn’t believe it.”

Roen looked at Jean with a meaningful expression.

“Because of me?”

“Yes. I didn’t know someone could survive after swallowing a dragon’s heart. ‘When heaven and earth mix and even their boundaries crumble. When the living and the dead coexist, and on the day the seven days of white nights where the sun doesn’t set ends. The black dragon that will devour the world reveals itself.'”

Roen recited the passage written in the Book of Radin.

It was almost sweet, like reciting a beautiful poem.

“What are you getting at? There’s not a single word about treason in that passage.”

That’s not it. What’s truly important is what comes next.

“Do you know the next passage, Duke?”

In an instant, their gazes met in midair.

The quiet air surrounding them became tense.

Judging by his expression, he seemed to know the next passage as well.

“The one place pointed to by the sun’s ring rising in the sky. The one who stands there shall become the only master of the empire.
-From the Book of the Great Prophet Radin-“

Two hundred years ago, with the founding of the Adrian Empire, the great prophet Radin foretold the empire’s future.

The prophecy book called ‘The Book of Radin’ contained prophecies about the Adrian Empire and the continent of Taran.

Among them, under the name of the Imperial Secret Book, there was a prophecy about the Zonderburgh imperial family, and the first prophecy was that Zonderburgh I, the first ruler of the Adrian Empire, would become the owner of the ‘Eye of Horius.’

At that time, the saying “He who possesses the Eye of Horius shall obtain the continent of Taran” was widespread across the continent.

Given that Zonderburgh I was the most devout believer in Radin’s book, perhaps the conquest wars that had been waged for 200 years were already predestined.

And now, his prophecy had become reality.

The second prophecy stated that someone with the blood of the black dragon would be born into the imperial family.

Zonderburgh I was obsessively fixated on this prophecy, which foretold the birth of a being with mysterious powers among his bloodline.

Eventually, he committed the atrocity of capturing a black dragon from the continent of Taran, extracting its heart, and feeding it to his five sons.

Unfortunately, the result was tragic.

None survived after swallowing the dragon’s heart.

However, the problem arose afterward.

As Radin’s prophecy spread among the nobles, those who dreamed of the throne captured dragons and fed their hearts to their sons.

The situation was exacerbated by the unfounded rumor that “He who swallows a dragon’s heart shall become the Emperor of Adrian.”

Eventually, this rumor reached Zonderburgh I, and the Emperor declared that consuming a dragon’s heart by anyone outside the imperial family was an act of treason.

As an example, he exterminated a noble family that had coveted the throne and fed a dragon’s heart to their son.

So cruelly that not a single member of that family remained.

Finally, the third prophecy concerned the downfall of the Zonderburgh imperial family.

However, after Radin delivered the final prophecy, Zonderburgh I issued a gag order against him and beheaded the priests who were present, keeping the content of the prophecy secret.

As a result, nothing was known about the third prophecy.

One could only guess from the brief mention in the final part of ‘The Book of Radin’ that the downfall of the Zonderburgh imperial family was related to the empress.

“I hear that one of the hidden powers of the Eye of Horius, the black jewel of Taran, is the eye that sees truth. Can you undergo Horius’s judgment before His Majesty and the nobles? To prove your loyalty yourself.”

There was no reason he couldn’t.

Except for one thing.

The previous Duke of Reushden, his father, had been obsessed with forbidden magic and made him swallow a dragon’s heart.

His father, who was merely a duke and not of imperial blood, had dreamed of the throne under the name of treason.

So if he were to be judged before the truth-seeing Eye of Horius as the woman suggested, his father’s crimes would undoubtedly be revealed.

Jean frowned.

After his father’s death, his butler Alex had told him that on the day of his birth, an astrologer had visited the mansion.

The astrologer had prophesied that Jean would fulfill Radin’s prophecy that the Zonderburgh family could not achieve, and believing those words, his father had scoured the continent of Taran to find a dragon’s heart.

In the end, dreaming of the throne, he had made his son Jean swallow it.

‘To believe in a false prophecy from a mere astrologer rather than an oracle from the Great Temple.’

Jean still couldn’t believe that the Duke of Reushden, known for being a rational and cold-headed knight, had been deluded by such nonsense.

“What are you trying to say?”

“Regardless of your thoughts, the dragon scales that have grown on your chest will be evidence of treason. People believe what they see, not what they believe in.”

Jean’s jaw tightened, and his lips twitched unpleasantly.

Though angry, he had to admit she was right.

“What would happen if the black dragon not only exists but is also the legendary knight who led the conquest war to victory?”

“I have no intention of committing treason.”

“I know that. And I believe I said that’s not important either? Above all, Zonderburgh I declared that if anyone outside the imperial family swallowed a dragon’s heart, it would be treason. There would be no exceptions to that.”

Seeing Jean stubbornly resist, Roen smiled bitterly.

Perhaps the person standing before her was the one who would become the only emperor of Adrian as prophesied by Radin.

While current law stipulates that the Zonderburgh family is the only imperial family of Adrian, if one traced back to the roots, the Reushden ducal family was also of imperial blood.

After all, the first Duke of Reushden was the younger brother of Emperor Zonderburgh I.

The current Emperor Edwin would never acknowledge this fact.

The throne is not meant to be shared, but monopolized.

‘If it’s true, should I help him commit treason?’

For a very brief moment, Roen considered it. But she quickly erased the thought from her mind.

It didn’t matter to her who he was. She had no intention of plotting treason.

What mattered to Roen was using him to save herself first.

All she wanted was to neutralize the deadly poison flowing through her body and escape the terrible curse of Roxburgh.

‘I will survive. I will break free from the curse. Not for myself, but for my parents who died for me.’

Roen was determined to live no matter what.

“Actually, His Majesty’s opinion might not matter either. The empire’s citizens who blindly believe in Radin’s prophecies could be more problematic. They would certainly try to depose the Emperor with their own hands and place you on the throne. That’s how frightening the word ‘blind faith’ can be.”

Roen mocked his naivety and complacency.

Compared to him, she was desperately fighting for her life. That’s why she needed to push him further and get him in her grasp.

‘It’s fine. He doesn’t seem attached to life anyway, so feeling guilty about using him…’

His gaze changed in an instant.

As the mocking expression disappeared from his face, the visage of a cruel beast emerged.

A chill ran down her spine. Her fingertips trembled slightly like a herbivore sensing danger.

Roen thought that perhaps this was his true face.

She tried not to step back.

“Then there’s only one answer.”

His voice, spoken through clenched teeth, was low and deep.

Those silver-blue eyes glaring at her looked ready to tear out her throat at any moment.

“My mercy ends now. It was your loose tongue that hastened your death.”

It seemed to mean she shouldn’t blame anyone but herself.

As she thought this, his large hand seized Roen’s neck.

Goosebumps covered her body. Once again, the fear of death washed over her, and the air in her lungs grew thin.

Roen raised her eyes to stare at Jean.

“How rash. You don’t really think killing just me will be enough, do you?”