“If you’re trying to get out of this with a lie—”

“I’m not lying. I swear on my beauty! Ugh!”

“……”

I gripped the spoon tightly. Sometimes I forgot how intimidating he could be, but Iscallion was the dark lord of the northern duchy, the Lord of Pontos.

‘It’s even stranger that he came to the capital alone.’

Maybe this was an opportunity to find out his true intentions. I threw the minced garlic out the window.

“If you fail again, it won’t end with just garlic.”

“Leave it to me…!”

“Just so you know, there’s no point in running. The capital is crawling with holy knights right now.”

Janet nodded desperately. As soon as Shahar’s restraining force disappeared, she quickly turned into mist and vanished.

The next day, Janet really did bring a man before me. He was a burly man who looked like someone you’d instinctively avoid if you met him on the street. Because of Janet’s charm spell, his eyes were glazed over as if he were dreaming.

“He doesn’t look too good…”

“It’s easier to handle them in this state.”

Janet replied nonchalantly and arrogantly commanded the man like a king.

“Hey, what did you discuss with Leon?”

“Leon…?”

“The man you were with just now.”

“Do you mean Lord Iscallion?”

I quickly explained to her.

“Iscallion is Leon’s real name.”

“Oh, I see.”

Nodding, Janet asked again.

“Alright, what did you talk about with him?”

“Well, that…”

Despite being in a dazed state, the man, who seemed quite loyal, didn’t answer easily.

“Annoying.”

Janet leaned down to meet his gaze.

“Speak. Don’t you want to please me?”

“But…”

The man still hesitated. Having briefly experienced her charm spell myself, I was inwardly impressed by his resistance.

“Hurry.”

But when Janet gently stroked his cheek, the last bit of his reason seemed to vanish.

“L-Lord Iscallion…”

What he said next was truly shocking. The man was a spy from Pontos, infiltrating the imperial palace as an administrative officer to pass information to Iscallion.

‘I can’t believe there’s a spy inside the palace.’

I got goosebumps. I didn’t know how he managed to get into such a scrutinized position, but that wasn’t the immediate concern.

He even knew that Enril had disappeared and a new master had appeared on Mount Acheron.

“His Grace plans to start a war when Arcadia is vulnerable after killing the new master of Acheron, hoping to see the Empire fall for Pontos’s independence.”

“Wait, what?”

I was so shocked that my mouth hung open. Of course, I didn’t think Iscallion had come here with pure intentions.

Even so, I had stayed close to Iscallion not to eventually devour him… but to keep an eye on him. I was somewhat prepared for such an outcome.

‘Even though he seems foolish, he’s still a male lead in a dark romance novel.’

Still, I couldn’t help but feel betrayed. I had grown attached to him without realizing it.

“Just one question.”

Janet gestured to the man.

“Does Iscallion know who the new master of Acheron is?”

“That hasn’t been identified yet.”

At least that was a relief.

“That’s enough. We’ve learned what we needed.”

“What should we do with him?”

Janet swallowed nervously, glancing at me.

“If you allow it, I’ll take care of him without a trace.”

After draining his blood, of course.

Because of my order not to feed on humans, she had been almost starving lately. While a vampire as strong as her could survive without blood for a long time, it was difficult to completely suppress her instincts.

“No, we can’t.”

I firmly refused. Janet looked visibly disappointed, but I ignored it and asked,

“How long does the charm effect last?”

“It lasts for a week even without me. I can reapply it if it wears off.”

“Then, tell him to report to me before reporting to Iscallion from now on.”

The man nodded with glazed eyes.

***

“What have you been doing lately? You’re always out, and when you come back, you lock yourself in your room.”

After avoiding Iscallion for days, he finally confronted me.

“Sorry, I’ve been so busy that I fall asleep as soon as I get home.”

“Don’t lie to me, sister. I know you’re avoiding me on purpose. You’re not even looking at me right now.”

‘What am I supposed to do if I’m scared?’

I couldn’t be sure if he would still be friendly towards me if he knew I was the new master of Acheron.

I mumbled an excuse.

“Uh, well, I’m the next duke of Dronay and the protagonist of the oracle. I’m a very busy person.”

“What? What kind of construction are you doing that everything fails?”

“…Never mind.”

I finally looked up and met Iscallion’s eyes. He blinked at me with a confused expression, not understanding my words.

Could this seemingly clueless boy really intend to kill me and topple the Empire?

In the original story, Iscallion did try to start a war against the Empire. But it wasn’t for his homeland’s independence; it was to kill the Crown Prince and monopolize Lina.

Ultimately, that war didn’t happen thanks to Lina’s passionate persuasion.

‘Now that Lina’s gone, why is he doing this?’

If a real war broke out, it would be a disaster. The Empire was wealthy but had weakened militarily due to prolonged peace.

On the other hand, Pontos’s soldiers were all elite. Regardless of the war’s outcome, the Empire would pay a heavy price. Even with the help of the other male leads, it would be the same.

I had to prevent the worst-case scenario somehow. I didn’t care if the imperial family fell, but this involved the future of our family.

‘I can’t use the same method as Lina…’

Everyone could guess what Lina’s method of persuasion was.

“Your face suddenly turned red, sister.”

“Uh, it’s just hot.”

Iscallion fanned me with his large hand. Unfortunately, it didn’t help at all.

I took a step back.

“Can we talk about this tomorrow? I’m really tired…”

“You’ll just say you’re busy and avoid me again tomorrow.”

‘How perceptive.’

He wouldn’t let me go easily.

“The day after tomorrow, then. How about we go out? Just the two of us.”

“Then you’ll leave the stone behind, right?”

I hesitated for a moment but then nodded.

“If you want.”

“Great.”

Iscallion smiled brightly as if he had never been angry. I wanted to smile back, but I couldn’t. I ended up awkwardly avoiding his gaze.

***

“It’s nice to go out with you, sister.”

For the first time in days, Iscallion’s face brightened. It had been a month since I got to know him, but this was our first outing alone.

As we got out of the carriage, I felt the noticeably cooler air. Summer was almost over.

I walked through the bustling streets with Iscallion. Occasionally, people recognized us.

‘Mother took us to so many parties…’

Ignoring the stares, Iscallion excitedly swung our joined hands. I noticed the cufflinks securing his shirt sleeves. They were the ones I had bought during my shopping trip with Janet.

“Do you like them?”

“Of course. They’re a gift from you.”

“I bought them at that shop.”

I pointed to a small jewelry store. Iscallion, after observing the shop, led me inside.

“Then today, I’ll buy you a gift.”

The shopkeeper recognized me and greeted me warmly.

“You’ve come again, miss. Did you get home safely that day?”

“Yes.”

‘It was a stroke of luck…’

I swallowed the rest of my words.

“What are you looking for today?”

“Something expensive and beautiful.”

Iscallion replied promptly, making the shopkeeper’s smile widen.

“Coincidentally, we received a rare item yesterday. It must have been waiting for its owner. Please wait a moment.”

The shopkeeper quickly went to the storage room, seemingly to fetch something impressive.

“Uh, are you sure about this?”

“Of course. I can’t buy something cheap for my first gift to you.”

Iscallion answered nonchalantly. Well, he wasn’t just any noble; he was the Grand Duke of Pontos, wealthy enough to give away precious magic stones without a second thought.

Soon, the shopkeeper returned with a small box.

“Look at this tourmaline. Tourmaline itself isn’t very expensive, but this color is exceptional.”

Inside the box was a loose stone similar in color to my eyes. It was a striking mint color, reminiscent of the warm southern seas, with a hint of fluorescence.

“What do you think? Isn’t it worth owning? It would look great set in a ring or as a pendant.”

“I’ll take it as a ring.”

“You have a good eye. The ring will be ready in a week.”

The chatty shopkeeper made a fuss again.

“With such a handsome lover, you must be full just looking at him.”

“What?”

“Aren’t you two a couple?”

“Well…”

“That’s right.”

Just as I was about to correct the owner’s misunderstanding, Iscallion quickly answered.

Seemingly in a good mood, he even went a step further and haphazardly bought up the jewelry.