Haiden nodded in satisfaction and said,

“What a strange coincidence.”

Of all people, it had to be him—black hair and green eyes. Even in the imperial family’s history, such a combination was rare. With the collapse of the Revalon Empire in the civil war, there were few surviving bloodlines left. It wasn’t the sort of appearance you saw often.

“It felt like they were slandering you, Your Grace. I didn’t like it. Shall we return now?”

“Let’s do that.”

With the afternoon schedule all wrapped up, there was no need to stay any longer.

Just as Haiden rose from his seat, he noticed Kyla Bailey still seated at the brown table, chatting animatedly. She hadn’t moved from that spot since earlier.

‘Does she not care about me anymore? I thought she would follow me to the afternoon banquet.’

Then he suddenly caught himself mid-thought.

‘Wait, what am I thinking just now?’

Was he… disappointed?

Things were going exactly the way he wanted—so why did it feel unsatisfying?

With his expression hardening once again, Haiden turned to leave. This time, he resolved more firmly than ever not to accept Kyla Bailey’s help again.

***

Meanwhile, Kyla was glaring intensely at the woman in front of her, eyes sharp and threatening.

The astrologer wiped sweat from her brow and flipped over a card.

“What does it say this time?”

“It… says to beware of a man with black eyes and green hair—no, I mean black hair and green eyes…”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

Kyla ran a hand through her silver hair, arching an eyebrow.

The table was already stacked with piles of gold coins, but she casually added another to the top.

“Read it again.”

The astrologer, now visibly terrified, fumbled with the cards, her hands trembling as she reshuffled and flipped one over again.

This time, a ghastly skull appeared—a card that anyone would recognize as a bad omen.

“It says… you must beware of that man. You might… even die within a year…”

“Words become reality, you know.”

Kyla seemed fully intent on continuing until the fortune matched what she wanted.

Mary, standing behind her, brought out another pouch of coins. The raggedly dressed astrologer gulped nervously.

“T-The fortunes don’t lie! I-It’s the interpreter who may be wrong…”

“Then you should interpret it correctly. I’ve given you so much money; how can you just parrot the same words as the person next to you? Do you take me for a fool?”

“Ah…”

The astrologer’s shoulders slumped. No matter how she phrased it, the woman didn’t believe her. At this point, she was starting to wonder if she should just lie.

Then Kyla placed three more gold coins on the table and locked eyes with her.

“I’ll give you one last chance. Show me you’re not a fraud.”

With that, the astrologer focused all her attention on the cards. Most people would take a fortune and just move on, but not this woman.

If she failed to prove her credibility this time, not only would she have to return all the money, she would be labeled a con artist—and banned from ever reading fortunes on this street again.

With great tension, the astrologer swallowed dryly and turned over the final card.

“A-A noble person is about to come into your life.”

At last, Kyla smiled brightly and stood from her seat, placing the final pouch of coins onto the table with a loud thump.

“Perfect. I’ll take that luck.”

The astrologer watched Kyla and her group walk away. Just to be safe, she flipped over one last remaining card.

[Wheel of Fortune]

It signified a shift in fate.

***

The scorching early summer sunlight streamed in through a small gap in the blackout curtains.

“You can’t even handle one cleanup? Have you no shame dragging the royal family’s name through the mud?!”

“Ugh…”

Gellensid, whose complexion had dulled over the past week, got up late in the afternoon and opened the curtains.

Swish.

Blinding sunlight poured in, engulfing him. Gellensid winced and chewed at his cracked lips.

The bruises from being struck by the Crown Prince a week ago still hadn’t healed. His entire body ached.

“Are you feeling any better, Your Highness?” asked a servant who had just drawn water.

“Do I look like I’m doing fine to you?”

With his hair disheveled and dull, Gellensid ground his teeth as he stared out the window.

He was living through hell, and yet the people outside seemed so cheerful. Even the maids giggling while carrying laundry made his blood boil.

“D*mn it.”

Even that laughter now grated on his nerves.

“Get rid of them. All of them.”

“Pardon?”

“Are you deaf? Or do you want to be thrown out instead?”

The servants who remained in Gellensid’s palace were mostly poor commoners. As harsh as the prince’s temperament was, the pay was still better than anything they’d earn outside the palace.

The servant bowed his head quietly, thinking of his children left outside the castle.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Gellensid’s pale gray eyes narrowed, as if calculating something.

Soon, he saw the same maids who had been laughing moments ago being dragged off by soldiers.

“Kyaa! What are you doing?!”

This time, instead of laughter, screams rang out. Hearing the maids crying, Gellensid finally smiled in satisfaction.

‘Now then…’

There had been rumors going around lately—that Kyla Bailey was chasing after the Duke. He smirked.

‘She’s lucky if she doesn’t end up with her head chopped off after tailing him like that.’

It seemed she couldn’t summon the courage to face him again, so she turned her attention to the Duke instead. But if she thought he was just a silent, slow-witted man who’d be easy to charm, she was making a terrible mistake.

He was a seasoned politician who had surpassed not only the Crown Prince’s birth mother but also the powerful Renezielle Queen’s family to secure the title of Duke. No way would a mere count’s daughter and her childish crush be of any concern to someone like that.

‘Your opponent is me. You’ll always be mine, Kyla…’

“Levi.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“On your last trip to Yorkmile, I saw you at the ranch with your wife. You two look very much alike.”

Why bring that up now? Levi felt uneasy but bowed his head and responded politely.

“…Yes, I see.”

“Maybe it’s because I’m getting closer to marriage, but I find myself envying couples like that. So, I was thinking…”

Gellensid paused for a moment, making Levi’s shoulders twitch nervously. The prince looked down at him with a thin, venomous smile.

“I want my fiancée and me to look alike, too. For instance… with a limp in the right leg. Wouldn’t that be special?”

“Ah…”

A sigh slipped from Levi’s lips.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if both husband and wife limped together after marriage? Can’t dance with other men at a ball then—no worries about cheating, right?”

Levi said nothing. Gellensid’s gaze began to sharpen.

“Why that look? I just want to resemble my partner like you and your wife. You don’t get it?”

“…”

“You think I’m stupid, too, don’t you? Is that it?”

“Your Highness…”

“Answer me!”

Bang!

Gellensid slammed his fist into the wall behind him. He’d hit it so hard that blood was seeping from his knuckles. Clenching his teeth tightly, he stared at the trembling Levi with wild eyes and yanked the curtain shut with a sharp flick.

That gesture brought someone else to mind—closing the curtains before hitting someone was a long-standing habit of the Crown Prince.

***

“Young Lady, we’ve arrived.”

Mary gently shook her awake. Kyla, who had dozed off in the carriage, snapped her eyes open.

“Did you have a good trip?”

As she stepped down from the carriage, butler Loren and her nanny, Isabelle handed her a letter. The envelope had already been torn open, as if someone had checked it beforehand. Kyla took it with a sour expression.

“What is this?”

“There was no seal, just an unfamiliar stamp. That may be why it was delayed. It’s a letter from Miss Maryville.”

“Maryville?”

At that name, Kyla’s face instantly lit up. She recalled the fortune she heard earlier at Henchester Blanc.

“A noble person will be coming to you soon.”

It was true!

She had been exhausted on the ride back, but the news of her friend’s return made her fatigue vanish completely.

“My goodness! Maryville’s coming back?!”

Kyla clutched the letter to her chest, twirled on the spot, and rushed into the mansion.

“Oh my, Young Lady!”

In her excitement, she bumped into a servant who had been carrying out a stack of old newspapers—and there, too, she found her friend’s familiar face.

<Young Merchant of Tallis, Maryville Yoker! Returning after two years?>

Maryville Yoker, second daughter of the Yoker family, had already become a powerful investor owning a significant share of Henchester Blanc at a young age. 

From early on, she had made ships and opened sea routes, earning enormous wealth. She was not only Kyla’s longtime friend but also her key source of information.

On top of that, Maryville’s mother, Lady Yoker, had helped Kyla make her debut in high society.

‘The Yokers have always been kind to me. I like them.’

With a bright smile, Kyla cut out Maryville’s photo from the paper and placed it on her desk. Somehow, seeing that face helped ease the loneliness that crept up now and then.

***

But a few days later, Everett, who had stopped by the count’s residence as usual, noticed the cut-out photo on Kyla’s desk and frowned.

“Why’d you cut this out?”

“She’s coming back today. I put it there so I wouldn’t forget.”

“…Really? Are you going to meet her at the port?”

There was a slight edge in Everett’s tone.

‘Did something happen between them?’

It seemed like a reasonable suspicion at this point. Everett had once asked why the two disliked each other so much, but at the time, Kyla had simply said they’d never had the chance to get close.

‘Is it too much to hope my friends would get along? But then again, Maryville is with the noble faction, and Everett’s in the royalist camp… no real overlap.’

The power struggle between noble and royalist factions among the adults had ended up poisoning even friendships.

Feeling awkward, Kyla asked politely,

“I’m going to the port later—do you want to come?”

Everett smiled and gently shook her head.

“Nah, I’m good. It’s cold today—make sure to dress warm. I’ll be heading back now.”

She draped the shawl she had knit herself over Kyla’s shoulders, then stood and left. Kyla saw her off to the carriage that would take her back to the royal palace.

As soon as she was inside the carriage, Everett’s gentle smile disappeared. She turned to her attendant with a stern look.

“Go to Kitten Port.”