At his question, only Raian felt his heart drop.

“Seeing the future? Isn’t that just a scammer?”

“Someone once recommended investing in merchant ships to me. They claimed to be able to see the future and said it would be ten times more profitable.”

The young nobles laughed, treating it as an amusing topic.

Hilbardo, still watching Raian out of the corner of his eye, continued,

“I only asked because someone claimed to me that they possess such an ability.”

With that, he casually took a glass from a passing servant’s tray.

“What kind of lunatic scammer would say something like that to Your Highness?”

“Exactly.”

Hilbardo replied lightly, laughing it off. Then, his expression vanished, and he looked at Raian who had regained his composure.

“That’s why I was curious. Who would actually believe such a thing? If it’s a scammer, I’ll have them thrown in prison. If it’s real… then it should belong to me.”

“Haha, if it’s real, please introduce them to me as well. I’d invest as much as needed.”

Taking the prince’s words as a joke, the young nobles responded with cheerful laughter.

Only Raian neither laughed nor spoke.

After telling them to continue their conversation, Hilbardo stepped away from the group and approached Ohil, who was waiting in a secluded corner.

It sounded absurd but Raian’s reaction was too unusual to ignore.

“Tomorrow, eleven in the morning.”

Ohil bowed deeply.

“Bring that woman to the estate.”

***

As I chatted with Mother, Viscount Tibel brought me a letter.

Since it seemed too long to read in the garden, I excused myself and returned to my bedroom in the east wing.

‘Finally.’

The news I had been waiting for from Stroud finally arrived.

As soon as I found out that Jaive had been killed by that woman, I couldn’t understand why the investigator had ruled it as a natural death. It didn’t sit right with me. I suspected that Raian, who always avoided trouble, might have interfered. I later found out that money from Raian had been used to quietly close the case.

The investigator handling the disappearance of Aelin and the nanny revealed this to me in secret.

I asked him to find evidence linking Aelin and the nanny’s disappearance to Jaive, as well as proof that the Duke of Stroud had bribed the investigator. If I could secure it, I intended to take down both Raian and the woman together.

There was good news from the estate as well.

On the day Jaive died, several maids had seen Aelin go to meet the nanny, and they had agreed to testify in court. Their willingness to step forward filled me with quiet, overwhelming gratitude and stirred something in my chest.

As I opened and read each letter, Ohil arrived with a message.

“His Highness has summoned that woman to the estate.”

Why would Hilbardo call for her?

A chill ran down my spine.

“The meeting is set for eleven in the morning tomorrow. If you wish, His Highness said you may accompany him.”

It didn’t matter whether I went or not.

What I wanted to know was why he intended to meet her.

“May I ask the reason?”

Ohil answered as if it were obvious.

“That woman claimed she has the ability to see the future. She requested the meeting herself, saying she wishes to use that ability for His Highness.”

“…See what? The future?”

“Yes. That is what she said.”

It was a ridiculous reason.

It sounded like something only an investment scammer would say—yet that woman had said it.

“Is His Highness trying to verify it?”

“That is correct.”

“I see.”

Having delivered his message, Ohil bowed and left.

As I slit open another envelope with a letter knife, I thought it over.

‘Could it be… Raian actually believes something that absurd?’

In hindsight, it had always seemed strange.

Burdened by feelings of inferiority regarding his status and origins, Raian had fabricated a noble lineage just to marry her.

Now that I think about it, it would make sense if he believed her outrageous claims.

‘What a foolish man.’

I felt a trace of pity for Raian.

What had made him such a fool?

He hadn’t usually been the kind of man to be swayed by a woman claiming to have divine, prophetic abilities.

‘Was that why she said that back then?’

When I met her in the forest during the hunting competition—

“That baby wasn’t going to live long anyway. It would have died in agony… I simply sent him off peacefully.”

At the time, I had been too overwhelmed to question it properly.

‘She might be far worse than I imagined.’

She claimed to be able to see the future, but perhaps she was just a madwoman, forcing events to match her words whenever reality refused to cooperate.

This idea took root in me and hardened into certainty.

My child had been sacrificed to her warped beliefs.

Without realizing it, I smoothed out the crumpled envelope and took a deep breath.

My heart felt as though it might burst under the weight of my overwhelming anger.

***

Raian walked through the exhibition hall, pretending to remain composed, but he couldn’t focus at all.

So while the young nobles he had come with were busy chatting idly with women, he excused himself and left midway.

‘What did she say? What on earth did she say?’

Even on the journey back in the carriage, he couldn’t stop wondering what Sola might have told Hilbardo.

As soon as he arrived at the townhouse, he rushed straight to her room, opening the door without knocking.

Sola, who had been sitting gracefully drinking tea, looked at him calmly.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

The moment he saw her, anger began to rise within him.

Her mocking tone only made it worse.

But arguing over something so trivial wasn’t what mattered now.

“Did you meet the prince?”

“It just happened.”

“Don’t meet him.”

“Why not?”

Sola was pleased.

Raian, who had treated her like she didn’t exist, had come all the way to her room to say this.

It felt like she had finally gained something she could use to control him.

“You said you’d make me the duchess—as long as I lived like I didn’t exist. That was the condition, wasn’t it?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

Sola extended her little finger as she set her teacup down, then smiled gently.

“I wanted to become the duchess because I loved you. But after being treated like a shadow, I realized I can’t live like that.”

The first half was true.

The second was a lie.

Rising from her seat, Sola reached out and traced Raian’s tightly drawn face with her fingers.

“If you don’t want to lose me to the prince, you’ll have to treat me better.”

Seeing with her own eyes that her scheme had worked perfectly sent a thrill through her.

Raian slammed the door behind him as he left.

For the first time in a long while, Sola clutched her stomach and laughed out loud.

***

That night, after the appreciation gathering…

Dinners were held at the imperial palace every night during the banquet period.

Johann was rather tired after spending several days attending to the nobles at these banquets.

Tonight, he intended to dine comfortably in his chambers and go to bed early.

However—

“His Majesty summons you.”

A young, beautiful imperial maid arrived to deliver the message.

Johann rose to his feet, still holding his fork, deciding he would eat later. It didn’t matter that the man was his father — he was still the emperor. There was no way he could face him in his pyjamas.

He quickly changed into proper attire and draped a light robe over his shoulders. There wasn’t time to style his hair, so he simply ran his fingers through it to smooth it into place.

With the maid leading the way, Johann arrived outside the emperor’s chambers and signaled to the knight standing guard at the door.

The knight stepped inside first. Moments later, he returned and opened the door for Johann.

“Crown Prince, come closer and sit.”

Unlike Johann, the Emperor was dressed in loose, nightwear-like garments and was sitting at a table with a game board laid out before him.

He toyed with a game piece in one hand.

After offering a greeting in accordance with imperial etiquette, Johan took the seat opposite.

Once Johann was seated, the Emperor moved a piece across the board with a soft click and asked a question.

“What did you think of Lady Iane?”

“She is young, but wise and elegant.”

Johann answered, a hint of tension in his voice.

“Yes. Just the type to become an obedient and compliant crown princess.”

Though the words were about Lady Iane, it felt as though they were also directed at him—telling him to be obedient as well.

“I think it would be best to finalize your marriage before summer arrives. What do you think?”

“I will do as I am told.”

The emperor placed another piece on the board with a sharp tap.

Already tense, Johan flinched slightly.

“I asked for your opinion, Crown Prince.”

Johann swallowed dryly.

He met a gaze that made it impossible to give the same answer again.

“Your Majesty… I am concerned about the influence it would have on the imperial family if the Duke of Iane’s eldest daughter were to become crown princess.”

“Explain in detail.”

Johann gathered his courage and continued.

“Wouldn’t Duke Iane possibly consider placing the first prince on the throne? So if the purpose of this imperial marriage is to bring Iane into our hands, I believe there is no need to use the first prince, who is already a potential threat.”

After finishing, Johann carefully watched the emperor’s reaction.

The emperor stared silently at the crown prince, who had yet to come of age, then slowly lowered his gaze.

“Crown Prince.”

“Did Hilbardo tell you to say that?”