“Why did he come to think that way?”

“Because there have always been many witches in the North.”

That, too, was something she was hearing for the first time. Kailos tilted the corner of his mouth slightly as he continued.

“There were certainly villains among them, but from what I have heard, far more witches helped people. In some villages, for instance, they were revered. Others prospered by coexisting with them. In the early days of the Empire, the Grand Cathedral’s influence had not yet reached the north.”

Unable to conceal her surprise, Selonia listened intently as Kailos continued. Within the Empire, the region that had once harbored the greatest number of witches — and where witch hunts had begun the latest, due to political and geographical circumstances — was the ducal territory of Laharden.

This aligned naturally with Muneme’s words that even now, more people in the north sympathized with witches than one might expect.

‘Then was Muneme telling the truth when she said the northern lands were our homeland—our origin?’

“And what do you think of the former Grand Duke’s doubts, Your Grace?”

Why was he telling her all this? Before the regression, Selonia had thought that Kailos hated witches more than anyone else, so his words seemed even stranger. She wanted to press him and ask if he really didn’t hate witches, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Everything she remembered belonged to a life before the regression.

Questions piled up, one atop another. And yet, despite all of it, she could not bring herself to believe that he was lying.

“At first, I thought it was nothing more than baseless speculation. That changed when my father — who had started to collect records on witches and the Grand Cathedral — died in an inexplicable accident.”

Recalling that time, a faint crease appeared between Kailos’ straight brows. The tragedy had struck before he had even come of age. He still remembered the day he received the news that his father had been killed by a monster while returning home after being summoned to the capital by the late Emperor.

A blizzard raged at the worst possible moment, cutting off every route. He was unable to recover his father’s remains for two full days, left to weep helplessly in grief so raw that it felt as though his tears were stained with blood. Those days remain among the most painful of his life.

After finally bringing his father home and holding the funeral, he was not allowed to grieve for a moment before being forced to take on the responsibilities of a grand duke. There were countless doubts surrounding his father’s death, but establishing the truth at the time was almost impossible. He was overwhelmed, constantly fending off the Imperial Court, who repeatedly attempted to impose a regency on the grounds that he had not yet come of age.

The head of the House of Laharden — a house that led annual expeditions to suppress monster populations, subjecting its knights to brutal training so severe that a single knight could face three monsters alone — had fallen to just five monsters. Even worse, every knight who had accompanied him was either killed or went missing.

It was difficult to accept how quickly the former Grand Duke’s death had been dismissed as an accident. Yet there was no evidence, and misfortune did not discriminate. With nothing to suggest otherwise, he tried to bury his doubts —

— until the day a fire broke out in the study where his father had painstakingly gathered books and records.

By sheer luck, Harold happened to be passing by. He noticed the acrid scent of smoke and acted quickly. Even so, more than half of the materials in the study were reduced to unrecognizable ash. As one inexplicable incident followed another, suspicion inevitably deepened.

Those who stoked those suspicions most were Alix and the Grand Cathedral.

As the Imperial Court and the Grand Cathedral repeatedly delayed issuing the decree that would formally recognize him as Grand Duke, he was only able to hold his investiture ceremony upon reaching adulthood. It was only after he entered the treasury, accessible only to successive Grand Dukes and Grand Duchesses, that he finally discovered the truth.

It was a secret that had been passed down through his bloodline.

This was also the reason why the Imperial family had kept the House of Laharden under constant surveillance.

“…How about this?”

Kailos had only just managed to free himself from the haunting memories. Selonia still looked unconvinced, her pale blue eyes filled with wariness as she studied him. He was reminded of a frightened kitten with its fur bristling — endearing enough to almost make him laugh, yet it also stirred a sharp fear that she might pull away from him once again.

Should he have told her sooner? No — he had not handled things well himself. The moment their lips met, he lost his composure in a way that surprised even him. Magic, witches — none of that had mattered at that moment. All he had been aware of was Selonia’s breath, and all he had wanted was to taste it.

If he wanted to earn her trust back, he would have to offer her something in return.

“I know your secret. So I’ll tell you mine as well. That would only be fair.”

“Your secret?”

“More precisely, the secret of the House of Laharden.”

Selonia couldn’t answer immediately. She studied his face in silence. Was there a secret that could be exchanged for the truth about her being a witch? Did such a thing even exist? Still, hearing him out wouldn’t hurt. She nodded slowly and pulled the blanket wrapped around her a little tighter.

“You know that the Empire began as a holy nation that fought against the descendants of the evil god Ranesh.”

“Yes. I know. The witches were eradicated… and I learned that the House of Laharden was among the founding contributors.”

The witches are the descendants of Ranesh and revere Aurelia as their queen. According to the history books, the person who played the greatest role in capturing her was the first Grand Duke of Laharden. As his power base was originally in the north, he was granted the ducal title and became its ruler.

“There is a truth that differs slightly from what is commonly known: My progenitor — the first Grand Duke, Ethan Laharden — was originally one of Aurelia’s own.”

“…What?”

Selonia’s eyes widened as she listened, unable to fully let go of her suspicion.

“It is said that Laharden was the house that stood closest to Ranesh’s bloodline, protecting them. That is, until Ethan Laharden betrayed Aurelia.”

What followed was an unbelievable story.

Kailos said that Ethan Laharden, who was in love with Aurelia, had accepted a deal from the First Emperor in exchange for her. If he helped to capture her, she would be given to him.

However, the Emperor broke that promise. Aurelia was burned at the stake in front of the people.

Realizing he had been deceived, Ethan Laharden fell into profound despair. From that day until his death, he sealed the northern gates and refused to receive anyone from the Imperial Court or the Grand Cathedral, having cut out his own tongue.

This act was tantamount to rebellion against the Empire. Yet no sanctions were imposed. The ducal house’s military strength was overwhelming, and the nation itself was fragile and in its infancy. The First Emperor decided that it was not worth provoking further unrest so long as Ethan did not openly declare independence.

“That’s impossible. I’ve never read anything like that in any book.”

For an empire just over three hundred years old, its founding history was surprisingly vague. Each era had its apocryphal stories, but she had never heard anything like this before. The shock was undeniable.

Was it possible that the first Grand Duke of Laharden had once been related to the witches and had betrayed the woman he loved in order to take her place?

“I can’t believe it so easily. A house that protected the witch Aurelia… that’s just—”

“Have you ever heard that a special power runs through the bloodline of the House of Laharden?”

Selonia, who had been frowning in confusion, nodded immediately in response to Kailos’ words. The rumor was well known — most people in the Empire had probably heard it. It was said that the House of Laharden had been blessed by the God of War and granted special abilities.

However, as the Empire worshipped the one true God, Ardiel, such tales were often dismissed as little more than half-serious folklore. Nevertheless, rumors like that were hardly strange for the Grand Duke. Though far smaller than the Imperial Knights, the Laharden knight order had long distinguished itself in battle, seemingly effortlessly cutting down the monsters that swarmed the North each year.

“Then… are you saying that rumor is true?”

When Selonia asked her question, her curiosity was plain to see. Kailos responded without hesitation. He reached up to undo his cufflinks, rolling back the sleeve of his shirt to reveal a firm forearm with sharply defined tendons. This immediately caught Selonia’s eye.

She swallowed involuntarily at the sight of the pronounced muscle.

When he reached for the candlestick on the table, Selonia could hardly believe her eyes. The heavy brass candlestick collapsed in his grip, crushed as easily as overripe fruit. Had she not seen the veins standing out along his arm—had she not confirmed that nothing had changed in his palm—she might have suspected magic. The sheer display of strength was overwhelming.

“The men of the ducal house possess the ability to temporarily enhance their physical capabilities. I only learned that this power was inherited from Aurelia’s bloodline after I formally ascended as Grand Duke.”

Its origins did not lie in the founding of the Empire as a holy nation, nor could they easily be explained as magic. This was why it had never been revealed openly. Those closest to the Grand Duke might have sensed that something was amiss, but this was no more than a vague impression.

Having revealed his secret, Kailos felt unexpectedly light, as though he had just confessed to a god. Seeing Selonia’s wary, cat-like gaze widen into the round, stunned eyes of a newborn rabbit stirred a faint sense of satisfaction within him.

Leaning closer to her as she stared back and forth between him and the crushed candlestick in disbelief, he spoke in a low voice.

“Now that we’ve shared our secrets, it seems we have no choice but to trust each other.”