Fortunately, there were no casualties when the building collapsed. It wasn’t the result of some elaborate conspiracy or plot – just a simple mistake.

A worker had carelessly stacked the building materials, and when they slipped, the accident was set in motion. 

“What on earth happened?” 

“For something so sinister to happen on New Year’s Day… This year must be cursed…” 

“Hey, don’t say such sacrilegious things. Do you see who just left? They’ll take care of it. It seems the temple is sending people as well.” 

As the priests hurriedly left their seats and the crowd murmured in fear, Dalia, who had been about to take another sip of her fruit wine, suddenly froze. 

‘Is it the right time?’

A chance to quietly choose a temple where she could hide, out of sight?

Once her mind was made up, Dalia did not hesitate.

With all eyes on the collapsed building and Curtis making his way to the scene, she seized the golden opportunity.

Without wasting a moment, she quickened her pace and headed deeper into the temple.

***

“Haa.”

“The dust is thick.”

“It’s not so thick that we can’t see, but it’s best to wait a bit.”

“Cough, it looks like the building has collapsed.”

While some looked around eagerly, and others calmly assessed the situation, Curtis remained silent, looking beyond the cloud of dust.

Grrrrk. Thud!

It was unclear how much time had passed. But as the sounds of crumbling rubble and rolling debris ceased and the dust settled, the sight that emerged caused some to hold their breath and others to sigh.

“It’s completely collapsed.”

“If by ‘completely’ you mean…”

The temple building was shattered beyond recognition, as if it had been hit by a cannon.

As the one who said “It has completely collapsed” claimed, there was little left intact, save for a few supporting pillars and some materials dangling precariously from the ceiling.

But as another pointed out, it wasn’t just an empty wasteland.

“We need to see if there’s anyone in there.”

Just as the heir of a noble family was about to step inside, the Master of the North Wall grabbed his arm.

“It could collapse further.”

“That’s right. Let’s check from the outside first.”

“How can we check from the outside…?”

The Heir had barely finished his angry remark when the Master of the North Wall tightened his grip on his arm and shouted loudly.

“Is anyone in there?! If you’re there, answer me! If you can’t speak, make some noise!”

As soon as he fell silent, a deathly silence descended, as if they were standing in a graveyard.

Everyone held their breath and strained their ears, hoping to catch even the faintest sound. But as the moments passed without response, they began to shake their heads or sigh, the weight of the situation weighing heavily on them.

“There doesn’t seem to be anyone inside. Should we consider this a small relief in the midst of the disaster?”

“We can’t be so sure. What if someone has lost consciousness or is unable to make a sound?”

“You’re right, but with the place in such chaos, it would be better to clear the rubble first before searching further.”

“And what if we find someone too late to save? Wouldn’t that be a bigger problem?”

“But if we wander around carelessly and the loose parts above collapse again, the consequences could be far worse.”

As the two argued, each putting his own concerns first, they both fell silent at the same time. Soon after, not only they, but everyone gathered at the scene of the accident stopped talking, as if by unspoken agreement, and turned their eyes to Curtis.

A man who, without saying a word or making a single move, exerts an overwhelming presence that dominates his surroundings.

A man who commands the respect of all with a single exalted glance.

The noblest of nobles. The ruler of the blue bloods.

The Duke of Fraser.

Among those present, there were certainly a few who were not significantly inferior to him. Among them were the three people Dalia had considered the most exceptional.

The heir of a founding national hero respected Curtis for his high status. The Master of the Northern Wall acknowledged his authority, as the incident had taken place in the capital of the Empire.

Meanwhile, a figure who had not yet revealed his true identity nodded quietly as he watched the situation unfold.

Even the priests and the bishop, who should have been overseeing the incident and directing the next steps, turned their eyes to Curtis…

And in an unspoken but undeniable agreement, he became the ultimate decision-maker. Accepting the looks as if they were natural, Curtis spoke without hesitation.

“Since entry and exit is strictly forbidden due to the New Year celebrations, we must deal with this matter quickly and only with those present. First, Your Excellency the Bishop, you shall…”

***

As Curtis’ firm, unwavering voice – stronger than steel – rang out with absolute certainty, the people began to move.

Dalia successfully seized the opportunity and reached the innermost part of the temple.

“Records, records, records.”

She muttered obsessively, repeating the object of her search.

If she could just find the well-organised records detailing the locations and history of the temples, she could finish quickly.

She knew there weren’t many temples built solely for silent meditation, but she had no idea where exactly they were.

The only way to find out was to check the records kept in the temple itself.

And with no way of knowing what the consequences of her search might be, she had to be as discreet as possible.

As they say, heaven helps those who help themselves.

No one noticed her quick movements, and so Dalia was able to sift through the temple records with ease.

As she ran her fingers down the list of temples dedicated to silent meditation, her lips moved slightly.

“This one is too close to the capital. This one is too far, and this one…”

One by one, she eliminated options that were unsuitable for various reasons. Eventually, she found a temple that, while not perfect, came closest to what she was looking for.

“This seems to be the best option.”

The remaining temple was neither too close nor too far from the capital, neither too large nor too small, and had a reasonable number of inhabitants.

The only thing that worried her was that it was relatively close to the territory of the Romand family – Irvelyn’s family.

No, that’s not it.

As this place is close to Irvelyn’s home town, they would never suspect her of hiding there. Even if someone were to deduce that she hadn’t been poisoned and was still alive, it would be hard to believe that the betrayed Duchess would go anywhere so close to the woman who caused her downfall.

As the supposed disadvantage of this place suddenly became an advantage, a satisfied smile appeared on Dalia’s face.

She closed the journal and immediately retraced her steps.

Although she had completed her task quickly, she didn’t know when others would notice her absence.

If she failed to return to her original location before the people who had gone to deal with the incident returned, the opportunity she had seized might be lost.

If it became known that she had been searching for such records, the records themselves would lose their value.

With a sense of urgency, Dalia quickened her pace, almost running towards the chapel.

As she had predicted, as the noise outside subsided, the people began to calm down, aided by the priests’ constant apologies and efforts to restore order.

“A building has collapsed… What on earth is happening?”

“We need to investigate further, but it seems to be a simple accident rather than an act of blasphemy…”

Soon those who had gone to deal with the situation began to return to the chapel one by one. As they answered the questions of the gathered crowd –

“Duke Fraser!”

“Ah, the Duke has returned!”

Almost as soon as he entered, the people rushed towards Curtis as if they had been expecting him.

However, as if used to such situations, he kept his distance and quickly took control of the scene.

“The chapel is secure and the situation is under control. Return to your seats.”

With an unemotional voice and an undeniable command, the gathered crowd and those who had tried to get closer swallowed hard and reluctantly stepped back.

With an expression devoid of emotion and an even colder gaze, Curtis slowly scanned his surroundings.

Then, as if compelled by an irresistible force, his eyes landed on a particular spot.

Without consciously checking, he had already memorised where everyone had been before leaving the chapel. But now, the place he was looking at was where someone should have been standing.

The woman who had said she would wait for him.

Dalia Fraser. The Duchess of Fraser. His wife.

But instead of finding her there, he saw nothing – just a faint, distorted afterimage, flickering in and out of existence, as if torn apart and consumed by the void.

Just like that night, when Dalia, bathed in moonlight, had seemed to melt away and disappear into nothingness.

“Da… lia?”

Her name slipped from his tight lips.

As his previously unshakable expression cracked, a sharp crease forming between his brows, his gaze swept the entire chapel.

She wasn’t there.

She was gone.