Patrick’s expression hardened coldly.

Duke Parse, chairman of the Imperial Council, was the head of the Parse family and had a large military force in the Luken region, the Parse duchy.

His two younger brothers had received the titles of marquis and count, and it was a prestigious family that took charge of imperial financial affairs.

Outwardly, Duke Parse had an upright character, clear judgment on right and wrong, and could not tolerate injustice. Patrick evaluated the duke as such and, although he did not show it, trusted him.

Patrick planned to join hands with him to uncover the corruption, conspiracies, and frauds of the empress in detail. If he agreed to join hands with Patrick, he intended to propose to Silvia, the eldest daughter of Duke Parse.

“It is understood that the Lasbur trading company has rapidly become close by moving its base to Luken.”

“We’ll have to investigate Luken soon. But was it really Duke Parse?”

“That’s what has been confirmed.”

‘My lord. That’s why I think I’ll have to go against your wishes.’

Eden kept completely silent about the inner walls of Firop Palace and the underground secret passages. Patrick would not attempt any illegal rebellion.

“Eden, is Risha… No, never mind. Go back first, I’ll ride in the carriage with the princess.”

“As you command.”

Patrick went to the terrace to wait for Carolina.

*

Carolina slowly drank water from a glass while carefully observing the lake that had not been visible the night before.

As the cold water went down her empty stomach, she felt hungry. Her stomach was churning and burning due to drinking.

‘I drank too much Panian until dawn. Let’s eat, eat plenty and come down from the stage smiling cheerfully with strength.’

After organizing her thoughts like that, she felt an appetite when she saw the prepared dishes. Carolina, who ate more than usual, wiped her mouth and said,

“His Highness.”

Carolina neatly arranged the cutlery in a row.

“He said it was acting, and that he only needed a scandal anyway.”

Right, come to think of it, I was the only one immersed in that play.

Carolina glanced at the blue eyes staring intently at her and turned her head towards the lake.

“I said I wanted a national marriage.”

Patrick put his teacup down on the saucer. He reached out and took her hand, carefully looking at the back of it.

“That day, when washing hands in the Nostru Palace library, these fingers caught my attention.”

“……”

“While washing hands, you touched my hand, and the neat bones stirred my mind wildly. It was seductive.”

Patrick lowered his head further. His hot lips touched the flower-stem-like bones protruding on the back of her hand. It felt like electricity was spreading from her hand bones to her arm. Carolina pulled her upper body back.

“In a month, I will officially send a marriage proposal.”

Patrick spread Carolina’s hand on the table and pressed the back of her hand firmly with his middle finger.

“Now let’s return to the palace.”

*

Harchen had a lengthy discussion about the formation of a legal team at the round table conference.

The imperial law, which was drafted in the early days of the founding, was enacted, but there was no separate legal team. Since the emperor’s word was the law, the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Imperial Noble Council mainly handled and enforced laws.

The proposal to dissolve the Imperial Noble Council and independently form a legal team had been made by Harchen since he was the crown prince. It was an agenda that had been rejected repeatedly due to strong opposition from Duke Leak, the chairman of the Imperial Noble Council.

The emperor took this opportunity to pass the legal team formation plan in the round table conference and entrusted the preparations to the Minister of Internal Affairs and the administrative officer.

After declaring the closure of the round table conference, the emperor issued an order to expel guests. As the official ministers left, Bern, who had been waiting outside the office, brought in an old Heun woman.

The emperor offered a sofa and sat across from the old woman. The blind old woman bowed her head accurately towards the direction where the emperor sat.

Bern said in a low voice,

“Your Majesty, it seems she suffered severe interrogation at Duse Palace.”

Her clothes were torn from traces of assault and beatings, and blood clots were dried on her face, neck, and shoulder areas.

The emperor looked at her carefully. She had a shrunken and small body with platinum blonde hair, and a complexion that made it impossible to guess her age.

It was said that she had long since erased her name. Unable to guess her age. But why did she introduce herself as an old woman?

Although there were clear traces of rough wilderness and hardship, she certainly looked younger than the empress dowager, his mother. If the dirt was washed off and she was dressed up, she would have a unique beauty that would shine. That’s what the emperor observed in detail.

“Did you do it alone?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Alone.”

“Is that possible? You can’t see.”

“I keep them closed because they’re unsightly, but there’s a little bit of pupil left under the distorted whites.”

“Do you have a grudge against the emperor of Tane?”

“Yes.”

“What kind?”

As the Heun Amir, she conveyed the priestess’s prophecy when Aldisha conceived. Aldisha, who was pregnant with twins, nearly died several times, but each time Amir used poisonous and antidote herbs appropriately to overcome the crisis.

During childbirth, she helped the midwife and held the golden-shining twins in her arms.

Kazan killed all the women who assisted in the empress’s childbirth immediately after delivery. When he grabbed Amir’s hair and raised his sword, Aldisha, who was bleeding, clung to Kazan.

Saying that Amir’s herbs had saved her and the children, and that she would need herbs in the future. In exchange for sparing her life, Kazan took away her eyes and tongue.

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

It wasn’t, that wasn’t the end. But the old woman couldn’t tell the emperor.

Kazan didn’t just take her eyes and tongue.

The madman Kazan was consumed by madness from the moment he saw his wife Aldisha’s disheveled appearance after giving birth.

Seeing the blood of eighteen women didn’t quell his excitement. He dragged away the Amir virgin he had let go and took her virginity. Until his madness subsided.

Amir’s father was a Heun who wandered the Roche Mountains and handled herbs.

Amir, who lost her eyes, tongue, and virginity, lay face down on the ground for ten nights and eleven days on Mount Herperos, suffering.

The twisted eye wound burrowed inward, but the cut tongue sprouted like new buds. The wind let her hear the melody of the lute.

The Heun Amir, the blind lutist, followed the wind. When she found her father deep in the Roche Mountains, the seed of the madman Kazan had taken root in her womb.

“Did Patrick know about this plan?”

The old woman answered immediately.

“I asked Lord Eden to give me a chance.”

If she had asked Eden, Patrick would have known as well.

“The empress… Pamila?”

For a moment, the old woman’s empty eyes, like black holes, wavered.

“Is it related to the empress?”

There must have been a reason why the empress tried to shoot the old woman in front of her.

“I’ve been providing poison and antidotes to the empress all this time.”

“Ha, you must know Patrick’s plan. Shouldn’t you testify that you provided poison to the empress on Patrick’s side?”

“I’ve already written a handwritten statement.”

“Yet you took unnecessary risks last night.”

“……”

‘I must end the breath of the madman Kazan with my own hands.’

The old woman silently swallowed her grudge.

‘She’s hiding something more. I’ll have to investigate further.’

There seemed to be something more in the old woman’s eyes.

“I’d like to let you go, but the empress’s side will follow. Stay here for now.”

“As Your Majesty wishes.”

“Lean. To Vihar. Provide her with the conveniences she wants.”

“As you command.”

The emperor asked her.

“Wait, on what basis did you tell me to give a bed to the prisoner in Pana Castle?”

“It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes the future unfolds before my eyes like a picture.”

“So you foresaw my fate.”

“That is so, Your Majesty. May you have a peaceful day.”

The Heun old woman stood up, bowed politely, and then walked towards the door, reading the floor with her wooden cane.

Harchen ordered Calip to release the Heun old woman when Emperor Kazan returned to the country and give her as much gold as she wanted. Calip hesitated without accepting the order.

“Why?”

“Giving as much as she wants seems a bit excessive.”

“It’s not excessive.”

In Pana Castle, when he saw the golden hair with teary blue eyes looking up at him, he recalled the Heun old woman’s prophecy.

For a moment, his ribs rattled and it stung. He unconsciously ordered to give her the bedroom.

“It’s payment for prophesying my fate.”

Harchen took a cigar from the cigar box and tapped it on the desk.

There was something unsettling. The old woman was hiding something more.

“Tell Vihar to attach a separate shadow to the old woman.”

“Should we remove the shadow from the Tane empress’s side?”

“Just leave it. Now go, I’m going to Aster Palace, so don’t interfere.”

“What about Notos Palace? I think we should relay the news about the Tane emperor.”

“Explain the situation again.”

Calip went to Notos Palace to report the attack incident. He was startled to see Lady Leak lying on Eden’s bedroom bed and came out to meet the servant of Helios Hall.

The servant said that Patrick and Carolina went to Arteum on Epi Street after an intimate moment on the terrace. The servant was the one who guided the imperial carriage at Patrick’s request.

As he closed the carriage door, he heard Patrick loudly stating the destination, and according to Patrick’s plan, he caught everyone he met and blabbed about what he had seen and heard.

Harchen was about to light the cigar but put it in his pocket and stood up. At that moment, Bern came in.

“Your Majesty. I think you should go see the grass in front of the ice house that you saw last time.”

“The grass?”

“Yes.”

“Calip, have a horse ready in the White Palace garden, and do the Heun old woman task I instructed.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. After that, I’ll go to Notos Palace.”

“Don’t come to Notos Palace, check the newlywed preparations tomorrow.”

Harchen went to the grass in front of the ice house with Bern. The grass that had been burned black last time had grown up to waist height. Bern gathered the long grass with both hands and pushed it aside to show underneath.

“The base is green. It looks like it will grow more. But the parts that are completely black like this have just dried up and died.”

“Some of the dead grass came back to life?”

“And Your Majesty, this way.”

Harchen followed Bern a few more steps towards the ice house. There were clusters of yellow flowers blooming. The elongated ends of the flowers hanging at the ends of stems facing the ground were spread out.

“I’ve never seen this before. Is it a flower?”

“It seems to be a flower, it’s splendid.”

Bern grabbed the flower stem and brought it to his nose.

“The scent is sweet and nice too.”

“Usually flowers bloom towards the sun, but this one is facing the ground. Any news from them?”

Harchen asked, looking at the bell tower, ice house, and White Palace roof respectively.

“No one came except me and the servant entering and exiting the ice house.”

“Show this grass and flower to Claudine of the palace.”

“As you command.”

Harchen went to White Palace. In the garden, a knight was stroking Khan’s head.

Harchen mounted Khan. He was in a hurry to finish his work quickly and go to Aster Palace.