When he granted permission, the joy exuded from her face.

Owen decided to take a stroll around the garden in casual attire.

Leaving the office, Owen walked near the newly built gym near the annex.

Through the curtains of the first-floor windows, he could see people coming and going.

As he approached, he carefully observed and saw Kesha and Atia laughing inside.

“…”

Laughing while casually dressed and patting Kesha’s shoulder, she looked very cheerful.

That expression wasn’t something that could come from pretense.

Indeed, the Duke of Wellington and his wife seemed to get along well.

‘Although I heard they don’t have children…’
Owen stared blankly at her for a moment and then averted his gaze elsewhere. Other people were using the gym around her.

‘It seems like there are more people?’

Among them, there were also some unfamiliar faces.

Owen swallowed his saliva.

At that moment, while observing from inside, Atia and Owen’s eyes met.

Atia quickly rushed out.

“Your Highness?”

Looking at her, Owen raised the corner of his mouth.

“I came to see how the gym is. It seems to be running well. How about it? Does it please the Lady?”

“Yes, absolutely. She really likes it.”

Atia answered, her eyes sparkling like a crescent moon.

“I’m so grateful that you even included the sauna facilities I mentioned.”

Atia clapped her hands together with a sound and a bright smile.

Her personality seemed genuinely adaptable and cheerful, capable of fitting in anywhere.

‘She has many merits…’

However, during the time he hadn’t seen her, Atia’s physique seemed to have changed slightly.

It looked firmer and more solid, to the point that it was hard to believe the changes happened in such a short period.

‘What is it?’

Did breaking the dark magic really cause such a transformation in a person?

There was a different energy emanating from her.

“I’m glad you like it.”

At that moment, Atia’s eyes, scanning Owen from head to toe, gleamed sharply.

Even if he was the amiable Crown Prince, he couldn’t escape the sharp eyes of Atia.

“If you don’t mind, would you like to come in as well?”

“Me?”

“Yes. I’m confident I can refresh you thoroughly.”

“What do you mean by refreshing?”

“You’ll know when you see it. You’ve seen what I did before, right?”

Atia mentioned the time when she went to the island and interacted with the indigenous people.

In the meantime, Owen realized that Kasus was watching him through the glass window.

“I’m busy today. Let’s do it next time. Work hard on your exercise.”

“Yes. Please go in safely.”

Owen was curious about what other abilities Atia had, but with Kasus sticking to him like gum, it seemed more convenient to postpone satisfying his curiosity.

Shortly after Owen entered his office, he heard a knocking sound.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Come in.”

His subordinate bowed his head and opened his mouth.

“Your Highness, I brought someone who worked at Harad Manor for a long time.”

“Oh? Tell me.”

When Owen ordered, a woman with deep wrinkles on her forehead and around her eyes, looking mature and slightly bent, entered the office, bowing her head.

“I greet Your Highness.”

“You’ve been at Harad Manor for a long time?”

“Yes. I’ve seen and heard many things there for decades.”

“Okay. Tell me what happened. A generous reward is prepared.”

Although she had retired now, the elderly woman who had worked at Harad Manor for the longest time opened her mouth to reveal the truths that no one had talked about.

“Harad Countess had an excessive obsession with her husband.”
“Obsessive symptoms?”

“Yes. The Countess feared her husband having an affair to an extreme degree and used to secretly give contraceptive pills to the young maids working at the Count’s residence. She would sneakily mix it into their food. She didn’t want the maids to get pregnant; she turned a blind eye to them having children.”

“…”

“It wasn’t like that from the beginning.”

The old woman spoke calmly, recalling an ancient story.

Although it might have been faint, there were vivid things left in her memory.

“The incident started with a young maid.”

“Young maid?”

“Yes. When Harad Countess Shupen was just turning twenty, she toyed with a naive maid who didn’t know anything, and that girl became pregnant. The young maid tried to hide the fact that she was pregnant, but it was revealed. The girl died while giving birth, and knowing the truth, Countess Harad hated the young maid so much that she wanted the child born to die. That illegitimate child became the current Northern Marchioness, Atia Wellington.”

Owen, after hearing many stories from the old woman about the Harad family, became convinced that they were the culprits.

“Then… they tormented her from a very young age. Wasn’t there anything strange? Like using dark magic or something.”

“I don’t know about that…”

“Really? There should be some decisive evidence.”

Owen clenched his fist and raised his chin.

“Even if I’m a prince, I can’t throw nobles into prison without solid evidence. We need more convincing proof.”

Owen pondered deeply, then rubbed his forehead.

“Other than that? Was there anything unusual about her body?”

“The Countess is such a meticulous person that she rarely shows any flaws.”

“Hmm, that’s what you say.”

“As far as I’ve seen by her side.”

“In that case, I’ll have to find those flaws.”

Owen gradually unraveled the puzzle about the Harad family, which emitted an increasingly foul smell.

While it was clear that the Harad family was affiliated with the loyalist faction, if it turned out they secretly used dark magic, the narrative would change.

Using dark magic was a significant offense comparable to treason.

Finding the person who used dark magic against Atia was not only for her sake but also for Owen himself.

“There’s definitely something they’re hiding.”