“Um… my lord, would you like to sit for a moment? I have something to tell you.”

The two went to a bench placed on one side of the garden and sat side by side. He still didn’t let go of her arm.

Ines squeezed Carson’s arm a little tighter. Perhaps because of the thought that what she was about to say might soon make him angry.

“In fact…”

With a tone that seemed like a confession, Carson’s forehead involuntarily narrowed.

“I was in the waiting room at that time.”

“Huh…you?”

“When you met Empress, my lord.”

As expected, he quickly turned his gaze to Ines.

“What?”

She grabbed his arm completely, not letting it go.

“Please don’t get angry. I couldn’t help it. I know everything. That the relationship between Empress and my lord is not good.”

“You were secretly there? What if you got caught?”
Carson was angry, but Ines never apologized. Not only did he tell her not to speak, but she also genuinely didn’t feel sorry.

Fortunately, he didn’t push away her arm. With a trembling heart, Ines chose her words carefully. Although she had practiced countless times during the carriage ride, it was all in vain when faced with him.

“I was confident I wouldn’t be caught. The waiting room is a place I know well.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“Anyway, I heard everything. About the Monstera and Princess’s story.”

“Ines, that’s not a problem you should concern yourself with. I can handle it somehow.”

“Yes, I know. It’s not that you can’t handle it, my lord. You may find it hard to believe what I’m about to say now. But please believe me. Like back then…”

Carson quickly understood that what she meant by “back then” was related to the Monstera incident. As he took a deep breath, Ines waited for a moment.

“I believe you, anytime, no matter what. But it doesn’t mean you can keep causing trouble in the future.”

Encouraged by Carson’s trust, Ines found the courage to continue.

“Soon, the entire southern part of the empire will be engulfed by a plague.”

“A plague?”

The dreadful epidemic that suddenly started one day ultimately found no cause or solution until the end.

“Did you read it in a book again? Did you consult a prophecy this time?”

“A few days before leaving for here, a maid who stayed in my room died. For no apparent reason. And on the same day, there was another death in the temple. By now, more people may have become like that.”

For the past few days, Ines had been pondering in the carriage. The outbreak of the disease in Romfield was definitely not this year.

The fragmented and disjointed memories did not reveal the exact year, but it was certain that the first time a dead person was found was the following year.

Three days before coming here, Ines had already checked Charlotte and Hansen, but there were no signs of the disease. So there was almost no concern that the disease would spread more quickly due to her and her companions.

At the moment, Ines was twenty-two, the age she would be going to Romfield. Considering that the prison was an isolated place, the disease might spread faster in this territory than in Romfield.

Perhaps the temple or Sanscrea with the temple might be the source of the outbreak. Although the temple was not an ideal place for the disease to spread quickly, it was more accessible from the imperial palace than Landhill. So the capital might be affected by the epidemic more quickly.

“It’s not a prophecy, but I read it in some book. I remember it was a history book from a distant land. There was clearly a passage stating that many people died in the capital in the same way as that maid.”

“Of course, you won’t remember the title of the book this time either, right?”
There was no way to know about the situation when returning to Romfield, except for some magazines or newspapers that Ines had seen when she was dragged to Jemerun’s room. Although the exact timing and content were unknown, all she saw was a headline stating that the disease ultimately did not cross the northern mountain range.

“That’s right.”

Ines, lying, once again couldn’t meet eyes with Carson properly. Seeing her eyes rolling, Carson swallowed an incredulous breath.

“Don’t say such things elsewhere. You could be accused of being a witch.”

Witch hunts had already disappeared from this land, but with such remarks, the witch-hunting system might be revived because of her. However, he couldn’t just not say anything to her.

If you caught the disease, half would die and half would survive. The ferocious disease would only end after killing about one-sixth of the people in the empire.

The only thing revealed was that there were people with a unique constitution who did not contract the disease.

There were surprisingly many such people, and Ines was one of those with a unique constitution. Since they did not contract the disease even when staying with the dead, the guards left the task of dealing with those who died from the disease to those with a unique constitution.

Thus, the epidemic that terrified the entire empire continued fiercely for about a year after spreading throughout the empire. When the plague, which came like a storm, disappeared, it also quickly quieted down.

“I won’t talk about this anywhere else.”

“So, what do you want to say?”