The snakes that should only obey Venenum and its bloodline, submitted to the unfamiliar blonde girl.

Seeing that strange sight, Mariette gradually nurtured the spark of suspicion.

“At first, I thought she was royalty. Just as the lord of Ardor mentioned not long ago.”

Could she be a hidden royal, raised in secret somewhere?

All royals are born with black hair and green eyes, but if there were several instances of external blood being mixed in a collateral line rather than the direct line, there could be a blonde royal, she thought.

However, as time passed, a sense of alienation that was difficult to shake off reared its head.

Not only the snakes of her land, but also the pegasus of Ardor, and even the black wolf of Lupinus that she brought from the beginning?

No matter what, there were too many divine beasts under her command.

With this level of dominion, it would only make sense if she were a royal from the early days of the kingdom who died and turned into a skeleton long ago.

It is a well-known fact that the innate authority and dominion of the royals are gradually fading.

Only the royal family, fearing the loss of their firm roots as royalty and descendants of the first king, kept her existence hushed.

Not only the six meritorious families but also the noble families with authority, there were few who were unaware of that fact.

“A direct royal whose existence was unknown to anyone… I thought about it countless times. And I concluded. Even if it seems impossible, even if that were the case, her power cannot be explained.”

“So, what are you trying to say? Stop beating around the bush and get to the point. Can’t you see that my pitiful patience has worn thin?”

“I think that child is the protagonist of the prophecy.”

“…What?”

“You should know too. The prophecy that the last lord of Widentia barely managed to bury in the ground and protect. The prophecy that a ruler surpassing the first king will appear.”

A king? Merche becoming the king?

Rude raised his eyebrows. The story was suddenly taking a completely new turn.

“Is this the nonsense of a crazy old man, or a theory based on evidence? If it’s the former, I don’t think I can stay here, even to spare my precious ears.”

“Oh my. You really are terribly ill-mannered. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a ruffian among the young. Anyway, it’s refreshingly new and amusing.”

Tapping the armrest of the sofa and laughing, she returned to a solemn face.

“There is evidence. Evidence that I only recently found. It’s something you know as well.”

Basilisk. The corners of her lips, muttering in a low voice, curled up.

“That basilisk was a monster brought by my grandson, who was possessed by the divine object of the first king. I suppose it should be seen as related to you as well.”

“What nonsense are you spouting out of the blue? What does your grandson summoning the basilisk have to do with me?”

“I told you. My grandson was wearing the divine object of the first king. That divine object came from Lupinus Castle. It was a gift from the king to the lord of your family in the past generations. …There. This is it.”

A wrinkled hand pushed a piece of paper with a ring drawn on it towards Rude.

A ring with a quite large, bright red-colored jewel embedded in it, something that felt vaguely familiar yet ambiguous.

Rude openly tilted his head.

“I don’t know. It seems like I’m seeing it for the first time.”

“No. I know for certain. That’s an item that was in your castle. Even if you grew up as a commoner rather than a noble, as long as you became the lord, I assume you received an education, and you must have learned about the kingdom’s history?”

The three symbols of the king. The laurel wreath, the ring, and the sword.

Especially emphasizing the ring, Mariette pointed to the ring in the paper.

“This is that ring. It is also a divine object. Isn’t it chilling that just by wearing this, one can control the monster that only King Iker could subdue back in those days?”

“It’s not chilling, it’s rather ridiculous. If what you say is true, doesn’t it mean that anyone can become a king just by finding those three divine objects?”

Every Tom, Dick, and Harry will be clamoring to be king. Rude sneered.

“That’s exactly it! Every Tom, Dick, and Harry will cause a commotion, trying to become the king.”

But then, Mariette, who was listening, suddenly hit the armrest again with a bang! and leaned her upper body closer to Rude.

“My dead grandson, Joseph, was not a bright fellow. His authority was somewhat useful, but I’ve never heard of him being clever, and above all, he didn’t have the ability or the guts to steal that divine object from Lupinus Castle and use it. Then where did he get this ring from?”

“It seems like you’re gradually leading the conversation… You want to hear that someone stole it and presented it to him on a silver platter.”

“Yes. That must have been the case. It seems like someone is intentionally collecting the divine objects of the first king. And I’m worried that it might harm Merche someday.”

“Why does Merche come up there?”

His voice turned chilly in an instant.

His crumpled face looked menacing, as if he was annoyed by the mere fact of mentioning Merche’s name in an ominous story.

Mariette, who didn’t cower in the end despite his threatening aura, continued her words.

“Collecting the divine objects means wanting to become the king. But what if the real protagonist of the prophecy, Merche, appears? Wouldn’t they be bothered by her? Wouldn’t they want to kill her?”

Only after finishing those words did Mariette rise from her seat.

Her wrinkled, gnarled hand grabbed Rude’s broad shoulders.

It was a force that could not be ignored, quite strong for an elderly person’s grip.

“I don’t care what kind of person you are, whether you’re a ruffian who can easily kill hundreds of people and more. What I care about is one thing.”

The round pupils that resembled Karla’s. The piercing gaze poured out without wavering.

“Whether you can protect Merche at any moment. That’s what’s important.”

“…I don’t know why you cherish someone else’s fiancée so much when she’s not even your granddaughter, but whatever the reason, don’t worry about it. I will protect Merche.”

“Can you swear? That you will protect that child even at the cost of your life.”

“I don’t need to swear, it’s been like that for a long time.”

“…Don’t tell me, you’ve imprinted?”

Rude, who had slightly shifted his eyes elsewhere, glared.

That crazy old hag. How can she guess everything so creepily without being a fortune teller?

Mariette, observing his reaction, displayed a satisfied smile on her entire face. Only then did her hand fall from his shoulders.

“You did. I had a hunch, but it was true. The way you look at that child is absolutely terrible.”

“Your granddaughter is Karlina, not Merche, right? You should worry about your blood-related granddaughter…”

“It’s Karla, not Karlina. You still can’t memorize a single name? Even though your head isn’t bad either.”

“What do you know, old hag? It’s bad. Terribly bad.”

“Karla is close to Merche. As long as Merche cherishes my granddaughter, you will also end up protecting that child together, so what do I have to worry about?”

“…Cunning old hag.”

He abruptly stood up from his seat, expressing disgust.

“I’m leaving. Be careful with your words from now on. You might get your neck sliced by a ruffian like me.”

“Have a safe trip. You should also be careful with that mouth of yours. Shouldn’t you stop getting on Merche’s bad side?”

“I’ll handle the hairs that got stuck, so the black-hearted old hag should stop meddling.”

The large figure disappeared along with the wolf trailing behind.

Mariette, who was unusually staring at someone’s back with obsession, soon burst into a hollow laugh and shook her head.

“Oh my, my. Merche has bitten quite a rough fellow. Taming him will be quite tricky.”

In a room with a tranquil atmosphere. The man who heard a strange sound spoke in a sharp voice.

“Royalty? What’s that supposed to mean?”

The man, Alonso, frowned as he stubbed out a cheap cigarette.

“Apart from those living in the royal palace and me, and a few others… there’s no other possibility?”

“It’s a wench whose existence was unknown even to the royal family. She was slowly gaining attention after being registered as a collateral line of Venenum half a year ago.”

“Registered? What’s that? It means they don’t even know which royal she was born under, and they’re not sure if she’s really of that bloodline. Her situation is quite amusing, isn’t it?”

Puhaha, he burst into laughter.

For a handsome man with jet-black hair and deep blue eyes, his laughter was close to being of a low class.

The attendant, who skillfully held an ashtray under his hand, smiled back.

His skill of flattering and fawning opportunely was first-rate. He was quite satisfied with the newly hired attendant.

The blonde hair that was pleasing to the eye, and green eyes. The pretty face with a hint of moisture was quite admirable.

The white teeth revealed whenever the pink lips smiled were also neat without any rough edges, giving the impression that he was more beautiful than the concubine he had recently been frequenting.

“You, what was your name again?”

The attendant respectfully lowered his head below him.

“It’s Magnus, Your Highness.”

“Right, Magnus. I like you. Stay here from now on. You’re pleasantly useful and know how to use your tongue appropriately. Someone like you is rare these days.”

“Thank you. I will do my utmost to continue satisfying Your Highness.”

Yes, yes. Alonso, who responded half-heartedly, tilted his chair in an extremely relaxed manner.

The reclining was a work of art, befitting the comfort chair he had specially ordered.

If the angle was adjusted well, he could see the sea far below from his room in a single glance.

He couldn’t endure even a short break and took out a new cigarette to smoke. His gaze still remained outside.

“…That arrogant bastard.”

Tsk, he couldn’t hold back the sarcasm.

He slightly extended his fingertips towards the window and spoke to the new attendant with a snicker.

“Look. That guy over there? He’s the successor of this Fondo, the famous Diego Fondo.”

“Ah. I see. It’s my first time seeing him.”

“It’s fine, there’s no need to show respect to him. He’s a guy whose pride reaches the sky. Even though I share about half the same blood as him, how dare a mere noble scum disdain royalty?”

Muttering as if chewing his lips, he swiftly turned his head.

The attendant, whose eyes met his, gently softened his eyes with a submissive look.