He hadn’t held a sword in over 10 years. Though it wasn’t something to brag about, his body had slowed down as much as his belly had bulged from drinking too much. But how could he win a duel against Ruans? He doubted it.

However, Lorencia was a monster. She moved and shattered objects as she pleased in front of him. So even if he couldn’t believe Lorencia’s words, he had no choice but to follow them.

In his situation, he was standing at the edge of a cliff with nowhere to back down. He participated in the duel day with a do-or-die spirit. He bet all the secret funds and hidden jewels he had on himself winning, while listening to people’s jeers and ridicule.

He was pointed at by people. But Lorirolls had decided to put everything down. And now, seeing Ruans fall down twice, he was convinced of victory. He thought he did well participating without putting in a substitute, just as Lorencia said.

“Seeing you keep falling, it seems Prince Ruans has very light feet.”

“Lorirolls Young Sik!”

“Prince Ruans. Don’t use too much strength. You’ll fall again.”

Ruans let out a vicious scream. He had lost his composure from constantly falling down. It felt like all the nobles in the training grounds were pointing fingers at him. But he couldn’t give up the duel like this.

He had to defeat Lorirolls somehow.

Ruans took a step back and regained his stance. He gripped his sword tightly to launch an aggressive offense. And he charged at Lorirolls.

“Haaah!”

Seeing him charging so desperately, Lorencia muttered again.

‘Slip. And sword, leave his hand.’

Ruans, who was charging toward Lorirolls, slipped again and fell forward with a thud. He even lost the sword he was holding.

In an instant, the training grounds fell silent.

Lorirolls thought this was his chance. And he ran quickly at the fastest speed of his life. Thanks to his hard running, the moment the fallen Ruans lifted his face, he was able to make the tip of his sword touch Ruans’ neck. Ruans’ face turned bright red.

Duke Rox, who was watching as the referee, couldn’t move from his spot. Although Ruans’ swordsmanship wasn’t outstanding, it could be said to be good compared to Lorirolls. Above all, he was also a disciple to whom he had taught swordsmanship.

“It seems I have won, Prince Ruans.”

Duke Rox approached the two with an unbelieving face. And he declared Lorirolls’ victory.

At Rox’s declaration of victory, Lorirolls began to laugh loudly. Ruans kept his head down and didn’t even move. The training grounds grew louder and louder with murmurs, perhaps surprised by the outcome.

“Prince Ruans lost.”

“It seems difficult to lose like that…”

Teishar was honestly perplexed by the unbelievable outcome. Today’s duel was one that anyone could see Ruans winning. But Ruans fell down three times during the duel. He even lost the sword he was holding when he fell for the last time.

Although he didn’t like Ruans, Teishar closed his eyes every time he fell. Just watching felt like experiencing the humiliating feeling on his behalf.

Teishar glanced at where the imperial family members were seated. Only Adrian with his head down holding his forehead and Charlotte with an expressionless face were sitting there. Emperor Adolf, who had been watching the duel from the beginning, quietly left when Ruans fell for the second time.

When the emperor left, Empress Ines also followed and left. At least concubine Pelena, Ruans’ birth mother, kept her seat, but she left with a red face when Ruans fell for the third time and lost his sword.

“I thought Prince Ruans would win, but he was defeated.”

Lorencia’s voice was tinged with regret. But she was putting more strength into the corners of her mouth than anyone else to keep from laughing. If she didn’t exert strength, she might laugh.

She had two powers. One was the ability to see the future. And the other was the ability to move objects. In the previous future, she couldn’t control the power to move objects. But it was different now.

Lorencia used this power to make Ruans fall and lose his sword.

“Now that you’ve been defeated in the duel, you’ll be pointed at by people, right?”

“It’s not just a defeat. It’s the worst defeat where I’ve completely lost face and lost my honor as an imperial family member.”

“That’s right. Come to think of it, Princess Charlotte said that an imperial family member’s honor duel is remembered in history.”

Lorencia was satisfied. Just the fact that the prideful Ruans lost to Lorirolls, who lacked swordsmanship skills and was trash in high society, would be humiliating.

The reason for defeat in the duel would have doubled the humiliation. So she was slightly worried. What if he goes into seclusion out of extreme embarrassment and hides? But he was a vicious person. She had to believe he wouldn’t hide because of this humiliation.

Lorencia deliberately frowned, but it was hard to hold back the smile that kept hanging on the corners of her mouth. Seeing that, Teishar asked Lorencia with a smile.

“Young Lady Lorencia. Are you feeling a bit relieved now?”

“No. I’m not relieved.”

Lorencia looked at Teishar and grinned. The fact that Ruans was a little humiliated didn’t untangle her twisted heart. She couldn’t call it revenge just because Ruans was embarrassed.

No matter what kind of revenge she took on him, the wounds that had piled up and tangled like threads would not be loosened at all. If Ruans met a miserable death, would the tangled heart be slightly unraveled? Absolutely not.

It took great courage to even slightly unravel the lump that had formed in her heart.

“He just became a little ridiculous from losing.”

She had to make him crumble only by the things Ruans himself desired. Today’s honor duel was just the beginning of that.

“Indeed, Prince Ruans’ duel was funnier than a clown dancing.”

“That’s a really apt analogy.”

Teishar stared intently at the young tree behind Lorencia, who was looking down at Ruans. The more time he spent with her, the healthier the young tree became. As proof, the branches of the tree behind them gradually thickened and grew out.

Above all, the more time he spent with Lorencia, he could now tell what kind of emotion she was feeling just by looking at the young tree. The young tree’s appearance changed according to Lorencia’s emotions. When her emotions were difficult, the young tree withered. When she felt good emotions, the withered young tree grew again.

And today’s young tree seemed to be in a good mood since morning. The tree thickly grew out and looked fresh. However, the young tree he saw now after Ruans and Lorirolls’ duel ended was clearly different from how it looked in the morning. The tree’s branches were strangely bent and growing out of control.

As if a spider was making a trap with its web, the branches were intertwined with each other. It was a form he was seeing for the first time. A worried feeling took precedence. He repented for arrogantly thinking he could raise the young tree well after learning its emotions.

‘Raising a tree is difficult. But still.’

“Master.”

Teishar looked at Evan who came running and calling him.

“What is it? Evan.”

“Lord Magus has arrived.”

“My father has come?”

At the same time Lorencia tilted her head and looked at Teishar at Evan’s words that Teishar’s father had come, the movements of all objects and people in front of her eyes stopped.

Like people reflected on a swaying water surface, they started to ripple and a whirlpool began to form. It was the same phenomenon she had felt once before. It was the same phenomenon as when she was shown Lorirolls’ ugly past.

“What are you trying to show me again?”

The whirlpool grew as if it would swallow everything. And soon it quickly subsided. Lorencia looked around at the changed surroundings. It was different from last time. She was standing on a clean white path, and a purple crystal orb the size of her head was visible in front of her eyes.

“A crystal orb?”

The purple crystal orb floating in front of her eyes suddenly began to shine brilliantly. That light fell to the ground like a waterfall. The light began to spread on the white path like a drop of paint falling and spreading on a calm water surface.

Lorencia couldn’t take her eyes off the beautiful sight.

“Pretty.”

As if enchanted by the beautiful light, she slowly approached the purple crystal orb. At the same time, the amethyst necklace around her neck began to glow. Lorencia reached out to the glowing amethyst orb in front of her eyes.

The closer she got, the brighter the light filled the space as if the amethyst necklace and orb were resonating. Lorencia closed her eyes as it was too dazzling and opened them again.

And a certain scene appeared in the purple crystal orb in front of her eyes.

[Teishar. You found the child of goddess Ella well.]

A man who looked just like Teishar but older was anxiously pacing back and forth in the room.

[It’s fortunate you found her before the young tree rotted.] [Father. I was so surprised to see Young Lady Lorencia. No, I was amazed. The moment I saw Young Lady Lorencia, I realized I was the black snake.] [Yes. We are the black snakes of the earth that protect the child of goddess Ella.]

“Snakes that protect the child of goddess Ella?”

[Yes. I will protect Young Lady Lorencia well from now on.] [Devote your life.] [I will risk my life and protect her no matter how many times.]

The man resembling Teishar took out a black jewel box. The lid of the jewel box opened. Inside, fragments that looked similar to the amethyst necklace she was wearing caught her eye.

“That’s…”

[I’m at a loss as to how to explain the shattered amethyst fragments.] [She has a strong will. It’s hard for me to see Young Lady Lorencia get hurt anymore.] [But you can’t keep hiding it. Teishar. The orb is really important to goddess Ella.]

The conversation between the two faded away like an echo, and the scene that had appeared in the crystal orb vanished.

“Show me more! No!”

Lorencia wanted to hear more of the two people’s conversation, but the purple crystal orb didn’t allow it. Lorencia tightly grasped the amethyst necklace around her neck.

At that moment, a part of her mother’s words that she had forgotten came to mind.