A subtle crack spread across Casius’s neatly composed face.

As expected. He seemed to think I wouldn’t readily agree.

His tone became noticeably colder compared to earlier.

“What is it?”

“Please don’t take a concubine.”

A perplexed look came over Casius’s face.

“I’m afraid that would be difficult.”

“Why?”

“The late emperor did many things before he died. He’s already sent a marriage proposal to the other family.”

Even if a proposal was sent, the emperor who sent it is already dead.

Then everything should be able to be reversed…

He looked at me intently and added, as if driving in a nail:

“He even sent a written agreement.”

A written agreement? Does that mean the late emperor made some kind of deal?

If so, Casius’s words weren’t just a simple excuse.

‘He says he can’t prevent taking a concubine…’

My hand clenched involuntarily. Before I realized it, the question burst out of my mouth.

“Which family is it?”

Looking up at me with blue eyes at the direct question, Casius slowly opened his mouth.

“The Winterdell family.”

‘What? Winterdell?’

The Winterdell family officially had two young ladies.

One of them was illegitimate, so if the late emperor sent a proposal, it would likely be for the legitimate daughter who meets the requirements.

“Do you mean Lady Evelina Winterdell?”

He nodded as if it were obvious and continued speaking.

“She’s the only one in the Winterdell family qualified to enter the imperial family.”

In reality, the identity of the concubine wasn’t an important issue, but if it was her, that changed things.

As an unintentional silence formed while I was lost in thought about Evelina, Casius frowned as if feeling fatigued.

He seemed displeased that I was setting conditions after acting like I would remain silent.

It didn’t seem like I’d gain anything by dragging this out any longer.

I had been momentarily stunned by the concubine issue, but if I couldn’t change that, now was the time to seek other practical benefits.

“Then please grant me one other thing.”

“One other thing?”

Raising one eyebrow slightly, Casius looked at me as I added:

“Please come to my bedroom once a week.”

Casius’s lips pressed tightly shut.

Others might not know, but I knew when he clamped his lips that tightly.

When he was extremely displeased, but had to hide that displeasure, he often made that expression.

Though he was trying hard to manage his expression, his unconcealed displeasure was transmitted to me clearly.

Is coming to my room still such a dreadful thing?

Only after a momentary pause did he open his mouth.

“I’ll think about that matter.”

Is this something that requires such a serious expression and consideration?

“I’d like an answer within a week.”

Casius opened his mouth slowly after a moment, as if reluctantly answering.

“So be it.”

I could understand well enough why Casius wanted to buy time.

If Snowfell was the culprit who set the trap, there would be no need to grant my request.

But when you learn the truth, Casius, you’ll have no choice but to grant my request.

I know it’s a petty method.

However, for now, there was no other way to create a connection with Casius except this.

*

After Vivian left, Casius was lost in thought for a moment.

Honestly, he had planned to cut off the concubine issue himself, regardless of Vivian.

After all, such a written agreement didn’t exist in the first place.

Nevertheless, bringing up even non-existent things to irritate Vivian was simply part of his negotiation strategy.

A woman like Vivian would surely make a fuss to get what she wanted in the end.

He had intended to extract something bigger from Vivian and Snowfell in exchange for not taking the Winterdell lady as a concubine.

For instance, something like the ledger for Cape poison that could give him a hold over Snowfell.

But Vivian had changed somehow.

She was no longer the simple woman Casius had known.

As if seeing right through his mind, that woman who would be most fitting to throw a tantrum regardless of any written agreement flipped the negotiation table.

It was a skillful transition that even Casius, who had always gained the upper hand in most negotiations, was caught off guard by.

For a moment, that image made Casius think of Rachel.

But Casius’s expression quickly hardened as he recalled the condition Vivian had set.

‘Visit her room once a week, she says.’

What a ridiculous woman.

How detestable she was, daring to attempt a deal while holding Rosemary’s well-being in one hand.

Even the feelings of owing her for saving his life evaporated in an instant.

At that moment, with a knock, Tikan entered.

For some reason, Tikan’s expression was more downcast than usual.

Sensing something ominous, Casius’s eyes grew cold as Tikan quickly reported.

“It seems the trap was set by Sister.”

“Rachel?”

“According to Father, after Mother passed away, Sister set traps at the peak of Evella to catch magical beasts…”

As he listened to Tikan’s report, Casius recalled words Rachel had spoken long ago.

That there was an enemy on Evella.

Ever since then, whenever he saw Evella, he always wanted to avenge that damned enemy in her place.

‘I thought that enemy was Snowfell… but a magical beast?’

Is that magical beast also related to Snowfell?

As Casius’s thoughts grew complicated, Tikan’s report continued.

“Father thought Sister had removed them all as she grew up, but when we examined the trap, we found traces of Sister.”

Tikan carefully placed the trap he had brought onto the table.

Casius picked it up gingerly and caressed it several times.

As if the trap were some precious gem.

Faced once again with traces of Rachel, he was at a loss for words for a while.

The rough surface raised on the trap clawed at his heart.

Given how things had turned out, Casius had no choice but to accept Vivian’s condition.

‘Damn it.’

Just as his brow furrowed in anger, Tikan, who had been gauging the mood, spoke up once more.

“Um, and… there was one more strange thing.”

Only then did Casius turn his gaze from the trap to Tikan.

“What is it?”

“All the leaves near the trap were scorched by flames.”

The blackened leaf Tikan held out caught Casius’s eye.

Parts of what must have been lush green leaves were now hideously charred.

“Could there have been a fire-type magical beast nearby?”

Casius recalled the imperial soldiers he had brought along. There were no mages among them.

That meant there was no one among the imperial soldiers who could use fire.

Given the situation, Tikan’s words were a reasonably logical inference.

However, Casius knew the terrain and magic of Rosemary better than anyone. Since that’s where she had been.

A fierce light leaked from Casius’s eyes as he examined the leaf.

“There are no fire-type magical beasts that inhabit warm climates like Rosemary. Only a mage could leave traces like this.”

“But there were no mages there at the time, were there?”

A heavy silence fell over the space for a moment.

Casius reclined languidly, lightly grasping the leaf in his hand and twirling it.

His blue eyes sank coldly as he looked at it.

“Who knows.”

His mind was filled with one person he suspected.

*

At that time, the Crown Princess’s palace was noisy.

As soon as I entered the inner palace, Diarob shouted without preamble:

“You fool, why did you follow them and cause trouble?”

His first words to his daughter who had nearly died made me laugh bitterly.

I hadn’t expected him to play the role of a caring father anyway, so I set aside my displeasure and felt momentary tension, worried he might notice my scar.

If he saw the scar directly with his own eyes, no one would think it was from a simple horseback riding accident.

I bowed my head and humored him as if repenting:

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice anything and continued spewing disgusting words.

After quite some time, Diarob finally got to the point.

“So, did you properly bring Rachel’s keepsake?”

“Of course.”

As I undid the leather chain, a small wooden box that had been carefully preserved was revealed.

I placed it on the table and opened it, and he immediately took out the object inside and held it in his hand.

The sapphire gems set all around and the blue diamond sparkling in the center emitted a brilliant light.

I hadn’t noticed when I took it from the mansion because I was nervous, but seeing it now made my heart ache.

My mother’s voice as she put the necklace on me echoed in my ears like ripples.

“It’s a protective stone. This will protect you.”

As she said those words, my mother smiled at me like sunshine.

That image was still vividly etched deep in my heart.

‘Even though I couldn’t protect you…’

Mother’s death was clearly not a simple accident.

There were no cases of such a sudden increase in the population of a habitat where magical beasts had not existed before.

It must have been someone’s scheme to destroy Rosemary.

‘Is the culprit really you, Diarob Snowfell?’

Diarob, still unable to take his eyes off the necklace, came into view.

Blood rushed to my eyes and my heart beat rapidly.

At the end of his gaze, which had been examining the gems as if counting them for quite some time, greed was glistening.

Finally, his gaze slowly lifted.

Just as I barely managed to compose my expression that I hadn’t been able to control, a fierce glint flashed in Diarob’s eyes.

Veins bulged on Diarob’s hand as he gripped my mother’s necklace tightly.

My heart, which had been boiling with anger, sank low.

Only then did I properly comprehend the situation.

‘Could he have recognized that the necklace belonged to Mother?’