“Ah, you don’t need to make excuses.”

As Windler started chuckling again, Killian’s eyes widened.

“I saw everything, Your Excellency.”

“What do you mean?”

“I saw you hiding behind a pillar, peeking at Jediel’s mother and stomping your feet.”

“What?”

“That’s not all. I also saw Your Excellency heading to the rear garden of the annex with Jediel’s mother.”

“What are you…!”

“On a rainy day. Didn’t you both get into the carriage together? It was all because I worked behind the scenes…”

Windler’s chatter continued, but it didn’t reach Killian’s ears.

Killian felt as if he’d been hit on the back of the head with a hammer. His whole head was ringing, and the numbness persisted.

He tried to grasp his fading consciousness and sort out the situation.

“The Empress, no, Vero… no, who did you say Nia was?”

“Huh? Well…”

“Hurry and tell me. Who did you say Nia was?”

“Nia… is Jediel’s mother?”

“Is that true?”

“What?”

Windler was dumbfounded. Could it be he didn’t know…? It was a series of confusing situations.

Meanwhile, Killian, seemingly frustrated by Windler’s stammering, raised his voice abruptly.

“Is it true that Nia is Jediel’s mother!”

“Yes, it’s true. Did you not know that until now, Your Excellency?”

“…Ha!”

To think that Jediel’s mother was Veronia!

‘So that’s why Jediel didn’t seem unfamiliar from the moment I first saw him! Of course he would resemble her, being her son.’

Only then did he understand that inexplicably strong attraction.

‘Wait… How old was Jediel again? I’m sure he said he was four…’

Killian concentrated and racked his brain. Several numbers swirled around in his head.

Veronia’s child, Jediel, who was over 4 years old. And Veronia, who left the imperial palace 5 years ago.

‘Then… that means she got pregnant right before or after she ran away, right? If so… could it be…?’

Thump thump, Killian’s heart started racing madly. His breathing became rapid, and he could hardly breathe properly.

‘Could Jediel possibly… be my child?’

He recalled the night he spent with Veronia. He had never forgotten it for a single day. On that moonlit night, they kissed in the garden, and then…

‘That night… we were together all night.’

Is this a plausible story? Or is it just my unfounded wishful thinking…?

Nothing was certain. It was too early to jump to conclusions.

He needed to ask Veronia. Only then would everything become clear. Whether Jediel, the child she bore, the child who seemed to resemble him, might be his child.

“Turn the carriage around.”

“Pardon? Where are we going?”

“We’re going to the Magic Tower Research Institute. Quickly.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Killian clenched his trembling hands tightly. He needed to think about what to say first when he met Veronia.

But his surprised and confused mind couldn’t function properly. He could only blankly stare out the window.

As Killian entered the Magic Tower Research Institute, all eyes focused on him.

‘There she is!’

And there was Veronia.

The moment their eyes met, Killian hesitated. Because to satisfy his curiosity, he would have to expose all the secrets she had been hiding from start to finish.

Including the fact that he knew her true identity.

‘That can’t happen!’

It absolutely must not happen. If it became known that he knew her true identity, she would run away again.

More important than finding out the child’s biological father was not losing her again.

No, more important than anything in this world was not letting her go.

‘I was rash.’

Killian stood still in his tracks, blaming himself for rushing here impulsively due to his heightened emotions. Veronia approached him.

“Lord Chancellor, what brings you here? Is there something you need…”

“Ah, well, that is…”

Just as his confused mind and body froze, the director came running like a savior, her red hair fluttering.

“It’s an honor to see you, Lord Chancellor! We are honored to welcome you to this humble place!”

The director bowed deeply with a bright smile on her face. Her sparkling eyes looked directly at Killian.

Thanks to the director buying him time, Killian, who had barely regained his composure, slowly opened his mouth.

“As I was passing by… I came to check if a concrete plan had been made for installing the fire suppression system…”

His face flushed red with embarrassment at his own lengthy lie. But fortunately, the others didn’t seem to notice.

“How strange! We had just finished drafting the plan.”

As Veronia raised her voice with wide eyes, the director clapped her hands.

“That’s wonderful! Then, Your Excellency, I’ll escort you to the conference room right away. Let’s review the documents together.”

“Let’s do that.”

Killian headed to the conference room following the director’s guidance, with mixed feelings.

Although he had barely avoided a crisis, questions he wanted to ask Veronia still tickled his throat.

‘Killian, focus and think. Find a way to find out about Jediel’s biological father without asking Lady Veronia!’

The time he had to pretend to focus on the fire suppression system while hiding his true feelings was painful. The time he couldn’t show his emotions while Veronia, whom he missed so much even just looking at her, was right in front of him was agonizing.

Still, time steadily passed.

After specific installation locations and schedules were determined, the meeting finally ended.

In the office of Onyx, the vice guild master of the Information Guild. Onyx was receiving a report on the investigation results regarding Duke Killian Drea.

The Chancellor was reportedly pushing forward with the nationalization of orphanages and the practical application of magical tools.

‘That means… this person is definitely interested in Jediel and Nia.’

Onyx fell into deep thought, tapping his temple with his finger. It was a habit that usually came out when he concentrated.

‘And not just interest, but great interest. To the extent of meddling with national projects to linger around them…’

But there was an unsolved question. The fact that Killian was interested in Nia and Jediel, but didn’t yet know their true identities.

‘He can be that interested without knowing their true identities? What’s he seeing? Why, for what reason…?’

The subordinate standing in front of Onyx continued his report.

“We received a request to expand the scope of investigation, which was originally limited to domestic matters, to include foreign countries. He asked us to investigate even the countries bordering ours.”

“…I see. Understood. Good work.”

The subordinate who finished reporting left the office immediately. Left alone, Onyx carefully examined the documents the subordinate had left.

‘It’s the behavior of someone who knows something… but he actually doesn’t know?’

No matter how much he thought about it, it didn’t add up.

The puzzle that wouldn’t easily solve irritated Onyx. An inexplicable annoyance welled up.

‘Why am I like this? Why am I suddenly getting annoyed?’

He paused for a moment, puzzled by his own behavior.

When solving a puzzle that wasn’t going well, a change of mood was necessary. He felt he might find a clue if he went to see Veronia.

‘Wait… It’s not a puzzle I necessarily have to solve…’

Onyx was quite a rational person. He knew well how to exclude emotions from any task. But strangely, it wasn’t easy when it came to matters related to Veronia.

He didn’t know the reason himself.

‘Well, it was such a massive request… Is it natural?’

It was a request to fake the death of a princess and help her escape. It was a request that required deceiving the entire nation and history. It was the largest request Onyx had ever taken on, so he had invested the most effort.

‘Right. There’s no puzzle in the world that doesn’t need to be solved. If it’s a puzzle, someone should naturally step up to solve it. That’s the fun of it.’

Onyx stood up abruptly. He thought of meeting Veronia after a long time to gauge her mood.

‘It seems she sometimes visits the annex due to Magic Tower Research Institute work, I should ask if there’s been anything unusual.’

Onyx moved his feet quickly. Perhaps because he thought he might grasp a clue to this puzzle when he met her, he felt the corners of his mouth loosening for no reason.

After the meeting, Killian left the research institute building with Veronia, leaving behind the director’s booming farewell.

“How about riding in my carriage together? I have more to ask.”

Proud of successfully asking naturally, Killian waited for her answer. But Veronia showed reluctance.

It was understandable. She had no intention of exposing her home to him. She couldn’t let him meet Jediel who would be at home.

As Veronia was hesitating, unable to give an immediate answer, a voice called out to her.

“Nia!”

Onyx was walking towards them, waving his hand. Suddenly, Veronia’s expression brightened.

She even felt grateful to Onyx for saving her from an awkward situation.

Meanwhile, Killian, who witnessed her change of expression right beside her, felt his heart sink.

‘She smiles so brightly at that guy. Who on earth is he?’

A spark flashed in Killian’s eyes as his sharp gaze turned towards Onyx.

‘That guy… I met him at Jediel’s kindergarten! He was also there at the market where I first met Jediel… Who is he to keep appearing?’

Judging by how often they were together, they seemed to be very close.

‘Are they just friends? Or lovers? Or… Jediel’s biological father?’

As his thoughts reached that point, Killian’s head spun and he felt dizzy. And the very next moment, a fire blazed in his chest.

Somehow, he felt his fighting spirit ignite.