The High Priest was taken aback by Killian’s question. Understandably so, as there had been no newborn children in the imperial family recently, and Killian himself was unmarried and had no children either.

The High Priest pursed his lips and pondered for a moment. But the time for deliberation was short. Sitting before him was Duke Killian Drea. He was one of the most trustworthy figures among both royalty and nobility.

The High Priest’s mouth slowly opened.

“We use a drug made from a combination of the father’s blood, holy water, and specific herbs. The drug is injected into the child’s body using a needle.”

“…”

“If there’s no adverse reaction, the child is indeed the father’s offspring. If there’s an adverse reaction, they are not.”

Having finished his explanation, the High Priest quietly looked at Killian.

“What kind of adverse reactions occur?”

“Well… fever can spike, they might vomit blood, have seizures and lose consciousness. Of course, all three can occur together.”

Killian’s eyes widened in disbelief at the High Priest’s answer. These were terrible symptoms for a young child to endure.

The High Priest continued his explanation.

“In about half the cases, the symptoms become extremely severe. In the worst cases, the child may be left disabled or even lose their life.”

“Haa…”

A sigh mixed with exclamation escaped Killian’s parted lips. Goosebumps rose on his arms.

‘A 50% chance of disability or death if they’re not the true child! What is this… pinning a crime on an innocent child!’

Seeing Killian’s distorted face, the High Priest nodded as if understanding him. Most people reacted similarly when hearing about the imperial family’s method of confirming parentage.

“It’s a selfish method to maintain the purity of the imperial bloodline.”

“Is there no other way to confirm parentage? A method that doesn’t threaten the child’s health or life?”

Killian asked the High Priest, looking at him as if grasping at straws. Meeting Killian’s desperate gaze, the High Priest slowly shook his head.

“Not that I know of. I hope such a method is developed soon.”

“…”

Killian despaired. He couldn’t put Jediel in danger just to alleviate his own doubts.

‘Does this mean there’s truly no way to know who Jediel’s father is without asking Her Highness the Imperial Princess?’

It meant he had no choice but to give up, as he couldn’t ask her either. Everything seemed dark before his eyes.

‘Well… maybe it doesn’t matter who Jediel’s father is. As long as I can stay by Veronia’s side.’

As he left the High Priest’s quarters, Killian made a resolution. To stop questioning who Jediel’s father was. To focus on winning Veronia’s heart. That was the only way for him to survive.

It was the day of the preliminary site inspection for potential fire suppression system installations. From the Magic Tower Research Institute, Veronia and Director Judith were present, while from the Imperial Administration, Killian, Windler, and Windler’s assistant joined.

Judith and Veronia seemed surprised by Killian’s presence.

“Does the Chancellor himself participate in preliminary inspections as well? Surely you could delegate such tasks to your subordinates.”

It was Windler who answered Judith’s question, not Killian. He spoke proudly, as if to say she didn’t know what she was talking about.

“The Chancellor prefers to be hands-on in the initial planning stages of any project. He believes that plans made solely behind a desk cannot be trusted.”

“Oh, what an excellent mindset! As expected of the Chancellor whom everyone looks up to!”

Judith nodded vigorously, looking at Killian with admiration. Seemingly uncomfortable with the focused attention, an awkward smile played on Killian’s lips.

A brief silence fell in the carriage, but fortunately, Windler quickly broke it.

“We plan to visit five orphanages within the capital. Given their locations, it will be a tight schedule with considerable travel time.”

Clop, clop-

As the carriage began to move, Windler spoke while scanning his notebook.

“Our first destination is Melling Orphanage. It’s a fairly large wooden building constructed 50 years ago, with a capacity of around 100 children.”

Windler’s explanation continued for a while longer, and the group in the carriage focused on his voice. When he finished, an excited Judith spoke with sparkling eyes.

“I heard that His Majesty the Emperor is considering this project as a national initiative. It’s truly an honor for our Magic Tower Research Institute.”

Hearing her excited comments, Windler smiled gently and spoke in a modest, calm tone.

“Wasn’t it your institute that initially proposed this project? I hope we can work together to achieve good results.”

“That’s right! It all started with our Nia’s planning skills. She’s truly an invaluable talent we can’t do without!”

Hohoho, Judith raised her voice, unable to contain her excitement. At her remarks emphasizing only the Magic Tower Research Institute’s contributions, an urgent look crossed Windler’s face. It seemed he was finding it difficult to maintain his modesty any longer.

“It’s certainly an excellent plan. But the one who packaged it well and presented it to His Majesty was of course… our Chancellor.”

“Oh my, of course. But without the initial plan, there would have been nothing to present to His Majesty, right?”

“What the…!”

What had started as a pleasant conversation was gradually turning into a battle of wills. Fortunately, before the argument could escalate, the carriage arrived at its destination.

As he got out of the carriage, Killian reflexively extended his hand to help Veronia. However, the one who eagerly grasped his hand was not Veronia, but Judith.

“Oh my, thank you. The Chancellor is such a considerate person!”

“…”

Judith beamed with a wide grin, her face flushing. Her face turned as red as her hair. Killian unconsciously tried to withdraw his hand, but Judith’s grip was surprisingly strong.

In the end, Killian had to suppress his disappointment as he watched Veronia get out of the carriage on her own.

The orphanage director greeted the inspection party. She was a tall, thin middle-aged woman.

“Welcome, Chancellor and everyone.”

The group followed the director’s lead, examining various parts of the orphanage. Although it was a 50-year-old building, it wasn’t as dilapidated as one might expect, thanks to good maintenance.

“It would be good to install twice as many fire suppression devices in the kitchen where fire is used and in the living areas where children spend most of their nighttime hours.”

Judith spoke as she keenly observed various parts of the building, and Veronia nodded in agreement.

Killian gazed at Veronia’s profile.

He felt pathetic that he couldn’t naturally strike up a conversation or easily hold her hand, even though she was within arm’s reach. He felt desperate, as if this short distance between them would never close.

It was when the director had momentarily stepped away. As they stood in the hallway waiting for the director to return, two children came running down the corridor at full speed, making a clattering noise.

“Hey! Stop right there!”

“No way! Would you stop if you were me?”

The children rushed through the gaps between the adults without slowing down. But the child in the lead stumbled and crashed into a shelf with a bang.

“Oof!”

The impact was strong enough to shake the entire shelf, and the objects filling it rattled loudly.

Veronia, who was standing in front of it, quickly embraced the child who was about to fall. Because of this, she didn’t notice the objects falling from the shelf.

“Watch out!”

“Ah…!”

Killian swiftly extended his arms to embrace Veronia and the child.

Thud!

Storage boxes and thick books came tumbling down all at once. But thanks to Killian’s quick reaction, fortunately, no one was hurt.

“Are you alright?”

Killian asked, looking down at Veronia in his arms. Only then did Veronia open her eyes, which she had squeezed shut, and looked up at him.

And belatedly realizing that she was in his arms, she quickly stepped back. The child, the culprit of this accident, had already fled.

“Thank you, Your Excellency.”

Thump thump, Veronia’s heart trembled.

It wasn’t clear whether she was startled by the sudden accident or by ending up in Killian’s arms, but she momentarily felt dazed. Because of this, she didn’t notice that her hood, which she always wore, had fallen off.

Seeing her face for the first time, Windler’s eyes widened. Her face, freed from the shadow of the hood, seemed oddly familiar.

‘I’m sure I’ve seen this face somewhere before… But who was it? Who does she resemble?’

It was frustratingly on the tip of his tongue. No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn’t immediately recall the person.

‘…Or not?’

Perhaps it was just his imagination. Windler recalled that he had never seen a woman with burn scars before and concluded it must be a simple misunderstanding.

Still, just in case, Windler was tilting his head and staring intently at Veronia when the director hurriedly ran up to them.

“Oh dear! I’ve told them not to run indoors! I’m so sorry. Is anyone hurt?”

The director flushed red and fidgeted nervously at the mess the children had created. Killian answered in a somewhat dry voice.

“No one is hurt. But I wonder if there might be a shortage of staff to supervise the children.”

“Ah, that’s…”

Unable to find words to refute, the director trailed off. As if admitting fault. Killian continued.

“And it would be better to avoid placing shelves in the corridors. If you must place shelves in the hallway, I recommend putting heavy objects on the lower shelves.”

“Yes, yes! Your words are most wise, Your Excellency!”

The director kept bowing and nodding her head.

While Killian and the director were conversing, Veronia, belatedly realizing her exposed face, quickly put her hood back on. Windler’s narrowed eyes, centered on his pupils, sparkled as they caught this scene.