The captain of the Imperial Second Knight Order bowed his head before Sandra and Tate.

“I greet Your Majesty the Empress Dowager and Your Highness the Prince.”

“Welcome, Lord Ryan. I, I have called you here because I have a special instruction for you.”

“Please command me, Your Majesty.”

“I would like you to immediately search for and find the silver-haired healer.”

“Do you mean the healer who saved the child hit by a carriage in the square during the festival?”

“That’s right. You know well. I had entrusted the task to Duke Drea, but there has been no progress on the matter.”

Sandra’s brow furrowed deeply as she mentioned Killian.

Sandra thought he was originally displeasing, but recently he had become even more irritating. She was disgruntled because he, who was not only capable but also skilled, seemed to show no sincerity in this matter.

The knight captain bowed his head again and replied.

“I will obey your command, Your Majesty.”

“Proceed without limiting manpower or budget. Of course, I will provide the budget and ensure proper compensation. The goal is to secure that silver-haired healer as quickly as possible.”

“……”

“The sooner the better, even if it’s just one day or one hour earlier!”

“I will obey your command, Your Majesty.”

As the knight captain left, only Sandra and Tate remained in the reception room.

“What do you intend to do with that healer once found, Mother?”

“Didn’t Caspian suffer disgrace because of that incident?”

“It was truly unfortunate.”

“Indeed. So I thought it might create quite a good image if Caspian personally commends the healer’s merit and bestows an enormous reward.”

“Ah… So you had such a profound intention! It’s a great idea, Mother.”

Sandra’s mood seemed to improve at Tate’s agreement, as the wrinkles between her brows gradually faded.

“Tate, do you think so too?”

“Yes, Mother. If there’s anything I can do to help, please just say the word.”

Sandra’s mood improved even more at Tate’s demure response, and she even smiled slightly now.

“Then, could you closely observe where Duke Drea has been spending his time lately and what he’s been doing? His recent behavior has been quite irritating to me.”

Tate nodded willingly at Sandra’s request.

“Of course, Mother. I will double the surveillance personnel and look into it.”

“As expected, you’re the only child I can rely on, Tate. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. I’m just glad to be of help to you, Mother.”

Tate’s eyes gleamed strangely as he smiled at Sandra.

It was when Veronia, having finished preparing for work, was about to leave the bedroom. A tapping sound was heard from the window, tap tap, tap tap. It was a messenger bird.

There was only one person who would send her a messenger bird – Onyx.

‘What could it be?’

Veronia deftly untied the letter attached to the bird’s leg and immediately checked its contents. The letter was indeed from Onyx, and the content was about the client of the magic tool workshop he had mentioned before being Killian.

Her pupils shook precariously as she read down the letter, and her heart pounded violently.

‘This can’t be! The person who requested that magic tool production was indeed Killian. Killian knew everything from the beginning!’

Her slender hand holding the letter trembled. All strength drained from her body, leaving her without the strength to stand. She collapsed into a chair and buried her face in her hands.

Killian had indeed pretended not to know after seeing her true self. She felt foolish for having been completely deceived without realizing it.

As the worst-case scenario she had anticipated became reality, her mind went blank. It had been a terrible situation even when she had only vaguely anticipated it, but now that it was real, she didn’t want to believe it.

‘What should I do? Now… what should I do?’

She tried to somehow turn her emptied mind, but it wasn’t easy. She felt dizzy and nauseous.

‘Calm down, Veronia! It’s not over yet. Let’s calm down first and think about what’s next.’

She took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling, trying to compose herself. After all, worrying with an anxious mind wouldn’t solve anything.

Perhaps thanks to the deep breathing, her mind seemed to be clearing little by little.

‘Right, let’s pack first. Prepare to run away. And then…’

The next step was blank again. Veronia decided to get up for now. As she moved her body, doing things step by step as they came to mind, other ideas might occur to her.

‘Let’s start packing for now. I’ll think about the next step when the time comes.’

She stood up. But her body, shocked, lost strength and staggered. Still, gritting her teeth, she moved slowly and managed to pull out a bag.

She began to sort out the necessary items and hastily put them in. Her weakened hands kept slipping, but the bag was gradually being filled. And at the same time, her head was slowly regaining its function.

‘After packing everything, let’s go to the kindergarten and pick up Jediel. And then… Ah, right. I need to tell Grandmother and Grandfather too…’

Since the day she had asked Onyx to look for a new place, she had been planning to tell Louisa and Hugo as well, watching for an opportunity. But not knowing how to broach the subject, she had postponed it until today.

‘For now, it might be better to move with just Jediel today, and then later ask Onyx to arrange a meeting with Grandmother and Grandfather.’

In any case, she needed to leave this place as soon as possible. To a place beyond Killian’s eyes and ears, beyond his reach.

‘But is there really such a place?’

No matter how much she racked her brain and tried, the fear that it might all still be in the palm of his hand occupied her mind and body. But just as she was shaking her head vigorously to shake off the fear, it happened.

Knock knock knock, a knocking sound louder than thunder was heard.

‘Gasp!’

Veronia swallowed a gasp and stared at the door without answering. Thump thump, her heartbeat accelerated as if sensing something ominous.

There was no sound from outside the door either. And the very next moment, the door swung open. And there stood Killian.

“Nia?”

His voice calling her name was so soft it gave her goosebumps. Although Veronia was shocked to the point of fainting at his sudden appearance, she tried hard to maintain a calm expression. She couldn’t let him see that she was trembling with fear.

She fixed her gaze on Killian as he entered the room and slowly moved her lips.

“…What brings Your Excellency here so early in the morning?”

“I went to the research institute, but they said it wasn’t a work day, so I came to your home.”

“Do you have something to say?”

Veronia asked carefully, trying not to let her voice tremble. But instead of answering her question, Killian picked up the letter carelessly placed on the table. Seeing this, Veronia screamed inwardly.

She should have rushed over right now to stop him. She should have snatched the letter away so he couldn’t see its contents. But her tense muscles didn’t respond at all to the commands her brain was issuing.

“Oh my…”

A sigh escaped Killian’s lips as he skimmed through the letter. It was a low, dry voice. His straight black eyebrows twitched, and his winter sea-cold blue eyes stared at her penetratingly.

“I… have been discovered, Princess Veronia.”

“Ah, ugh…”

As her real name came out of Killian’s mouth, a strange sound that was neither a sigh nor a scream flowed from Veronia’s lips. Their gazes tangled chaotically in the air.

Killian approached right in front of her and knelt on one knee. It was a respectful attitude of a subject addressing their sovereign.

Veronia’s eyes widened at Killian’s eye level suddenly lowered. But Killian’s expression was utterly calm. He took her delicate hand that was trembling pitifully. And he kissed the back of that hand.

“It’s been 5 years since I last saw you, Princess Veronia.”

“Ugh…”

Both her pupils looking down at Killian and his pupils looking up at Veronia were trembling pitifully.

Veronia barely managed to pull her hand away from his grasp and spoke as if spitting out the words.

“Let… me go.”

Killian lowered the hand that had been left floating in the air after losing her hand and stood up. Then he spoke in a clear, articulate voice.

“If I had intended to let you go, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place, Your Highness. Please withdraw your order.”

He spoke the sentence of firm refusal in the most polite tone. Veronia thought the stark contrast was bizarre. It was enough to make the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

Veronia, grasping at straws, brought up the child’s name.

“Please let me go, for Jediel’s sake if nothing else.”

At the child’s name, Killian’s pupils wavered for a moment. But immediately composing his expression, he narrowed the space between his eyebrows and spoke in a cold tone.

“It’s for Jediel’s sake that I cannot let you go, Your Highness.”

“……”

“Jediel is… Your Highness and my child, is he not?”

“Th-that…”

Veronia’s heart fell to the floor with a thud. She should have said no. She should have flatly denied it.

There was no evidence to prove that Jediel was Killian’s child. It wasn’t a world where paternity tests could be easily done. So there was no way he could have said that with 100 percent certainty.

But though her lips moved, no voice came out.

It was because Killian was looking at her with eyes full of certainty. It was because the guilt that had been weighing her down all this time was now blocking her throat with all its might.

“……”

“……”

In the heavy silence that settled, their gazes chased and were chased by each other, mixing wildly.