The strength left Viscountess Himierd’s hands. Had she not instinctively clenched her jaw and tensed her entire body, she might have collapsed on the spot.

Ord noticed her severe agitation but pretended not to, staring with sunken eyes wide open. That silence was the cruelest thing of all.

Perhaps it would have been better for Himierd if he had laughed loudly or even mocked her.

Ord spoke.

“Why? Are you not pleased?”

A smile that could be called vicious appeared on his lips. Himierd realized this was Ord’s trap, but… It was too late to realize now. What use was regret after already being caught?

“…Why would I not be pleased?”

Himierd answered, bowing her head. However, her face remained noticeably pale and rigid, a sight Ord would not miss.

He was still smiling. Like a mischievous child tearing off a bug’s wings for fun.

“Yes, you should be pleased. That’s only right. But what about your true feelings? Are you truly saying you’re pleased? Or are you answering as I demand, wanting to quickly leave and think things over? Tell me, Viscountess.”

Himierd remained silent. Worry, anger, and humiliation slowly appeared on her shadowed face. This delighted Ord even more. His wide-open eyes glistened, but it was merely the physiology of a sick person, not an expression of emotion.

“How could you possibly be pleased?”

The mocking words flew and struck Himierd’s shoulders. She stood firm without flinching, but her knees beneath her dress skirt were trembling as if about to collapse.

The patterns on the carpet visible in her downcast gaze seemed to writhe and sway. They tangled and untangled amongst themselves, then mixed again.

In that illusion, Himierd suddenly thought of Eustar and Laila. Her stomach tightened, and nausea welled up.

“Viscountess, no matter how much you try, Kristrad will firmly hold her place as Eustar’s wife. The Hyanmorik bloodline will continue through that witch, so you need not worry about the stability of the royal family anymore.”

At those words, Himierd finally raised her head to look directly at Ord. As if poisoned by lead, her once beautiful face had turned sickly green and dark. Her chest and shoulders were shaking wildly.

“Your Majesty, I…”

“Get out.”

Ord suddenly waved his hand dismissively, as if he had lost all interest. He didn’t even look at Himierd.

Feeling insulted two, three times over, Himierd unconsciously crumpled the corner of the paper she was holding with all her might.

“Your Majesty.”

“Did you not hear me tell you to leave?”

Himierd stared at the writhing carpet patterns for a long time before striding out of the king’s bedroom, cutting through the air with her shoulders. She didn’t even bow.

Even outside, she still found it difficult to breathe. Her clenched fist trembled, and her fingers tingled as if cramped, but she couldn’t relax them.

What had she just heard? Was this a nightmare? She almost wished it were a terrible nightmare. Even if she were already dead and could never wake from this dream, rather that…

— The Hyanmorik bloodline will continue through that witch, so you need not worry about the stability of the royal family anymore.

Ord’s cold voice, mixed with mockery, kept slapping at her ears, refusing to leave. Himierd’s face lost all color, then turned sickly pale, then flushed dark red with blood, repeatedly becoming mottled. Anger, heartbreak, anxiety, and betrayal. All the emotions she never wanted to face were rampaging like madmen freed from prison.

While being trampled by them, it was Himierd herself who was unleashing their chains.

— The Hyanmorik bloodline will continue through that witch.

‘Ah, please stop.’

Himierd’s knees finally gave out as she clutched her head. Her eyes were bloodshot as she collapsed against a pillar.

She had admired and cherished Eustar. That was undoubtedly true, but as she had said, she did not push that feeling to desire entanglement with Eustar as a man and woman.

No, that’s not right. There was desire. It’s a lie to say there wasn’t. Even one night would have been fine. Even just once, she wanted to touch his hand.

There were several times when she had cut off visits to the royal palace for a while, unable to contain that burning impulse. She was married then, though without love.

As a married woman, Himierd could not commit adultery with Eustar. The thought of sullying his nobility with her own ugly desires was unthinkable.

After her husband died and she became a widow, she returned to her original family name of Himierd without remarrying and inherited the viscounty. Around that time, Ord began to fall ill.

Himierd keenly realized what she needed to do for Eustar. She deeply hid the love she had for him, the affection she wanted to show even if it meant baring her heart, knowing it would not be reciprocated.

She had a new goal. The goal of having Eustar succeed to the throne instead of the sick and maddening Ord Hyanmorik.

And the goal of having him take a lady worthy of any place as his queen, to make this country once again a peaceful and gentle nation, a prosperous nation…

Not the witch. Himierd thought. Any woman, even if they had to make a pig-herding woman from a rural farm the queen, but Laila could not be allowed.

A witch is the closest being to a devil. The first witch was created by the hand of a devil. Though said to be just a legend, Himierd believed it to be true.

She knew about the terrible tragedy that had occurred in the royal family when she was young.

It wasn’t even a secret, as everyone whispered about the death of the previous king and queen. The shameful incident that had deeply disgraced the Sierow royal family could not be repeated.

‘I cannot let His Highness the Prince go through such a thing again.’

Himierd believed Laila would make Eustar unhappy. Many others had similar thoughts.

Some people even avoided Laila inconspicuously when she appeared. Though knowing it was rude behavior, Himierd understood them rather than Laila.

A witch. How could anyone accept such a thing?

‘I must go to His Highness the Prince.’

Himierd raised her weakened body, propping herself against the pillar with hollow eyes. As she staggered, the documents she had been clutching slipped and fell to the floor. But she didn’t even think to pick them up.

‘I must go to His Highness the Prince. Before he falls deeper for that witch… I must speak to him. Even if he kills me, it can’t be helped. A witch cannot be. The woman by his side, bearing his children, cannot be a witch. A witch will surely give birth to witches. I cannot let that happen.’

It was when Himierd had barely taken a couple of steps. Her vision spun, and her body tilted to the side. She knew she was falling but couldn’t control it.

That’s when it happened. Himierd’s body, about to hit the floor, bumped into someone’s hand.

Though she avoided sprawling on the ground, Himierd felt something eerie. It was as if a sharp awl had pierced near her heart and withdrawn.

“Are you alright, Viscountess?”

It was Baso’s voice. Himierd took a long breath, then moved away from his hand, pressing her fist against her chest where the pain had quickly disappeared.

“I’m fine.”

However, her vision was still dizzy, making it difficult to take a step right away. As Himierd squeezed her eyes shut and took deep breaths, Baso’s voice came from right in front of her.

“It might be fortunate that Lady Kristrad is by His Highness the Prince’s side.”

Himierd, who had been standing still, looked up and glared at Baso a beat late. Her eyes looked as if she might raise her hand and slap his cheek right then.

“…Nothing related to the devil can be allowed to set foot in this palace, in this country again. I’m appalled, Baso. You of all people? I was young then. But you saw the entire horrific scene. Didn’t you?”

“Of course I saw it. How could I forget that day? Even now, I dream of that day. I see the bulging eyes of the late King and Queen lying in a sea of blood.”

“And yet you defend Laila Kristrad? I’m dumbfounded.”

“Lady Kristrad is indeed of witch’s blood, but she has been helpful to Lord Eustar in many ways.”

Himierd let out a nervous sneer.

“You and surely His Majesty may want to believe that. But not me. A witch bearing His Highness the Prince’s child, it’s unthinkable.”

“…Is that so. If that’s your opinion, Viscountess.”

Baso took a step back. Himierd, not hiding her displeased expression, quickly grabbed her dress skirt and walked rapidly towards Eustar’s quarters.

Watching her retreating figure, Baso looked down at the scattered documents on the floor and muttered quietly to himself.

“I said there’s an appropriate time for everything. Even the Viscountess isn’t that clever, it seems.”

A piece of paper crumpled under his shoe with a rustle.

Himierd did not find the two in Eustar’s quarters, or even in Laila’s quarters.

They had been in bed until quite late, but suddenly a call came from Branch 1, and they had no choice but to rush out. It was truly a narrow miss.

Byron Rogardus, the head of Branch 1 Romul, still had a thick voice and a sturdy build. His short hair remained unchanged, just as when he was the captain of the Royal Guard.

With his tree trunk-like thick arms folded, he was looking at a floating screen with a serious expression. Beside him were Eustar and Laila, along with Byron’s adjutant and several knights.

“Your Highness, can you see clearly?”

Eustar nodded at Byron’s question. In the center of the blurry, shaking screen was a sync.

It was small, and the energy flow didn’t look very threatening, but there was a problem. Large and small magical beasts were swarming around the sync like a swarm of bees.

Yuan, Byron’s adjutant, wrinkled her freckled nose bridge and shuddered.

“It’s not like a cockroach infestation, but they keep coming no matter how many we get rid of. We’ve set up barriers, but they’re useless. All kinds of magical beasts are gathering, and inevitably one of them breaks through the barrier.”