Episode 164

“Your Highness, may I use the royal library again today?”

“Yes, let’s go together this time as well.”

“Thank you.”

Everything was going according to my plan so far.

There was only one final step left.

I reassured myself that it would work, just like it had with Lloydin. But because of the importance of the task, I couldn’t help but feel nervous and uneasy.

‘Just like that day,’ I reminded myself, trying to stay calm by recalling the situation from before.

I was about to stand up when the Crown Prince, with a look as if he had just remembered something, suddenly spoke.

“Oh, I almost forgot. I have something to tell you before we go to the library.”

“What is it?”

I paused, sitting back down on the sofa.

“I will be absent from the palace starting tomorrow.”

“Absent from the palace?”

“Yes. I plan to visit the border of the Black Forest to check on the morale and progress of the subjugation forces.”

“Ah, I see…”

“The royal library won’t be available for a while, so it would be best to make full use of it today.”

“Understood.”

On the surface, I answered calmly, but inwardly, I wasn’t.

His sudden announcement that he would be leaving tomorrow filled me with anxiety.

If the Crown Prince left for the border, I wouldn’t have a chance to meet him for quite some time.

And without seeing him, there would be no opportunity for contact.

In other words, if I failed today, there might not be another chance for a long time—perhaps never.

No, I was certain there wouldn’t be a next time.

That’s why I had to succeed today.

The weight of urgency pressed down on my shoulders, but it only strengthened my resolve.

I focused intensely, waiting for the Crown Prince to rise.

But just as I expected him to stand, he spoke again, breaking my concentration.

“Aren’t you going to wish me a safe trip?”

“Pardon?”

His unexpected comment shattered the tension I had built up inside me.

Losing focus twice in a row irritated me, but I didn’t let it show on my face.

Feigning ignorance, I responded to the Crown Prince.

“I would like to hear those words from you,” he pressed, clearly intent on hearing them from me.

‘Seriously?’

What did it matter? There was no sincerity behind such words anyway.

Besides, I had no desire for the Crown Prince to return safely. In fact, if something were to happen to him out there, it would certainly be a good opportunity for me.

But I wasn’t foolish enough to reveal such thoughts.

And now wasn’t the time to get caught up in trivial matters.

“…I wish you a safe trip.”

I reluctantly spat out the words he wanted to hear.

“Thank you. I will return safely.”

The Crown Prince smiled, seemingly pleased with my response.

“Shall we head to the royal library now?”

“Yes.”

Finally, the moment had arrived.

As I stood up from the sofa, I suddenly staggered and fell back into my seat.

“Ah…”

“Lady Anaïs, what’s wrong?”

Holding my head, I let out a groan, causing the Crown Prince to approach me with concern.

“It’s nothing, really.”

I pretended to brush it off as if it were no big deal.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“…Yes. Just give me a moment.”

I pressed my hand to my forehead, furrowing my brows as if I were dizzy and disoriented.

“Is it your head?”

“It’s… when I tried to stand up, I suddenly felt dizzy.”

“Is it very bad?”

The Crown Prince asked in a worried tone.

I closed my eyes briefly, then opened them and pretended I was starting to feel better before slowly rising from my seat.

“I think I’m fine now. Let’s go.”

“…Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

With that, I passed by the Crown Prince, walking ahead of him. I could feel his eyes fixed on me as he followed.

One step, two steps, three steps.

As I neared the door, I didn’t miss the opportunity. I staggered once more, pretending to lose my balance.

“Ah…!”

As my body leaned to the side, just before I could hit the ground, the Crown Prince rushed forward and caught me.

‘Success.’

A smile of satisfaction crept across my face at the success of the contact.

But it wasn’t over yet.

I quickly erased my expression and fully immersed myself in the act.

“Lady Anaïs!”

“Ah, why does this keep happening…”

“You should rest for a moment. Let me help you back to the sofa.”

The Crown Prince began guiding me back to the room, but I lightly pushed against him as if resisting.

“No… I’m really…”

I continued to feign disorientation, replying slowly and weakly while simultaneously heightening my focus.

“You should sit and rest a little longer.”

“No, just… just a moment…”

If I sat on the sofa, the Crown Prince would likely let go of me.

To maintain the contact, I kept delaying, repeating my words, and it worked. The Crown Prince stopped leading me back to the sofa.

Taking advantage of this pause, I deepened my concentration further.

“Then I’ll wait here until you feel better.”

“…Thank you.”

With that, silence settled around us.

Taking advantage of the quiet, I poured all my concentration into diving deeper into the Crown Prince’s inner mind, rummaging through his memories.

Soon, just like when I held Noah’s hand, something began to flow into my mind.

Unlike Noah’s memories, however, countless scenes, both fast and slow, started to pass before my eyes.

‘These are the Crown Prince’s memories.’

The time I had was short. If I stayed quiet for too long, the Crown Prince would undoubtedly start talking again.

Luckily, the time flowing in reality didn’t match the time flowing in my mind. When I glimpsed Noah’s memories yesterday, the time we held hands was brief, but in my mind, it felt much longer.

It was the same this time. Thanks to this, I was able to see a long string of the Crown Prince’s past, present, and future memories in a short period.

As I sifted through his past, I didn’t see anything unusual. The background was either the imperial palace, ordinary villages, or temples.

But suddenly, a strange and unfamiliar place appeared.

‘Where is this?’

Looking around, I realized it was in the middle of a dense forest, with trees tightly packed all around.

‘Why does this place feel familiar?’

The eerie and dark atmosphere felt oddly familiar. Upon closer inspection, I recognized it as the Black Forest I had seen through Noah’s memories.

‘It’s the Black Forest.’

Yes, I was sure now.

I hadn’t recognized it at first because I’d only seen the forest’s exterior through Noah’s memory. But now, the shape of the trees and the ominous aura confirmed it—this was the Black Forest.

But why was the Crown Prince inside the Black Forest?

As I pondered that question, someone appeared before my eyes.

‘Who is that?’

Or rather… was it even a person?

As the Crown Prince came face to face with this being, I couldn’t quite tell if it was human or a monster. It had a human face and body, but nothing about it seemed ordinary.

It stood over two meters tall, with a build as large as two grown men combined.

Its hands and feet were enormous, making the glass vial in its hand appear tiny.

〈Is this it?〉 the Crown Prince asked the figure before him.

〈Yes, it is,〉 the creature replied.

The Crown Prince picked up the vial and inspected it closely. Inside, there was a small, black, pill-like object.

〈It’s a pill concentrated with magic power. When given regularly, it will slowly kill an ordinary person. And no one will be able to figure out the cause.〉

〈I see. What are your plans for the Blighton family?〉

Wait. The Blighton family?

Why were they talking about the Blighton family?

The sudden mention of “Blighton” jolted my concentration, and the images and voices began to fade.

‘Stay focused.’

I couldn’t let it end here.

I gathered my concentration again, and the scene sharpened once more.

With a sigh of relief, I listened closely to their conversation.

〈There’s no need for both of them. I’ll eliminate one.〉

〈Which one? The elder or the younger?〉

Elder and younger… They must be talking about Lloydin and Ian.

〈The younger one will be first.〉

〈You plan to make him lose control?〉

〈Yes. And I’ll keep the elder one tied up here for a long time, as long as possible. I’ve been feeling increasingly thirsty lately, and it’s getting harder to hold back.〉

The creature licked its lips as it said this.

〈Understood. I’ll pass on the message.〉

With that, the Crown Prince left the Black Forest, and the scene scattered into fragments.