Chapter 08
“I was wondering why that young lady seemed familiar… She must’ve been seriously injured in that fire accident, right?”
“Fire accident?”
“Yeah, the reason we met today, and the incident that earned me the nickname ‘the cursed crown prince.’”
“Weren’t there many who were badly hurt in that accident?”
“There were. But she was especially severe. She came back completely charred.”
“Charred?”
“Yeah. I know it’s a strange comparison, but she looked like a piece of firewood that had been roasted for hours. The Imperial Palace even sent priests from the Holy Nation just for her, I think?”
“Burned, you said?”
“Yeah. Oh, and now that I think about it, I remembered something else. Since we were heading to the Forest of Mist today, I reread the old incident report. It said that young lady was found in a very strange place in the mansion.”
“A strange place?”
“Yeah, completely separate from where the other noble children were. Some speculated that because she was such a quiet child, she couldn’t blend in with the others and ended up alone—hence the accident.”
Alendo shrugged.
“But you’re really interested in that young lady? I’ve never seen you like this before. For the master of the Magic Tower to show interest in a noblewoman…”
Ignoring the crown prince’s remark, Carlton recalled the young woman he met today—Belia.
The violet mark on her nape was unmistakably the mark of Bain.
Carlton touched his left arm.
He had the same mark. There was no way he’d be mistaken.
But why would a noble lady with no known connection to the Empire bear that mark?
“Can you look into her?”
“Which part exactly?”
“See if there’s any link between her and black magic.”
“Wait—so the reason you’re so interested is because you think she might be connected to black magic?”
The crown prince asked curiously, but Carlton didn’t respond. He simply picked up his pace.
As Alendo tried to match his stride, tilting his head in puzzlement, a misty forest appeared before them.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Alright, got it. I’ll look into it after we’re done with today’s business.”
* * *
“Young lady! Young lady! You’ve been named Lady of the Year, and you’re just going to sleep through it?!”
“Me?”
At the loud voice waking her up, Belia groaned and sat up in bed.
With a dazed expression and a hand on her forehead, she blinked as Su, still brimming with excitement, shouted again:
“Yes, yes! It’s you, my lady!”
Watching Su rejoice as if it were her own achievement, Belia absentmindedly ran her fingers through her hair.
“The Tower Master…”
She had fallen asleep only in the early morning hours, tossing and turning over the identity of the Tower Master and the strange vision she’d seen.
What was that illusion really? Could it have been the memory she lost at age eight?
But the only thing she remembered from that time was the fire. She couldn’t have met a boy like that.
There was no way the Tower Master would’ve been present at an event meant solely for noble children.
The more she thought about it, the more confused she became.
“You’re the Lady of the Year, my lady! But why did you leave the banquet so early last night? They called your name, and you weren’t there! The whole hall went awkwardly silent!”
Su remembered how the madam had returned from the banquet smiling from ear to ear.
“Ah, I was named Lady of the Year?”
Belia, pulling herself out of her thoughts, asked.
“Yes! Honestly, most people thought the Doltan family’s young lady would win. But you stole the spotlight! You really looked like an angel last night!”
Su clasped her hands together and gushed with admiration.
“I should boast to that Doltan duchess’s maid next time!”
She clenched her fists, recalling how the maids from the Doltan duchy would subtly look down on Belia at every monthly maid gathering, acting as if their ducal house was superior to Belia’s long-standing marquisate.
Now, Su swore to put them in their place.
“Really? That’s kind of surprising.”
Belia answered absentmindedly and got out of bed.
Her tangled hair betrayed the restlessness of her sleep.
She rubbed her dry, tired eyes.
The Lady of the Year was chosen by vote.
Maids stationed throughout the hall would have handed out ballots to the noble guests.
“The future has changed.”
Belia nodded. Well, it wasn’t a bad change.
She wasn’t especially thrilled, but the thought of Sonb made her feel good.
She’d humiliated those who tried to mess with her friend. That alone was satisfying.
It was just a shame she didn’t get to see their faces when it happened.
“But my lady, were you hot last night?”
Su asked with wide eyes.
She had noticed how Belia’s nightgown was soaked in sweat.
“Ah… yeah.”
Belia replied vaguely. Her body trembled slightly.
The cold sweat from the night had probably given her a chill.
“Help me!”
Her desperate scream had been part of a nightmare.
Even after four deaths, it was still difficult to adjust to dying repeatedly in her dreams.
“Would you like to bathe? I’ve already heated the water… Should we stop lighting the fireplace starting tomorrow?”
“But our rooms are connected. If we don’t light it, you’ll catch a cold. You’re sensitive to the cold, remember?”
“My lady…”
Su looked touched by her words.
She came closer, teary-eyed.
“Enough with the tears. I’ll go bathe. Can you change the bedding for me?”
“Of course! And you’re attending the luncheon today, right?”
“Luncheon?”
“Yes! Don’t you remember? Today’s the day!”
“Ah…”
Belia fell silent.
It seemed today was the monthly family luncheon.
“I was thinking of skipping…”
“But you’re the Lady of the Year now! You have to go! The marquis will be there, and both the eldest and youngest sons too!”
“Sigh…”
She didn’t feel up to it, but she knew her mother would be disappointed if she didn’t show.
Her mother longed to build stronger family ties and would surely be saddened if she didn’t come.
“Alright. I’ll bathe first, then.”
Su helped dress Belia after her bath.
“From Feltrom Salon?”
“Yes!”
A sky-blue chiffon dress gently draped over Belia’s figure.
“A letter came this morning! They say they must meet with you!”
“Why?”
“The letter didn’t say exactly… just that it was very important and they needed to speak with you in person.”
“Really?”
“Yes!”
Belia looked at herself in the mirror, adjusting her hair.
“It’s probably about the dress…”
“Huh?”
“Can you send a reply for me? Tell them to come by the estate tomorrow morning.”
“Got it!”
“Good. We still have time, right?”
“Hmm, about thirty minutes.”
“Great. You stay here. I need to make a quick stop before the luncheon.”
“Where are you going?”
“Oh, just somewhere. And could you bring some bread to the table?”
“Bread? Is someone visiting?”
“No, just me.”
“You’re going to eat now? But you’re heading to a luncheon.”
“Lately, I’ve been getting peckish more often. Bring some juice too. You go about your errands. I’ll be back.”
“I’ll come with you!”
“No need. It’s the same house we walk around in every day. I’ll go alone.”
With that, Belia opened the door and left.
“Oh, my lady! One more thing—the madam has asked us to pay extra attention to your tonic, so it may taste a little different today.”
“Ah, I see. Thank you, Tollo.”
Belia gave a faint smile and closed the door.
Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Walking through the neatly kept white hallway, she fell deep into thought.
“It’s likely a repressed memory.”
She recalled what the physician had told her.
“If that illusion last night was truly a suppressed memory…”
She hadn’t found any clue about the accident during her three previous regressions.
Her memory of it was completely blank, and only Rene’s testimony remained.
“Did I really meet Carlton, the Tower Master, back then?”
The incident took place during an event for the crown prince’s birthday—an event where many children from prominent noble families were injured.
It was one of the most notorious incidents in the Empire, and the Imperial Palace was harshly criticized.
The cause of the fire was never revealed. Because it burned for so long, the crown prince was labeled as cursed.
“Strange…”
Belia stopped walking.
If she had really met him during that event, the timing didn’t make sense.
The mansion had gone up in flames in an instant, and she had been rescued just two hours later.
It was said she had been so severely injured that even breathing was a miracle—yet in the vision, she had looked fine.
“Was I mistaken? But… it really did look like that mansion. Though, I’ve only seen it in books, so I can’t be sure…”
In frustration, Belia ruffled her hair.
