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Chapter 34
“Yes. They are similar. Almost as if they were written by the same person.”
Kalid compared the old, stained document with the bloodstained paper found in the North.
Just as they suspected—
the handwriting was nearly identical.
Kalid’s whole body began to tremble.
“What… was all this for?!”
Uncontrollable anger spread through him.
Golden mana slowly began leaking out of his body.
Evan noticed the dangerous change and lowered his voice.
“Your Highness, you need to calm down.”
“Ghk… stay back.”
Evan quickly grabbed a magic tool.
He had heard the rumors about the Grand Duke.
Maybe he could block it—at least a little.
But just then—
hurried footsteps approached.
“Kalid!”
“Your Highness!”
The door burst open.
Irene entered, followed by Sebastian and several knights.
“Kalid, are you okay? Can you hear me?”
Even with the violent mana around him—
Irene didn’t hesitate at all.
She went straight to him and checked his condition.
Evan watched closely—
and noticed something unusual.
But before he could observe further—
Sebastian stepped in front of him, blocking his view.
“Master, please leave this to us. We will escort you to your room.”
“Shouldn’t you escort the lady first?”
“Sir Luke and Sir Isaac are with Lady Irene. You don’t need to worry.”
Sebastian smiled—
but his tone and eyes were firm and unyielding.
Evan suppressed his curiosity and stepped back.
“…Understood.”
As he followed Sebastian out—
he suddenly stumbled.
“Whoa!”
He almost fell—
but Sebastian quickly caught him.
“Are you alright?”
“Ah, thank you. You saved me. That surprised me.”
Evan breathed heavily, as if still shaken.
Then—
he casually glanced back.
Between the two knights blocking the view—
he saw a small gap.
Through it—
he saw Irene.
“As expected… I wasn’t mistaken.”
A satisfied smile appeared briefly on Evan’s lips—
then disappeared.
After Evan left—
Irene continued pouring healing power into Kalid.
Soon—
his condition stabilized.
“…I’m fine. My mana didn’t go out of control.”
“Then why did that happen?”
“…I was too angry. I couldn’t control myself.”
“Are you calm now?”
“Yes. But… how did you know to come?”
Irene blinked.
Only now did she realize how strange it was.
But explaining it was difficult.
“I just… felt it? Like something bad happened to Kalid…”
Kalid fell silent.
Evan’s earlier words came to his mind—
about mates feeling each other’s emotions.
“Imprint… and mate…”
He looked at Irene with a complicated expression.
“Maybe… that old man knows something. I should contact him.”
He thought of someone—
someone who might know about his tribe.
He hoped—
he could finally get answers.
After the chaotic day passed—
Irene finished her usual morning routine and headed toward Kalid’s office.
“Good morning, Lady Irene.”
“Oh—you’re still here?”
Irene was surprised.
She hadn’t even noticed Evan approaching.
“Were you hoping I would leave quickly? That hurts.”
“Huh? No, that’s not it…”
Evan made a playful, exaggerated sad expression.
To others, he might look like a pitiful handsome man—
but Irene only saw his shamelessness.
“You’re going to see His Highness, right?”
“Yes. Umm… Master… too?”
“Yes. I plan to stay here for a while to investigate something. And… you can just call me Evan.”
He said it casually—
hiding his true intention.
He walked beside her naturally.
“Then… you can call me Irene.”
“Is that really alright?”
Evan looked surprised.
Irene tilted her head.
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Well… you are…”
He almost said “a noble lady”—
but stopped.
Though he didn’t know her background—
her elegance and manners were clear.
She didn’t seem like someone of low status.
So her easy acceptance surprised him.
Even as the Master of Arakne—
nobles usually valued him—
but didn’t truly respect him.
“Then again… the Grand Duke is like that too.”
Kalid didn’t treat people by status.
Even after throwing Evan into the lake—
he had apologized.
Evan found that the real Kalid matched his investigation.
And now—
he became curious about Irene.
A person who had never appeared in his information.
“Ah, and about yesterday… I sincerely apologize if my actions caused misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding? What do you mean?”
Irene looked confused.
If anything—
shouldn’t Evan be the one receiving an apology?
“I was trying to remove a feather from your hair. But His Highness misunderstood and thought I was threatening you. I was worried you might have misunderstood as well.”
“Ah… I see.”
Now Irene understood.
“So that’s why he suddenly pushed him…”
She let out a small sigh.
“I didn’t misunderstand. And actually, I think you deserve the apology. It happened because of me. So… I’ll apologize on behalf of Kalid—no, the Grand Duke.”
“No. That’s not necessary. I wasn’t asking for an apology. And His Highness already apologized.”
“Really?”
Irene’s eyes widened—
then she nodded.
She had left earlier because the atmosphere was tense.
But it seemed they had talked things out.
“That’s a relief…”
Or so she thought.
Soon, they arrived at Kalid’s office.
Sebastian had already prepared tea and snacks.
Irene and Evan sat and chatted.
Though—
it mostly felt like a game of questions about each other.
“You don’t seem to be from the Empire.”
“Oh? Is it that obvious?”
“Not exactly… but I know all noble ladies in the Empire.”
“Ah, right. You said you’re from an information guild.”
“…Playboy.”
Kalid, who sat nearby reading documents—
suddenly muttered.
“…Ha. I run the Arakne Guild. If you ever need information, Irene, you can call me anytime. I even have information about the Grand Duke.”
Evan smiled gently at Irene.
Kalid responded with a crooked smile.
“So, Irene… where are you from? You said Irene Renatus, right?”
At that moment—
Kalid’s eyes sharpened.
Irene also felt something strange.
“I don’t remember telling him my full name…”
But showing suspicion now would only make things worse.
“I’m from Apen—”
“Irene is from the Kingdom of Apennia.”
Kalid cut in smoothly.
“Apennia… I see. That’s a rare surname, so I was curious.”
Evan glanced at Kalid—
then looked back at Irene.
His words carried a subtle meaning—
but his smile remained light.
Irene forced a natural smile.
“Ah, I see. I never thought about it, but it might seem that way to people in the Empire.”
Her smile was a bit awkward—
but Evan played along smoothly.
“Ah, that makes sense! I apologize if that was rude. I was just curious about you, Lady Irene. So, what brings you to the Empire?”
“I came to the capital for travel—”
“She came traveling… and happened to save me.”
