Chapter 9

Daniel could still remember that day from one year ago.

The gray sky drizzling with rain.

The smell of muddy earth.

The murmur of people’s voices.

And beyond the crowd…

His brother’s cold corpse lying there.

As he stroked his brother’s blue, lifeless cheek that day, one person immediately came to mind.

The Crown Prince of the Therman Empire.

Sasha Colby.

“Be careful of the Crown Prince.”

Those were the words their father left behind before he died.

At the time, Daniel had dismissed them as ordinary advice.

The Caldir family had never been particularly close to the Imperial Family.

Sometimes they cooperated for mutual benefit, but in the end, both sides always prioritized their own interests.

A rigid vassal who only offered honest advice rarely earned favor unless they happened to serve an exceptionally broad-minded ruler.

The Caldir family had always been in that position.

And because of that, they expected nothing from the Imperial Family.

Always independent.

Always neutral.

That tradition had lasted for centuries.

So even though the warning came as his father’s dying wish, it hadn’t meant much to him.

Things had always been that way.

That was why he hadn’t thought much of it.

But then…

The steadfast brother who had always been as dependable as a mountain began showing signs of anxiety.

And then one day, while Daniel was playing doctor at a resort town, his brother suddenly sent him a letter saying he had something important to discuss.

If only he had realized sooner that something was wrong.

If only he had stayed by his brother’s side.

…Pointless regrets.

His brother’s death had completely changed his life.

Not simply because he had inherited the heavy title of Duke of Caldir.

It was because the very thing driving his life had changed.

No longer freedom, which he had always cherished.

Now it was guilt.

And revenge.

And beside Sasha Colby… that woman was always there.

Even before his brother started changing, at that tea party.

Even before his brother died, at those imperial events.

Whenever one of the Crown Prince’s obstacles disappeared, Sasha had always met with Shiorin Berche beforehand.

Whenever Sasha was with her, he always seemed excited.

And afterward, every obstacle in his path vanished in ways far too perfect and bizarre to be called coincidence.

As if she handed him the key whenever he found himself trapped.

Recently, too.

The Crown Prince somehow discovered that Count Cotrin secretly owned the mine through a proxy.

That couldn’t be a coincidence.

And it wasn’t.

Living as Bern Howard’s grandson had allowed Daniel to see it with his own eyes.

Louis, who had been silent until now, finally asked carefully,

“Have you learned anything about this woman, Shiorin Berche?”

Those icy blue eyes slowly turned toward him.

Daniel didn’t even know where to begin.

That woman truly was unlike any woman he had ever met.

…It almost felt as though she came from another world.

The culture and social norms of this society simply didn’t apply to her.

Just when he thought she would act one way, she did the opposite.

Just when he thought he understood her thoughts, she blindsided him.

And it wasn’t just her personality.

Even her background was strange.

Resting his chin on his hand, Daniel met Louis’s gaze.

“If you’re curious, I’ll tell you exactly what I know.”

He raised one finger.

“First. Shiorin Berche is Baron Berche’s daughter.”

“…What?!”

Louis’s eyes widened immediately.

Daniel’s expression didn’t change.

“It’s true. Hard as it is to believe.”

“But how?”

Louis frowned.

“You know Baron Berche.”

Baron Berche was famous throughout the empire for loving his wife.

And everyone knew he adored his children so much he would give them anything.

Especially his youngest daughter.

Louis had heard she had been sent abroad to study in the Kingdom of Sotar.

“But how could Baron Berche allow his daughter to live in Estreet’s Twelfth Avenue? Even nobles avoid that place because of the terrible public safety.”

That had been Daniel’s first suspicion as well.

Yet surprisingly, Shiorin truly was Baron Berche’s daughter.

“Why are you so certain?” Louis asked.

Daniel snorted.

“There wasn’t much to think about. I saw the proof myself.”

“Proof?”

“Letters from her brothers. Both of them kept sending her letters.”

Daniel recalled what he had seen.

Your father misses you.

Your parents keep arguing.

I saw your name in the newspaper.

What kind of clothes are you wearing?

The letters were filled with family news and endless nagging.

“And then I happened to see her tear them into pieces and throw them in the trash.”

“Ah… she tore them up…”

Louis muttered blankly.

Several memories flashed through his mind.

Mostly moments when he had secretly guarded Daniel and been shocked by Shiorin’s behavior.

…Honestly, that sounds exactly like something she’d do.

“And second.”

Daniel paused for a moment.

Then looked out the train window.

“Shiorin Berche has a man she’s been involved with for a long time.”

“…Excuse me?”

Louis blinked.

That topic had come completely out of nowhere.

But Daniel continued seriously.

“She’s clearly not stupid.”

“Yet she keeps calling me by the wrong name.”

“…What?”

“She calls me that damned ‘Watson.'”

Daniel frowned.

“I’ve lost count of how many times she’s done it.”

“Watson?”

“If a name comes that naturally to someone, it’s either family or a longtime lover.”

He folded his arms.

“Since no one in her family is named Watson, it has to be a lover.”

Louis immediately shook his head.

“No, Duke. If she’s really Baron Berche’s daughter, then she doesn’t have a lover.”

Daniel looked at him.

“The youngest Berche daughter was famous for rejecting every marriage proposal she received.”

No matter how impressive the candidate was, she always refused.

Eventually, people started joking that her standards were so high they were located at the peak of Mount Puckert, the tallest mountain in the empire.

“But honestly, with her beauty and intelligence…”

Louis sighed.

“Can you blame her? During that trial, when she walked into the courtroom…”

He still remembered how shocked he had been.

“…Anyway, I’ll investigate this Watson person again.”

Daniel simply stared at him.

Yet somehow Louis felt pressured.

After giving him a look that suggested he was hopeless, Daniel continued.

“And third.”

He folded his hands together.

This was the real answer to Louis’s question.

“…”

Yet he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Because even he…

Could hardly believe it.

“…What is the third thing, Duke?”

Unable to endure the silence any longer, Louis asked.

Daniel gave a bitter smile.

Then spoke quietly.

“She might actually be a witch.”

A few days ago, he had witnessed something impossible.

The day they met Foldrin Argus.

Shiorin still hadn’t noticed.

He had been careful to pretend ignorance.

But Daniel remembered everything.

Every single thing that happened that day.

That was why he had intentionally touched her hand this morning and pretended it was an accident.

She immediately pulled away in shock.

There’s definitely a reason she wears gloves.

And whatever that reason is… it must be connected to her ability.

When Shiorin handed Foldrin a tissue, she had used her bare hand.

Daniel remembered clearly how she froze for a brief moment when their skin touched.

And immediately afterward—

She began moving as though she suddenly knew all the answers.

She deliberately stayed at Foldrin’s house to discover the identity of the poison.

Then she found the hidden share certificate and immediately went to Inspector Derek.

And finally…

There was Hera Stone.

Foldrin’s mistress.

She recognized that woman instantly despite never having met her before.

And she was already certain that Foldrin and Hera possessed matching tickets.

But that was impossible.

She hadn’t had the time.

She hadn’t had the evidence.

Even Foldrin himself seemed to realize it.

“That woman is a witch! A witch, Sullivan!”

Daniel could still hear Foldrin’s terrified scream.

And it was Daniel who had silenced him.

There was no way he could have missed it.

In the end, everything pointed to one conclusion.

Shiorin Berche.

She possessed a supernatural ability.

The Crown Prince knows it.

That’s why he’s been meeting her all this time.

Therefore, Daniel had to learn the truth.

What exactly Sasha Colby had done to kill his brother.

And what Shiorin Berche gave him in the process.

“Duke, are you alright?”

Louis asked worriedly after noticing his dark expression.

Daniel didn’t answer immediately.

Until he uncovered the entire truth…

He intended to continue living as Daniel Howard.

Not as—

Ian Caldir.

The current head of House Caldir.

He was willing to abandon that identity.

And when he finally learned everything…

And if it turned out that Shiorin Berche had truly played a role in his brother’s death…

Daniel slowly raised his head.

The moment Louis met his eyes, a chilling coldness ran down his spine.

“…Then she’ll have to be burned at the stake.”

“…”

“The only ending suitable for a wicked witch…”

His blue eyes glowed like ice.

“…is a horrible death.”

Reflected in the train window beside the beautiful scenery, those cold blue eyes looked as though they could freeze the entire world.