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Chapter: 8
When Theodore returned to the second floor, he handed Seria a thick bundle of documents.
The papers were densely packed with information about influential figures from various noble families.
Alongside carefully drawn portraits were detailed notes—basic facts like age and personality, their standing within their families, and even how many illegitimate children they had under their name.
Did she really need to know this much?
Seria flipped through the pages with a flat, uninterested expression.
“If you know these things before making your debut in high society, they’ll come in handy later. Read them slowly. Memorizing them would be even better.”
“So in short, you want me to start by targeting the Crown Prince’s inner circle.”
“Well, you could say that.”
While Seria read, Theodore pulled a pill from his pocket and swallowed it.
Watching him out of the corner of her eye, Seria skimmed the documents quickly and set them down beside her.
“What is it that you keep swallowing?”
She was certain now—it was a pill.
But Theodore looked far too healthy for someone taking medicine because he was ill. To begin with, she wasn’t even convinced it was ordinary medicine.
“Already finished reading?”
“This much? I could memorize it anytime. So that pill—”
“That’s impressive.”
He ignored her on purpose, didn’t he?
Instead of answering her question, Theodore offered a halfhearted remark of admiration. Worse still, he wore an utterly shameless expression, as if he couldn’t see what the problem was.
Seria scoffed.
“Hah. Fine. Then how exactly am I supposed to kill the Crown Prince?”
“The most reliable and convenient way would be poison. However, the imperial family also possesses an ability passed down through generations—much like the Bellvatt family.”
“An ability….”
Back when she was still a princess, Seria had been forced to endure countless lessons about Antithesia, her country’s rival.
As a result, she was reasonably familiar with the Antithesian imperial family.
The Immutable Sovereign.
The Demigod.
The One Closest to God.
These were all titles given to successive Antithesian emperors.
Such grand epithets existed because their bodies were believed to be “eternal and unchanging.”
“An eternal, unchanging body. Right?”
“So you knew.”
“It’s common knowledge.”
It was written even in the fairy tales she used to read aloud to the children at the monastery—impossible not to know.
Of course, the idea of an eternal body was an exaggeration.
Still, the rumor existed for a reason. The Antithesian imperial family retained the appearance of their physical prime until the end of their lives, so misunderstandings like that were inevitable.
What Theodore was more concerned about wasn’t their agelessness, but—
“Their bodies don’t age, and they’re so resilient that ordinary poison won’t kill them.”
Theodore spoke with a weary sigh.
Theodore, who sought to poison the Crown Prince. Elena, the alchemist.
A certain transaction between the two of them years ago.
The pieces in Seria’s mind began to fall into place.
Now she understood why Theodore had drawn Elena into this.
“You worked with Elena to create a poison capable of killing the Crown Prince, didn’t you?”
At Seria’s words, the corner of Theodore’s lips curled upward.
“Correct. It’s not finished yet, but it will be soon. Elena is quite useful.”
Useful?
His tone—like he was praising a tool—made Seria’s expression harden.
Perhaps Theodore viewed every human being other than himself as nothing more than tools.
Given how deeply he distrusted everyone, it was entirely plausible.
“To you, people are just tools, aren’t they?”
“Think whatever you like.”
He didn’t even try to deny it. If anything, he seemed proud.
Seria was left speechless.
No matter how important one’s goal might be, there should be a minimum moral line a human being does not cross.
Whether Theodore had always been like this or had changed because of those eyes, one thing was clear—he was far removed from what could be called normal.
Seria neither understood him, nor did she want to.
“When we arrive at the Bellvatt estate, you’ll meet my father. Unlike me, he’s utterly loyal to His Majesty the Emperor. Loyal enough to hang himself on command.”
Theodore continued speaking, unconcerned with Seria’s scowl.
“What does that—!”
That meant the plan to kill the Crown Prince was entirely Theodore’s own doing.
Surely the Duke of Bellvatt possessed the same ability as Theodore. And if the duke were to read her mind—
The outcome was obvious.
Seria’s face darkened, while Theodore smiled faintly.
“Don’t worry. My father lost his ability years ago.”
“Then… he can’t read minds anymore?”
“That’s right. And besides—you….”
Theodore trailed off, falling silent as if deep in thought.
What could he possibly be about to say that required such hesitation?
“Why are you dodging the question? What about me?”
Seria pressed him, displeased.
“No, it’s nothing. What matters is that you prove your usefulness to my father.”
The way he changed the subject made it clear he was hiding something.
Given that they were already bound by a life-or-death deal, what reason could he have to keep secrets now?
The feeling bothered her—but asking would be pointless. Theodore wouldn’t answer anyway.
Fixing her gaze on him, Seria spoke.
“Useful how?”
“You need to show that there’s something you can do for His Majesty the Emperor.”
“So you’re saying I should demonstrate my ability to control the wind in front of the Duke of Bellvatt.”
“Exactly.”
Of course.
She was already growing numb to being treated like a tool by Theodore. The thought that she would have to keep going along with this weighed heavily on her.
Seria let out a quiet sigh and pressed her fingers to her forehead.
Theodore watched her silently. Then he pulled a pocket watch from his coat, checked the time, and stood up.
“It’s time to go back. We’ll depart at first light, so keep your farewells brief.”
At his words, Seria glanced around, instinctively looking for a clock—but of course, there was none.
Judging by the darkness outside the window, it was still deep night.
“We have to leave that quickly?”
“What, were you planning to stay here until the year changes? The abbot already knows.”
At the mention of the abbot, Seria’s eyes wavered.
The abbot was the one who had welcomed Seria—alone and defenseless—into Antithesia.
Thanks to him, she had been able to survive while hiding her identity.
And yet, without any warning, he had handed her over to Theodore.
“I promised twenty years of patronage. What loyalty did you expect from some insignificant countryside monastery?”
Theodore’s words echoed in her mind.
She had long known the monastery was struggling financially. It was easy to understand why the abbot couldn’t refuse the Bellvatt family’s support.
She should be grateful just for being fed and sheltered all this time.
And yet—
A petty, shameful sense of betrayal tangled her heart.
Seria stood, her head bowed low. Her clenched fists were tight with tension.
“Ha….”
Exhaling a trembling breath, she left the room without sparing Theodore a glance.
There was little time left. She had too many questions she wanted to ask the abbot directly.
She had to hurry.
* * *
After Seria left, Theodore remained alone in the castle, leaning back against the sofa, lost in thought.
“Why is it…?”
Why didn’t his ability work on Seria?
He had tested it again and again, but her inner thoughts remained unreadable.
The power passed down through the Bellvatt family was inescapable for anyone except royalty.
The moment someone met the gaze of a Bellvatt using the ability, they normally couldn’t look away—and were forced to bare even their deepest thoughts.
No matter how desperately nobles struggled, they had never been able to resist it.
And yet, a princess from a kingdom that had fallen years ago had blocked it completely.
“Ha… this is getting interesting.”
A dry laugh slipped from Theodore’s lips.
It was absurd, but not a serious problem.
After all, Seria was the type whose emotions were plainly written on her face.
And since she believed her thoughts were being read, he could use her without much difficulty at all.
