TTCF 36

chapter 36

Lowell recalled many historical anecdotes he had read. Records of countless women who threw themselves at emperors to win their love, and stories of blood-soaked romance. If an emperor’s heart was fickle, perhaps it would have been better. The fact that an emperor could love only one person in his lifetime had driven many to tragedy.

Jealousy often led to killing a partner, and countless others resorted to potions and schemes to gain the emperor’s favor.

Yet, fights over the seat next to a ruler were so common in history that Lowell hadn’t paid them much attention.

Until he realized it was a matter of the Ponderaien royal bloodline.

“Then was Princess Eleanora’s case also because of that bloodline?”

“Sometimes, the dragon lineage manifests particularly strongly. Princess Eleanora was one such case, as far as I know.”

“My goodness.”

Princess Eleanora Ponderaien. The romantic scandal she caused was so famous that anyone in Velf who was aware of the empire knew about it.

It happened before Velf’s empire reached its current prosperity. A beautiful princess, notorious for her many lovers, suddenly fell in love with a noble from a border province.

The problem was that at the time, the princess already had three lovers, and the man she loved had a family.

The princess petitioned the emperor to have the border noble divorce and become her partner. Surely, she assumed he would love her in return. Every man who knew her longed just to touch her hand, so her arrogance was unsurprising.

But the man who became her partner despised her for ruining his family, and her lovers were intensely jealous of him.

The outcome was disastrous. The noble was discovered having an affair with his ex-wife and lost his wife and children at the princess’s hands. Unable to bear it, he committed suicide. Then, the princess learned her lovers had informed her of his affair, so she killed them all and ended her own life.

The princess was so beautiful, and the story so dramatic, that it became adapted into countless romantic novels and plays, still told today.

Lowell had thought it was just Eleanora’s recklessness and ambition that caused it—but it was actually due to the Ponderaien bloodline.

“How fleeting. To receive so much love yet not be loved by one’s own partner.”

“I agree. I’ve heard that the dragon lineage doesn’t work on the one it imprints on.”

“How do you know such stories? Are they passed down in the royal family?”

For the first time, Shimoren fell silent at Lowell’s question. After a pause, he answered:

“Something like that.”

“I see.”

There’s something more, thought Lowell, but he decided not to press Shimoren further. Even what he had learned so far was an unexpected gain.

‘Investigating through Rene might be useless.’

If it’s a story passed down in the royal family, outside sources wouldn’t help much.

Still, Shimoren knowing something beyond what the royal records told him suggested someone close to him knew more.

‘It’s better to investigate internally.’

While Lowell was lost in thought, Shimoren’s story was nearing its end.

“Anyway, that’s from the early empire, when the dragon lineage was much stronger. Today, its effect is much weaker. If it were still as strong, no woman would dare approach His Majesty.”

“That makes sense.”

Lowell, however, knew that for someone who became the emperor’s bride, it was possible to remain close to Peter and be affected by such influence.

Yet, even after spending so much time near Peter, Lowell seemed unaffected, which must have been a relief. Today, she even acted in ways that clearly helped him.

Most of all, seeing Kleh made him realize that Anet could be very helpful.

‘Kleh Groter is obsessed with His Majesty.’

That she secretly followed the emperor was common knowledge among his closest aides. Shimoren disliked her, but since she hadn’t caused any serious harm yet, he left her be.

‘Quiet people tend to cause the biggest trouble eventually.’

Seeing their standoff today, Shimoren thought Anet could stop Kleh effectively.

When asked to give an example of someone strong yet trustworthy, Shimoren would undoubtedly choose Anet.

Peter’s comment about keeping someone like her close now made sense.

“So, I think it’s better that Lady Anet stays near His Majesty. After all, you don’t truly love him, do you?”

“…That’s true.”

Hearing that she didn’t love him felt strangely unsettling.

Even though it was true, it wasn’t easy to confirm. Perhaps because love and hatred are separated by a thin line.

‘Or am I affected by Peter’s lineage too?’

Lowell recalled that night—the touch that held her, the insistence, the hot, wet breath, and the deep passion in his blue eyes. It was a sensation she had never experienced before.

A feeling like grasping the carotid artery between life and death, like flitting between the surface and bottom of water. How to describe a moment so dynamic, passionate, yet completely still?

It was different from the first night’s kiss with Peter. That kiss had been close to a fight, whereas this one felt like steel against steel—two hearts pulsating, breaths held, two existences consuming each other.

She remembered some feeling then—ecstasy, satisfaction, or perhaps bitter self-mockery, but couldn’t recall clearly.

‘Would I know for sure if we kissed again?’

Lost in thought, Shimoren suddenly interrupted:

“So, Lady Anet, when is your birthday?”

“The 26th of the last month of winter.”

The answer came almost automatically, like their previous conversations—a reflexive response.

“The 26th? The last month of winter only has 25 days. Were you born in a leap month?”

A leap month. Only then did Lowell snap out of her daze.

What did she just say? The 26th of the last month of winter?

“How fascinating. Born on the same day as His Majesty.”

Hearing Shimoren mutter about the coincidence, Lowell felt a shiver of embarrassment.

The reason was simple.

‘The 26th of the last winter month…’

Wasn’t that Lowell Hessen’s birthday, not Anet Martinec’s?

Peter and Lowell shared a birthday. Whether coincidence or not, as children they had always felt it was a great destiny. Kids their age often found romance in a single commonality, so being born on the same day seemed like a grand fate. But that wasn’t the only reason.

The 26th of the last winter month rarely sees births. Children born then are often stillborn or deformed. Such children are called “leap month births.”

Not all leap month births are deformed, so it was mostly considered a myth.

Yet Lowell and Peter knew it wasn’t mere superstition—they were actually anomalies.

Lowell’s black hair and Peter’s unusually strong magic were defects of being born in a leap month.

‘And Anet Martinec is also a leap month birth?’

Shimoren felt something strange hearing this. A girl with black hair so similar to Lowell Hessen, suffering the same condition—too many coincidences.

So he went directly to the smartest person he knew.

“Noah, do you have a moment?”

“No.”

Noah, exhausted, answered, but Shimoren barged into his lab as usual. Noah didn’t stop him and just handed him an empty glass to fill.

Pouring water from the kettle, Shimoren spoke:

“Could Anet Martinec be fake?”

“…If you’re going to say that, leave.”

“I’m serious. It sounds insane, but it’s strange. Haven’t you heard she resembles Lowell Hessen?”

“Of course. But that’s over ten years ago. His Majesty even erased memories, so a woman with black hair and similar features could be perceived as resembling him.”

“But…”

Noah frowned, exhausted from sleepless nights caused by Peter’s recent rampages. A friend barging in with wild theories was frustrating, yet he patiently explained.

“Listen, Shimoren. You know how it is. Trying to falsify identity always leaves traces. But Anet Martinec isn’t like that. Her identity is certain—she’s been a Martinec since birth.”