Chapter 30
<Juan Rolland Murdered!>
It had already been a week since this headline broke.
<Juan Rolland Attacked While Being Transported to Court>
<Known to Have Been Brutally Murdered with Both Arms Severed…>
<Presumed to Be the Second Revenge Killing Following the Son of Count Henry Stein!>
<Who Is the Culprit?>
Dana closed the newspaper.
Even though a week had passed, Dana did not throw this paper away; she opened it often to read. It was to maintain her vigilance.
‘Karl killed him.’
Sending him to the tribunal prison. She thought it would end there…
“Lumie.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll have to kill Juan.”
Everything was unfolding exactly as she had glimpsed in the memories of the future.
Therefore, even if the process in the middle had changed, the one who killed Juan was definitely Karl.
‘To think he would kill him so brutally, at that.’
Dana shuddered once more at Karl’s cruelty. He truly was a terrifying man, contrary to his outward appearance.
Upon hearing the news, Sandra had taken to her bed and had yet to get back up.
‘Karl Winzer. I thought he was a devoted husband, but it seems that’s not the case.’
Dana realized anew that she had been in immense danger.
Had she continued living that way, she surely would have been murdered.
That day. If she hadn’t overheard the secret conversation between her uncle and aunt.
If she hadn’t heard that plan to make her life a short one.
‘Right. I would have died without a trace, just like Juan.’
That was why she had to return to her original world as soon as possible.
There were too many crazy people here.
If she continued to live here, she might die at Karl’s hands.
She looked into this newspaper frequently to ensure she never forgot that fact.
In that sense, finding out about the affair between Laios and Alice was a true blessing.
‘This is all thanks to that letter.’
The anonymous letter that sent photos of Laios and Alice and exposed the affair.
If not for that, she would still be living like a fool.
“Rete, have you still not found the sender?”
She had tasked him with tracking the sender of that letter, but there had been no word yet.
“Yes. Since the letter did not come through the official post office, it seems it will take more time.”
“I see. Let me know when you find out.”
Dana closed the newspaper.
At any rate, she had achieved what she aimed for.
As a result of this turmoil, Karl Winzer was temporarily stripped of his position as Vice Family Head.
Furthermore, Dana had kept the promise she made to the Emperor.
The promise to turn the Moonlight Flowers into trash.
Now, the Moonlight Flower had been relegated to a product that was neither mysterious nor precious.
‘But I can’t end my connection with the Emperor here.’
Because she had to break off the engagement with Laios.
If she couldn’t break the engagement, she couldn’t even dream of becoming the Vice Family Head.
Even if she pushed Karl out of the position. Even if her abilities were recognized by Viego.
If she couldn’t break the engagement with Laios, the position of Vice Family Head would never come to her. Then she wouldn’t be able to get her hands on the Sacred Artifact either.
‘So I must push for the annulment with the Emperor’s help.’
The Emperor.
Just thinking of him made the back of her neck throb again. If possible, she never wanted to face him again.
However, the annulment was impossible without his help.
So she had to meet and negotiate with him quickly, but…
‘I hear he’s gone to the Papal Court now.’
That was puzzling.
Isn’t the current Pope a representative figure of the New Church faction?
The relationship between him and the Emperor, who was clearly of the Old Church faction, must be extremely poor; what business could he have there?
‘In any case, I must go to see the Emperor as soon as he returns.’
She had things to do while she waited.
Viego Winzer.
She had to gain recognition from the Head of the Winzer family. She had to get on his good side somehow to rise to the position of Vice Family Head.
But why was it so hard to see his face?
She hadn’t even been able to say thank you yet because the opportunity to speak with Viego alone hadn’t come.
That night, if he hadn’t embedded a bullet in Juan’s arm, she would have suffered a terrible fate…
“My Lady.”
“Yes?”
“Today is the day of Young Master Noah’s public promotion exam.”
“…”
So that was today. Noah’s public promotion exam.
‘I told Noah I would go.’
Several months ago.
“Noah, this year’s promotion exam is being held publicly, right?”
“What business is it of yours? Stay out of it.”
Of course, Noah had replied coldly back then.
Still, she had tried her best to speak to him affectionately.
“I’ll definitely attend the public promotion exam this year. I’ll bring a bouquet.”
“No, don’t come. Just the thought of it makes me sick.”
“What kind of flowers do you like, Noah? If I remember correctly, you liked daisies.”
“Whatever it is you’re giving, I hate it.”
A laugh escaped her naturally.
Truly, she had clung to him so pathetically all that time.
“I’m not going.”
Dana said, her laughter abruptly stopping.
“I’m busy as it is. Why would I go?”
Even if she went, she would only hear insults from Noah; she no longer wanted to waste such futile effort.
“Rete. Find out where Brother Viego is right now.”
If he was avoiding her, fine.
‘I’ll go find him.’
“Noah Winzer. Victory!”
The swordsmanship promotion exam.
Noah Winzer seized victory in the tournament finals. Waaaah—cheers erupted from the spectator stands.
“Noah Winzer. Victory!”
The marksmanship exam was the same. A hundred shots, a hundred hits. Even from a long distance, he could see as if the target were right in front of him.
“Noah Winzer. Victory!”
The physical combat exam was no different. Though Noah had a slender build, he easily took down students several times larger than himself.
‘It’s only natural.’
A public promotion exam was truly a nuisance.
Since it was open to the public, didn’t he end up looking like a monkey in a zoo?
‘Making such a fuss.’
Even the cheers from the audience pouring toward him were merely annoying.
Surely that woman was over there clapping, too.
Thinking that brought a sneer to his lips. Did she think he’d be happy just because she did that?
‘She must be having the time of her life. How good she must feel now that Lady Alice’s business has failed.’
He scanned the spectator stands.
It was a great distance, but with the Winzer family’s characteristically wondrous eyesight, he could identify every face.
He saw plenty of familiar faces, but…
‘What?’
That woman wasn’t there.
Was she away for a moment?
But he couldn’t find the woman even until the awards ceremony ended.
“Noah. Didn’t your sister come?”
His classmate, Justin Lancaster, asked.
“Sister? Who?”
“I mean Lady Danae Winzer. She didn’t come?”
“How should I know?”
“Surely she must have? She looks after you a lot.”
“I don’t know.”
“I wanted to see her, even from afar…”
Noah frowned. To want to see her even from afar—it wasn’t like he was some obsessive fan.
“Why do you want to see my sister?”
“She’s pretty.”
Justin Lancaster clasped his hands together and wore a dreamy expression.
“She’s pure like a single lily, elegant, and just standing still, she looks like she has some kind of story… No, I’m not saying only her appearance is pretty.”
As if embarrassed, Justin cleared his throat.
“Ahem, anyway, I saw her purifying the Rotten Land once before. I thought she was an angel. Like, the pitch-black land turning white—”
Having said that, as if realizing his mistake, Justin looked around hurriedly.
“Don’t tell the Crown Prince I said this. You know?”
“Not really. He probably wouldn’t care anymore. Right now, the Crown Prince is completely smitten with Sister Alice.”
“Oh. Was that true? Then can I talk to her now?”
“…My sister is still the Crown Prince’s fiancée.”
“Ah. Right. They haven’t broken the engagement.”
Justin let out a regretful sigh as if he had remembered late.
“Then I guess I can’t. Forget it. Act like you didn’t hear. You must never tell the Crown Prince, okay?”
“Hmph. How boring.”
Noah snorted.
What was even funnier was that this guy wasn’t the only one.
Because there were enough guys admiring Danae Winzer from afar to trip over.
‘They’re all deceived. Just like I was.’
Suddenly, the moment he first saw Danae Winzer came to mind.
