“What do you mean…?”
Shock was written all over Marianne’s face.
“Hearing my father’s words only confirmed it for me.”
“……”
“I need to follow him.”
“……! Follow His Highness?”
The danger of the task made Marianne’s hands tremble.
I handed her a concealed scroll I’d prepared for such a moment, whispering subtly.
“Yes. If we follow Tikan, we’ll find out who His Highness is meeting.”
Thanks to Tikan’s reputation among the nobility, everyone knew him.
Marianne seemed no exception, as she didn’t ask further questions.
‘I always thought his fame was pointless, but now it’s proving useful. Well done, my kin.’
Marianne hesitated, glancing between my disheveled state and the scroll.
Her pitying gaze only deepened my guilt.
Perhaps that’s why she made her decision so quickly.
“Don’t worry. I’ll investigate for you.”
Is my appearance really that pitiful?
At least the goal was achieved.
I nodded, and Marianne hurried out.
Only after she left did I catch my reflection in the mirror.
‘This is bad.’
***
Marianne returned with answers ten days later.
“On the first day, after finishing his duties with the knights, he met with an investigator.”
‘So Cassius did notice.’
Marianne continued reporting his daily activities.
A useful lead only appeared on the tenth day.
“On the tenth day, Lord Roadgo visited His Majesty’s quarters.”
Marianne spoke brightly, relieved.
“It seems there’s no other woman. I was worried because of the rumors, but it’s a relief.”
Her cheerful voice continued, but my mind was too scattered to focus.
My thoughts raced.
There had been no mention of the council. That meant Lord Roadgo hadn’t yet uncovered the source of the mark.
‘Even Lord Roadgo couldn’t figure it out.’
My fists clenched involuntarily.
Lord Roadgo, Cassius’s former advisor, was someone I’d worked with multiple times.
Once the most promising mage in the royal court, he’d been sidelined after my arrival.
Though clearly second-best, his skills were undeniable.
‘If I hadn’t been here, he’d have been the one running the royal court.’
‘If even Lord Roadgo couldn’t uncover it…’
Snowfell must have a powerful mage. A suffocating frustration tightened around me.
‘If only I still had my magic, I could’ve easily identified and dealt with their level.’
The loss of my magic was more painful than ever.
But I had no intention of letting Duke Diarov’s plans proceed unchecked.
‘Can’t the same trick work twice?’
If I let this slide, Diarov would only grow bolder in pursuing his goals.
I couldn’t predict what might happen to my father and Tikan.
Of course, now that Cassius knew, he’d keep a close watch on Rosemary… but that wasn’t enough to ease my mind.
Tap, tap— My mind raced faster than ever.
If I couldn’t solve this myself, I’d have to manipulate the situation.
‘I need to ensure Cassius uncovers the source of the mark.’
The simplest solution would be for me to join the investigation and reveal the source myself.
But how absurd would that look?
‘Cassius would definitely find it suspicious.’
No, Diarov would notice my odd behavior before Cassius even could.
‘A way to inform him without anyone knowing…’
It wasn’t impossible—just risky.
***
Time in the Crown Prince’s palace passed quicker than usual.
Nothing was more maddening than having strong suspicions but no concrete evidence.
For the past few days, Cassius had been barely surviving, consumed with unraveling the case.
If Lord Roadgo’s analysis didn’t yield results soon, even the scant evidence they had might vanish. What a nightmare.
While my insides burned, time flowed on relentlessly.
I pulled out a magic book, hoping it might help uncover the mark’s origin, but it was filled with indecipherable symbols.
I’d been stuck on the same page for days.
Even seasoned mages would struggle with this—there was no way I could crack it.
Just as I was losing track of time, a presence entered the palace.
“Lord Roadgo has arrived.”
Cassius nodded, his eyes gleaming with intensity.
Lord Roadgo hurried in, breathless, and Cassius’s gaze was desperate.
Recognizing the urgency, Roadgo quickly reported.
“We’ve identified the source of the mark.”
Cassius’s eyes lit up as he took the mark handed over by Tikan.
The seal Roadgo had uncovered was… exactly what we’d expected, eliciting a bitter laugh.
Even Tikan recognized the emblem immediately.
“Isn’t this the Snowfell family’s seal?”
Sensing the tension, Roadgo hurried his report.
“Upon analysis, it’s a dissolution magic circle.”
“A dissolution circle?”
Such circles were used only to unravel sealed magic.
‘Who would use such a rare spell in someone else’s estate?’
It was clear Snowfell had been trying to disrupt Rosemary’s barriers for some purpose.
‘Did Snowfell really abduct Rachel?’
Cassius’s hand trembled with barely contained rage.
In the heavy silence, Roadgo spoke again.
“There’s… something else.”
“What is it?”
“The only reason I deciphered this circle was because of this letter.”
Most would’ve hidden such assistance to claim full credit.
But Roadgo wasn’t the type to steal glory, even from an unknown source.
Thanks to him, Cassius now held a mysterious letter.
Blank but filled with dissolution spells and definitions, it was clearly a mage’s reference.
“This is a mage’s decoding guide,” Roadgo explained.
Cassius couldn’t tear his eyes from the letter.
It bore the same patterns Rachel used to sketch.
‘Am I going mad, seeing her in mere lines and circles?’
But the subtle tremors in the lines, their flow, the weight of their endings—all reminded me of her. The whirlwind of thoughts ended with a bizarre conclusion.
‘Could Rachel have sent this letter?’ No, it wasn’t suspicion—it was near certainty.
Cassius’s hand trembled as he gripped the letter.
“Who sent this?”
Roadgo’s explanation faltered. He’d expected Cassius to focus on the mark, not the letter’s sender.
And the Crown Prince’s face was unnervingly pale.
“I couldn’t trace it. A familiar delivered it last night and left.”
Cassius’s brow furrowed deeply.
Noticing his lord’s unusual state, Tikan dismissed Roadgo.
Once alone, Cassius handed the letter to Tikan and murmured,
“Rachel is alive.”
“……What?”
Only after hearing Cassius’s words did Tikan scrutinize the letter again.
But if his sister were alive, why wouldn’t she reveal herself?
If she were alive, she’d have appeared before him or their father, if not Cassius.
Yet Tikan couldn’t voice these thoughts. No one could, seeing Cassius’s current state.
‘He’ll come to terms with it eventually,’ Tikan thought—but that belief was shattered moments later.
“Issue a search warrant. Arrest that mage from Snowfell immediately.”
“Right now…?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Snowfell might take issue.”
“So?”
A predator’s glint shone in Cassius’s eyes.
Tikan wished his lord wouldn’t overextend himself for Rachel’s sake.
It wasn’t what she’d want, and more importantly… she hadn’t disappeared because of Snowfell.
“Following proper procedures would be—”
“Such courtesies are for worthy opponents.”
Tikan couldn’t miss the lethality in Cassius’s low voice.
“We’re out of time.”
At Cassius’s firm words, Tikan had no choice but to bow.
“Understood.”
As Tikan turned to leave, he paused and looked back.
“What about the luncheon with Her Highness?”
Cassius laughed bitterly, recalling the arranged meal. The audacity of playing innocent after such schemes.
‘The level of disgust is beyond imagination.’
Tikan watched Cassius, his expression unreadable.
As the luncheon hour approached, the Crown Princess’s palace buzzed with activity.
Since Cassius had canceled the previous engagement without a word, the servants were preparing in hopeful anticipation.
Marianne led the charge.
But with no word yet, it seemed Cassius had no intention of coming today.
By now, Lord Roadgo should have deciphered the letter I’d sent.
‘Does Cassius know Snowfell is behind this?’
If so, it was better not to meet today.
Facing an angry Cassius would only risk a divorce declaration, let alone any seduction.
“I’ll go ask again,” Marianne offered.
Just as I was about to refuse—
Bang—
The doors slammed open, and Cassius strode in.
Marianne and the servants quickly vanished, leaving us alone in a tense silence.
One look at his expression told me everything.
‘He knows it was Snowfell.’