At that moment, Karina froze in place, clutching her dress tightly with her small hands. She stepped closer to her father and whispered nervously,

  “No… Papa, I don’t want to…”

  Her father looked at her with mild surprise, his eyes searching her face for a reason, but Rina quickly spoke with sharper resolve,

  “The butler… show them to their rooms.”

  The butler blinked in shock, glancing uneasily between the duke and Karina.

  “Ah… I…”

  But Theobald cut him off with a confident smile and a firm, fatherly tone.

  “Go on, Rina… Come now, my little heiress.”

  Her gaze trembled. She almost opened her mouth to protest, but when her eyes met her father’s—filled with trust and love—she yielded and gave a quiet nod. Theobald exhaled in relief and walked steadily toward his office, leaving Karina to face what she dreaded.

  She turned toward her aunt and cousins, her young eyes glinting with a coldness that belied her age. Curtly, she said as she pivoted,

  “Let’s go… Aunt.”

  Her steps rang sharp against the marble floor, her shoes striking with crisp echoes. Elena followed hesitantly, struggling to keep pace with her small niece so as not to seem lagging behind, yet Karina gave her no chance to walk at her side.

  They reached the second floor, where Karina pushed open the door to a chamber adorned with pink silk curtains and golden motifs. Her voice was flat as she declared,

  “This is your room, Aunt.”

  Elena stepped inside, her eyes roaming over the room, glittering with thinly veiled admiration before she curved her lips into a practiced gentle smile.

  “A beautiful room… worthy of the family’s status.”

  But then her eyes gleamed with sly curiosity as she asked,

  “And where are your family’s chambers?”

  Karina sighed heavily without even lifting her head.

  “On the third floor. All of us…”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Elena’s smile faltered. Annoyance flickered in her eyes. She had not expected to be treated as lesser, relegated to a separate floor, as though she were not of the same noble circle. Yet she swallowed her irritation and followed as Karina guided her sons to their rooms.

  Karina pointed to San’s chamber, then to Sina’s, each step striking her heart like a blade as memories of the future she had foreseen haunted her. Still, this time, a frosty smile lingered on her lips, as if nothing weighed on her.

  “Now then. Good? You’ve seen the rooms?”

  Elena nodded again, her syrupy voice dripping as she replied,

  “Thank you, little Rina… you’re truly my dear niece, almost like a daughter to me…”

  Karina flashed an exaggerated smile, bent slightly in mock courtesy, then half-turned with a child’s biting sarcasm.

  “Mmm… we are noble, Auntie… so, look to yourselves.”

  She gave a short laugh, feigning innocence, before turning her back and gliding away.

  Elena froze in place, fury flaring inside her chest. She bit her lower lip and hissed under her breath,

  “What an ill-mannered child… how troublesome!”

  Karina, meanwhile, chuckled softly to herself as she skipped back toward her father’s office, savoring the thought of her aunt’s seething face. She pushed the door open lightly and slipped inside, settling beside her father on the plush sofa.

  “They’ve gone to their rooms,” she said bluntly.

  Theobald nodded, extending a hand to stroke her hair gently, ruffling her scalp before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

  “My wonderful heiress.”

  Rina burst into pure laughter, her eyes sparkling with love as she gazed up at him. That simple moment was enough to melt every trace of tension, letting her feel she truly belonged in his arms, far from betrayal and deceit.

  She remained there beside him, her eyes fixed on the pages of the book Wonders, as though searching its lines for a key to unlock the burdened locks of her mind. She turned the page slowly, every sentence unfurling a new possibility, yet something remained hazy, elusive… repeated words about “white light,” about serenity and peace, but none of them gave her certainty.

  Lifting her eyes toward her father, she hesitated, then called in a soft, nervous voice,

  “Papa…”

  Theobald looked up from the heavy papers before him, a calm smile forming as he reached out to smooth her hair.

  “Yes, my beauty?”

  Her childish grin widened at the word beauty, so rarely spoken by him, warmth flooding her chest. She swallowed, then asked timidly, as though fearing her question foolish,

  “What is… something with a shining light… that makes you feel calm and safe?”

  His brows arched, surprise glinting in his eyes, and he answered with quiet astonishment,

  “It must be… magic.”

  Immediately Karina leaned forward, curiosity blazing, her small fingers intertwining in eagerness.

  “What kind of magic? How do you know?”

  A faint smile touched his lips as he spoke with assured knowledge,

  “Purification magic. It is the only one white in color, the only one that brings peace and drives out darkness. It strips away the black force and disperses it… But tell me, why do you ask?”

  Rina’s heart leapt, as if her father’s question had exposed the secret she had struggled to hide. She faltered, then nodded quickly, forcing a smile.

  “I read it… in a book!”

  Theobald gave a short laugh, pulling her gently into his embrace, wrapping her in his arm and kissing her rosy cheek.

  “So you’ve been studying? Not only reading children’s tales, then? At last!”

  Rina giggled, turning her face aside in shy protest.

  “Papa, sometimes I’ll read a book… sometimes a story. Learning and fun together—isn’t that better?”

  Theobald nodded gravely, his eyes lingering on her features as if discovering something new in her each day.

  “You’re right. Knowledge alone should not burden you… even your heart needs nourishment, just like your mind.”

  A quiet pause followed, filled only with the soft rustle of pages and their steady breaths. She basked in a rare warmth that only his presence gave her. Yet still, something pressed heavy against her chest—the secret of her visions, and the light that was no mere word from a book.

  A gentle knock at the office door broke the moment. Rina’s hand trembled on the pages, while Theobald’s voice remained steady.

  “Enter.”

  The duke’s aide stepped in with a quick bow, a sealed envelope in hand, stamped with the emperor’s crimson wax crest. His face was tense, his voice strained as he spoke,

  “My lord duke… an urgent message from the imperial palace.”