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Dana hurriedly went to the military academy, but…
“Cadet Lancaster? I don’t see him. Seems he’s gone out without permission again.” The dorm supervisor clicked his tongue as if it were a common occurrence.
“Do you know where he might be?”
“I’m not really sure… but are you okay? You’re soaked head to toe.”
“I’m fine. Just think carefully. There has to be somewhere he’d go.” Dana pressed a gold coin into the supervisor’s hand.
The man cleared his throat. “Cadet Lancaster frequently visits the entertainment district on Rozat Street. Try looking there.”
The entertainment district on Rozat Street? Even among red-light districts, it was famous for being particularly low-class and dangerous. But a military cadet went there often?
Let’s go there first.There was no time to lose. Dana headed straight for Rozat Street’s entertainment district. But at the entrance, she stopped.This won’t do.She should have brought someone. Why did she come alone?
Dana had rushed out in a panic, fearing Justin might be murdered at any moment. But if she went alone into that street filled with red lanterns…I’ll become a target.
Rozat Street was a haven for criminals. The stench of drugs already hung in the air, and greedy, predatory gazes stabbed at her from all sides. If she went in alone, even her life could be in danger. But there was no other way.Wait, there was another way. A method that might work. Something she’d never tried before, but still…It might work.Dana slowly knelt and placed her trembling fingertips on the ground.
The ability to read the memories engraved in the land. This power always surged over her like a tidal wave and then receded. But perhaps something might remain, like moisture left in the sand. So…
Show me.Dana asked the ground.Show me where Justin Lancaster is right now.
At that moment, Dana gasped and held her breath. The strength drained from her body as though being sucked into a vortex. And she saw it. Where Justin Lancaster was now.
Startled, Dana yanked her hand from the ground as if she had a seizure. And then, she collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. It wasn’t from the shock. Her entire body had simply run out of strength. Perhaps because she’d forced that ability, she didn’t even have the power to sit upright anymore.
No.She needed to get up. Dana struggled, pressing her hands against the ground.Or did I no longer need to do this?Because… Justin Lancaster was already dead.
I struggled, pressing my hands against the ground. Or did I not need to do this anymore? Because… Justin Lancaster was already dead.
What I saw in the garden today was Justin Lancaster being killed. It wasn’t a vision of the future.It was the past…Justin Lancaster was already dead.
The scene she’d seen earlier that day in the garden, Justin Lancaster being murdered, hadn’t been a glimpse of the future.It was the past…Justin Lancaster was already dead now.
“Do you work around here too?”
Someone poked her shoulder repeatedly. But Dana couldn’t respond. Her head throbbed, and her ears rang.
“You’re a real beauty. How much are you?Huh?”
A rough hand grabbed Dana’s wrist, trying to force her to stand.
Let go.She didn’t even have the strength to say it, so Dana reached beneath her skirt, feeling along her thigh. The gun Viego had given her was there. She’d planned to pull it out and threaten them first, but…
Crack.With a breaking sound, the man’s grip released.
“W-Who are you?!Argh!”
Pow. The sound of a punch landing. Screams. And the sound of someone running away hurriedly. All Dana could hear were the sounds.
Who is it?In an exhausted state, Dana lifted her head.
Her secretary was looking down at her with an exasperated expression.
“Why did you come to such a dangerous place alone?”
Ah, thank goodness.Dana felt completely relieved at that moment. Because the person she trusted the most in this world had appeared.
But that was her limit. She had overused that ability…
“Search the nearby forest. Justin Lancaster has been murdered…” After saying those words, Dana lost consciousness.
Dana remained unconscious for a full two days. When she finally opened her eyes again, the newspapers were plastered with the news of Justin’s murder.
[The Third Son of the Lancaster Family Has Been Murdered]
As expected.He really was dead. But before she could even sink into shock, even more sensational follow-up articles appeared.
[Shocking Report! The True Face of the Lancaster Family’s Third Son!]
[Imperial Army Cadet Revealed as a Major Backer of a Women-Trafficking Ring]
They were utterly horrific articles.
[The Women Sold by Justin Lancaster]
[Was This Murder Someone’s Judgment?]
As Dana read, she felt her sadness evaporate. “Seriously, what the hell…”
What a piece of trash. Dana thought Justin was an innocent buy, but who would have thought he’d been a financial pillar of a women-trafficking organization?Well, the entertainment district on Rozat Street is where criminals hang out anyway.Frequenting a place like that already meant he wasn’t normal.
To think Justin was such a vile criminal.Good riddance, b*stard.Reading an article about how Justin had purchased a seven-year-old girl, Dana cursed aloud. Disgusting. To think she’d received love letters from a piece of garbage like that.Good thing I didn’t accept his flowers back then.
But regardless of those thoughts, Dana couldn’t help feeling unsettled.Because before Justin died, he said my name.Begging to be spared, saying she wouldn’t approach Danae anymore. Pleading for his life. That had been Justin’s dying words. Which meant he’d been murdered because he’d approached her.
What kind of madman would do such a thing?Absurdly enough, one face came to her mind.
Raios. That man’s jealousy was extreme. It was to the point that sometimes his jealousy felt genuinely terrifying. He once punched a nobleman who asked Dana for a dance, breaking his cheekbone. He had broken the fingers of someone who sent her a love letter. And he had a history of bursting the blood vessels of the man’s eyes who secretly watched her from behind. If it were that crazy Raios, it would be possible.
But there’s no way Raios would do that now… Because their love had already ended. Shouldn’t his obsession with her have ended too?Or was that just his nature?A deranged man with such overwhelming possessiveness that he couldn’t tolerate anyone coveting what he considered his.
Dana was confused. She knew Justin wasn’t a good person, but still, the reason he’d been murdered was her.
“I-I won’t approach Danae, that person, I was wrong, I won’t do it again, so please!”
That piece of trash. Why did he have to die calling her name?
There weren’t any witnesses, right?If there were witnesses and this fact spread, this murder would inevitably be labeled a crime out of love. After all, many people had seen Justin present her with flowers recently, openly courting her.Yeah, to anyone, it would look like a love triangle murder!
If she were branded as the woman at the center of that murder out of love, that would be disastrous. Especially if that reached Viego, who valued honor as much as his own life. He would never allow Dana to become the deputy head.
That can never happen.Since Justin had died, leaving her name like a final will, she couldn’t afford to treat this as someone else’s problem. No matter what happened next, she needed to have enough information to respond.
Who killed him just because he approached me?No matter how she thought about it, the only suspect that came to mind was Raios. And if it was really Raios…What should I do? Could Raios even be properly punished? He’s a member of the imperial family. Not only that, he’s the crown prince, the next in line for the throne, the sole heir. Her vision darkened. Once again, she was reminded of Raios’s overwhelming status in this world.
First… let’s go.To the imperial palace.
Raios would never confess, but if she could catch a whiff of something suspicious, it would be worth it. And that wasn’t all.I have to meet the emperor anyway.
Dana heard that the emperor had returned today. Coincidentally, Lethe had brought something to trade with the emperor.
Justin’s murder was what it was. No matter how huge that incident was, it didn’t change her reality. Dana still had things she needed to do.
Right. I need to see the emperor as soon as possible.To break off her engagement with Raios. She needed to propose another deal with the emperor.