The edges of the handkerchief were decorated with intricate embroidery—most likely the work of its owner herself.
*Should I find her? Or simply leave it on the bench?*
If she had spent so long crafting such a beautiful pattern, she must treasure it. She would certainly return to search for it.
He stood there, uncertain which path to choose. Logic dictated he should place the handkerchief back on the bench and go about his business.
But for some reason, he didn't want to do that.
It was precisely during this moment of indecision that Raizen had found him.
The young man had simply slipped the handkerchief into the inside pocket of his waistcoat. And then, for reasons he couldn't explain, he had hidden it away.
That had been two years ago.
Afterward, when he returned from the war, the avalanche of responsibilities had consumed him so completely that he forgot about this small incident. He only remembered it recently—on the day Asella, in her panic, had forgotten her handkerchief in the library.
At first, he considered returning it to his wife.
Then he changed his mind.
Calix sighed and placed the handkerchief back in its box. His fingers traced the fine embroidery on the silk fabric one final time before he reluctantly closed the lid. As soon as he returned his treasure to its hiding place and shut the drawer, an insistent knock shattered the silence:
"Your Highness! This is Raizen."
It was still far too early. Dawn hadn't even broken. But Calix didn't care—if Raizen was already awake at this hour, it must be something truly important.
Still, he was worried about Asella.
He ordered Margot to be woken immediately. Then he followed his secretary.
On the way, Raizen revealed some rather unexpected information.
"The Charts family tree?"
According to his arrangement with the Emperor, the Charts mansion would be transferred entirely to Benvito's possession following the execution. The property had been subjected to a thorough search immediately, but only yesterday had a secret compartment been discovered—one sealed by extraordinarily powerful magic.
Karma's wizards had struggled considerably to breach its contents.
The hidden room was completely empty. It was clear that bookcases and furniture had once filled the space, laden with countless volumes. But everything had vanished.
In the center of the vast chamber stood only a wooden chest, containing a single item: a weighty, leather-bound book.
*The Charts Family Tree.*
Adele must have destroyed all other materials stored in this room in advance—anticipating the possibility of future discovery.
Seven years ago, just before the attack, Adele had suffered a difficult birth and struggled for months to recover. Perhaps she had already been contemplating death. Perhaps she had tried to arrange her affairs while she still could.
Although... it was impossible that the Marquise hadn't known the Emperor had marked her as a target.
Regarding Marquise Adele Charts's remarriage, the aristocracy had reached a consensus: the woman, shattered by the death of her beloved husband, had simply fallen prey to Philippe's aggressive advances. A tragic lapse in judgment by a grieving widow.
And so the story had ended—or so everyone believed. Because of such a "foolish decision," her daughters had lost all influence and power. The Charts title had been usurped by empty people who bore no relation to the family, either by blood or ability.
After that, any mention of the Charts name was invariably accompanied by sympathetic ridicule.
But in reality, everything had been different.
Just a few months before the murder, Calix had become an unwitting witness to a most unpleasant conversation between Adele and Philippe.
It had been at the New Year's banquet.
*"You dare threaten me?"*
*"Why so hostile? Just some friendly advice."* The brazen, self-assured voice had carried an unmistakable hint of mockery.
Calix, still just a boy at the time, had paid little attention to this exchange. Who knew what intrigues were constantly being woven among the nobility? He had no particular concern for the affairs of the Charts family—he was neither Archduke nor Grand Duke then. Whether Adele wanted this marriage or not was simply none of his business.
Soon afterward, his father, Grand Duke Benvito, had sent his only son to wander the battlefields. And his own life, filled with danger and violence, had erased all these insignificant memories.
Only much later did he learn that Adele had been treacherously murdered under the most mysterious circumstances. And that the heiresses of Charts had fallen under the complete control of Philippe and the Emperor.
Most likely, Fernando had been pressuring Adele into marrying that worthless man.
But *why*?
That overheard conversation—which had previously held no meaning for him—now refused to leave his thoughts.
In any case, Adele had been deeply afraid of something. She had rushed to destroy all the family archives. And most likely, she had prioritized those documents upon which her family's survival depended.
"So she left only the family tree?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
A thick book bound in red leather lay on the table before him. The genealogy began quite extensively, as it included comprehensive information about male offspring stretching back generations. Toward the middle, it became considerably simpler.
But when Calix reached the final section...
His long fingers suddenly stopped.
*Adele Charts.*
Besides herself and her husband, Asella and Mariel were also recorded in the book.
Calix studied the beautiful calligraphic lines and muttered:
"This is strange."
"What do you mean, Your Highness?"
"There's nothing here but names. No birth year. No death date."
"But perhaps Marquise Adele simply forgot, or didn't pay attention—"
"Impossible." Calix cast another frowning glance at the page, then rose abruptly from his seat.
"Your Highness?"
Calix retrieved the magic stone that powered one of the nearby lamps. He returned to his place, directing his magical energy into the crystalline surface. The stone began to crumble like a lump of sugar dissolving in water.
Calix sprinkled the resulting powder across the page, then brought a candle flame closer.
As the flickering light illuminated the paper, Raizen let out a quiet exclamation:
"Oh! It appears to be secret script."
Considering that Adele had been a powerful being blessed with the gift of foresight, such a concealment technique would have been child's play for her.
Raizen bent his head, reading the text that slowly materialized before them.
The birth dates of four people were now clearly visible on the page. And the death date of only one: Cloud.
"Do you understand how significant this information is?" Calix's crimson eyes blazed with barely contained excitement.
"Yes... indeed..."
Now all doubts about Mariel Loctrin's awakening had vanished like smoke. Her birthday had already passed—three months ago.
"*Truly*?" Raizen peered at the numbers again, as though he couldn't believe his own eyes. "But that means she must be fully awakened by now."
"Yes. And more than that." Calix pointed at two dates positioned side by side. "Cloud was still alive when she was born. Look—he died the day *after* her birth."
Raizen's mouth fell open in astonishment.
"So the late Marquise of Charts deliberately falsified Mariel Loctrin's birth date. But *why* would she need to do such a thing?"
"That's precisely what we must discover. And quickly."
Now he understood how the investigation should proceed. All threads of this case led back to the Emperor. And all of this had begun not seven years ago, but *ten* years ago.
Perhaps even earlier.
"Find out everything that occurred between Adele Charts and the Emperor ten years ago. Or earlier still. I believe we need to return to the very beginning of this story."
It was essential to understand why Fernando had pursued Adele so relentlessly. What had that serpentine mind wanted from her?
"Report everything immediately. Every step you take."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Calix was about to leave the office when the captain of the Benvito Fortress guard burst through the door without announcing himself.
"What's happening?"
"Your Highness! At the castle gates! Her Holiness has arrived—just now! From the Temple—"
---
## — An Unexpected Guest —
Her Holiness had arrived at Benvito Fortress at dawn.
And she was alone. No carriage. No escort.
Yet the brilliant white robes glowing with unearthly luminescence, the distinctive rose-pink hair, and the radiant amber eyes left no room for doubt.
It was *her*.
The Viceroy of Gernia herself.
The soldiers had stood frozen in shock, unable to halt her graceful progress with any command or challenge. She walked leisurely through the fortress grounds, seemingly oblivious to their stunned reactions. Upon reaching the massive castle doors, she had knocked as casually as if she were visiting a neighbor.
The incident was so unprecedented that the captain responsible for castle security had burst into his master's office without any formal report. Such a breach of protocol was unthinkable under normal circumstances.
After some necessary formalities and an exchange of barbed pleasantries, Judith and Calix were finally seated across from one another. The finest wines and carefully prepared appetizers had been placed before them.
Neither made any move to touch the refreshments.
Calix leaned back in his chair with deliberate casualness and spoke in a tone laced with generous venom:
"I'm impressed by the Temple's courtesy. Her Holiness barges into my castle without warning."
Judith, however, showed no embarrassment at his impolite reception.
"Well, *some* people take the liberty of sending letters to the Great Temple containing obvious threats. So I simply responded to the Grand Duke's *order* to present myself before his magnificent eyes." She spread her hands in a gesture of mock helplessness. "That's all."
Calix's eyebrows twitched with displeasure.
In response, Judith offered him a dazzling smile:
"I believe we both have a great deal to discuss in an *informal* setting. Don't you agree?"
In truth, the ruling sovereign of the Great Temple was currently paying him a personal visit.
"After all," she continued sweetly, "the credo of the Gevium Prefecture is to be *polite* to one's neighbors."
"Ha!" Calix laughed—a short, sharp sound devoid of warmth. "As you wish."
But the moment the words left his lips, his expression turned to ice.
Judith suppressed a shiver as the air around them seemed to freeze solid.
"But then why did you come alone?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"I'm asking." His voice dropped to a dangerous register. "Where is Mariel Loctrin? Since we're discussing *orders*, didn't I command that she be returned to my castle?"
His crimson eyes now glowed with cold, malevolent light. He glared at her as though prepared to destroy his opponent at any moment.
Judith drew a steadying breath and answered in a carefully neutral tone:
"Mariel has fully awakened her abilities. She has gone to the Lord of the Magic Tower."
Calix's eyes narrowed to slits, scanning her face with razor-sharp intensity—as if testing the sincerity of every word.
Judith shivered again, discreetly warming her frozen body with a pulse of divine power.
"It's true," she continued. "Roshan is expecting a meeting with the Masters of the Tower. They've already arrived. The council won't conclude for at least a week."
"*Roshan*?" Calix's eyebrows rose at the familiar name.
He sensed, instinctively, that something was wrong.
---