‘Ravi, this is the man who’s going to be your father starting today.’

‘.......’

‘.......’

When Mom first said she was going to accept him as her husband, Ravi didn’t feel much.

He didn’t, either.

Just because they decided to become a family didn’t mean anything changed. Neither of them cared much about the other.

He wasn’t affectionate toward Ravi, and Ravi kept him at arm’s length too. Neither of them was the type to reach out first.

To Ravi, he wasn’t family so much as just “Mom’s husband,” nothing more and nothing less.

Then something happened that shifted Ravi’s feelings, just a little.

‘Ravi’s seriously so annoying, right?’

‘Yeah.’

‘The way he acts all high and mighty is so irritating.’

Ravi was more mature than other kids their age, and the neighborhood kids didn’t like that.

No, it would be more accurate to say they hated it.

So Ravi ended up isolated, and came home a lot after getting beaten up.

Even then, Ravi didn’t tell Mom anything. They always said they fell, and kept what happened with the other kids tightly hidden.

But at some point, that bullying vanished completely. If they saw Ravi, they got scared instead and hurried to avoid them.

‘Y-Your dad is really scary.’

‘He said if we bully you, he won’t let it slide.’

‘It was even scarier because he said it while smiling!’

Turns out he’d warned those kids without Ravi even knowing. The same man who’d only ever looked at Ravi with indifferent eyes whenever Ravi came home hurt.

That was when Ravi’s feelings toward him changed, just a little.

Living with that man might not be so bad.

‘Of course, he disappeared in less than a year.’

Maybe that was why Ravi hated him even more. Ravi was pissed at themself for having tried, even for a moment, to open their heart to him.

And it felt like that irritated bitterness flowed straight into Camilla.

Whenever Ravi looked at Camilla, their mood twisted for no reason, and anger rose.

Thinking back now, Ravi remembered a time when they’d been so full of rage it felt insane—

“What. Do you have something to say?”

Of course Ravi’s tone toward him couldn’t come out gentle. The fact that his status was a duke only made Ravi more irritated.

So that’s why you abandoned Mom?

Once you got your memories back, did you see Mom as something worthless?

Not worth even wanting to find?

The number of people who knew that Duke Kais Escra had no memories of the year he spent in the Fable Empire was extremely small.

Naturally, Ravi hadn’t heard that much yet, so his sudden appearance could only look shameless.

“I was just curious.”

“About what?”

“What kind of bastard it was that made my daughter come running here in panic like that.”

“Enough with the daughter. Daughter! Stop it!”

“If you want, I can call you my son, too.”

“...What did you just say?”

“I’ll take you in as my son. My daughter doesn’t look like she can bring herself to abandon you.”

Ravi stared at him for a moment with a look that said I’ve really seen every kind of lunatic, then quickly turned away.

While thinking that he’d seemed more normal back when he’d lost his memories.

“Oh, you’ve got a nice personality.”

Watching Ravi, Duke Escra gave a quiet snort of amusement.

“That?”

“If it were me, I’d have hurled a stream of curses, but he just walks off.”

“From where I’m standing, it looks like he’s leaving because you’re not worth dealing with.”

“Do you think I treated that bastard well when I lost my memories?”

“.......”

“What? What’s with that look?”

“I was just amazed you could have a thought that ridiculous.”

“What’s ridiculous about it?”

“Are you seriously asking because you don’t know?”

Even if he’d lost his memories, who would do what? Duke Escra being kind to a child? And not just any duke—Duke Escra?

He was a man who couldn’t even manage a single warm word to his own biological son, Dive. Would losing his memories change his nature?

“Anyway, I think he’s going to be a pretty big key in taking Lady Camilla with us.”

“I think so, too.”

As they watched Ravi walking far ahead, Duke Escra’s eyes and Count Alton’s eyes flashed at the same time, as if neither wanted to be slower than the other.

*****

CLICK.

“Huh?”

Camilla’s eyes widened slightly as she opened the bedroom door and stepped inside. Someone she’d forgotten about for a while was here.

“You’re back?”

“...You’re back? That’s it?”

The one trembling at her words was Dorman. Looks like he was still deeply hurt that she’d left him behind.

Persistent bastard.

This guy’s grudge was outrageous.

“You left me there and you didn’t contact me even once!”

“We’re not exactly that kind of relationship.”

“You’re terrible!”

“Enough. You showed up at a good time.”

“...Why?”

He rolled his eyes as he sank into thought. Did I not say something again recently, or mess something up?

“Can you get in touch with Habel?”

“Habel?”

“Yeah.”

“I mean, I can contact him if I try, but.......”

“Tell him I want to see him.”

Camilla had something to ask Reaper Habel.

“Why him?”

“I saw something weird again.”

The ghosts bound to the Emperor of Fable had something in common.

First, their appearance. They all had the signature blond hair and golden eyes the Imperial Family had.

If you looked closely, there were a lot of subtle similarities, too. The fact that they were all men as well.

‘And lastly, their ages.’

They’d all had their bodies stolen at around similar ages.

‘What does that mean?’

No matter how she thought about it, there was only one conclusion.

‘Every Emperor of the Fable Empire has been the same person.’

More precisely, one soul kept switching °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° bodies and maintaining the throne of Emperor.

“That’s absolutely horrifying.”

So he was maintaining his life by stealing the bodies of his own children.

“Jesus.”

Does that even make sense? Isn’t that a full-on psychopath? How could someone use their own child as a tool to continue their life?

But no matter how she thought, there wasn’t any other guess that fit.

In dramas, a father sometimes says something like this to his son.

You are my dream and my future.

It’s meant to be encouragement and affection from father to son. But if the Emperor of Fable said that to Crown Prince Edsen—

‘That would completely change what it means.’

Because he really would be his future.

A shiver ran over Camilla’s whole body again.

‘He’ll probably do it again this time, too.’

He would definitely steal the body of either Crown Prince Edsen or the Second Prince.

The age range of those bound ghosts looked similar to the two princes now. Which meant it was time to switch bodies, wasn’t it?

“What am I supposed to do about this?”

If she told other people, would anyone believe it?

And it wasn’t just anyone, it was the Emperor. If she handled it wrong, losing her head wouldn’t be anything.

With no proof, they’d call it nonsense and cut her head off for insulting the Emperor, wouldn’t they?

“First, I need to meet Habel.”

If it was Habel, he might know something. Like with Rania, he might be able to find the Emperor’s True Name written in the register.

If she met him, maybe she could hear something more precise about the secret the Emperor of Fable was holding.

“Oh, right. This.”

“What is it?”

“Young Master Dive told me to pass it to you.”

It was a letter. Since Dorman was going back, Dive must have written it as a greeting. Camilla tore it open with a faint smile.

“They’re saying the party hall got turned upside down?”

As she read, Camilla’s gaze lifted back to Dorman.

“The rumors already spread?”

“Rumors about you always spread fast, Miss.”

“Haa.”

A sigh slipped out of Camilla on its own. Of course they would. That man had thrown a bomb right in the middle of the party.

The news that Camilla Sorpel’s biological father had appeared had probably already spread through the entire capital. And how loudly they’d all chew on it again.

“Why did that man suddenly come?”

If she’d known Duke Escra was included in the delegation, she could’ve at least prepared herself.

But looking at it, the Duke of Sorpel, and everyone else too, seemed like they hadn’t known at all.

“The person who was originally supposed to come had something happen and had to drop out, so Lord Kais came in their place.”

“In their place?”

That man wasn’t exactly someone who would fill in as a substitute for anybody.

“What was the thing that suddenly happened?”

“W-Well.......”

Dorman forced an awkward smile and avoided Camilla’s eyes. Then he hesitated and started to speak.

Apparently, a rumor had spread very quickly: after the person who was supposed to come as part of the delegation met Duke Escra, they said they needed to recuperate, packed immediately, and went down to the countryside.

I mean, if he wanted to come with the delegation, he could’ve just said from the start he was going.

“Why would he bother digging up the other person’s weakness just to drive them out to some province?”

‘Because if that kid finds out, she’ll tell me not to come.’

Should he tell her the reason was Camilla? Dorman hesitated for a moment, then decided to quietly let it pass.

“Anyway, contact Habel as quickly as you can.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Dorman nodded, then immediately brewed a cup of tea and set it in front of Camilla.

“You look like you’re burning up inside.”

“Ugh.”

She didn’t know what any of this was anymore. Camilla sat down, sipped her tea, and tried to cool her tangled thoughts.

But soon her brow furrowed again.

I won’t see it again, right?

The Emperor of Fable.

She’d managed to get out of the party hall in the confusion because of Duke Escra’s appearance, but still—

‘I have a great many things I want to hear from you about what happened that day. I’d like us to set aside some time privately, soon.’

The Emperor’s words kept scratching at her nerves. It was probably just a greeting he gave anyone, right?

“Yeah. It has to be.”

He was the Emperor. If anything, he’d be busy. He wasn’t someone with time to spare.

Camilla forced herself to steady the anxiety rising in her chest and took another sip of tea.

*****

“...Being the Emperor. You have a lot of free time.”

A few days later, Camilla stared at a single invitation in her hand and let out sigh after sigh.

It was an invitation delivered personally by the head palace attendant, and it briefly stated that the Emperor wanted to have tea with her.

“Why are you going out of your way to meet me!”

He said he wanted to hear about what happened on the day the Guardian’s Sword awakened, but she barely remembered it!

She’d been possessed, so it wasn’t like she properly knew anything. And it wasn’t like she could send Zeno in her place......

And it feels wrong.

Is that really the only reason he wants to see her? Why send an invitation like this and summon her to the Imperial Palace?

“What’s that?”

“Ah—!”

WHOOSH!

In that moment, someone snatched the invitation out of Camilla’s hand.