Evalyn felt her body get yanked by some unknown force.

Her vision blurred, and all she could see was a strange, twisting tunnel.

A few seconds later, everything went black—like the light itself had been swallowed whole.

"Ugh..."

A sharp pain shot through her head. Evalyn slowly opened her eyes.

At first, everything was blurry, but gradually her vision cleared.

"...What just happened? Where am I?" she muttered, rubbing her temples.

When she finally looked around, she froze.

She was in a forest. And not just any forest—it was ridiculously dense. The trees were massive, towering at least ten or fifteen meters high.

"Huh? Where the hell am I!?"

Panicking, Evalyn quickly pushed herself to her feet.

But the moment she stood up, her head throbbed again. Her vision spun, and she stumbled backward, almost falling.

Then suddenly, someone grabbed her arm.

She turned her head in surprise and saw Nolan smiling at her.

"Nolan?" she called out weakly. Relief washed over her. "Thank goodness you’re here too. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know what to do."

Nolan let go and said casually, "I understand your concern. I’m also surprised to find myself in this mysterious place."

He surveyed his surroundings with a curious gaze.

"It seems we’ve gone to the past."

Evalyn’s expression froze.

"The past? What do you mean?"

She took two steps back, her face filled with disbelief.

"The past. Don’t you understand what I mean?" Nolan said, rolling his eyes.

"That’s not it!" Evalyn shook her head, clenching her fists. "I mean, how do you know we’re in the past? And how did we get here?"

"It’s because I sensed a mysterious fluctuation in the glass case where the Divine Sword of Luminus was once kept," Nolan replied calmly.

He picked up the sword from the ground and handed it to her.

Evalyn took it, briefly ran her fingers along its surface, then put it away.

"A mysterious fluctuation?" Her eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes." Nolan nodded and began explaining everything to her.

Evalyn listened closely, her expression shifting from shock... to confusion... and finally to pure disbelief.

"S-So... you’re saying my ancestor has been setting all of this up the whole time?" she asked, her voice shaking. "Just for the descendant who could get the Divine Sword of Luminus to acknowledge them... me?"

She swallowed hard.

"And that ’path’ you’re talking about is... going back to the past?"

"Correct," Nolan confirmed.

Even Nolan himself hadn’t expected it at first. The fluctuation he had sensed turned out to be related to space and time.

He was the Singularity of Chaos, and his specialty lay in those two elements.

That was why he was especially sensitive to anything involving space and time.

And since the fluctuation originated from the glass case where the Divine Sword of Luminus had once been kept, he concluded that it was something prepared specifically for Evalyn by her ancestor.

Evalyn was speechless. She didn’t know how to respond. This was the first time she had experienced something so unbelievable.

Time travel was a myth. That was what everyone believed—including her.

But now, that belief had shattered. She had actually experienced time travel.

She wanted to think Nolan was just talking nonsense, but it was impossible for him to do that to her.

Although the man sometimes joked around and often teased her, Nolan wouldn’t lie to such an absurd extent.

"There’s something I want to ask," Evalyn said in a heavy voice. "How did you know there was a fluctuation in space and time within that glass case? Even my father and I didn’t notice it at all."

She rarely came to the treasure room, but that didn’t mean she never did. In just one year, she had visited it twice—no, even three times.

Her father and other members of the Lionheart family actually visited far more often—up to ten times a year.

However, Evalyn had never once heard them mention the fluctuation Nolan was referring to.

Nolan stayed calm, as if he had been expecting her to ask.

"I’m sorry. I’ve been hiding something from you," Nolan said, putting on a guilty expression. "Actually, I’ve been lying to you and the others."

"Lied?" Evalyn’s heart raced. "W-What do you mean?"

Nolan paused for a moment, then took a deep breath and said, "I can actually use magic."

Evalyn: "???"

She had thought the lie Nolan was referring to would be something unforgivable.

But that answer was completely beyond her comprehension.

"Y-You can use magic? Are you kidding me?" she asked in disbelief.

Nolan was too lazy to explain further. He snapped his fingers, and a small ball of fire appeared, floating above his palm.

Evalyn’s eyes widened in shock.

"You really can use magic! How is that possible?" she exclaimed, her voice rising. "No... that’s not it!"

She quickly took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down, then stared intently at Nolan.

"Do you have any idea how serious this is? Magical abilities are incredibly valuable, even to the imperial family. And you’ve been hiding it for over a dozen years! Nolan, you..."

She wanted to say, "You’ve betrayed your father and the imperial family!"

But the words wouldn’t come out.

To be honest, what she felt wasn’t just anger, but disappointment.

She and Nolan had been friends since they were in diapers.

All this time, Evalyn had thought she knew him inside and out.

It turned out she was wrong.

Nolan was far too good at hiding things from the world—including from her.

His fighting skills, his analytical abilities, and now... magic.

Evalyn didn’t know how to react.

It felt as though she had been betrayed.

Without realizing it, tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes. She quickly lowered her head to hide her expression.

Seeing this, Nolan let out a quiet sigh. He wasn’t surprised by her reaction.

Still, this was the best approach. In the future, he would act more openly.

Therefore, telling those closest to him—like Seira, Rafine, and Evalyn—about his magical abilities now would prevent them from being shocked later.

Nolan stepped forward and pulled Evalyn into his embrace. Evalyn tried to resist and even pushed him away.

But her strength was weak, and Nolan only tightened his hold.

"I’m sorry."

Those were the only words Nolan could say.

Evalyn remained silent, but her resistance gradually weakened.

Nolan patted her back and explained, "I deliberately kept it hidden because I didn’t want to get involved in imperial politics. You must know that if this news were to spread, it would cause major upheaval in the palace. That’s why, from the start, I didn’t want to reveal my abilities—even to you."

He paused for a moment, then continued in a softer voice.

"And don’t get the wrong idea. It doesn’t mean I don’t trust you. I just want to minimize any risks that might arise in the future. So... stop crying, okay?"

Nolan loosened his embrace and wiped the tears from the corners of Evalyn’s eyes.

Evalyn pouted in annoyance. Still, she couldn’t deny that what Nolan said made sense.

A prince with special abilities like magic would inevitably cause a stir within the imperial palace.

Sharon was the best example. As the third princess, she had already become a target for those who wanted to make her the next emperor.

And despite her status as Ragan’s adopted daughter, her potential remained just as great.

That was the main reason Sharon had been placed at the Falling Star Academy. Besides training her, it was also Ragan’s way of keeping her away from the political arena.

"I understand," Evalyn said hoarsely. "But next time, don’t do it again. Otherwise..."

She clenched her fist and punched Nolan in the stomach.

"Ugh"

Nolan doubled over and groaned in pain.

Evalyn’s eyes flashed with a cold light.

"I won’t forgive you. Understand?"

Nolan winced, but he had no choice.

"I understand," he replied resignedly.