It was unnervingly chilling tonight.

Perhaps the fact that there were no guards around, unlike the usual, made the night more chilling and unnerving, but either way, the night doesn't feel good. A woman draped only in her snow-white night gown was walking through the hall.

She was beautiful, breathtakingly so.

But her face was now marred with concern; it was made evident by her brows that furrowed together.

And from her almost-hurried steps, she seemed to be driven by urgency.

Like there was a problem that needed to be handled right now.

In her hand was a candle on a small, intricate saucer; the only source of light that helped her see where she was going in this massive mansion. She eventually reached the left wing and, after going through a tunnel, arrived in a spherical room.

Sitting on the sofa to her right was a man with voluminous light blue hair.

He was swirling the wine with his right hand, not even turning to look when the woman arrived.

It was almost like he was already expecting her to come.

On the other side, standing toward a massive window overlooking the lustrous garden—and the star-lit sky was the man she was looking for. "Father, this must be a mistake," the woman approached. "I have abandoned him. You agreed to it, too. And yet you want me to meet him to salvage our relationship?"

"Your tone, Victoria. That's not the tone a lady should use," the man said sternly without turning.

Hearing this, Victoria paused and closed her eyes for a second.

She was trying to calm herself down.

Then, with a more composed tone, she continued, "Please explain this decision, Father."

"Your relationship with him is done, I understand—but there's no wrong in you to remain friendly," the man spoke again, still not turning around. "I've learned that somehow, he awakened his Mana Veins. It should be impossible, but if he did, then now there's reason to keep a good term with him."

"For what, Father? He's not going to be the heir, there's no rea—"

"It may not look like it—but Marquis Victor favored the eldest more than the second. There's no saying who would end up becoming the heir. I'm simply making sure either way, whoever becomes the heir, he will not bear… resentment towards us."

Victoria opened her mouth, wanting to say more, but no words came out.

She couldn't believe that this was happening.

Slowly, the man turned around and stared at his own daughter.

Despite his old age, past his prime already, his presence still commanded respect.

Even Victoria couldn't hold eye contact with him.

"In case you forgot, the marquis is in charge of the southern border of our kingdom. Our family is built around that border. We cannot go against the Tiernan," the man's glowing emerald eyes narrowed. "I would not be asking you this had you not shamed him in public. Marquis Victor's hands were tied at that time, but what would happen if the eldest became an Exorcist?"

"That would never happen," Victoria refuted. "He's weak physically and mentally. He has the blood of a peasant in him, so he will never rise. Besides—aren't the second going to kill him? Just let him do it. Better yet, let's support him to make sure the eldest is done for good."

"That's enough." The man raised his hand; his voice sounded final.

One that doesn't want to be refuted.

Victoria was reluctant still, but under her Father's piercing gaze, she couldn't help but to lower her gaze.

"You inherited my talent—that is why you are strong, and will continue to grow," the man said, his eyes narrowing further. His voice then lowered—into a warning, "But you also inherited your mother's fire. Do you wish to suffer her fate as well?"

Almost instantly, Victoria clenched the edge of her night gown hard.

Her pupils shook, angry, but her mouth remained shut.

"I'm not telling you to apologize," the man approached slowly; his step was heavy and domineering. "I am only asking you to meet with him and warn him about his brother's scheme. Do what I asked. Let's play it safe."

He raised his hand and held Victoria's shoulder firmly.

No warmth in it; only an intimidation gesture, telling her to do as he asked.

"Why not send some people on my behalf?"

"If you were him, and your ex-fiancée warned you of an assassination attempt through his people, would you believe him? Even if you did, would you think it was out of genuine—concern, or something else? Do what I asked."

Victoria bit her lower lip reluctantly and turned to face the man sitting on the sofa.

"And you're okay with this?" She asked.

"Okay with what, exactly?" the man chuckled lightly.

"Your fiancé is going to meet with her ex to salvage what's left between them."

"I wouldn't think of it like that. "I'd prefer to think pf this as my soon-to-be fiancé making a business trip to secure our future."

A rough exhale escaped Victoria's nose as she nodded and left the room.

…

Victoria opened her eyes.

Her light-emerald eyes stared ahead, sensing a few figures approaching from a distance.

Days had passed since that conversation with her father and her fiancé, yet the night kept on repeating in her mind—an unwelcome loop. She resented them both for forcing her out to this nowhere to meet a man whose name she refused to even think.

Now, she was in the middle of nowhere, a flatland, waiting for news from her servants.

"Another nightmare about your father?" asked the woman beside her, feeding a log into the bonfire.

"No, not a nightmare if it's real," Victoria sighed.

"You're not even told to apologize, just to warn him. I don't see the problem."

"His presence reminds me of how little my father thinks of me."

"He's bad, but that's not bad."

"He couldn't even look me in the eyes, even though his family is way stronger than mine. Never in my wildest dreams would I think that I would be betrothed to him. It's Lady Luck smiling at me—when he failed to become an Exorcist."

At how hateful Victoria sounded, the woman chuckled in amusement.

It was rare to see the lady this worked up about something.

"Lady Victoria," A man draped in an all-white robe landed before Victoria from above, kneeling with a fist against his chest. "I've found where the young master is. He's in a carriage heading to Nagor Town. I've heard rumors around Ingver Town, and many people said he's now a Miracle Exorcist. I suggest following him first to see the situation before making contact."

"A Miracle Exorcist?" Victoria scoffed. "What about Agnar? We can't be spotted by him."

"He's not too far behind. This is our chance to intercept the young master."

"And? You seem to want to say something more."

Hearing this, the man shifted uncomfortably, not knowing how to say the last piece of information.

"He's also traveling with a woman," He finally said.

"Is that what you wanted to say?" Victoria shook her head and stood up nonchalantly—not expecting him to be wary of mentioning something as meager as that. "It's probably a peasant girl he picked. Come, let's get this over with. I can't stand even knowing that I'm near him."

Moments later.

Victoria and four of her servants sprinted across the flatland.

Just as reported, their target was in a carriage, traversing the lonely road towards Nagor Town.

Each one of them was invisible to the eye because of their invisible cloak, which hides their forms from plain sight, and also their auras. Nobody could see anything amiss even if they were looking in Victoria's direction.

Not unless they were extremely close and heard their footsteps.

All of them were using mana to enchant their bodies.

And due to that, even though they were following a carriage pulled by two mana-bred horses, they did not seem to be having any trouble whatsoever. It was akin to a light jog for them, which was more of a hassle than it was tiring.

"Coast is clear, my Lady," Another man returned from scouting. "We could intercept them now."

"Okay, let's mo—"

Bang—!

Victoria's eyes widened when something struck the man directly to her right.

She saw blood tracing the air from where he was.

None of them could react in time as another banging sound resounded.

"Herghk!"

Another of them was thrown backward—as something extremely fast struck his head, killing him in an instant. Victoria snapped her eyes around, searching for where the attack came from—but she couldn't find the source.

"Protect yourself!" Victoria commanded.

Instinctively, the remaining three people stopped abruptly and cast the same spell simultaneously.

"Aegis!"

Hongg—!

A translucent, bubble-like barrier shimmered into existence around them, protecting them from external attacks. They had come here in half-jest, but the suddenness of the situation sent a cold chill down their spines.

Victoria snapped her head to the right side, to the mound, and saw something coming at them fast.

Her hand reached out for it, but she was a second too late.

Splash—!

Even though the Aegis Spell was active, it proved to be nothing.

A spear shattered the barrier and stabbed into another's stomach, forcing him to vomit up blood.

He tried to move, but the mana inside the spearhead paralyzed him completely.

"It's coming from the mound!" Victoria shouted.

But she was too late to react as another spear shot through the dark—a streak of shadow—and pierced another of her servants. Now, only she and one other remained: the woman she had spoken to moments before. Two paralyzed. Two dead.

It was a devastating ambush.

Victoria and the woman stick close to each other, shoulder-to-shoulder.

"My Lady, is it Agnar? But he should still be behind us."

"It's not Agnar. He doesn't use a spear."

Swoosh—!

Just then, the air shifted.

Victoria and the woman looked down instinctively and sucked in a cold breath.

A figure was already upon them and low.

His entire body was crackling with fire, and in the next second, he detonated.

Kaboom—!

Victoria leaped back and somersaulted away to create distance from the attacker.

Her own protective charms shielded her from the worst of the impact, but as she landed and looked up, her breath was caught in her throat. A man stood across the clearing. He was facing away, and he was holding the last servant by the neck, suspending her, limp and helpless, in the air.

Just this one man alone dismantles her entire group.

But the back of this man was familiar.

"So, did my brother send you guys to hunt me down?" the man's voice echoed. "That's a bad mistake."

"Deklan…?" Victoria uttered the name in shock. "Is that you?"

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