Chapter 166

Terman didn’t believe in love. Before we parted ways, he spoke his true feelings:

‘It seems like Helios likes you. So the man who said he would live alone for his entire life is suddenly causing a fuss about an engagement and a wedding. It’s annoying, but I allowed it. Still, my true feelings are against it.’

The atmosphere was warm, yet Terman’s near-opposition to the marriage made my face freeze in real-time. I could feel my expression stiffening as I struggled to process his words. I knew I had to correct what was wrong, but I was so flustered that I forgot to do even that.

‘Whether someone is imprinted or not, it’s a problem either way. The tragedies caused by the imprinting in the royal family are everywhere. It’s inevitable that such a fate will fall upon Helios as well. It’s not that I hate you, but I hope you won’t become a part of that tragedy.’

Terman had foreseen that my future with Helios would end in tragedy.

He’s not wrong. If I can’t erase His Highness’s name, I’ll die.

It suddenly hit me that it had already been over two months since the imprint. Ebony had told me that my health was holding up well for someone who had a one-sided imprint, but how long it would last was anyone’s guess.

I had to find the person who could erase the imprint soon.

But I couldn’t get any closer to the secret connections of the Steel Merchant Company.

Should I ask His Highness for help?

It was a risky move, but if Helios were to ask why I was looking for the Inscriber, I could always spin it as necessary for the investigation. After all, this was something I had planned to do behind his back, but with my current abilities, finding and contacting an Imprinter on my own was impossible. I had failed at the World Fair, after all.

It was time to acknowledge the limitations of my skills and use them to my advantage.

So, I resolved to do what I had to do. This morning, before going to meet Terman, I revised the hypothesis I had made about my abilities:

One: I could only read the symptoms of those who had been imprinted or were about to be imprinted.

Two: I couldn’t read all the symptoms of those who had been imprinted.

When I checked Terman’s, who was unsure whether the medicine I had given him was working well, I couldn’t detect any symptoms even though he had complained of a headache. I knew it couldn’t be a case of fake illness, because I had seen his doctor take his temperature and administer fever-reducing medicine right in front of me.

I couldn’t read Demyr’s symptoms either.

That left only one common factor left.

Chloe Dorian.

Could it be…?

The sudden thought struck me like lightning, and I shot up from my seat.

Thud! Helios, whose head had been resting on my lap, tumbled to the floor with a loud crash.

He sat up, clutching his shoulder where it had hit the ground, and looked up at me.

“Rienna, what’s wrong?”

He blinked a few times, eyes still heavy with sleep, then abruptly stood and grabbed my shoulders.

“What’s going on? Are you okay? You’ve gone completely pale. Are you hurt?”

It wasn’t pain. It was fear.

The corpses whose symptoms I had been able to read…

Had they all been imprinted with Chloe Dorian?

Goosebumps spread across my entire body.

10. Secret

“Are you really okay?”

Helios’s short break had come to an end. It was time for him to get back to work.
But for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to get up from the sofa.

“Yes, Your Highness. I’m fine.”

Even to my own ears, my voice lacked strength.

Helios looked at me with a suspicious gaze.

“Did His Majesty say something to you? Just let it in one ear and out the other. Half of what that old man says is nonsense anyway.”

Contrary to what Helios said, every word from Terman had been important. But there was nothing I could tell Helios.

In that sense, maybe it was better to let him misunderstand.

“Got it. But you should really go now. Vincenzo’s going to lose his head.”

Through the slightly ajar door, I could see Vincenzo’s feet pacing nervously.

Helios half rose to his feet, then sat back down.

“Maybe I shouldn’t go.”

“Your Highness.”

“The reception for the Byzantian prince — just let Macaulay handle it. I’ve already laid out all the plans anyway.”

Helios was completely serious.

“No! Absolutely not!”

I said firmly. But in truth, there was no need. Even if I had agreed with him, Macaulay wouldn’t have been able to take charge of the Byzantian prince’s reception anyway.

“Rienna! Rienna, are you in here?”

Priscilla burst through the bedroom door like she was about to break it down.

“You need to come with me.”

Before even exchanging greetings, she tried to grab my wrist to pull me up, but Helios stopped her.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Helios shot her a piercing glare, sharp as a blade. Normally, Priscilla would’ve snapped back without hesitation, but instead, she dropped to her knees in front of him.

“Please, let me borrow your physician. Macaulay is… h-he’s very ill…”

• Author
• Recent Posts

elphie

Latest posts by elphie (see all)