ICUBIHNIW 02

Evelyn’s parents looked at her with troubled expressions.

“Evelyn, being able to know things like that isn’t normal,” her mother said gently. “You must never tell anyone about it.”

“What happens if I do?”

“They’ll take you away… and hurt you.”

After that day, Evelyn stopped talking about it.

She didn’t know exactly what “hurt” meant, but she was certain it couldn’t be anything good. Maybe they’d lock her up in an attic and force her to eat piles of vegetables she hated. Maybe they’d even take away all her snacks.

She hated the thought of either.

So she decided to act like every other child.

Even so, the dreams never stopped.

No matter how hard she tried to ignore them, Evelyn was becoming someone different.

But Grandfather never once questioned my strange behavior.

He had known all along.

He had known what kind of ability she possessed.

It’s not even a perfect gift.

She had managed to stop the cookie jar from falling off the cupboard.

But she hadn’t been able to stop her grandfather’s death.

Just as she hadn’t been able to save her father.

The gift brought her nothing but pain.

Staring blankly at the ceiling of the cabin, Evelyn slowly closed her eyes. Her body felt fine, but her mind was exhausted.

She only wanted to rest.

Instead…

She dreamed once again.

“To His Imperial Majesty on his birthday! Cheers!”

Someone raised a mug of beer with a loud shout.

The streets overflowed with cheerful crowds, everyone smiling as if the entire city were celebrating.

“Long live the Pavellern Empire!”

Only after hearing those voices did Evelyn understand where—and when—she was.

The Emperor’s birthday festival…

She carefully surveyed her surroundings.

Every prophetic dream carried a message.

She had learned to instinctively search for it.

Then she noticed him.

A man wearing a hood stood before her.

Strands of hair slipped out from beneath the hood, golden enough to glitter beneath the sunlight.

And suddenly, her grandfather’s words echoed in her mind.

“His hair shines like sunlight.”

Without realizing it, Evelyn found herself staring at him, almost entranced.

Then he began to walk.

Keeping up with him wasn’t easy, but the sea of people couldn’t stop her.

Because this is only a dream.

The man left the crowded streets and headed into a narrow alley.

With every step he took, the festive atmosphere faded behind him, replaced by darkness.

He’s fast!

At last, just as she caught up to him—

Several figures cloaked in an ominous aura attacked.

The murderous intent filling the alley was so overwhelming that it felt as though it would consume Evelyn herself.

And then…

The dream ended.

“Gasp!”

Evelyn jolted awake.

The cabin was dark and silent.

She rubbed her face and blinked several times.

Let’s think this through.

The man in her dream had blond hair.

That didn’t necessarily mean he was the Grand Duke of Grasias.

There were countless blond-haired people in the world.

…But what if it really was him?

Her grandfather had always wanted to repay the kindness the Grand Duke had once shown him.

It had been his greatest wish.

Even if that wish could no longer be fulfilled…

Evelyn wanted to make it come true for him.

“Let’s go.”

She climbed to her feet.

For the first time since her grandfather’s death, a little of her motivation had returned.

She decided to leave.

She hadn’t taken anything from the estate, so her relatives were unlikely to chase after her.

If anything, they would probably be glad she had disappeared.

She hated the thought of surrendering the estate that held all her memories with her grandfather.

But she also understood reality.

A noble lady raised in comfort had very little she could do.

Maybe… I really can save the Grand Duke.

She shook her head.

Still, doing something was better than standing still.

First, I’ll confirm whether that man is really the Grand Duke.

Everything else could wait.

And so Evelyn began her journey toward the Imperial Capital.

The Emperor’s birthday was still some time away.

If she hurried, she’d make it in time.

That…

was how it all began.

***

“What a stupid idea…”

Evelyn let out a long sigh.

Traveling to the Imperial Capital hadn’t been particularly difficult.

There had been a few incidents along the way, but nothing serious. They were the sort of mishaps any lone traveler might encounter, and she had handled them without much trouble.

The real problem came much later.

Specifically…

After she learned more about the Grand Duke.

Contrary to her expectations, it didn’t take long after arriving in the capital to find information about the Grand Duke of Grasias.

Printing technology flourished in the capital, and newspapers were sold everywhere.

Coincidentally, the front page featured a large article about the Grand Duke.

The accompanying photograph showed the exact same face she had seen in her prophetic dream.

Looks like I worried for nothing.

Thinking that, Evelyn wandered over to the newsstand.

It wasn’t long before she realized something.

“So… the Grand Duke of Grasias is famous.”

Had Evelyn cared even a little more about socializing—or simply read newspapers from time to time—she would have known that already.

But elegant tea parties full of polite smiles and refined conversation had never interested her.

She had much preferred accompanying her grandfather on hunting trips.

Newspapers and magazines were no different.

Her grandfather disliked gossip and never subscribed to them.

Naturally, Evelyn had grown up without paying them any attention either.

And yet…

[Why Was the Second Son of Marquis Hise Left with a Broken Leg?!]

Maybe she should have taken an interest after all.

Across the front page, beneath the sensational headline, was a large portrait of the Grand Duke of Grasias.

…Why was his leg broken?

Half curious, half uneasy, Evelyn bought a newspaper and sat on a nearby bench.

The article claimed the following:

The second son of Marquis Hise, Young Master Lunt, had accidentally bumped into the Grand Duke while walking through the street.

In response, the Grand Duke had broken the young nobleman’s leg on the spot.

“…What?”

Evelyn frowned.

Surely she had misread it.

She read it again.

If there was a result, there had to be a cause.

Who would break someone’s leg over an accidental bump?

Thinking she might have overlooked something, she reread every line carefully.

She even checked the other pages.

Still, it made no sense.

Unable to understand, she approached a gentleman reading the same newspaper nearby.

“Excuse me. May I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

The gentleman looked up at her.

“I’ve been reading today’s paper… but I don’t understand what it’s saying.”

“What part confuses you?”

With complete seriousness, Evelyn pointed to the front page.

“Why did the Grand Duke of Grasias break the marquis’s son’s leg?”

Coincidentally, the gentleman was reading the exact same newspaper.

“Isn’t it written right there? Is the article difficult to understand?”

“No… that’s not it. I read the whole thing, but it only says they bumped into each other on the street.”

The gentleman’s expression became strangely awkward.

After stroking his chin for a moment, he answered,

“That really is the whole story.”

“…What?”

“He broke the boy’s leg simply because they bumped into each other.”

“…Why?”

Really?

Seriously?

That alone was enough?

Evelyn stared at him in disbelief.

The gentleman gave her an ambiguous smile.

“I know what you’re thinking, but that’s not it. It’s just that the Grand Duke of Grasias…”

He stopped himself.

“If you read the older newspapers, you’ll understand the rest.”

He paused briefly before adding,

“Everything written here is true.”

Then he hurried away.

“Older newspapers…”

Following his advice, Evelyn went searching for past editions.

Fortunately, she learned that a nearby library kept archived newspapers.

The admission fee wasn’t expensive.

Soon, she found herself seated inside the library with stacks of old newspapers spread across the table.

Finding articles about the Grand Duke wasn’t difficult.

He appeared on the front page of almost every issue.

Destruction of property.

She turned another page.

Grievous assault.

Another page.

Verbal abuse. Threats.

With every page she turned, her hands trembled more violently.

Finally, she closed the last newspaper.

All the color drained from Evelyn’s face.