Duke Herold slowly turned his head toward them. But Olivia noticed that gaze wasn’t just for all three of them, it was more directed toward her.

Olivia swallowed. Then slowly Duke Herold stepped toward that sofa. Then all three of them slowly lifted their heads. But when Olivia lifted her head.

The thread tied on her wrist trembled badly. Olivia observed her own hand. Her red thread that had once been bright now looked dull, as if following the mood of its owner that had been empty.

But Duke’s black thread just now... it was different. If Javien’s thread represented suffering, Duke’s thread represented evil that was deliberately kept alive.

Olivia began to realise, during the 7 years she had gone quiet, this world hadn’t stopped turning. In fact, it had grown darker. That thread wasn’t just a different colour but there were also threads on his wrist.

But not like the thread on Olivia’s hand, instead it seemed like that thread wasn’t natural. It overlapped, thick and coiled around each other.

But strangely, every one of those threads looked as if it was sucking something in. Black in colour. Unseen. But Olivia knew something wasn’t right. Then Ophlia sat on the chair opposite Duke Herold. Ophilia’s face looked uncomfortable and awkward. Duke Herold sipped the tea that had been prepared. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Good tea..." Duke Herold said quietly.

Ophilia smiled as usual but deep in her heart she very much wanted time to pass quickly.

Behind Ophilia, Celine and Olivia stood elegantly. They just stayed quiet. Looking at that cold floor.

"Ophla....." Duke Herold said while slowly looking toward Ophilia who was sipping her tea. For some reason Ophilia felt herself tremble when her name was called by her own father. But she pretended not to show her state then..

"Yes, father" Ophilia answered softly and quietly. She placed her teacup on the table to listen to what her father wanted to say.

"I and the Emperor have made a decision.... you will marry Prince Alexander."

He said calmly while sipping back the teacup he was holding. Ophilia went quiet. Those words echoed in Ophilia’s head. As if it wasn’t just an order.

But a conclusion that had been set from the very beginning. She looked at Duke Herold while shaking her head. Ophla placed her teacup down roughly until the water spilled slightly onto that marble table.

"I don’t agree..." Ophilia said firmly. She looked directly toward Duke Herold with a sharp gaze. But Duke Herold wasn’t surprised at all. Then...

"Calm down... for now you need to prepare for your coming of age ceremony" Duke Herold said then stood up and stepped forward before stopping right beside Ophilia.

"Do what I say... whether it benefits you or not" he said coldly then took his leave. Ophilia went quiet, her hand was clenched tight. Her eyes were empty staring at that blank wall.

Before Duke Herold left completely, Olivia managed to glance over. But that man only watched her sharply. But that gaze wasn’t an ordinary look, it was as if he was looking at something inside her.

Olivia went stiff. She felt as if her soul was being exposed under that cold green gaze. She looked at that cold floor. Her face started breaking into a cold sweat.

Does he know?....

She thought whether Duke Herold knew that, Olivia had been observing the black threads coiling around his hand.

Then,

Tup...

That room went quiet again after that door was shut tight. Duke Herold’s voice was gone, but what remained was only a silence that felt too heavy. Olivia was still standing in the same place. Her eyes didn’t move.

But her right hand at her side trembled slowly. Not because of fear seeing Duke Herold but.... the threads on Duke Herold’s hand seemed the same as what she had seen. When they were in the basement. That masked man.

Celine finally let out a slow breath.

"...His Grace... is he always like that?" Her voice was low, as if asking herself.

But Ophilia didn’t answer. Her face looked tense, her gaze was empty toward the door that had just been closed.

"If you don’t like it, you can fight him right?"

Ophilia smiled thinly.

"Too many things are tied together."

Her answer was brief. But full of meaning that wasn’t explained. Olivia heard everything in silence. But her mind was no longer in that room.

Ophilia leaned her body back against that sofa. While her eyes looked toward the ceiling of her room.

Celine’s question just now, she left unanswered. Celine also went quiet knowing that matter was clearly bothering Ophilia. Especially Ophilia who loved freedom.

"Argh!! Politics!"

Ophla said while snorting quietly in front of Celine. Celine only tilted her head but the unease was clearly written on her face.

Then she lifted her head. She could see Olivia still standing stiff behind her. She was surprised.

"Olivia, what are you doing standing there... sit" Ophla said while her hand patted the sofa beside her. Celine also nodded. Hesitantly, Olivia nodded slowly then walked toward that sofa.

As soon as she sat down, two hands held her. Her right hand was held by Celine while Ophilia was on the right. Olivia startled slightly.

"...why suddenly..."

But she didn’t get to finish her sentence.

Ophilia smiled.

"It’s been a long time since we’ve done something like this."

Celine laughed a little.

"True. Don’t run away again."

Olivia went quiet. But this time... she didn’t push them away. She could feel something inside her little by little starting to heal.

Olivia lowered her head slightly. Her eyes fell to her wrist being held by Ophilia. That thread had gone calm again. As if it had never trembled just now. But Olivia knew... something had happened. She didn’t need to look again to be certain. What she had seen just now wasn’t an ordinary illusion.

"...why am I the only one who sees all of this?"

she whispered quietly in her heart. But Ophilia’s gaze didn’t leave Olivia.

Then she opened her mouth, as if wanting to draw Olivia’s attention that looked disturbed.

"How about today we eat our favourite biscuits in the room....." Ophilia said looking slightly more energetic. Then looked toward Celine who was still slightly confused.. then,

"Ohh, how about we eat in Olivia’s room.." Celine continued while smiling happily. Olivia startled.

"Why... in my room?" Olivia asked while lifting her head slightly toward them. Her eyes darted around. Because it had been so long since she had chatted like that together with them.

Celine and Ophilia smiled happily, as if planning a big secret.

Olivia could only lower her head, trying to hide the trembling at her lips. For a moment, that small room felt very spacious with their warmth.

Even though the warning on her wrist was still pulsing slowly, Olivia chose to close her eyes. She wanted to enjoy the last sweetness of that biscuit, before the world came to take her peace again.

And for a moment...

that small peace felt real. But on her wrist, that thread pulsed very slowly.

Like a silent warning.

"...I can still see all of it..." Olivia whispered in her heart.

"...And I still don’t know what it means," Olivia whispered in her heart.

Suddenly, a senior maid came running toward them with a worried face.

"Lady Ophilia! The Duke requests the guest list be updated now!" said the maid who was still catching her breath as she entered Ophilia’s room. Ophilia who had just been about to calm down furrowed her brow.

"Why so soon!" Ophilia said calmly. She stood up and walked toward her table then opened the documents scattered across her desk one by one.

Olivia watched Ophilia who looked stressed looking at those documents. Then without hesitation,

Pak pak pak.

Her feet stepped toward Ophilia. Celine and Ophilia went quiet watching Olivia. This time Ophilia hadn’t directed anything at Olivia at all but now, she was already standing beside her opening each of those piled up documents.

Her action made both of them stare wide-eyed at Olivia’s behaviour. With a serious face she arranged those documents one by one until that brown table was visible. In a few minutes, everything was done.

"There...." Olivia said quietly without noticing her surroundings at that moment. As soon as she finished arranging those documents, she looked up. How shocked Olivia was when both her friends were looking at her with watery eyes.

Olivia went quiet. Didn’t move.

What’s wrong now?....

Olivia whispered quietly.

"Olivia..." Ophilia’s voice broke. She wasn’t looking at the neatly arranged documents, instead she was looking at Olivia’s hand that was still on the table.

"Olivia..... you’re back...

"Before.... I remember very well, you would do your work, without me having to ask."

Celine nodded quickly, her tears already falling down her cheeks.

"You look so... alive, Olivia. Even if just for a moment."

Olivia startled. She looked at her own hand. She hadn’t even noticed her body moving automatically as soon as she saw Ophilia in difficulty. As if the soul of that professional maid was still kept neatly underneath the layers of emptiness in her heart.

She wanted to reply, wanted to say something to calm them, but her tongue still felt stiff and numb. Her hands trembled faintly.

Suddenly, that sorrowful atmosphere was roughly torn away when that senior maid spoke again with her breathing still unsteady.

"His Majesty the Emperor will be sending a special representative for next week’s ceremony!"

"S-sorry, My Lady... but there is one more thing," that maid said while looking between Olivia and Ophilia alternately.

"Not only a special representative who will come... but, the Emperor himself chose that representative from the elite unit that just returned from the border."

Olivia’s heart felt like it stopped. A special representative? Without her realising her wrist started to glow brightly.

Why is this thread suddenly glowing so bright?

Olivia whispered quietly while alternately looking toward that maid.

That thread’s red was not an ordinary red, but that red turned into a darker red-black deeper than all those other threads. Brighter than usual throughout these 7 years. As if that thread was screaming without sound...

that he had returned!!