“What?”
Caesar turned to me with a startled expression. Given how abruptly I had brought up the topic, his reaction was understandable.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden…?”
“Well, I’ve been so busy running around for trade negotiations that I haven’t had the chance to check in lately.”
It was an excuse I blurted out on the spot, but suddenly, a thought occurred to me—what if Caesar had actually awakened his ability during that time?
‘But he doesn’t even realize it himself!’
If that were the case, then everything would make sense. If Caesar had unconsciously used his ability to erase the vision, it would explain everything—including why he hadn’t mentioned it to me.
“Your Majesty, please sit here for a moment.”
Despite my rather impudent request, Caesar obediently sat across from me.
“Why?”
“Let’s check again. Maybe you’ve awakened without realizing it.”
“…That’s impossible. If I had, I would know.”
“You never know!”
I reached out both hands toward him. After a moment of hesitation, Caesar took them in his own.
“Try using your ability.”
Ever since his failed awakening, Caesar and I had conducted this kind of training multiple times. Each time, he would either collapse in pain or go into a violent outburst.
‘But maybe this time will be different.’
As I gazed at him with hopeful anticipation, Caesar averted his eyes slightly.
“Come on.”
“…Fine.”
Caesar closed his eyes. Soon, I felt a strange energy coursing through his hands—so far, nothing out of the ordinary.
I watched him intently, my heart pounding, when suddenly, his face twisted in pain.
A strong pulse surged through our linked hands, and—whoosh!—a force erupted from him, shaking the entire room.
Just as the vibrations grew more intense, the vase on the table shattered with a sharp crack!, exploding into shards.
“Eve!”
Caesar sprang to his feet, letting go of my hands. I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut.
‘What just happened?’
“Eve, are you okay?”
“Huh? Oh, yes, of course.”
“Your cheek…”
Caesar hesitated before reaching out to touch my face.
“You have a cut.”
“Oh…”
I absentmindedly ran a hand over my cheek. It didn’t hurt, so the broken glass must have only grazed me.
“I’m fine. More importantly… That was another outburst, wasn’t it?”
Caesar silently nodded.
His outbursts came in different forms. Sometimes, fierce winds would whip through the room. Other times, like now, tremors would shake the space around him.
‘But this was the strongest one yet.’
Still, one thing was clear—this was an outburst.
Which meant… he hadn’t awakened after all.
‘So the rumors really are just nonsense?’
“Are you alright, Your Majesty? Here, take my hand.”
I quickly reached out to him. Every time he had an outburst, he suffered, and I knew he must be in pain now too.
“Ah, right.”
Caesar gripped my hand tightly, and once again, I felt the unstable energy rippling through him.
“It will settle down soon.”
“…Yeah.”
Caesar looked exhausted. The effort of trying to use his ability had clearly drained him.
‘…Yeah, there’s no way Caesar would lie to me.’
Now that I had confirmed he hadn’t awakened, only one possibility remained.
Someone had learned about Caesar’s ability somehow. Without knowing the full details, they had twisted the information and spread the rumor recklessly.
‘But how did they find out?’
Only Caesar and I knew the truth about his abilities and his awakening. Katana was aware he had a power, but not the specifics. And besides her, I had never told anyone.
‘Did Caesar mention it to someone?’
“Your Majesty.”
I called out to him, noting his still troubled expression.
“Have you ever spoken to anyone about your awakening or your ability?”
“…I don’t know.”
Caesar gave a vague response.
The truth was, we hadn’t been especially secretive about his ability.
Back when his power had been too weak to be of any use, we might have hidden it. But now, Caesar had ascended the throne and wielded considerable authority.
Once his awakening was complete, we had even planned to spread the news deliberately—to frame his ability as a divine blessing that would strengthen the imperial rule.
Of course, we had never intended for rumors of him being a tyrant to circulate.
‘Public perception is crucial.’
It was important to shape the narrative so that the citizens wouldn’t fear his unknown power. That made the current situation all the more problematic.
‘Could this be the work of the mastermind?’
Ever since the lottery scandal, the mastermind had remained suspiciously quiet. But they had never seemed like the type to give up so easily, so it was a reasonable suspicion.
That person had noticed Caesar’s hair changing color and used Duke Spiegel to set a trap before. They also seemed to have a connection to Marriott.
If Marriott had mentioned Caesar’s monthly outbursts to them…
Then tracking down the legend of the red-haired woman and uncovering the truth about his abilities wouldn’t have been an impossible feat.
“Ha…”
I let out a small sigh. Caesar flinched slightly, as if he had felt it through our clasped hands.
“Eve, what’s wrong?”
I looked up at him and gave him a small, reassuring smile.
“It’s nothing.”
There was no need to worry him when nothing had been confirmed yet.
In the end, the conclusion was simple. Someone close to Caesar was leaking information about his abilities.
And I had to find out who it was—without him knowing.
****
That night, I snuck into Caesar’s office.
Well, calling it “sneaking in” was a bit of an exaggeration. I had come in during the day, pretending to have business, and simply never left.
I was allowed to go anywhere within the imperial palace, and while the guards were thorough about checking who entered, they weren’t as meticulous about who left. That made this plan possible.
Caesar’s office and bedroom had separate entrances and were divided by a wall, making them seem like entirely different rooms. But in reality, they were connected by a single hidden door—one that only the emperor was supposed to use.
I crouched in front of that very door, watching Caesar’s bedroom. Just in case, I was also wearing Katana’s enchanted bracelet. With its magic suppressing my presence, there was little chance I’d be discovered in the darkness.
The reason I was hiding was obvious—I needed to find out who was leaking information from Caesar’s inner circle.
If it was a deliberate betrayal, a spy knowingly passing on secrets, then identifying the culprit would be relatively easy.
The real problem was if it wasn’t deliberate.
If someone was leaking information without even realizing it.
‘They wouldn’t even know they were doing it.’
In that case, it would be incredibly difficult to trace the source of the leak.
That’s why this was the best approach—watching Caesar all day, every day.
We already spent a lot of time together, but there were still parts of his day I wasn’t present for. He had private lessons, meetings with ministers, and swordsmanship training—times when I wasn’t by his side. And, of course, I wasn’t with him while he slept.
I had always thought I knew everything about Caesar. But after learning about Vivian from the maids, I had to admit I had been wrong.
‘In the end, Caesar is the emperor, and I’m just a mere lady-in-waiting.’
Thinking I knew everything about him had been pure arrogance.
There were undoubtedly things happening out of my sight. Which meant there were also people he interacted with that I knew nothing about.
Those were the people I needed to find.
Anxiously, I kept my eyes on the door, watching Caesar through the gap.
‘It’s unlikely he’d meet with anyone this late at night… but just in case.’
Time passed. The night deepened, and soon, it was nearly dawn when Caesar finally moved.
He pulled the bell cord, summoning Alvin, and then began speaking to him in an unreadable tone.
“About today’s outburst… Was it too strong?”
‘What? What is he talking about?’
“I need to replace all the furniture. Nothing with sharp edges. From the bed to the chandelier—everything.”
A… chandelier with no sharp edges?
“I wanted to shatter that vase into dust.”
He was furious that he hadn’t completely destroyed the vase during his outburst.
‘What… what is he even saying?’
Listening in silence, I suddenly felt my mind reel.
The rumors, the hidden enemy, the traitor I had been searching for—none of that mattered anymore.
Because right now, Caesar was saying something utterly incomprehensible.
He was saying he could control his outbursts.
He was saying that today’s outburst… had been intentional.
‘No. That can’t be true.’
Even as I heard it with my own ears, I wanted to deny it. I wanted to believe I was misunderstanding.
Because if that were true, it meant Caesar had been lying to me this whole time.
If he could control his outbursts, then the claim that he had never awakened had to be a lie.
‘That makes no sense. I saw him lose control with my own eyes today.’
I shook my head, forcing myself to believe that I had misinterpreted something. Besides, Caesar’s outbursts hadn’t just been about destruction—he had suffered. He had collapsed in pain, lost consciousness so many times.
There had to be some kind of misunderstanding.
But then, at that moment, he spoke again.
And with just a few words, he shattered every last piece of hope I had left.
“And… I need poison. Something that will knock someone out instantly.”
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