“…Thank you. Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Calrad, who had been looking at Seira as she picked up the sherbet bowl, cleared his throat.

“Keep talking. The Crown Prince and I will go out for a while.”

Seira’s heart sank at Calrad’s words, saying that he was meeting with Aven separately.

‘Did he notice?’

Otherwise, there was no reason to call out Aven before he could leave.

“What’s the matter?” she asked cautiously, trying not to show her anxiety.

“You don’t have to worry.”

As his habit of reassuring her like a child, Calrad patted her head gently and then turned to leave the banquet hall first, and Aven also rose from his seat. At her anxious look, Aven gave her a small smile and then followed Calrad outside.

“Why such a serious face?” Baron asked, leaning on his chin as he looked at her. “Are you worried that the new Crown Prince will be bullied by His Majesty?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Except for things related to you, His Majesty is very meticulous with his work, so don’t worry too much.”

Seira was worried that Aven would have a hard time because of the matter related to her. Still, knowing it was unwise to show her emotions, Seira naturally changed the subject.

“Come to think of it, Baron. Was it about Aven that you had something to say earlier?”

“Ah… that is…”

Baron straightened his posture and rubbed the tip of his eyebrows as if agitated.

“I wanted to tell you in advance, but I had no way of contacting you. I’m sorry, Seira.”

“It’s not something you should be sorry about.” Seira’s eyes turned to Louis, “Is that right, Louis?”

When he finally made eye contact with her, Louis closed his eyes and laughed out of habit.

“I see.”

He could feel Seira glaring at him even though she had the same expression as usual. Louis was in a bind right now.

“You knew it would turn out like this, and yet you…”

Or was it even acting? If so, she thought it could be said that his skill was at par to an actor.

“As Seira probably guessed by now, I was the one who informed the imperial family that there was an unidentified direct descendant to Viseltium.”

“Since when did you know?”

“On the day of the imperial banquet. I was wondering when I found out he was the one who took you from the terrace. The reason why I couldn’t keep turning a blind eye is because even Seira must have noticed by now.”

“Was Bern really alive?” Baron said with an incomprehensible expression, “Then why hide his existence from the imperial family?”

It was more of a self-talk than a question.

If Bern was alive and capable of walking around intact enough to kidnap Seira out of Askan’s mansion, why still leave him as a dead person? Also, how was that possible? They couldn’t help but wonder.

Although he didn’t bother to answer Baron’s question, Seira made several hypotheses in this regard.

First, the accident with the first Crown Prince, Bern, and the rain was highly likely to have been manipulated from the beginning. It was most probably the doing of the imperial family and the temple. Maybe even Franto was involved.

‘Maybe Calrad’s father became the emperor without a choice with the disappearance of the first prince and followed the temple’s will.’

On the day Seira came of age, the late emperor had appeared with figures from the temple. If her hunch was right, it could also explain why the emperor suddenly threw her out.

‘For some reason the temple seemed to be targeting me.’

If Seira became the Crown Princess and ascended to the position of Empress, they wouldn’t dare to reach out. Maybe that’s why she was removed from the imperial palace without a single property to her name. And merely just because she hasn’t manifested as an Omega back then.

Second, it was clear that the temple had means to carry out Bern Clemens Viseltium’s will. She thought so after overhearing the conversation Isable and Calrad had on the day she escaped the temple.

‘Are you sure you’ll find the child before they do?’

‘Sure, but have you forgotten who we have on our side? I’m sure you’ll understand it before the conference.’

At the time, it was probably Bern that Isabel meant. There could be no other person who could kidnap Seira that easily.

Third, it was likely that Bern kidnapped Seira to protect her. According to Isabel, the temple had moved the Homunculus to try and kidnap her, but it seemed to have failed because Bern moved one step ahead of them.

‘Why would he want to protect me? Is it because of Aven, his son?’

Did he take action for his son knowing that Aven and Seira were close? It seemed like a big leap, but it was hard to find a connection with Bern other than that.

Anyway, the good thing was that there seemed to be a crack between the temple and Calrad’s relationship. Unlike Emperor Laud, Calrad didn’t seem to have the intention of listening to the temple’s whims.