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Chapter: 32

Lord Naam\'s smooth stream of flattery came to an abrupt halt. His expression didn\'t change much, but his lips were firmly pressed together. It was clear he was displeased with the idea of me having an interest in his daughter.

"I am deeply honored, Your Highness."

Lord Naam quickly bowed his head, hiding his face.

"If you truly feel that way, I would like to discuss this matter privately. Would that be possible?"

I nodded slowly and added, "Of course, I\'m aware that it\'s impolite to summon a lady from her chambers at this late hour.I didn\'t mean to make you uncomfortable, so please don\'t feel burdened."

In the already chilly atmosphere, Lord Naam raised his head and replied, "Yes, Your Highness. Then, I shall dismiss everyone."

Lord Naam waved his hand at the servants around him. They all stood up at once and left the room like an ebbing tide.

Once only Lord Naam and I were left in the room, he spoke, "May I dare ask a question, Your Highness?"

"What is it? Ask away."

Lord Naam asked with a hint of hesitation, "How did you come to know about my daughter?"

The First Prince was of an age where it wouldn\'t be too late for him to marry. However, there was no official Crown Princess yet. Perhaps it was due to the deposed Queen\'s death and the subsequent downfall of her faction.

But the prince\'s notoriety as a reckless madman probably played a part as well.

In any case, Lord Naam seemed to think I was looking for a Crown Princess.

So, I decided to play along and appease him.

"I heard that your daughter is unparalleled in both beauty and knowledge, and it piqued my curiosity."

My mouth felt like it was about to cramp from saying things I didn\'t mean, but I managed to hold back.

"Is that so?"

Lord Naam looked touched. Was it genuine or feigned? Of course, the likelihood of it being genuine was slim.

"Then... may I inquire which daughter you are referring to?"

I sensed that this question was meant to test me.

"I\'ve heard that both your daughters are exceptionally outstanding."

I had never heard anything of the sort, but I said it anyway.

Once I started with empty compliments, the lies flowed easily.

"Any of your daughters would be too good for me. Compared to me, that is. I mean no disrespect, so please don\'t misunderstand."

"Hahaha..."

Lord Naam had two daughters. But choosing either his biological daughter or his adopted daughter posed a problem.

If Lord Naam was in his right mind, he wouldn\'t want to hand over his adopted daughter, who possessed the ability of foresight.

On the other hand, he wouldn\'t actively try to arrange a relationship with his biological daughter either. The successor to the current king, Bonhyeon, was not yet clear. However, the Second Prince, Prince Jaean, currently had a slight advantage in the succession race.

Of course, I had no intention of marrying, but from Lord Naam\'s perspective, he wouldn\'t want to make me his son-in-law at the risk of antagonizing the Second Prince.

My intention was to find an advisor, not a Crown Princess, but how could Lord Naam know my true motives? He couldn\'t know, and he shouldn\'t.

"Hahaha..."

Lord Naam let out a long, ambiguous laugh. Only after the atmosphere grew unbearably awkward did a proper conversation resume.

"Then, tomorrow, I shall bring my daughters and arrange a meeting."

"Will you?"

I grinned. Lord Naam responded with a "Yes" and nodded repeatedly.

Lord Naam maintained a gentle smile throughout, which made me even more curious about his true intentions.

"However, I have heard that Your Highness has already set your sights on the Wolhan Fortress as the destination for this journey."

"That\'s right. So?"

"Our Naam Fortress is honored to welcome Your Highness in person, becoming a destination on your busy schedule. Therefore, we dare not hinder your duties any further... I humbly request that you consider tomorrow\'s meeting a casual one."

Was that a refusal? I raised an eyebrow and asked, "Hmm. What\'s the reason?"

"How could I trouble Your Highness, who is personally traveling all the way to the distant northern region for the sake of the country?"

I was tired of hearing such sweet words.

"Why? I\'m fine with it."

I chuckled briefly and rested my chin on my hand, propped up by my elbow on the table.

"I am well aware of Your Highness\'s thoughtfulness, so I can easily predict that you will be keeping our fortress\'s affairs in mind throughout your journey. You must already have many things on your mind, so how could we add the concerns of our fortress to your burden? We absolutely cannot do that. Your Highness\'s well-being is our utmost priority."

"Is there another loyal subject like you? I\'m almost moved to tears."

"I am deeply honored."

I praised Lord Naam with a few words, expressing my appreciation for his hospitality. Each time, he responded with elaborate flattery.

Since it was a waste of time, I rose from my seat earlier than planned.

* * *

Late at night.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Thud.

Gae Yeohwa\'s eyelids twitched, her deep sleep disturbed by the sounds coming from the window.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

She tossed and turned, thinking it was just a fleeting noise that would soon disappear.

Even without any disturbances, falling asleep had been difficult tonight. She had finally managed to close her eyes, only to be interrupted. Frustration simmered within her. But she endured.

However, contrary to her expectations, the disturbance persisted.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap!

It even escalated into a louder noise. Finally, she opened her eyes and sat up.

"What\'s going on in the middle of the night..."

She muttered to herself, annoyance evident in her voice. But her words trailed off as she noticed a pitch-black shadow cast on the window.

The dark shape against the white paper window was clearly that of a bird.

"What the..."

A bird was tapping on her window.

"What is this?"

She thought a loud noise would scare it away, so she slammed her fist against the window frame. But the black shadow on the window didn\'t budge.

Well, it wasn\'t completely still. Its head tilted slightly, as if cocking his head in confusion.

...Was it not a bird?

She punched the window frame again.

"Go away!"

But the shadow remained in place.

The shadow tapped on the window again.

Tap, tap, tap, tap!

The tapping was even more intense than before.

Should she ignore it? If she ignored it, it would eventually fly away. At least it would be gone before dawn.

"Ugh..."

But what about her sleep? Thinking that, Gae Yeohwa felt her irritation rising. She had already fallen asleep feeling annoyed. Her encounter with Lord Naam had left her in a sour mood all day.

"Let me sleep, just let me sleep. Can\'t I even sleep at night? If I get beaten during the day, at least let me sleep at night so I can survive. This damn world..."

Gae Yeohwa glanced around and grabbed a bamboo brush from her desk. Whether it was a bird or a lunatic pretending to be one, a whack on the head with a brush would send anyone running.

Then, she opened the window. Creak. As the window opened, the chilly night air rushed into the room.

"I said go away!"

Her plan was to open the window, strike immediately, and then close it again, so as not to be counterattacked. However, the moment she swung her brush-wielding arm, the shadow abruptly soared above her head.

"Eek!"

The dark figure flapped its wings, brushing her head with its wingtips. Startled by the unexpected situation, she screamed.

But the surroundings remained quiet. The dwelling of the prophet, who served as Lord Naam\'s tool, was hidden in the most secluded corner of the castle. This was Lord Naam\'s arrangement, wanting her to remain unseen by anyone.

That\'s why she had dared to attack the unidentified shadow with a mere brush. Since hardly anyone knew of her existence, she had assumed the worst-case scenario would be a lost traveler or an ill-tempered servant.

Gae Yeohwa\'s face turned pale with shock at the sudden turn of events. But in the next moment, she recognized the true nature of the shadow on the window and breathed a sigh of relief.

"...Ah."

It was a crow.

"Caw."

The crow cawed. For some reason, its cry felt awkward.

"...Is it just me? Why does it sound so strange?"

Muttering to herself, Gae Yeohwa let out a long sigh. The crow had entered her room. What was she to do? She placed her hands on her hips and looked back and forth between the wide-open window and the crow inside her room.

"Caw, caw."

Thankfully, the crow wasn\'t flying around or causing a ruckus in the room. But even a quiet crow wasn\'t something she wanted to keep in her room.

"What the..."

A crow in the middle of the night. She had never heard of such a thing.

"You... get out right now, you little..."

Gae Yeohwa waved the brush in her hand. But despite her frustration, she had no desire to hit a harmless creature, even if it was being a nuisance.

"I said get out, get out. Please."

Her swings weren\'t threatening. The crow easily dodged her half-hearted attacks and occupied the center of the room.

"Oh, please!"

She couldn\'t possibly tolerate a wild bird, whose origins were unknown, getting on her bed. She was a person of fastidious habits, who never got into her bed while still wearing her outdoor clothes.

Exasperated, she shouted, "Please, just get out!"

Suddenly, her cheeks felt hot. She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. Tears were flowing.

"...What\'s this?"

Her voice, spoken without much thought, trembled. Then, remembering what had happened earlier in the day, her shoulders slumped.

A wave of sadness washed over her.

"Why... why are you doing this to me?"

Once the tears started, she couldn\'t control her sobs. She collapsed onto the floor and began to weep like a child.

The crow, which had intruded into her bedroom in the middle of the night, stared at Gae Yeohwa for a moment, then suddenly approached her.

"Go away, I said go away, didn\'t you hear me? Get out right now."

Birds couldn\'t understand human language, but for some reason, she felt like the crow was listening to her. As if to confirm her feeling, the crow suddenly lifted one of its legs.

Only then did Gae Yeohwa notice a white paper tied to the crow\'s leg.

Instinctively, she realized the paper tied to the crow\'s leg was a letter. She had good intuition.

A baseless belief arose within her that this letter would save her.

Gae Yeohwa reached out her hand.