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Chapter: 38

"Please, don\'t!"

I turned at the clear, ringing voice to see Gae Yeohwa approaching. She was panting heavily, having clearly run all the way, and even after stopping, she continued to catch her breath.

I clasped my hands behind my back.

"Lady Gae."

"Your Highness, I, huff, huff..."

Her breathing was still ragged. It seemed she needed a moment to catch her breath.

"Feel free to take your time."

"Oh, no, it\'s just, it\'s just..."

It seemed she had something to say, but she was so out of breath that she couldn\'t even speak.

Her complexion was so pale that it wouldn\'t be surprising if she fainted. But she didn\'t.

I offered her some advice out of the goodness of my heart.

"Lady, it might be a good idea for you to exercise regularly."

"Just, huff, no, huff."

"Even a short walk every day would be beneficial. You could try walking along the fortress walls. Keep that in mind and make an effort."

"I, I, huff."

"Don\'t take this as meddling, but you should take it seriously."

Gae Yeohwa continued heaving for a long time before finally managing to speak coherently.

"...Please, don\'t!"

She had said the same thing while running over. I hadn\'t done anything yet, so what was she asking me not to do?

Had she already figured out what was going on in my head? If so, she truly deserved to be a strategist. I couldn\'t let such a talent fall into the hands of the Duke of Mungung and die. If I did, it would be like losing a master of the heaven bestowed mind reading technique.

"Are you perhaps a master in mind reading, Lady? If so, it wouldn\'t be difficult to recommend you highly. Your path to success would be wide open."

Just kidding. I was just saying anything that came to mind.

"Excuse me...?"

The biggest reason why Gae Yeohwa was an outstanding strategist was probably due to her ability of foresight.

Perhaps she ran here because she saw the future.

And my guess was right.

"I beg of you, please stop."

I had expected her to say something like that, but her words were more direct than I had anticipated.

I had thought she would be less direct.

It was natural for me to think so, considering how much she didn\'t want to reveal her hand.

But to think she would reveal all her cards like this. And her only card at that.

"What do you think I\'m going to do that you\'re asking me to stop?"

"Whatever you\'re thinking, please stop."

"Well, you have to tell me what you think I’m thinking so I can decide whether to stop or not."

Gae Yeohwa frowned.

"Whatever you\'re thinking, please reconsider."

I chuckled.

"I have no thoughts, so there\'s nothing to reconsider."

"Your Highness."

Gae Yeohwa called out desperately. I don\'t know why she was so desperate.

It felt like I was threatening her, even though I clearly wasn\'t. It was strange.

I stared at Gae Yeohwa for a moment before turning my head. My gaze found a black speck floating in the air and followed it.

Then I quietly said, "And you\'re wrong."

"Excuse me?" Gae Yeohwa asked, unable to understand my words. "Your Highness?"

"I said you\'re wrong."

"Wrong about what...?"

"It\'s out of my hands now."

The speck in the air was, of course, Gon. It was flying away, carrying the burning twigs in its talons. It wasn\'t easy to see in the daylight. I didn\'t intend to start a huge fire, just a small flame was enough, so it wasn\'t easy to spot.

Gae Yeohwa followed my gaze, but it seemed she couldn\'t see Gon.

"If you were going to confess anyway, you should have done it sooner."

"...Excuse me?"

"You might as well have confessed everything already. There\'s no point in pretending otherwise now."

When I said that, Gae Yeohwa closed her eyes shut as if she had been expecting it.

"I didn\'t intend to deceive you, Your Highness."

"Regardless of your intentions, the result was the same."

Gae Yeohwa fell silent.

Just then, I saw Gon descending with its wings half-folded.

And then its figure disappeared beneath the tiled roof, only to reappear in the air again.

"Your Highness."

"You can speak if you have something to say. There\'s no need to just call out to me."

I started counting in my mind. I wasn\'t good with numbers, but I could still count how long it would take for the flames to rise. It definitely wouldn\'t take long. It wasn\'t a particularly meaningful action.

"...Did you know from the beginning?"

"When you say \'beginning,\' what time are you referring to?"

"I\'m referring to the first time you came to this fortress, Naam Fortress."

"It\'s only been a few days."

Gae Yeohwa seemed a bit flustered by my words.

"I don\'t believe the number of days is important."

"Then what is important to you, Lady?"

"Did you already know... before you even came to this fortress?"

Gae Yeohwa let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.

"What difference does it make whether you knew or not?"

I nodded.

"Yes, it\'s meaningless."

Gray clouds of smoke slowly began to rise. As the smoke billowed, Gae Yeohwa\'s expression hardened.

"It\'s nothing serious, so don\'t worry."

"How can this not be serious? Even though I wasn\'t born here, I\'ve lived here almost my entire life."

"I started the fire after careful consideration, so there\'s no need to worry."

Hmm, I exhaled through my nose and said, "It seems you already knew I was going to start a fire."

Gae Yeohwa turned her head away.

"It was a coincidence."

"What a remarkable coincidence."

There was no need to keep looking at someone who was deliberately avoiding my gaze. I continued to watch the fire, even though I couldn\'t see the flames yet.

"Are you going to keep pretending?"

"...I don\'t know what kind of answer you\'re looking for."

The smoke grew thicker and darker. The flames started to rise. The fire would soon engulf the entire pavilion.

Gae Yeohwa sighed beside me.

"Ah..."

As I was looking down at the pavilion, I heard someone shout "Fire!" It seemed the servants had finally noticed. It was taking longer than I thought. With that in mind, I suddenly asked, "It seems you were thinking of following me, weren\'t you?"

There was no point in beating around the bush anymore.

Gae Yeohwa hesitated for a moment before answering.

"I was."

"Does that mean you\'re not anymore?"

"It\'s difficult to answer that."

"I don\'t think you realize your own value."

I watched the pavilion be engulfed in flames before raising my head. Gon was approaching.

"Isn\'t it a waste to rot in a place like this when you have the ability to foresee the future?"

Of course, she wouldn\'t continue to rot in Naam Fortress, but she wasn\'t destined for a long life anyway, so it was the same difference.

Whatever.

Gae Yeohwa didn\'t answer my question.

It didn\'t matter.

I guess she had nothing to say. I was confident that my desperation was no less than hers, but I had no intention of revealing my true feelings here. There was no need to.

I asked something else.

"Who is your father meeting that he\'s going out of his way to deceive me?"

It was a situation where I could ask such a question.

Now that she knew I was aware of her ability to see the future, she wouldn\'t dare speak carelessly.

No matter whether she had given up or decided to side with me, Gae Yeohwa answered my question obediently.

After hearing her answer, I asked a few more questions. Gae Yeohwa told me what she knew, saying that she was only answering based on her knowledge.

I was able to get answers that were roughly within the range of my deductions.

Then she said, "I also have a question I\'d like to ask. Will you allow me?"

"Go ahead."

There was no reason not to. It wasn\'t going to cost me anything, and it was just a question.

"How did you find out?"

"About the ability?"

"Yes."

Direct, aren\'t you? Is that your usual personality?

I paused for a moment before answering.

"Someone told me."

"...Excuse me?"

Gae Yeohwa was visibly flustered. She slowly lowered her eyes.

This would make it difficult for Gae Yeohwa to trust those around her easily.

But what could I do? I had no other choice. What was I supposed to say? That I died, met a ghost, and the ghost turned back time and made me a prince?

I\'d be lucky if I didn\'t get called crazy.

"It\'s burning well."

Gon, who had approached us, suddenly changed its course when it saw me standing side by side with Gae Yeohwa.

Yeah, go get some rest.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"What... are you referring to?"

"Are you going to stay in Naam Fortress?"

There was no answer. It was probably hesitation, not ignorance.

"You seem to trust me a lot."

Gae Yeohwa lowered her head and then raised it again.

"Is your offer still valid?"

"Is it your goal to leave the fortress?"

Gae Yeohwa answered resolutely.

"To be honest, it is."

"Leaving the fortress isn\'t difficult."

"My adoptive father won\'t let me go."

Of course he wouldn’t. She was destined to become the strategist of the Duke of Mungung in the future. She was probably doing something similar now. If I were in the shoes of Lord Naam, I would never let Gae Yeohwa go.

If I were the Lord of Naam Fortress, I would never reveal the existence of a talent like Gae Yeohwa, even if it were to the Duke of Mungung.

I would keep her hidden and use her for myself. Since I was someone who prioritized personal gain over the greater good, a certain level of ruthlessness was inevitable. I won\'t deny it.

"I\'m also curious as to what makes you think that you can trust me enough to follow me."

"I don\'t trust Your Highness."

This time, it was my turn to be speechless.

"...You\'re being too honest."

"If I can just escape this fortress, I\'m not worried about the future."

Her gaze was steady as she looked at me.

Her eyes seemed unyielding.

"I\'m being honest with you."

Not bad.

"Are you saying that since you can see the future, you can find your own way regardless of who you serve as your lord?"

"I don\'t wish for that kind of ending."

Gae Yeohwa said that one betrayal in life was enough.

But I thought differently. Gae Yeohwa was taken in by the Lord of Naam Fortress when she was young, so she didn\'t have the opportunity to choose her lord. Therefore, it couldn\'t be labeled a betrayal.

"And yet you\'d still follow me? Surely there\'s some sliver of trust there?"

"It\'s not about trust, Your Highness."

Gae Yeohwa\'s expression soured.

She gestured towards the burning storage pavilion.

Her expression was somewhat gloomy.

No, it wasn\'t my imagination.

"It\'s just... Your Highness is my only option."

Ah, is that so.

That\'s unfortunate.