The royal castle, located at the center of Aurelia, the capital city of the Kingdom of Astoria, stood as a beacon of power and prestige.
In the Throne Room, two men bowed respectfully before the King of Astoria. Both had brought news for their sovereign.
"Lin Monyue," the king addressed the man on the left, his tone commanding yet composed. "Tell me, has anything unusual occurred in the Everhart dukedom?"
"My king," Lin Monyue began, keeping his head low, "recently, Duchess Everhart and her daughter, Fiona Everhart, have been visiting the Ignatius Dukedom every other week."
"How long has this been happening?" the king asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Ever since the young lady of the Ignatius household visited Duchess Everhart five months ago," Lin Monyue replied, his voice steady but cautious.
The king leaned back, his expression unreadable. After a moment's pause, he dismissed Lin Monyue with a wave of his hand.
The man bowed deeply once more before leaving the room, never daring to look back.
Turning his gaze to the second man, the king continued, "What information have you brought me, Ji-Hoon?"
The Korean-looking man, bowing just as respectfully, replied, "My king, the young miss of the Omenshire family recently visited the Ironcliff Dukedom in private. She requested an audience with the duke and his son."
The king tapped his armrest thoughtfully for a few moments before speaking again. "Send a summon to the Omenshire family. I wish to speak with Countess Omenshire... immediately."
Ji-Hoon nodded and vanished from sight in an instant, a flash of movement that revealed his prowess as a high-ranking martial artist.
The king leaned forward, his fingers drumming against the armrest. "The Everhart and Ignatius families meeting so frequently… Yes, that's not suspicious at all, especially considering the Ignatius family caused that commotion months ago—making all the weapons in the capital release their intent."
A voice interrupted his musings, and a woman stepped out from behind the throne.
Her striking white hair and vivid blue eyes mirrored those of the king, making it evident she was his daughter.
"My precious daughter, you're right—this is suspicious," the king said with a small smile. "But I can assure you, the Ignatius household has been a trusted ally of the kingdom for generations. Duchess Victoria would never do anything harmful to the kingdom."
"Hmm… I'm still curious about what caused that phenomenon that day. Why haven't you questioned Duchess Ignatius about it?" Princess Catherine Von Astoria asked, crossing her arms.
"I don't know…" King Luthor replied thoughtfully.
"But I have a feeling that Countess Omenshire might have an answer. I believe whatever is happening inside the Ignatius castle is somehow related to the reason Countess Omenshire sent her daughter to meet with Duke Ironcliff."
"Why do you trust the Ignatius clan so much? What if they're planning something sinister behind the scenes?" Princess Catherine questioned, her tone tinged with doubt.
"Have you forgotten?" King Luthor's voice was calm but firm. "The day her lover, Silas Everhart, attempted to sell you—the princess of the Astoria Kingdom—as a hostage to our enemies? How, for the sake of proving the trust we placed in her, she dealt with him herself…"
He paused, his expression serious. "Duchess Ignatius is a powerful woman and a great leader. She earned my respect, and I've trusted her since the day she became the head of the Ignatius clan and declared her allegiance to the royal family, despite having the power to challenge me directly."
"Is… is she as stronge as you?" Princess Catherine asked hesitantly, her eyes narrowing in curiosity.
King Luthor's lips curled into a subtle smile. "Who knows?"
...
A few hours after King Astoria sent out the summons for Countess Omenshire, the Countess, along with her only daughter, Iridessa Omenshire, attended a meeting with the King and his only daughter.
However, it was more of a joint lunch than an official meeting, which reflected just how close the Omenshire family was with the royal family.
The conversation began a few minutes in, as everyone was in the middle of their meal.
"Countess Omenshire, I heard you sent your daughter to visit Duke Ironcliff," the King asked casually.
Countess Omenshire smiled faintly.
From the moment she received the summons, she had suspected that the King wanted to inquire about the reason behind her daughter's visit to the Ironcliff Dukedom.
The primary reason the royal family maintained such a close relationship with the Omenshire family, even elevating them to the status of Counts, was their unique ability to perceive fate.
This ability had aided the royal family countless times in the past, so it was no surprise that the current King also sought to uphold their alliance with such a remarkable family.
"I had to repay a favor to Duke Ironcliff for saving me when I was poisoned and nearly died," Countess Omenshire replied. Her words, however, lacked even a trace of gratitude.
"A favor?" King Astoria asked, raising an eyebrow. "You've always suspected that it was his family who orchestrated your poisoning. Do you still believe that?"
"To be honest, I don't know," the Countess admitted. "At the time, the poison weakened me so severely that I couldn't use my ability."
"As you know, my visions of fate are subjective. Fate is influenced by the choices we make, and it is constantly changing."
She emphasized that fate, or the future, is an uncontrollable force, ever-changing and perpetually in motion, shaped by the paths and decisions individuals take.
This same principle was why Iridessa Omenshire, her daughter, had warned Duke Ironcliff that his current course of action would bring danger to him and his entire Dukedom unless he altered his decisions.
"A few days ago, we accidentally read the fate lines of Duke Ironcliff," the Countess continued. "We learned that the Ironcliff Dukedom is on a path toward destruction. I don't care if they orchestrated everything or not, but I refuse to be tied to a Dukedom that may collapse. That's why I wanted to settle our favor by warning him of the dangers ahead."
The Countess sighed before continuing. "Your Highness, even if you hadn't summoned me, I would have reported my visions to you."
"I know you would have," the King replied. "I was simply being hasty. Is that all?"
His tone carried a note of suspicion, certain that she hadn't revealed everything she had seen in her visions.
"There is one more thing," the Countess admitted. "I don't know what kind of decision Duchess Everhart has made, but I have never seen the lines of fate converge around a person as strongly as they do around her. Furthermore, I believe the destruction of the Ironcliff Dukedom that we foresaw will somehow be connected to the Everhart Dukedom."
"Interesting…" the King murmured thoughtfully.
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{Author's Note: If you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to vote with some POWER STONES. It would also really help me if you could rate this book. Thank you for reading!}