Lina accompanied Claude as he played in the palace courtyard.
She didn’t even know when the swings, slides, and other play equipment had been installed there.
The courtyard now resembled a playground, seemingly designed especially for her son.
Shortly afterward, Caelis arrived, accompanied by several other adults.
Judging by their attire and bearing, Lina could immediately tell that they were members of noble clans.
“Claude,” Caelis called softly.
Claude instantly jumped down from the swing and ran toward him excitedly.
“Dad!”
Lina had actually told her son to start calling Caelis ‘Dad.’ She had expected Claude to need some time to adjust, yet the boy showed no confusion at all.
The way Claude addressed Caelis felt completely natural—as if the Grand Duke had always been his biological father.
Lina felt relieved that neither of them showed any awkwardness that might arouse suspicion about their kinship.
Moreover, Caelis gently lifted the boy into his arms and looked at him with unmistakable fatherly affection.
Anyone could see that Caelis genuinely cared for Claude, and Claude clearly adored the ruler of the North.
The father-son interaction felt real—not a play, not a pretense.
“Your Majesty, is this child—”
“That’s right,” Caelis interrupted calmly.
“He is my son.” He then extended his hand toward Lina, inviting her to step forward.
“And she…”
Lina knew exactly what role she needed to play.
She accepted his hand and allowed him to guide her closer.
“She is my woman,” Caelis continued, “and will soon become your Grand Duchess.”
As Lina came to stand beside him, Caelis released her hand—but then wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her gently against his side.
Lina’s heart pounded wildly.
She had the sudden urge to turn and glare at him.
Wasn’t this the same man who avoided physical contact?
Hadn’t he even looked flustered when she mentioned intimacy before?
Then where did this natural display of affection come from?
Fortunately, Lina managed to maintain her composure.
A confident smile appeared on her face, as though everything was under her control.
She knew that in front of these nobles, she could not afford to show even the slightest weakness.
Deliberately, Lina brushed her hair aside, revealing the necklace around her neck.
The crowd’s reaction changed immediately.
Their expressions shifted—from surprise, to shock—before quickly settling into respect.
“My Lady.”
Lina simply returned their greetings with a composed smile.
Then she glanced at Caelis, silently asking for an explanation. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“They are the regional lords I trust to govern the North whenever I travel to the East,” Caelis explained.
“I invited them here to discuss our marriage and formally introduce you.”
Lina nodded and listened attentively as Caelis introduced each noble.
Some of them regarded her with concealed disdain, while others remained indifferent.
None of them truly caught her attention—until she noticed one particular figure.
A young man with blood-red hair and golden eyes with slit-like pupils.
Lina had never met him before, but she remembered a warning from long ago.
‘If you ever encounter someone with red hair and golden eyes with snake-like pupils… run.’
Before she reached the level of a True Mage, her mentor had repeatedly warned her of this during her missions.
Fortunately, she had never encountered such a person.
Alas, many other mages had.
Most who crossed paths with that beastman did not survive.
Even High Mages could not defeat him.
At best, if they were lucky, they escaped with severe injuries.
Now, Lina was a true mage and sword master.
She shouldn’t have anything to fear.
But for some reason, her body still shuddered when she smelled the distinct scent of blood from that red-haired beastman.
Many mages had died at this man’s hands—and the smell of fresh blood still lingered as the young man stretched out his hand.
“Marquis Zarkel,” the man said with a faint smile, extending his hand.
“At your service, my lady.”
A deep unease settled in Lina’s chest.
She did not like the way he looked at her.
It was not merely a gaze of curiosity—It was the gaze of a predator evaluating its prey.
“What about the prisoner?”
Lina felt a quiet sense of relief when she heard Caelis’s voice—calm, cold, and commanding.
His presence immediately shifted the focus away from her.
“He’s still refusing to speak, even under the pressure of the beast aura,” Zarkel replied.
“His mental defenses are exceptionally strong.”
“Just keep going,” Caelis said indifferently.
“He won’t last more than three days.”
Lina’s chest tightened.
The beast clan inherently possessed a beast aura.
They could suppress other beasts thanks to it.
To swordsmen, however, such auras were meaningless as they could simply cut through them.
But to humans… especially to mages… It was a nightmare.
Ordinary humans would die instantly, while mages would suffer slowly, like being buried alive beneath the ocean, unable to breathe.
Lina clenched the hem of her dress tightly.
Then, a light touch on her arm made her flinch.
She should not act recklessly while she is here.
But in truth, Caelis had simply noticed the tension in her body.
That brief touch was his way of reassuring her—telling her she was safe.
He wouldn’t let anyone hurt her.
“Isn’t it already the third day?” Caelis continued calmly.
“His defenses should be breaking soon.
It’s only a matter of time before you can search his memories.”
“I will not disappoint you, Your Grace,” Zarkel replied with a faint smile.
“Only he has seen the face of the White Calamity.
We will uncover her identity soon enough.”
Only he has seen the face of the White Calamity?
Lina’s heartbeat quickened.
Selene—the once-in-a-millennium genius—had always concealed her face behind a white veil.
Only a handful of people knew her true appearance.
All the teachers in the Flying Sword Sect, along with some of his close fellow disciples, knew her true face.
However, only two people in the Magic Tower knew.
One was the Grand Mage, and the other…
Lina’s breathing grew heavy.
Her childhood friend is now imprisoned in the dungeon!
The last time they met, he had still been a High Mage.
But she had heard that two years ago, he had advanced to the rank of True Mage.
As a True Mage, how could he have been so reckless?
Why would he sneak into the Northern Territory unprepared?
And more importantly, how could a True Mage be captured alive?
Marquis Zarkel’s face flashed through her mind.
Lina had once thought that even he couldn’t capture a True Mage alive.
But the marquis proved her wrong.
“Lina.” Caelis’s voice pulled her back to reality.
“What are you thinking about?”
Lina fell silent.
What should she do?
She could not risk exposing her identity and endangering her son.
But at the same time, she could not simply stand by and watch her friend die.
The only way to save him… was to use her true power.
And if she did, she might not be able to stay here anymore.