The next morning, Riv woke up early.
The wind was so loud last night that it disturbed her sleep.
When she went downstairs, Anna was already up and preparing her meal.
“It was very windy yesterday too. I think Madame will need some new summer clothes.”
“You’re right.”
Riv brought minimal clothing that did not fit the climate.
The dresses she brought were cumbersome.
The temperature difference between the days here was so fickle that people were used to wearing several layers in preparation for the weather.
Riv needed simple summer dresses and outerwear.
“It’s sunny.”
Riv washed the dresses she brought with Anna.
Because the sun was strong, her laundry seemed to have dried quickly.
However.
Riv felt magical forces swirling around her constantly.
There was magic all over the place.
Even if she used that power, Lionel’s future was still not able to be seen.
It was like he ceased to exist.
“Riv?”
At Anna’s call, Riv turned to look at her.
“What are you looking at?”
“Ah.”
Anna figured that Riv had spaced out. Whether it was a coincidence or not, Riv’s gaze was directed to the North, where the Royal Capital was located.
“Are you thinking of the Duke of Sentoren?”
Riv nodded her head.
They had a new and shaky love, but it was still hard for her to be apart from Lionel.
“The Duke is a strong man, so he will be fine. Rather, he’s probably most worried about Miss Riv’s safety.”
“Is that so?”
Anna had been her only friend, as well as a comrade who experienced Marianne’s cruel treatment.
“I haven’t heard the situation in detail, but I think you should avoid the eyes of the Royal Family. At least until Princess Marianne is married.”
Anna said she had left the palace amidst the chaos regarding Marianne’s engagement.
“I got a lot of help from the Duke before I settled here. I wanted to leave the Royal Capital for a while, so this was perfect.”
In fact, she had only arrived here a month or so ago.
Riv felt the urge to share her own story with Anna. But there were things that she couldn’t explain to Anna.
Such as her death and resurrection, and her short lifespan.
“What if I return to the Royal Capital?”
“That would be unwise. You would most likely be seized by Princess Marianne, since she hasn’t given up on Riv yet.”
Anna reasoned with Riv.
“Think about it more seriously for a few days. Regardless of the Duke, there must be a reason why Miss Riv is here?”
Anna was more of an optimist than she thought.
“In my hometown, we believe there is a reason for everything. Fate.”
“Is that so?”
Riv blankly counted her remaining months.
When she died and was resurrected, she had eight months left.
A lot of things had happened in the past few months. It was already summer.
If she would really die at the scheduled time, she had less than 6 months left.
***
That night, a terrible storm raged.
The storm was accompanied by heavy rain. Everything was drowned out by the drizzling sound of rain.
Riv woke up in the dead of night.
“……!”
Riv’s eyes reflected a terrible red. It was the red light emanating from the pendant hanging around her neck.
It was dead quiet. No one in the mansion was awake.
Riv got out of bed bed and stared outside.
She heard someone cry out. It was not a human voice.
Riv opened the windows that had been tightly locked.
She let herself fall out of the window.
Riv’s slender body, which landed on the ground, was not harmed.
“Is it a coincidence that I came to this land?”
Riv found out that hers, the Duke of Sentoren’s, and the heirloom of the late Duchess of Sentoren’s fates were all linked together.
Her thin nightgown fluttered in the wind.
The strong storm began to calm under her touch.
“I am a witch.”
Nature moved at Riv’s words.
She felt as though she could absorb the old powers and memories of this land.
“I shouldn’t be here.”
The sorrows, joys, pasts, and futures of hundreds of people passed her by. But none of them were what she wanted to see.
“Show me my future.”
Riv saw her and Lionel’s futures.
“Ah.”
Riv’s body stiffened in shock.
Her choices had changed Lionel’s fate.
At the same time, her choices could save him.
Riv stared at the late Duchess’ heirloom that hung around her neck.
“Is that why you let me turn back time?”
No one answered.
***
In the morning, Riv woke up with bloodshot eyes.
“…..”
Riv, exhausted, dragged her heavy body out of bed and walked to her window.
When she opened it, cool morning air flowed in.
The wilderness was covered in fog.
Riv washed her face, changed her clothes, and went outside for a walk.
She entered the thick fog. It was cool. She rested her hands on the rough dirt.
She had never been taught how to use her powers. It just came to her naturally.
The power emanating from her fingertips absorbed the knowledge and power of the earth. This land was her teacher and source of strength that awakened Riv.
“I am a witch.”
Riv knelt down and put her ear to the ground.
At that moment, the pendant hanging from Riv’s neck gave off a red light.
Riv gathered all of her power, inserted it into her necklace, and returned to the villa.
At the same time, Aiden was arriving at the villa.
He hurriedly handed her a small note.
“This came in haste from the Royal Capital. More details will be available in a few days.”
It was too early for a letter to have been mailed, so it seemed that the note was brought by a carrier pigeon.
There were only a couple of lines written. The message was brief.
– The Duke is safe. Please keep the Madame hidden for a while.
Riv understood the situation.
‘Even if Lionel is safe, he will go to Ezul.’
In Ezul, Lionel could die. It was also where he got his scar when he was young.
‘I want to prevent Lionel’s death.’
What should she do?
Going to Ezul right now didn’t mean she could save Lionel.
In the future that Riv saw, it was around autumn when things became dangerous.
If she was discovered by the Royal Family while moving to save him, she could be a further threat to Lionel.
While she was contemplating, two days passed without difficulty.
Riv went on long walks every day, desperately thinking about what she could do. She came to a conclusion.. All she could do for now was amass her power.
***
On the third day, an unexpected guest arrived.
A tall man that cast a long shadow appeared in front of Riv.
“Olivia Sentoren.”
When Riv raised her head, she saw a middle-aged man in the black uniform of the Bishops’ Church.
His face resembled that of Count Katana, her adoptive father.
“Are you perhaps a relative?”
Count Katana was dead.
The man in front of Riv had the same facial features as Count Katana, but his aura was completely different.
Unlike the Count, who was fat and bulky, this man was thin and tall.
Perhaps because of his priestly clothes, he gave off an impression of integrity, asceticism, and sharpness at the same time.
“…Philip Katana?”
Philip Katana, the biological son of her adoptive father.
Although he and Riv were not related by blood, on paper they were siblings.
She had heard that he had become a priest, but this was the first time she had ever seen or met him.
She was also surprised that he visited her.
Why here? Why now?
After a long silence, Philip opened his mouth.
“Is my presence so surprising, Olivia?”
Riv stared intently at the man.
Somehow, she expected that this moment would come. She wasn’t surprised.
“Philip Katana, are you here to catch me? Or are you going to kill me?”
“…..”
The man in front of her was not an ordinary human nor an ordinary priest.
This man had ‘eyes’ that could see through her.
Riv couldn’t see his future.
“I am not ready to die yet.”
Riv believed that this was no coincidence. It was intentional that Philip appeared here at this time.
“Philip Katana, how did you find me?”
“I have my ways.”
“Then, did you come to enjoy a family reunion? Or are you here to solve the inheritance problem or title?”
Philip, who had been silent, finally spoke.
“The inheritance or title of Count Katana is not my business. What I wanted to talk to you about is your husband, Lionel Sentoren.”
“Lionel? What about him?”
“The Duke will be sent to Ezul Plains. He negotiated with the King, and instead of pursuing any treason charges, he was ordered to defend the Northern frontier. The Duke complied.”
“….”
“The King said he would not track the whereabouts of the Duchess. Of course, she must not return to the Royal Capital.”
Although Riv knew these facts already, she became more suspicious of Philip because he knew.
“Is that all you came here to tell me?”
Philip stared at Riv with a sharp glare.
“I also came here to find out if witches exist.”
Riv’s body stiffened.
“What are you trying to say, Philip?”
Riv could now unleash her powers, but she couldn’t hide them.
What was certain was that this man was her enemy.
“You are casting great magic.”
Riv’s pupils widened.
“Did you go against time or destiny?”
***
At that exact moment, Karl, the butler of the Duke’s Royal estate, was bewildered by an urgent report.
“……?”
It was reported that the priest, Philip Katana, had died ten years ago.
***