The grooming process, which lasted a grueling hour and a half, finally ended.

It had only been two hours since I woke up, but I was longing for my bed again.

“Hand mirror.”

“Here it is, Master.”

I took the hand mirror from Luna and carefully examined my face and neck.

Since my throat had been squeezed right before I fainted, there should have been petechiae on my face and bruises in the shape of fingerprints on my neck.

And since I had scraped my elbow and face while falling, there should have been wounds there too.

However, my body was clean, without a single scratch.

‘This must also be Fiache’s power.’

Normally, priests had to go through the process of reciting prayers to exert Divine Power.

If there were many wounds, the prayer had to be repeated several times, and if the wounds were deep, the prayer became longer.

As far as I knew, Owen was the only priest capable of healing an entire body with a single prayer.

‘Even Owen could only heal external injuries……’

Fiache healed both external injuries and diseases simultaneously just by touching them with her finger.

‘She is too young and kind compared to the power she possesses. The role of companions who can protect her from being manipulated is going to be important.’

I needed information on Fiache.

What was her relationship with Adrianne, and did she even know what kind of power she possessed?

“Butler, prepare a report on Fiache. There are things I need to verify.”

“I understand.”

Despite the sudden instruction, the butler didn’t even show a hint of doubt.

Moreover, he was so competent that he completed the report in half a day.

“Master, the report you ordered this morning is complete. Would you like to review it?”

“Bring it.”

A moment later, the report the butler handed me had a short title.

It was a report summarizing Fiache’s information. Turning the first page, it was categorized by age.

‘Name: Fiache Ivrante, of the Ivrante family… Huh? She was a ward?’

Surprisingly, Fiache had been registered as a ward of the family by Adrianne about five months ago.

What change of heart did Adrianne have to decide to sponsor someone, given her personality?

I tilted my head in confusion and continued reading.

‘Age: five years old, birthday is… Oh? It’s coming up soon?’

That’s perfect. If it’s her birthday, it wouldn’t be strange to give her a gift.

I smiled silently and flipped through the documents.

‘Wow, she was the prettiest child in the orphanage? Five nobles provided regular sponsorship, and records of adoption requests… what? 33 times? Wow, so many families wanted our Fiache. But the director rejected them all? Hmm……’

Fiache’s adoption was approved in the year she turned three.

The adoptive family was House Moulton, Marquess of Moulton.

Their reputation was fairly good, and they currently had an only daughter who was seven years old.

“……That’s it?”

The records regarding the adoption were only three lines long.

TEverything after that was missing, and the records resumed from age four onward.

“Is this all? What about the records from age three to four?”

“Since she was adopted during that period, there are no records.”

“So this is all the information there is? She’s not just any child; she’s an official ward of the family.”

“Ah…… I sent people to contact the employees of that family, but I was reported that all attempts failed. They seem to be very loyal.”

“Butler, I’m not looking for excuses right now.”

“I apologize. I will request the Information Guild today. It will likely be different if we go through professionals.”

Without answering, I flipped through the report.

• • • • Mutism continued for one year.

• • • • Diagnosed with nocturnal enuresis*. Notable changes in personality observed.

• • • • Mutism changed to severe stuttering. Signs of depression.

• • • • Underweight due to reduced food intake. Nutritional management required.

• • • • Officially registered as a ward of the Ivrante family.

Nowhere in the records could I find any mention of Fiache healing anyone.

Fine. Let’s accept that. Then why do the records after the adoption look like this?

‘Did something happen at her adoptive home? This practically screams abuse…’

As I continued my ominous imagination, I suddenly heard the butler’s voice.

“So, regarding the handling…… Master, are you listening?”

“……What did you say?”

“The Academy has recommended Miss Piace for admission. This is the second time they’ve contacted us. How would you like me to proceed?”

The Academy? I looked up.

“When did the first notice arrive?”

“They sent the admission application immediately after the young lady was registered as a ward of the family.”

I examined the report again.

The date Fiache was registered as a ward of the Ivrante family was about five months ago.

The subsequent records were related to the child’s health.

Thanks to that, although the child was currently small in stature, her overall condition was good now.

The problem was that there were no educational records whatsoever. Even though Piace was nearly six years old.

“Do you remember why I postponed her admission back then?”

“You didn’t specifically state a reason. However, your health was poor after you brought Miss Fiache from the orphanage.”

“Ah, I remember now. I postponed everything regarding Fiache because I wasn’t feeling well.”

I closed the report. Tapping it with my finger, I asked.

“Can a five-year-old attend the Academy?”

“Currently, admission applications are possible from age five.”

I wasn’t asking about the eligible age. I was wondering if it was too early.

“When you attended, it was age seven, but it has been lowered significantly. I heard the admission age was adjusted a few years ago following requests from the nobles.”

My ears immediately perked up.

‘It seems Adrianne attended the Academy?’

This is a golden opportunity to find out about Adrianne. I flipped through the report, pretending to be completely uninterested.

“How is the Academy these days? Is it similar to when I attended?”

“Its prestige has risen much higher. Almost all children of nobles living in the capital attend the Academy. It’s a great opportunity to expand their network from a young age and form ties with the Imperial Family. Wasn’t the Academy also where you became acquainted with that person, Master?”

“……!”

The ‘person’ the butler was referring to must be one of the Imperial Princes.

The current ages of the princes flashed through my mind at the speed of light.

First Prince: 29, Second Prince: 26, Third Prince: 25. Which of the three was he talking about?

“Currently, the factions supporting the princes are divided according to the friendships formed at the Academy. Ah, except for the Third Prince, who dropped out midway.”

My mind raced.

If there was a reason Leonhart had to quit the Academy……

‘It was because of his asthma.’

“My memory’s a little fuzzy. Was I close to the Third Prince?”

“I wouldn’t say you were close. You were simply very interested in him.”

So the royal family member I became close with at the Academy wasn’t Leonhart.

“You wanted to know his every move.”

“……Huh?”

“You were especially interested in the Third Prince’s friendships. To the extent that you set aside time every day to receive reports.”

“…….”

“Even after the Third Prince left the Academy, you had people keeping an eye on his surroundings.”

Isn’t that…… stalking?

“At that time, rumors circulated that the Third Prince’s asthma was severe and he would die soon. That is why you instructed me to contact the servants of the Third Prince’s palace. I believe it was because the health of a parent is a very important matter when considering a successor.”

“If you say successor……”

“Because you had already earmarked the Third Prince as the live-in son-in-law for the family. Naturally, you would have kept the succession in mind.”

Didn’t he say Adrianne attended the Academy from the age of seven?

But who picks a live-in son-in-law at that age?

An ominous feeling brushed the back of my neck.

“Until when did I do that?”

“Until the Third Prince volunteered for the Demon King Expeditionary Force, so, um…… for about 12 years.”

“12 years……”

“If the Third Prince had not joined the expeditionary force back then, he would have become our family’s live-in son-in-law by now.”

It was only natural that Leonhart hated Adrianne to death.

‘Because he had been stalking him for 12 whole years!’

*nocturnal enuresis: bedwetting

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