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Chapter 4 — The Man Behind the Smile

Arin did not sleep that night.

He returned to the Valemont estate shortly before midnight, dismissed his servants, locked his bedroom door, and sat at his desk with the diary he had discovered earlier.

The old Leon's handwriting filled page after page.

At first, Arin had assumed Leon was simply obsessed with proving the saintess was dangerous.

Now he wasn't so sure.

He opened the diary again.

Day 17.

The crown prince visited the saintess again.

Day 23.

The duke cancelled a political meeting because she was ill.

Day 31.

Rafael abandoned a military inspection.

Then another entry.

Day 47.

Lucien has begun behaving strangely.

Arin stopped.

He read the paragraph carefully.

He doesn't appear to be under her influence in the same way as the others. When he looks at her, there is no affection in his eyes. There is resistance.

Arin leaned closer.

The next sentence had been written heavily enough to nearly tear the paper.

If Lucien ever begins acting differently, something has gone terribly wrong.

Arin stared at the page.

“Something has gone terribly wrong.”

He whispered the words.

Then he remembered Lucien standing outside Elara's room.

The silver mark.

The strange pull he had felt when Elara touched him.

The vision of two threads.

Arin closed the diary.

“This isn't the same story.”

A knock sounded.

Arin nearly jumped out of his chair.

“Who?”

“Me.”

Lucien.

Arin stared at the door.

Of course.

“Come in.”

The door opened.

Lucien entered carrying a small wooden box.

Arin immediately frowned.

“What is that?”

“Something I found.”

Lucien placed the box on the table.

Arin looked at him.

“Where?”

“An old storage room beneath the palace.”

“Why were you there?”

“I was looking for information about the saintess.”

Arin's eyes narrowed.

“You found something.”

“Yes.”

Lucien opened the box.

Inside was an old piece of black cloth wrapped around a small silver pendant.

Arin picked up the pendant.

The instant his fingers touched it, the room became cold.

A flash of silver light appeared.

Lucien's eyes widened.

Arin dropped the pendant.

“What was that?”

Lucien didn't answer.

He picked it up carefully.

“This belonged to your family.”

“My family?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know?”

“The Valemont crest is engraved on the back.”

Arin looked at it.

A strange symbol was carved into the silver.

It looked like a crescent surrounding a star.

He had never seen it before.

Lucien turned the pendant over.

There was another inscription.

Arin read it aloud.

“The second guardian shall awaken when the chosen path is broken.”

He looked at Lucien.

“What does that mean?”

“I don't know.”

“You're the mage.”

“I know.”

“You're supposed to know everything.”

Lucien looked mildly offended.

“I don't.”

Arin laughed despite himself.

“You're actually human.”

“Occasionally.”

The tension in the room eased.

Then Lucien became serious again.

“I found records beneath the palace.”

“What kind?”

“Records about the saintess.”

Arin sat down.

“Tell me.”

Lucien placed several documents on the desk.

“The saintess is not the first.”

Arin frowned.

“What?”

“There have been seventeen saintesses before Elara.”

“Seventeen?”

“Yes.”

“Then why does everyone act as if she is unique?”

“Because every saintess is considered unique.”

Lucien pointed to a line.

“But there is a pattern.”

Arin read.

Every previous saintess had been connected to four men.

Every previous saintess had eventually become the center of political conflict.

And every previous saintess had died before reaching the age of thirty.

Arin's expression changed.

“What?”

Lucien nodded.

“They all died.”

“How?”

“Different reasons.”

“Disease?”

“Sometimes.”

“Assassination?”

“Sometimes.”

“War?”

“Yes.”

Arin stared at the documents.

“What happened afterward?”

“The four men connected to them became unstable.”

Arin remembered the novel's ending.

The empire collapsing.

The four men destroying everything after Elara's death.

“So the cycle repeats.”

“Yes.”

Arin looked at Lucien.

“Then the novel's ending isn't fiction.”

“No.”

“It is a record.”

Lucien nodded.

“That is what I believe.”

Arin leaned back.

A horrible realization formed.

The novel he had read in his world hadn't been fiction at all.

It had been a distorted account of events that were going to happen.

Someone had turned history into a romance story.

That explained why so many details matched.

But one thing didn't.

Leon.

In the original story, Leon had died.

Yet the records Lucien had found contained something different.

Lucien slid another page across the table.

Arin read it.

His eyes widened.

The page described an ancient Valemont guardian.

A man who appeared during the previous saintess's era.

He had opposed the curse.

He had protected the saintess.

And he had disappeared before the final battle.

Arin whispered:

“Why doesn't the novel mention him?”

“Because someone erased him.”

“Who?”

Lucien looked toward the window.

“I don't know.”

Arin stood.

“This is getting bigger than I expected.”

Lucien nodded.

“Yes.”

Arin paced across the room.

“So the saintess is cursed.”

“Yes.”

“The four men are compelled to love her.”

“Yes.”

“Previous saintesses died.”

“Yes.”

“The Valemont family was involved.”

“Yes.”

“And now my body has some strange ancient bloodline.”

Lucien's expression became serious.

“Yes.”

Arin stopped.

“Why?”

“I don't know.”

He looked at Lucien.

“You really don't know?”

“No.”

Lucien stepped closer.

“But I intend to find out.”

Arin stared at him.

“Why?”

Lucien's answer came immediately.

“Because you're in danger.”

Arin's heart skipped.

“You don't even know me.”

“I know enough.”

“No, you don't.”

Lucien looked at him.

“I know you are not the same man you were before.”

Arin's body went rigid.

Lucien continued.

“You speak differently.”

Arin swallowed.

“You notice things Leon never noticed.”

Arin looked away.

“You don't trust the saintess, but you don't hate her.”

Lucien took another step.

“And you keep trying to protect people who should be your enemies.”

Arin said nothing.

Lucien's voice softened.

“I don't know what happened to you.”

He paused.

“But I don't want you to disappear.”

Arin finally looked at him.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then Arin laughed nervously.

“You know you're saying some very strange things.”

“I know.”

“You're supposed to hate me.”

“I don't.”

“You're supposed to love the saintess.”

Lucien's eyes darkened.

“I don't.”

“You're supposed to kill me.”

Lucien stepped close enough that Arin could feel his presence.

“I won't.”

Arin's heart pounded.

“You can't promise that.”

“I can.”

“How?”

“Because I choose.”

Arin stared at him.

The words were simple.

But they felt heavier than anything else Lucien had said.

I choose.

Maybe that was the key.

The original story was built around destiny.

The saintess had her four destined men.

Everyone had a role.

Everyone had an ending.

But Lucien had begun resisting.

And now Arin had entered the story.

Maybe the future could change.

Suddenly, the door opened.

Noel stood there.

He froze when he saw Lucien.

“My apologies, Master.”

Arin stepped back.

“What is it?”

Noel's face was unusually pale.

“I need to speak with you privately.”

Arin noticed the fear in his eyes.

“What happened?”

Noel looked at Lucien.

“It concerns your bloodline.”

Lucien's expression changed.

Arin immediately understood.

“Tell me.”

Noel swallowed.

“There is something I wasn't told to reveal until you turned twenty-four.”

Arin frowned.

“Why twenty-four?”

Noel closed the door.

“Because that is when the Valemont bloodline fully awakens.”

Silence filled the room.

Arin felt a strange chill.

Noel continued.

“And once it awakens…”

He hesitated.

“Your body will no longer function like an ordinary man's.”

Lucien looked at Arin.

Arin stared at Noel.

“What does that mean?”

Noel lowered his voice.

“It means, Master…”

He took a breath.

“You can carry a child.”

The room became completely silent.

Arin stared at him.

Lucien's expression was unreadable.

And for the first time, Arin realized that the strange secret hidden inside Leon's body might be connected to the entire mystery surrounding the saintess.

But he had no idea that the secret would soon become the most dangerous thing anyone in the empire could discover.

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