"Are they finding new ways to shame themselves?" one nobleman said with a laugh.
The latest scandal was that the second young master of the Oshen Clan had been arrested for public indecency. He was found lying naked on a street in the capital. It was a shock. Only weeks earlier, the eldest brother had lost a duel. And now this.
"They're doomed," another said.
Gone were the days when the Oshens stood as the empire's most respected family. Gone were the days when one of their daughters became the first empress. After she died, the Oshens lost the emperor's favor, and their influence quietly crumbled.
"Damn stupid!" Fenrir shouted, throwing whatever was near him. He was still bedridden, still couldn't move to beat that fool.
"He dared disobey me? Dared to think he could replace me? What a joke! Beat him and lock him up!"
His assistant, Chin, exhaled. "We were bound to fail, young master. The woman in that carriage was not Miss Kissell at all."
Fenrir turned his head sharply.
"Who is she?"
"We couldn't trace any identity—"
"You mean Dorian Alexei has protected a woman that well?" Fenrir said, his jaw tight. "Vanery Kissell is a true fool for ever getting her hopes up with that man. And I fought a duel for a slut!"
"There were rumors that the duke had suddenly summoned a doctor from the Imperial Academy for a patient," Chin said. "But the duke has no immediate family."
"Where's that doctor now?"
"He was hired after that. By the duke," Chin replied. "At least we can assume that the patient is a woman. And she's a noble lady. Imperial doctors treat only the nobility."
"But there are too many sick ladies in the capital!" Fenrir clenched his fists. "Many of them are even pretending just to marry some stupid, rich, fat lord!"
Chin stayed calm.
"Young master, my advice is to lie low. We need to find out who that woman is. If we can discover her identity, we can send a report back to His Majesty. If we succeed, we could regain favor. After all, the Oshens are still the first empress's family."
Fenrir said nothing. His face was contorted with repressed anger and a burning desire for revenge.
...
RASHET MANOR
Levon tossed the newspaper onto his desk after reading the latest scandal and turned to the window, where the roof of the Paragon Hall was visible.
Oshens...
This had to be Dorian's work.
Levon wondered if that man had already begun searching for the seal. But perhaps it was too soon to show his hand. Besides, he had only just acquired those abandoned estates in the peninsula. That was what intrigued Levon most. The lands were the largest property the Oshens had ever owned, yet they had been largely ignored because they sat in a remote province. And yet… if the seal were found there, it would end everything.
Tok!
A knock came. The door opened.
A maid entered to inform him that Lady Rashet had just finished her breakfast and would be waiting for him in her courtyard. She was still changing her clothes.
"But she says if the young master is busy at the moment, she'll—"
"No. I'll come," Levon said, rising.
...
NYASIA DIDN'T KNOW how she had gotten back home last night. And yet, when she opened her eyes, she found herself back in her own bedroom. She was certain that the tea had made her so sleepy that she had fallen asleep in Dorian's arms.
Just the thought made her blush.
Did I truly kiss him back?
She almost thought it had all been a dream, like those visions. But when Fay came in to report the latest scandal, she knew: it had all been real.
She sighed, wondering why Dorian was so determined to ruin the Oshens. He had never told her why.
Her gaze drifted and found documents lying on her side table. She lingered on what might've happened. It seemed Vanery had quickly gone to the Kissell Manor last night, just before she'd be taken to the nunnery. And Dorian's men quickly took them.
Nyasia decided to read them later.
Then, she found a note.
'I'll be away. I won't interfere your little games. But I won't stand still forever.'
She frowned, incredulous.
When had he ever not interfered?
...
AT THE COURTYARD, Levon was already sitting on a rattan chair. Smiling, he rose when he saw Nyasia, then pinched her cheek and she pouted.
"Brother, did you go to the temple?"
He shrugged.
"I told you I'd deal with it."
"I've never said you shouldn't."
They sat down.
"Let's just say I've received reports that the temple is full of secrets," he said, taking a teacup as soon as Fay brought down the cups on the table.
"Oh?" Nyasia replied.
But she had already known this.
"The cyan beans can only be cultivated in the south," Levon said. "There are plenty of them at the back of the Jade Temple. Coincidence? I think not."
He drank.
"But unlike some beans that are poisonous when raw, cyan beans become poisonous when you cook them—when you expose them to boiling heat."
Nyasia narrowed her eyes. This means that only someone very knowledgeable would know.
"So if a manor's kitchen maid puts them in boiling water, there's strong malicious intent behind it. After all, kitchen staff should know about all ingredients," Levon added.
She frowned.
"Why does the temple grow them?"
"They have livestock. Some animals feed on them. But they're just a cover," he replied.
He explained that a local governor had once died of a fever. Then some merchant who lived near the temple. In other words, the temple had been using the beans to kill people.
Her brows furrowed even more.
"So they've been using the beans on people they don't like. And they're very clever."
His gaze drifted.
"In fact, a woman also had a fever for four days before she passed away," he said. "Everyone was shocked. But because there was a war at that time, her death wasn't properly investigated."
"Who?"
"The late empress."
Nyasia went still. The empress?
"Some priestesses hoped she'd rise from her death. She never did. Those people believed the myth behind the cyan beans," Levon said, his tone dripping with mock indifference.
"That some people are born with a constitution strong enough to survive them. But first… they have to die. Then they get to turn back time. Their memories intact."
He shrugged.
"Fantastic story, right?"
"No." She could barely breathe. Her heart raced as the truth settled over her like a shadow. The visions were not prophecies. They were truly the past.
*