* * *
“That’s why the Emperor needs a scapegoat to divert the nobles’ frustration and the Empire’s unrest,” the Grand Duke explained.
“And that scapegoat is Your Grace,” Ed concluded.
“It’s simple and effective, isn’t it? The Empire’s long-standing issues could be resolved if only the Grand Duke followed the prophecy—or so they claim.”
Ed frowned. “Then what should we do?”
The Grand Duke’s lips curved into a faint smile. “What else?”
“…”
“We show them that you and I are deeply in love.”
Ed blinked, dumbfounded. “Pardon?”
The Grand Duke merely smiled wordlessly.
Ed found himself captivated by that expression before quickly lowering his gaze, his cheeks warming.
He glanced again at the prophecy printed in the newspaper.
“…”
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t see how showing their love would resolve the situation.
‘If the part about the northern sword blessed with dragon’s blood meeting the light imbued with the ice lake’s aura refers to His Grace and his fated partner…’
Ed scrutinized each word in the prophecy before shaking his head.
‘No, the real question is whether this prophecy is even genuine.’
Looking up, he asked, “Your Grace, do you think this prophecy is real?”
“…”
“The Emperor could have fabricated it to endanger you. If that’s the case, no matter what choice you make, stability in the Empire would be hard to achieve.”
The prophecy was genuine, but the Grand Duke couldn’t reveal the truth of what it entailed—not yet.
There were choices Ed’s mother had made because of it, and secrets the Grand Duke wasn’t ready to share.
Ed wasn’t prepared to accept everything just yet, and there were past events he hadn’t confided to anyone, not even the Grand Duke.
‘Which means he’s not ready for this to be known,’ the Grand Duke thought.
Understanding Ed’s hesitation, the Grand Duke resolved to wait until Ed was ready to open up.
In the meantime, he’d share only what Ed could handle.
‘To give him a sense of belonging here in the Empire.’
The Grand Duke stood and approached Ed, pulling him into an embrace.
Resting his chin atop Ed’s head, he held him securely.
“Your Grace?”
“The Emperor’s claim is half-true and half-false,” the Grand Duke murmured gently.
Ed listened to the soft voice above him.
“Do you remember when I mentioned meeting the Empress Dowager a few days ago?”
Ed nodded, his eyes closed as he rested in the warmth of the Grand Duke’s arms.
“Yes.”
“She entrusted me with something the late Emperor left behind.”
Ed waited patiently, sensing there was more.
“It was a small orb, and I took it to the cave in Mount Garenda, where we ventured together.”
“…”
“And there, I met the golden dragon, renowned even in Ronen’s lore.”
“The golden dragon…”
“Yes, the one who bestowed the blessing of the dragon’s blood upon my lineage.”
Ed leaned back slightly to look up at the Grand Duke, his blue eyes wide with astonishment.
Meeting the golden dragon was no trivial matter.
The Grand Duke gazed tenderly at him before placing a light kiss on Ed’s forehead.
“The golden dragon revealed truths I hadn’t known until now.”
“Truths, Your Grace?”
“One of them being that the man before me—Ed—is my destined partner.”
Ed’s eyes trembled.
“…Me?”
“The golden dragon prophesied that peace would gradually return to the Empire if I stayed with you.”
“But the prophecy said Your Grace’s fated partner would carry the ice lake’s aura. The Emperor claims it refers to a Zelda tribesman…”
The Grand Duke waited patiently, his gaze steady, as Ed pieced his thoughts together.
“Are you saying… I’m that Zelda tribesman mentioned in the prophecy?”
The Grand Duke smiled and entwined his fingers with Ed’s, sealing his silent affirmation.
“The words the Golden Dragon spoke to me were that the light carrying the energy of the ice lake referred to Ed, who healed me, and that I must never let go of his hand but hold onto it tightly.”
“……”
Ed stared up at the Grand Duke with a look of disbelief before speaking.
“Is… is that true? Am I really bound to Your Grace by fate… like the prophecy says, connected from the very beginning?”
The Grand Duke smiled gently, his eyes curving softly.
“Yes, that’s right. So, Ed, you don’t have to worry about anything.”
“……”
“No matter how thoroughly the Emperor scours the entire world to find my duchess, it’ll all be in vain.”
“……”
“Because my destined one is you, Ed. It’s you.”
After having a long conversation with the Grand Duke and falling asleep, Ed woke up and stared at the ceiling.
‘I’ve always wished for him to be happy since I met him.’
And now, to find out that he was bound by fate to His Highness…
It was overwhelming and unbelievable, a mix of joy and bewilderment.
As Ed was lost in thought, the little lizard sleeping on his pillow leapt onto his stomach, making him laugh.
“You’re not just a lizard, are you?”
“Kaah,” it responded.
The Grand Duke’s words echoed in his mind:
‘If you don’t believe me, look at the dragon I gave you.’
‘A dragon?’
‘The lizard you brought from the cave is a piece that broke off the Golden Dragon’s claw.’
‘……’
‘Because Ed is attuned to the dragon’s energy in my blood, even if it breathes fire, you won’t feel the heat or have your hair scorched.’
Ed gently petted the tiny dragon resting on his stomach before lifting his hand to examine it.
‘I can heal the Grand Duke, but… surely the Golden Dragon hasn’t mistaken me for the Ed from before I inhabited this body, right?’
Lost in thought, Ed shook his head resolutely.
‘…The light carrying the energy of the ice lake refers to Ed, who healed me,’ the Grand Duke had said.
Recalling the prophecy and the Grand Duke’s words, Ed was certain the one the prophecy pointed to was indeed himself.
Ed shot up from bed, tucked the small dragon into his pocket, and headed to the library.
“Zelda tribe… Zelda tribe.”
He began searching for books on the Zelda tribe.
Though it hadn’t crossed his mind while speaking with the Grand Duke, Ed realized he didn’t recall any mention of them in the novel.
‘If His Highness received a prophecy, it should’ve been in the novel. Did I miss it somehow?’
Then again, the Grand Duke had only appeared in Ronan’s flashbacks in the novel, so that part might have been skipped… and the future had already diverged from the novel’s events.
Still, Ed thought it wouldn’t hurt to learn more about the Zelda tribe.
‘Since the Emperor specifically chose someone from the Zelda tribe as His Highness’s consort, he’ll probably try to prove to everyone that the one he presents is the real duchess.’
Ed flipped through the pages quickly.
“The Zelda tribe, said to be descendants of merfolk…”
The tribe was small and had once been ostracized for being falsely accused of enchanting humans.
They lived hidden in isolated communities, so records about them were sparse.
Most books only had a page or two of information.
“They seem to have magical power, but it doesn’t appear to be very strong… they’re called guides, have a gentle nature that doesn’t harm others, and lived in small, tight-knit villages. Then, at some point, they vanished…”
Ed sighed softly.
“Why did they disappear? And how does the Emperor plan to find such a hidden tribe?”
* * *
