Chapter 2

“That’s right.”

“It can’t be! Where did you see my Amy? Did you actually meet her?”

Agnes simply couldn’t believe it.

It had already been a full year.

As much as she hated to imagine it, she had begun to think she might have to accept that Amy was dead.

And now a complete stranger had appeared, telling her Amy was alive?

“Where is Amy? How did you meet her?”

Clinging to the smallest shred of hope, Agnes asked desperately.

Instead of answering immediately, the man held out a letter.

Her trembling hands accepted it. The moment she unfolded it, Agnes cried out.

“This…! Rupert is alive too?”

Rupert was the butler’s son, who had grown up alongside her since birth.

Even after a whole year, there was no way Agnes could forget Rupert’s handwriting.

Ever since they had first learned to read and write, they had sat side by side in every lesson together.

Her heart pounded violently.

Looking up at the man with tear-filled crimson eyes, Agnes saw him nod.

“Yes. Rupert is with Miss Amy.”

Thank you… Thank you, God!

The hand holding the letter trembled uncontrollably.

A flood of longing overwhelmed her vision.

Afraid that her tears would smear the ink, she hurriedly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before finally reading the letter.

I imagine this news must come as quite a shock. This is Rupert.

You must have worried about us terribly.

Miss Amy and I are both safe. While inside the Rift, we seem to have acquired special abilities. Miss Amy appears to have gained a power similar to prophecy.

Neither of us is injured, so please don’t worry.

Please use the box we’ve sent wherever you need it most.

We’ll come to see you soon.

P.S.
Big Sis, I love you. I miss you. I’ll be there soon.

The bottom of the letter was filled with crooked handwriting splattered with ink.

Amy’s writing.

Once again, Agnes barely managed to hold back her tears.

Are you really going to break down crying in front of someone you’ve just met?

After composing herself, she carefully folded the letter and tucked it away.

There was something she had to ask.

“How did you receive this? How exactly did you meet Amy?”

“Well…”

Covering the corner of his mouth as though hiding his expression, the man smiled behind his fingers.

“Are you curious?”

Agnes nodded.

Without warning, he reached out and took hold of her wrist.

She didn’t even have time to be offended by the rude contact from a stranger.

His long fingers brushed gently across the back of her hand.

At that instant—

A golden pattern appeared on her skin.

It was shaped like a leaf.

“So it really is true.”

On the back of the hand that held hers, a matching golden mark had appeared.

His, however, was shaped like a seed.

The moment he looked directly at it, his expression completely changed.

The cold, detached look in his eyes softened into a gentle curve.

His black eyes sparkled like countless cut gemstones.

Smack.

Lowering his head, he pressed a kiss against the back of Agnes’s hand.

Before she could even process what had happened, he introduced himself.

“Allow me to introduce myself properly, Miss Agnes.”

“My name is Kesenor Celesta.”

“I am your destined partner.”

“…Excuse me?”

“If you prefer, think of me as your prospective husband.”

While Agnes sat there speechless, unable to form a response, Kesenor released her hand and leaned comfortably against the sofa.

“I met Miss Amy two weeks ago.”

He then began explaining how they had met.

* * *

Two Weeks Earlier

Kesennor’s butler approached him with an unusually troubled expression.

“Master, there are people requesting an audience with you.”

“Who are they?”

“A man named Rupert, and a young lady named Amy of House Laberose.”

“I don’t recognize those names.”

“As far as I know, our families have never had any dealings either. Nevertheless, they insist they absolutely must meet with you.”

Kesennor assumed it was merely the arrogance of an ill-mannered child.

A mere baron’s daughter—

And only six years old at that—

Wanted to meet him?

Kesennor was hardly that idle.

He scoffed and instructed the butler to politely turn them away.

However—

“I’m sorry! I really need to talk to you!”

The little girl suddenly barged into the Celestial Mage Tower, carried in the arms of a young man.

The Celestial Mage Tower was home to the greatest magicians in the world.

Naturally, it was protected by powerful magical barriers that prevented outsiders from entering.

The fact that they had somehow bypassed those defenses forced Kesennor to hear them out.

After escorting the unexpected visitors into the reception room, the adorable little girl immediately asked,

“What’s on the back of your hand, Mister?”

“What do you mean?”

“You have a seed there.”

Kesennor’s face turned pale.

Only his parents and a handful of high-ranking magicians knew about that mark.

There was no way such information could have leaked.

More importantly…

There was no way a little child like her could possibly know.

Yet the girl spoke with absolute certainty.

She wasn’t making a wild guess.

To her, it seemed as obvious as the sky being blue.

“Have you found your ‘partner’ yet?”

“…How do you know about that?”

When Kesennor had been born…

A brilliant seed-shaped mark had appeared on the back of his hand.

Naturally, the Marquis Celesta of the time—Kesennor’s father—had mobilized both the Mage Tower and the entire family to uncover its meaning.

Eventually…

They discovered an ancient manuscript so fragile it nearly crumbled at a touch.

It spoke of the Seed.

It also spoke of a Partner.

The document resembled a prophecy, but its contents were so fantastical that they had long since been dismissed.

It read:

When the earth splits apart

and darkness rises from below,

the one who shall give birth to a new world will appear.

He shall be born bearing the mark of the Seed.

When at last it takes root, it shall become the World Tree.

You who dream of becoming the World Tree…

First earn the choice of the World Tree’s Partner.

They shall prove themselves with the mark of the Leaf beneath the Seed.

Then the Seed shall stretch its branches toward the heavens

and become the master of the new world.

No matter how absurd it sounded…

Kesennor could not dismiss it.

The proof was engraved on the back of his own hand.

Ever since childhood, whenever he recalled those words, he would always think,

So… if I obtain my Partner, I’ll become the World Tree.

He had searched tirelessly for that mysterious person.

But with no clues whatsoever, the search had been hopeless.

Yet now—

This little girl casually spoke of a secret that even Kesennor himself had failed to uncover.

“I know who it is.”

“So… you’re proposing a bargain?”

“No!”

“I’m only here to give you a warning.”

“A warning?”

Nothing made sense.

He couldn’t even begin to understand her intentions.

For the first time in a very long while, the greatest magician in the world felt utterly powerless.

He hadn’t been able to stop them from entering his Mage Tower.

And now he couldn’t even control the flow of the conversation.

Smiling bitterly at himself, Kesennor gestured for her to continue.

“Go on.”

“If you try to force your Partner to stay with you…”

“You’ll fail.”

“And what happens then?”

“The world will be destroyed.”

“…Why?”

“That’s…”

“…a secret.”

As though merely remembering something unimaginably terrifying, Amy tightly shut her mouth.

Her large eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

“So this time…”

“You have to treat her well.”

“You can’t hurt her.”

“You can’t make her sad.”

“Will you promise me?”

“If I do…”

“Will you tell me?”

“Yes.”

“So you’ll promise?”

“You won’t make her cry?”

It was hardly a difficult promise.

Kesennor nodded.

“I promise.”

“The Partner you’re looking for…”

“…is my older sister.”

Agnes Laberose.

Whether it was true or not, Amy clearly knew far more than even the world’s greatest magician.

“Mister, I’m going to Dragon’s Lair.”

“I need your help.”

“What?”

“That’s impossible.”

“We don’t even know where Dragon’s Lair is.”

“I do.”

“…Why are you going there?”

“Because we need money.”

“My big sister has to work because our family has no money.”

Pressing her hands together earnestly, Amy pleaded.

“So…”

“We need lots and lots of money!”

Kesennor’s composed expression twisted.

She wanted to seek out a dragon—

The strongest magical beast in existence—

For such a reason?

Yet…

The girl truly did know where Dragon’s Lair was.

More than that…

The servant who had accompanied her—Rupert—

Had fought alongside Kesennor against the dragon and helped defeat it.

But that wasn’t even the greatest surprise.

“Please give this to my sister.”

Amy entrusted all of the gold coins they had obtained from Dragon’s Lair to Kesennor.

“What about you?”

“Your sister must be searching for you.”

Amy’s face immediately fell.

She looked as though she might burst into tears.

She missed her sister desperately…

But she couldn’t return yet.

“I have to find the other Seeds.”

Kesennor’s expression turned cold.

Seeing that, Amy gave a weak, almost mocking smile.

“Did you think you were the only one I was going to visit?”

“…”

“What if you end up treating my sister badly?”

“I’m going to find all of them.”

So…

She intended to make them compete.

The realization filled Kesennor with urgency.

That was why he had rushed here immediately—

So urgently that he had arrived in the middle of the night.

And when he finally confirmed the leaf-shaped mark—the mark of the Partner—on the back of Agnes’s hand…

His heart surged with exhilaration.

If I obtain her…

I can rule the world.

The prophecy claimed that the Seed chosen by the Partner would become the World Tree—

The ruler of a new world.

Was there any reason to compete with unknown men for such overwhelming power?

If that was the case…

Perhaps…

I should simply take her away… and hide her.