IBMH 02

Chapter 02

“Kidnapped, but there is no ill intent

Evelyn’s parents looked at her with troubled expressions.

“Evelyn, what you’re able to know is not something normal. So you must not say it in front of others.”
“What happens if I say it?”
“They will take you away and hurt you.”

After that day, Evelyn kept her mouth shut. She did not know exactly how they would “hurt” her, but it surely could not be something good. Maybe they would lock her in an attic and force her to eat vegetables she hated, or take away her snacks. Either way, she hated all of it, so she decided to act like other children.

But even so, the dreams kept coming.

Even when she tried not to, Evelyn was becoming a child who was different from others.

‘But Grandpa never once pointed out my strange behavior.’

Her grandfather already knew what kind of ability she had.

‘It’s not even a perfect ability.’

She could stop a cookie jar from falling out of a cupboard, but she could not stop her grandfather’s death. That was why her father also ended up dying.

Her ability made her life hard.

Evelyn stared blankly at the ceiling of the cabin and closed her eyes. Her body was fine, but her mind was tired and wanted to rest.

Then she dreamed again.

“Congratulations on His Majesty the Emperor’s birthday!”

Someone raised a beer glass and shouted. The crowd was loud, everyone looked happy, and the streets were full of festival energy.

“Long live the Pavelln Empire!”

Hearing the cheers, she finally understood where she was and what time it was.

‘It must be around the Emperor’s birthday.’

She carefully looked around. Prophetic dreams always contained meaning, so she read everything instinctively.

In front of her stood a man wearing a hood. A part of his hair slipped out from under it, and shining blond hair caught the sunlight.

“His hair shines like sunlight.”

Her grandfather’s words suddenly came back to her. Without realizing it, Evelyn stared at him as if she was enchanted.

Then the man started moving. It was not easy to follow him, but even the crowd could not stop her.

‘Because this is a dream.’

The man left the crowded streets and headed into an alley. With every step, the darker side of the city revealed itself.

‘Fast!’

And the moment she barely caught up, several people wrapped in dark energy attacked him. The killing intent filled the space, as if it would swallow Evelyn as well.

Then the prophetic dream ended.

“Hah!”

Evelyn opened her eyes. The surroundings were dark and quiet. She rubbed her face and blinked.

‘Think.’

She had seen a blond man in her dream, but there was no guarantee he was the Grand Duke of Gracia. There were many blond people in the world.

‘But what if he is?’

Her grandfather had always wanted to repay a debt to the Grand Duke of Gracia. He had always wished for it. So she wanted to fulfill that wish for him, even if it was already meaningless.

“Let’s move.”

Evelyn got up.

It felt like some of the motivation she had lost after her grandfather’s death was returning.

She decided to leave this place first.

She had brought nothing from the mansion, so her relatives would not chase her. In fact, they might even be happy she was gone.

She did not want to give up the mansion full of memories of her grandfather, but there was nothing a young noble lady could do. She understood reality.

‘Maybe I can actually save that duke.’

Evelyn shook her head. Still, doing something was better than doing nothing.

‘First, I should confirm if that man is really the duke.’

She would think about the rest later.

So Evelyn headed toward the imperial capital. If it was near the Emperor’s birthday, she still had time.

Yes, that was how it began.

“That was insane.”

Evelyn let out a deep sigh.

Traveling to the capital was not difficult. There were a few incidents along the way, but nothing too serious. Just things that could happen to someone traveling alone, and she managed them without much trouble.

The real problem came much later.

When she learned more about the Grand Duke.

Once she arrived in the capital, she found out about the Grand Duke of Gracia much more easily than she expected.

In the capital, where printing technology was developed, newspapers were sold. And on the front page, there was a large article about the Grand Duke.

The face in the photo was exactly the same as the man in her dream.

‘I worried for nothing.’

Thinking that, Evelyn wandered around a small shop selling newspapers. Soon, she came to a realization.

“So the Grand Duke of Gracia is a famous person.”

If she had cared even a little about social interactions or read newspapers, she would have known. But she had no interest in polite social gatherings where people laughed and exchanged formal education.

She preferred going hunting outside with her grandfather.

The same was true for newspapers and magazines. Her grandfather disliked gossip, so he never subscribed to any of them. Naturally, Evelyn also grew up without interest in such things.

But now—

[Why did the second son of House Hissé break his leg?!]

Maybe she should have paid attention.

On the front page was a shocking headline, along with the Grand Duke’s face.

‘Why was it broken?’

Half curiosity, half anxiety. She bought a newspaper and sat on a bench.

The article said this:

The second son of the Hissé Marquis family, young Lord Lunt, accidentally bumped into the Grand Duke while walking. In response, the Grand Duke broke his leg on the spot.

“What?”

Evelyn reread it, thinking she misread it.

There must be a cause for such an outcome. Who would break someone’s leg just because of a simple bump?

She carefully checked the article again, even flipping through other pages. Still, she did not understand.

So she approached a gentleman standing nearby reading a newspaper.

“Excuse me, may I ask you something?”
“Yes?”
“I read this newspaper, but I don’t understand something.”
“Which part don’t you understand?”
Evelyn pointed at the front page with a serious expression.

“Why did the Grand Duke of Gracia break the Marquis’s son’s leg?”

The gentleman was reading the same newspaper.

“Isn’t it written there? Is the text difficult?”
“No, that’s not it. Even after reading it, it only says they bumped into each other.”
The man’s expression turned strange. He stroked his chin and spoke.

“That is the whole story.”
“…Pardon?”
“He broke his leg just because they bumped into each other.”
“Why?”

Really? Seriously? Just because they bumped into each other?

Evelyn looked at him in disbelief. The man gave a vague smile.

“I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not like that. The Grand Duke of Gracia is just…”
He stopped speaking.

“If you want the rest, check past newspapers. In any case, everything written is true.”

Then he quickly left.

“Past newspapers?”

Following his advice, Evelyn searched for old newspapers.

Luckily, she learned that the nearby library kept archives of them. The entry fee was not expensive.

So she sat in the library and went through several issues.

In most of them, the Grand Duke of Gracia was on the front page, easy to find.

‘Property damage.’

Her hand turned the page.

‘Physical harm.’

Her hands started shaking more with each page.

‘Insults. Threats.’

When she finished the last newspaper and closed it, her face had gone completely pale.