The journey through the city center felt like walking on a knife’s edge. Along the way, the atmosphere changed drastically as soon as Avvion stepped into the crowded area.

People who were busy trading or chatting in the market fell silent automatically.

Everyone, without exception, stopped in their tracks and bowed their heads as deeply as possible the moment Avvion’s figure passed by. No one dared to raise their head.

Olivia, who was walking behind, felt extremely uncomfortable.

Who on earth is this man that everyone bows and pays respect to him like this?

she wondered to herself. She noticed that the people’s reaction was not just respect, but a deep-seated fear.

When they finally arrived in the middle of the city square, a very luxurious carriage made of polished black wood with shimmering gold ornaments was waiting.

The carriage driver, an elderly man in an official uniform, immediately climbed down and knelt quickly before Avvion.

"Welcome back, Prince Avvion," the driver said in a voice loud enough for those around to hear.

Prince... Avvion?

In that instant, Olivia’s world seemed to stop spinning. Her mind went blank. She was stunned, her feet feeling as if they were nailed to the cobblestone street.

OH MY GAD!!

In the blink of an eye, the image of the incident in the dark alley flashed back into her mind with startling clarity.

She remembered how she had scolded the man, how she had pointed a sword at his chest, and how she had bravely warned him, 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"If you do anything to me... I won’t hesitate to point this sword at you!"

Olivia’s face, which had been normal moments ago, turned deathly pale, then slowly flushed deep red with intense embarrassment. She felt like she wanted to faint right then and there.

I’m done for... my head will be gone in the near future,

she whimpered in her heart. She dared not lift her face, let alone look toward Avvion. She felt as though she had already booked a ticket to the gallows.

Avvion, who was standing by the carriage door, glanced toward Olivia. He could see that the girl who had been so fierce moments ago was now standing rigid, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Avvion only smiled faintly a smile full of mischief. He knew that the girl he had just ’saved’ had finally realized who the man she tried to threaten actually was.

"Why so quiet? Get in," Avvion commanded in a calm yet authoritative tone.

Olivia swallowed the lump in her throat. With hesitant steps and her head bowed in total silence, she stepped into the carriage.

She sat in the furthest corner, hugging herself, and prayed that the man beside her had forgotten the insolence she had committed earlier.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was suffocating. The luxurious space felt cramped, as if the oxygen had been sucked out, leaving only a heavy, dense tension.

Olivia sat stiffly in the corner, her hands busy smoothing her white blouse, which was dirty and torn. She tried to cover the torn parts with her fingertips, striving to look presentable even though her heart was POUNDING.

Opposite her, Avvion sat calmly, yet every movement of his was filled with power. He did not utter a sound, and not even the rumbling of the carriage wheels could break the awkward silence. His eyes were fixed on Olivia.

He observed every inch of her movements carefully from the way her trembling fingers adjusted her clothes, to the look on her face that she tried to hide behind her disheveled hair.

Avvion was analyzing. He was not looking for physical weakness; he was searching for the ’remnants’ of memories that might have remained.

Hm... she truly doesn’t remember anyone,

Avvion whispered to himself. He saw the emptiness in the girl’s gaze, an emptiness that could not possibly be faked by anyone.

The suspicion that had surged in his heart earlier now turned into a cold satisfaction. If the former Olivia had been a thorn in his side regarding his political plans, this new Olivia this hollow ’Via’ was a sword he could wield wherever he chose.

Avvion looked at Olivia with a cold gaze, sharp as a freshly sharpened blade. He no longer looked at the girl with even a shred of sympathy.

"If it’s like this, my work is easier," Avvion said suddenly, his voice calm yet sounding truly cruel in Olivia’s ears.

Olivia started. She could feel that gaze piercing right into her soul, as if the man were dissecting her without using a knife.

She knew Avvion was looking at her, but she did not dare to look up. She could only bow her head, letting her hair cover her face, while her hands gripped the hem of her torn clothes even tighter.

What work?

the question swirled in her mind, but she was too afraid to ask.

In Olivia’s thoughts, she could only imagine her fate, now like a bird trapped in a golden cage. She did not remember her past, but she was smart enough to understand one thing: she had become a plaything in the hands of a Prince who lacked mercy.

The carriage sped away from the city, heading toward the magnificent Palace a destination that would determine whether she would live as ’Via’ or end up as mere forgotten history.

The royal carriage stopped smoothly in front of the main palace gate, which stood magnificently.

The palace guards immediately bowed their heads as soon as Avvion stepped out, followed closely by Olivia, who kept her head bowed in total silence.

However, as soon as they stepped into the main lobby, the atmosphere, which had been calm, turned tense. A man wearing dark blue silk robes Avelvion, Avvion’s younger brother was leaning against a marble pillar while sipping tea. He watched their arrival with a disgusted look.

Avelvion glanced briefly toward Olivia, but he immediately shifted his gaze away with a bored and contemptuous expression. He was used to his brother’s habit of bringing home new "toys" from the streets.

My brother, he can’t stand to see a poor woman; he always wants to turn them into dolls,

Avelvion thought to himself. He had no interest in asking. To him, the girl behind his brother was just another slave who would be discarded in a few days.

Avelvion did not know he did not realize at all—

that the girl in dirty, torn clothes behind his brother was Olivia, the best friend he had been searching for since the very first day Olivia fell into this world.

He did not recognize that face because Olivia was now too dull, her hair was disheveled, and her face was covered in the dust of the city alleys.

Furthermore, Avelvion was already accustomed to seeing his brother bring home many people who looked similar.

"Another doll, Avvion?" Avelvion asked with a sarcastic tone without even looking at Olivia.

"How long this time? Two days? Or until you get bored like the previous ones?"

Avvion only smiled thinly, intentionally not introducing Olivia. He deliberately left his brother in the dark.

"She is not a doll," Avvion replied shortly while continuing to walk past his brother.

"She is my future plan."

Olivia, who stood stiffly behind, could only bow her head. She heard the voice of the man who had just spoken the voice sounded very foreign to her, yet for some reason, her heart beat a little faster.

There was something about that man’s aura that felt ’comfortable’, different from Avvion’s cold aura.

However, Olivia dared not lift her face. She only followed Avvion’s steps, obeying his every instruction to become a ’shadow’.

Avelvion only watched them walk away with a simmering hatred for his brother’s behavior. He did not know that beneath the curtain of disheveled hair, the eyes he had been searching for all this time were looking at him with an empty feeling, not recognizing the friend who had once promised to protect her.

The atmosphere in the grand palace hall felt very contrasting to Olivia’s dirty and tattered state. However, her attention immediately shifted from the surrounding magnificence when a sharp, painful sensation gripped her left wrist.

Throbbing.

Olivia stopped walking suddenly, causing Avvion to stop in front of her. She bowed, hiding her hand behind the folds of her torn long dress, but the heat intensified.

A fine red line began to appear, wrapping around her wrist like a living tattoo. Its color was a vivid red, contrasting with her pale skin. The pain was not just on the skin; it felt as if her own blood were boiling beneath the line.

Why is this happening so suddenly?

Olivia whimpered in her heart. She panicked as she saw the red line become clearer and brighter beneath the skin of her wrist.

Avvion, who noticed Olivia’s sudden movement, frowned. He did not see what was happening on the girl’s wrist, but he saw Avelvion watching them with a look full of suspicion.

Avvion did not want his brother to know about his latest ’collection’ especially since he knew Avelvion was always an obstacle in every one of his plans.

Without thinking, Avvion acted. He placed his large, cold hand on Olivia’s shoulder, then pulled the girl close to him quickly, as if hiding something precious.

That action caused Olivia to be pushed forward. Avvion immediately pushed Olivia into the shadows of a darker corridor to keep her away from Avelvion’s sight.

"Don’t cause trouble here," Avvion whispered firmly, though there was a hurried tone in his voice.

He really wanted to ensure Avelvion did not get a chance to inspect Olivia’s face.

Olivia, who was struggling to endure the pain in her wrist, almost collapsed from the rough pull. She had to follow Avvion’s fast pace, her body now seemingly protected entirely behind the Prince’s black robes.

From behind, Avelvion only watched with raised eyebrows. He found it strange to see how his brother acted like a thief afraid his stolen goods would be seen by others.

"How strange," Avelvion muttered slowly. He tried to step closer, wanting to see more clearly who the girl brought home by his brother was.

However, Avvion had acted faster. He dragged Olivia into a secret room behind the hall wall, and the door closed tightly before Avelvion could reach it.

Inside the dark and quiet room, Olivia finally could not hold it back anymore. She lost her grip and fell seated onto the cold stone floor. She immediately grabbed her wrist, gasping for breath while enduring the pain that was still throbbing intensely.

Avvion stood tall before her, looking on with an unreadable expression. He did not know what was happening to the girl’s hand; to him, Olivia was just an unfortunate girl who might be suffering from an illness or trauma.

"What is your problem, really?" Avvion asked with a cold voice, though his eyes glanced toward the door every now and then, ensuring no one was following them.

Olivia could not answer. She could only whimper slightly, her eyes fixed on the red line that had now begun to fade, leaving a mark like a strange scar on her wrist.