There was a flurry of footsteps, before the door was thrown open. Flinching in surprise, Sable was unable to react in time as she was suddenly wrapped in a hug. 

 

“Sable, you’re okay!” Isadora cried out. 

 

“Isadora, be careful.” Grand Duchess Adelaide admonished her, but her expression was one of relief. Following behind her was the Grand Duke. 

 

Sable looked around the room, not expecting the entire family to be worried about her. 

 

She realized that Isadora was shaking slightly so she hesitantly wrapped her arms around her. Once Isadora calmed down, she let go of Sable and stepped back. 

 

Adelaide sat down on the bed with a serious expression. 

 

“Sable, do you realize how dangerous your actions were?” Adelaide scolded. “Fortunately, there was no real damage, but forcefully absorbing mana like that was risky and reckless of you to do.” 

 

When Adelaide heard about Sable’s actions, she feared the worst. Sable’s case was not an isolated one. Because the ability to use magic was so valued in the kingdom, many who lacked the natural ability to use it often resorted to more risky methods. Previous incidents of people absorbing mana ended in varying degrees of success, but more often than not, it ended in bodily harm or worse. 

 

Sable bowed her head guiltily. There was no way to explain to them that her future self took control of her, so she just apologized. 

 

“I’m sorry for worrying you all.” 

 

Adelaide’s gaze softened. She stroked Sable’s hair gently. 

 

“I understand that you want to stop the Marquis, but there is no need to act on your own. Please, rely on us to help you.” 

 

Sable still had her head down, but she nodded. 

 

Adelaide stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles on her dress, before looking at the Grand Duke meaningfully. He cleared his throat. 

 

“Sable, about what happened at the village…” He started to say. 

 

“You want to know about my ability?” Sable finished for him. She already made up her mind to explain it to them once their investigation was done. 

 

Grand Duke Lione nodded. From the side, Adelaide and Isadora looked surprised by Sable’s words. 

 

After a brief pause to collect her thoughts, Sable carefully explained her ability. She explained how she could heighten her senses for a short amount of time and improve her reflexes to notice even the smallest detail. She explained how she appeared as though she was moving unnaturally fast to others, but everything appeared slowed down for her. 

 

“I see.” Grand Duke Lione looked thoughtful for a moment, then asked about something else that puzzled him. “But how do you know how to absorb mana?” 

 

Sable frowned then looked to the side. The others mistook her reaction as hesitation, but she was staring at someone else in the room. 

 

“Bel, should we tell them?” 

 

Bel. After some discussion with her, that was the name they agreed to call the older Sable. 

 

She stood off to the side, watching Sable interact with the Grand Duke and his family with an expressionless face. Of course, Sable was the only one in the room who could see or hear her. 

 

Bel voiced her affirmation to Sable’s question. 

 

“It’s better they know.” 

 

“...I was made to learn it by the Marquis.” Sable said with a sigh. 

 

When Sable was younger, the Marquis was disappointed to find that no one was willing to be engaged to her. So, he tried other ways to make her more useful to him. 

 

Normally, the ability to manipulate mana outside of the body was something that someone was naturally born with. It was a rare occurrence, but those with this ability would then be trained as mages. 

 

Unfortunately, Sable was not born with this ability so her father resorted to more risky methods. He found someone who was willing to teach her how to forcefully absorb mana from an object that already contained mana. 

 

Of course, the result of the experiment was a failure. In the end, Sable ended up becoming physically weaker than the children her age, and her father later sent her away to live with her Master because of this. It was only later that she discovered her ability, and in this life, she had yet to reveal anything to her father. 

 

Leaving out the part about her Master, she explained the rest to the Grand Duke and the others in the room. They collectively frowned in response. 

 

In their eyes, Marquis Marten was someone who was slowly being recognized as someone who was worse than trash. 

 

It was no wonder why Sable was acting the way she did in order to stop him. 

 

Not wanting to talk about it anymore, Sable decided to change the subject. 

 

“What happened to the orb?” She asked. 

 

Before the Grand Duke could answer, a faint growling noise drew everyone’s attention. They looked at Sable, and she looked away in embarrassment, a light blush on her face. 

 

“Perhaps we should get Sable something to eat before we continue to discuss anything more?” Adelaide suggested with a smile. 

 

Sable quietly nodded. She ignored the smirk on Bel’s face she could see from the corner of her eye. 

 

~~~ 

 

After eating a light meal in her room, Sable tried to brush it off, but the others quickly found out that her body was weakened due to the aftereffects of absorbing the mana. She struggled to walk, let alone stand up, and had to be helped by Isaac. 

 

They made their way to the study, where Reinfred and Percival were waiting. Reinfred eyed Sable warily but refrained from saying anything. 

 

“It seems he still doesn’t trust you.” Bel carefully examined his expression before commenting. 

 

Sable grimaced inwardly. 

 

“Now that everyone is here, shall we start?” Grand Duke Lione gestured for Reinfred to speak. 

 

“Based on our initial examination, the orb you recovered is definitely the cause of those corrupted beasts. Although it is deactivated now, the orb is similar in design to other magical devices that produce mana.” Reinfred explained. “Producing a magical device like it is illegal in this country, so whoever requested it is likely dealing in the black market. Not only will it be hard to track down the buyer or the seller, but it will take some time.” 

 

“It is the evidence we need, but, as much as I hate to admit, we still need some kind of proof that someone is behind all of this. In the meantime, I have ordered the knights to continue the patrols and warn the villagers not to venture out too far. We do not know if there are multiple devices, and we would need to form a subjugation party to eliminate any beasts that have been corrupted.” 

 

Sable had mixed feelings. 

 

She completed her original goal of warning the Grand Duke about the outbreak, but her father, and whoever was behind him, were still at large. 

 

Sable looked to the side to see Bel staring at her with an unreadable expression. 

 

“Be patient, Sable.” She looked up with a dark smile. “If you’re not happy, then I don’t think they will be either.” 

 

~~~ 

 

In an unknown location… 

 

Marquis Marten walked forward with heavy steps. A few days ago, he received news from the North that a few of the assassins he was working with had gone missing. However, what concerned him the most was that one of the orbs had gone missing. 

 

Normally, he wouldn’t have cared about a few lives, but he could not afford to let anyone know about their plans. 

 

Now here he was, reporting to the Master. 

 

The halls were silent and foreboding, yet the Marquis could not shake the feeling that his every movement was being watched despite being alone. At the end of the hall was a set of large double doors. 

 

He felt a cold sweat drip down his back, and he took a deep breath before opening the double doors. 

 

Immediately, the feeling of dread grew stronger. The Marquis felt his throat go dry and he forced himself to step forward. 

 

Once he was at the center of the room, he kneeled without looking up. 

 

“A pleasure to see you again, Marquis.” A deceptively bright feminine voice greeted him. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

 

The Marquis gulped. 

 

“Something has happened in the North.” 

 

“Oh.” The feminine voice gasped. “Do tell.” 

 

“We have lost one of the orbs.” Marquis Marten was met with silence, but he didn’t dare look up. 

 

Suddenly, the voice giggled. 

 

“...How intriguing.” He heard her mutter to herself. “Didn’t you assure me that the Grand Duke wouldn’t find out?” 

 

“I have sent my men to investigate.” Marquis Marten answered. “I will make sure this won’t happen again.” 

 

He heard her giggle again, but this time, she was much closer, almost as if she was standing right beside him. His entire body stiffened. 

 

“Oh? What’s wrong Marquis?” The voice innocently asked. “Are you afraid of something?” 

 

“Or perhaps, someone?” 

 

“N-No, Master.” Marquis Marten stuttered. 

 

“I hope you remain interesting, Marquis.” The voice sighed in disappointment. “For your sake.”

 

“Now, get out.” She growled. 

 

The Marquis stood up in a flash and practically ran out of the room. A pair of eyes watched him disappear behind the double doors. 

 

“Master, are you sure we should let him go?” An assassin stepped out from behind a pillar. He stared at the double doors with an unreadable expression. 

 

“He still has his uses.” The feminine voice replied disinterestedly. 

 

“What do you plan to do about the North?” The assassin looked at her. 

 

“Leave it alone for now.” Her eyes flashed with amusement and a hint of madness. “It seems we have someone new to play with.” 

 

The assassin bowed faithfully and disappeared into the shadows. 

 

Seemingly alone, the young woman giggled to herself. 

 

“Don’t disappoint me.” She whispered under her breath. 

 

“Sable.”

 

~~~ 

 

Sable was gazing out of the window, lost in thought. After the meeting ended, Grand Duchess Adelaide was quick to send Sable back to her room. From her expression, she would not accept any complaints, and Sable was more than happy to oblige. 

 

“Do you plan on just sitting around, little Sable?” Bel tilted her head to the side curiously. 

 

“We can’t exactly move around, can we?” Sable replied. 

 

“You don’t want to visit the library, at least?” 

 

“No, not right now.” Sable watched the knights and servants moving around outside. In the distance, she could make out Isadora’s figure. 

 

“...Hey, Bel?” 

 

“Hm.” 

 

“Do you think father ever loved me?” 

 

Bel raised a brow. 

 

“Why do you ask?” 

 

“I mean…” Sable hesitated. “In this life, and in your life, he readily threw us away. Do you… Do you think we ever had a chance?” 

 

She felt Bel’s eyes on the back of her head. 

 

“...No, Sable.” Bel quietly answered. “I don’t think we ever did.” 

 

Sable shut her eyes and let out a shaky breath. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of her chest. 

 

She opened her eyes and looked at Bel with a firm gaze. 

 

“We’ll stop him this time, right?” 

 

Bel smirked. 

 

“Of course.”