Chapter 107: The suspicion

~Avelvion~

Avelvion was still adjusting his slightly creased robe when he let out a harsh huff. He glanced briefly at Olivia, who was entering at that moment.

He shook his head slowly, then turned around to walk away.

"That girl is too naive..."

He whispered to himself as he left.

Avelvion returned to his room with calm strides. The collision with the new servant had almost faded from his mind.

Almost.He sat at his desk and opened several official imperial documents that required his review. The room was deathly quiet, with only the sound of paper rustling. However, as he reached for the ink, something caught his attention.

A single hair.

Long.

Pitch black.

It was caught neatly on the sleeve of his gray silk robe. Avelvion frowned. He lifted his hand, observing the strand with eyes that began to turn suspicious.

"Black hair?"

He plucked the hair off slowly. His eyes scrutinized the color more closely under the lamplight. Black. Not brown, not silver, not even the dark blue common among the inhabitants of this palace.

For a few seconds, he just stared stiffly at the strand of hair. Then, he let out a small, cynical laugh, trying to ease the tension that had suddenly welled up in his chest.

"A coincidence," he muttered.

He placed the hair on the table and tried to refocus on the documents before him. However, after a few minutes, the quill in his hand stopped moving.

His brow furrowed deeply.

He set the quill aside. His mind began to spin rapidly. The world he lived in did not have humans with black hair. All the nobles and servants in this palace possessed light or pale hair. That black hair... it seemed like something impossible to exist here.

Avelvion tried to find an excuse.

"Maybe hair dye? Maybe I misjudged the color because the corridor lighting was too dim?"

He tried to deny the existence of the strand, trying to cast aside the dark suspicions that had begun to nest in his mind.

However, the more he tried to deny it, the less sense that excuse made. The hair wasn’t just black; it shimmered with a texture that was too real, too foreign.

With slightly trembling hands, Avelvion picked up the strand of hair again. He brought it close to the lamp, his eyes narrowing sharply.

For some reason, there was something about that deep, intense black color that made his chest feel tight and uncomfortable. A strange sensation crawled through his nerves, as if he had seen the same color once before.

In someone who had long since vanished.

Avelvion clenched the strand of hair until his knuckles turned white.

He didn’t know who the new servant really was, but one thing was certain: the girl’s presence in this palace brought something that was not only foreign, but would lead to something far worse.

"Who are you really?" he whispered softly into the silence of the room.

He couldn’t leave this matter hanging. The doubt that had been only as big as a speck of dust now grew into a burning resolve. He needed to know.

He needed to confirm whether the girl was a threat, or something far more valuable than just a low-ranking servant.

Avelvion rose from his chair. Without wasting a moment, he walked out toward his brother’s office.

His steps stopped right in front of the large, closed wooden door. He could hear Avvion’s deep voice from behind the door, giving cold orders to the girl.

Avelvion bit his lip. He wanted nothing more than to kick the door open and drag Olivia out for interrogation, but he knew who his brother was.

Avvion was a man full of suspicion. If he acted recklessly, Avvion would surely suspect him of interfering or trying to dig up the secrets he was hiding.

"Calm down," his heart hissed.

Use your head, not your emotions.

Avelvion took a long breath, composing his face into a calm, emotionless mask. He needed to find a solid reason something that would force Avvion to discuss palace security with him.

"Troops outside the border."

Yes, that was the most plausible excuse. Avvion was constantly obsessed with border defense and the enemy’s weaknesses.

He adjusted his robe once more, ensuring no stray black hairs remained. Then, with a steady hand, he knocked on the door three times with a calm rhythm.

"Come in," Avvion’s voice echoed from within, demanding.

Avelvion pushed the door open slowly. As soon as he stepped inside, his gaze immediately locked onto Olivia, who was standing with her head bowed by the desk, looking like a bird trapped in a cage.

Avvion looked up, his sharp eyes meeting his brother’s arrival with deep suspicion.

"Avelvion? What brings you here at this hour?"

Avelvion didn’t look at Olivia, as if the girl didn’t exist. He kept his eyes fixed on his brother with a serious expression.

"I received an important report regarding troop movements at the outer border," Avelvion began in a formal tone, his voice sounding very convincing.

"There is a weakness in the defensive line that I feel we need to discuss immediately. This involves the safety of the entire palace."

He paused, his eyes darting briefly toward Olivia before returning to meet Avvion’s sharp gaze.

"Is now a good time, brother? Or should I wait until this servant finishes her... ’confidential’ task?"

Avvion glared at his brother. He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, his eyes shifting between Avelvion and the office door that Olivia had just closed.

The silence that filled the room was suffocating.

"Her task is finished," Avvion finally answered, his voice cold.

"Leave, Olivia. The head maid will guide you after this."

Olivia, without questioning, quickly hurried out of the room.

After Olivia’s silhouette vanished completely, Avelvion walked slowly toward his brother’s desk. He placed the military report document on the table, pretending it was the subject of their discussion.

"Troops outside the border?" Avvion spoke, breaking his brother’s focus.

"Since when have you become so diligent in monitoring their movements, Avelvion?"

Avelvion smiled thinly, trying to hide the lingering anxiety. He had to be careful. He knew his brother was not easily fooled; he had to ensure Avvion didn’t suspect he had a personal agenda regarding the girl.

"The safety of the palace is our responsibility, brother," Avelvion began in a formal tone.

"There is a weakness in the border defense line that I feel we need to discuss immediately. This involves the safety of the entire empire."

Avvion narrowed his eyes. He rose from his chair and stepped toward Avelvion, stopping right in front of his brother. The faint scent of masculine and cold perfume from Avvion’s body invaded Avelvion’s senses.

"Hmmm... You look... restless," Avvion said in a low voice.

"Is this report really important, or are you just looking for an excuse to come in here?"

Avelvion laughed softly, a forced laugh to dismiss his brother’s suspicion.

"The report is real, brother. And about the girl... I’m just being cautious. We don’t want any foreign ’spies’ eavesdropping on secrets in this office, do we? She looks... too naive for a servant."

Avvion fell silent. He looked at the closed office door with a deep, secretive gaze.

"That is none of your business, Avelvion,"

Avvion stated suddenly, his voice becoming very firm and cold.

"She is my servant. Never try to do anything outside of my control. I don’t like it when my tasks are interfered with by anyone, including you."

Avelvion was taken aback. His brother’s warning was clear. Avvion didn’t want him touching or approaching Olivia. It was a major obstacle, but it also signaled that Olivia was indeed very important to his brother.

"Understood," Avelvion replied in a calm tone, hiding his dissatisfaction behind his stiff face.

"I won’t interfere."

Avelvion bowed respectfully and walked out of the room. As soon as he was in the quiet corridor, a cynical smile curved on his lips. Avvion might have issued a warning, but that didn’t mean he would stop.

On the contrary, the warning made Avelvion more certain that he was on the right track. He wouldn’t investigate openly as ordered, but he would do it his own way in secret, without his brother’s knowledge.

His footsteps were now more measured and careful. He knew that to uncover Olivia’s secret, he had to play more cunningly than his own brother.

Avelvion walked out of his brother’s office with a calm face, yet his heart was beating faster than usual.

As soon as he turned the corner of the corridor, his eyes caught a figure.

Not far ahead, Olivia was following the head maid the stern, elderly woman who was walking down the main palace hallway toward the administrative section. It was morning, the time when the palace began to bustle with various duties.

Opportunity ,

his heart whispered.

Avelvion did not chase them. He deliberately kept a safe distance, moving behind large pillars and the shadows of the palace arcades. He observed Olivia’s every movement.

The girl appeared stiff, her head slightly bowed, and her shoulders were tense perhaps still traumatized by her meeting with his brother moments ago.

The head maid stopped in front of certain doors, giving sharp instructions to Olivia. Avelvion watched from afar. He wanted to hear the girl’s voice, to see how she reacted under pressure.

After nearly twenty minutes of leading Olivia around the office area and Avvion’s private workspace, the elderly woman finally stopped at an intersection.

"For now, your duty is to clean the gallery on the upper floor. Do not mistakenly enter any other rooms. I have business in the kitchen,"

the head maid ordered before walking away.

Olivia stood bewildered for a moment, looking around. She was now alone in the somewhat quiet corridor.

Now is the time.

Avelvion took a deep breath. He did not appear suddenly. Instead, he emerged from behind, walking calmly as if he had intended to pass through the corridor all along.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound of Avelvion’s footsteps on the stone floor caught Olivia’s attention. The girl turned quickly. When she saw Avelvion, her eyes widened, and she immediately stopped walking, bowing deeply.

"Your... Your Highness," Olivia’s voice sounded. Soft, slightly trembling, yet possessing a clear tone.

Avelvion stopped a few steps in front of the girl. He deliberately lingered longer than necessary. He wanted to let the atmosphere become awkward.

He observed Olivia’s face pale, yet her eyes held a spark that shouldn’t belong to an ordinary servant.

" First time??" Avelvion’s voice sounded casual, deliberately trying to provoke a response.

Olivia looked up slightly, just enough to see Avelvion’s chin, before bowing again.

"Yes, Your Highness. I am the new servant assigned to... to the gallery on the upper floor."

Avelvion observed every movement of Olivia’s hands as she held the cleaning cloth. Her hands were not trembling. She was calm, or perhaps she was just very good at hiding her fear.

"The upper floor gallery?" Avelvion smiled thinly, a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"That place is lonely. Be careful, servant. This palace has ears in every wall. Do not do anything that would make my brother... change his mind about your fate."

Avelvion stopped a few steps in front of Olivia. The girl immediately bowed deeply, displaying a perfect show of respect. Not a single strand of hair was out of place; everything was neatly combed and carefully hidden beneath her servant’s head covering.

Avelvion watched the top of the girl’s head. A strange urge prickled at his fingertips.

He almost reached out to tug at the edge of her head covering to see if the black hair he had found truly belonged to the girl before him.

However, the vast palace environment was too exposed. Guards at the end of the corridor were constantly watching, and Olivia herself appeared extremely wary of every shadow around her.

Avelvion abandoned his intent. He gripped his hands tightly behind his back, hiding the urge to act impulsively.

"Good," Avelvion said finally with a calm tone, despite the subtle tremor in his voice.

"I will be watching your work. Do not disappoint this palace."

He turned and walked away, but he did not truly leave the area.

As soon as he was sure Olivia was no longer looking, he doubled back through a different path and reappeared at the end of the same corridor, now following Olivia from a safe distance.

His footsteps were as light as possible. He observed Olivia’s every movement. The way the girl walked was so structured, almost like someone already accustomed to the ins and outs of the palace, even though she had just arrived.

Every time a servant or guard passed by, Olivia would stop and bow exactly on time, as if she were playing a role she had meticulously memorized.

Avelvion watched from afar. His heart raced, a rhythm he rarely felt.

Why do you make me feel this way?

his heart whispered.

He realized his actions were illogical. He was a prince, Avvion’s brother, yet here he was, like a spy, trailing an ordinary servant.

However, every time he saw Olivia’s figure, a long-lost memory began to surface in his mind. A woman he was very close to had disappeared without a trace, someone the world assumed was dead and buried in his memories.

Olivia stopped briefly in front of a large window, wiping away dust with a very specific hand gesture a movement that made Avelvion stop his footsteps automatically.

That gesture... the way the girl held the cloth, the way she rotated her wrist... those were very specific habits.

Avelvion held his breath. His chest tightened.

Is that you?

He knew he shouldn’t think that far. It was dangerous to keep following her, but the hope growing within his soul was too strong to be extinguished.

He continued to watch, letting his curiosity consume his sanity, hoping in silence that this girl, who appeared so naive before him, was actually bringing back the spirit of a past he had mourned for so long.