Kibon spoke in an even tone.

    “For someone who doesn’t even know how to use their body properly, I wonder what exactly you’re planning to make me do... You really seem to have no sense when it comes to that kind of thing.”

    “I couldn’t help it. I never learned anything like that as a kid—how’s someone supposed to be good at everything?”

    I smiled sheepishly and scratched my cheek.

    “My dad wasn’t any good at that kind of stuff either...”

    “Ah.”

    Kibon’s eyes lit up for a moment. His expression remained composed, but he couldn’t hide his curiosity. Sёarch* The ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    “What’s with that face full of impure thoughts?”

    “I’m just curious.”

    “About what?”

    “Everything.”

    Kibon smiled with his eyes.

    “If it’s about you, Minister, I want to know everything. That includes your childhood, of course.”

    To be honest, in terms of sheer, breathtaking beauty, he didn’t match up to Kiaros.

    But the fact that Kibon smiled with his eyes—that was something remarkable.

    More than the smile itself, it was the sincerity behind his interest that made my heart flutter just a little.

    “Uh... well, nothing much. My dad was tall and lanky, kind of a thin build. He had no muscle to speak of, but his skin was ridiculously pale... even after doing hard labor outdoors, he never tanned.”

    I found myself slipping into the story, almost in a trance.

    “I guess he had one of those body types that just doesn’t build muscle. I think I take after him. I’m not built for exercise either.”

    Now that I’d said it out loud, it really wasn’t that interesting.

    But Kibon was looking at me like I was telling the most fascinating story in the world.

    “Why are you looking at me like that?”

    “Because you’re cute.”

    “Oh... okay.”

    “Aren’t you going to ask what I think is cute?”

    Kibon chuckled and rested his chin on his hand. I mirrored him, propping my own chin up and meeting his eyes.

    Somehow, the reason I’d called him here in the first place had completely slipped my mind.

    I leaned in slightly, creating a soft, teasing atmosphere, and Kibon’s ears immediately turned red. Adorably so.

    “You tell me, then.”

    “Pardon?”

    “Your ? NоvеIight ? (Original source) childhood story. Or something else if you don’t want to talk about that.”

    I offered the choice in case his family situation was complicated.

    “Something about you I don’t know yet.”

    But then, Kibon’s expression suddenly hardened.

    “Uh... well then.”

    What’s this? The hesitation in his face didn’t look normal.

    Even the calm aura he usually carried seemed to stiffen.

    It was just a lighthearted request from me, but his voice was so serious that it made me tense up.

    “I’m sorry, but... what I’m about to say might be disappointing, Minister.”

    “Then don’t say it. That’s an order.”

    “It’s just... this is also something His Highness the Crown Prince wanted to convey.”

    Kibon took a deep breath and blurted it out in a messy form of honorific speech.

    “The truth is... His Highness the Crown Prince was suspicious of you.”

    Ugh. Really?

    All that tension in me deflated in an instant. I slouched a little and replied flatly.

    “Oh. Okay.”

    “He thought you might be connected to the Reformists...”

    “Oh. Okay.”

    “...You’re not surprised?”

    Kibon seemed more surprised by my reaction than I was by his words. I’d already considered that possibility long ago, so I answered honestly.

    “His Highness is meticulous. It’s natural that he wouldn’t trust anyone. I assumed from the beginning that putting you here was part of a surveillance plan.”

    “...Aren’t you hurt by that? Offended? Saddened...?”

    “Not at all.”

    It was an honest answer. After all, I had secrets I was hiding from Kiaros too.

    Like the day I suddenly came to know the future. Like the monstrous ability the Magic Tower Lord had warned me to keep hidden.

    “I see.”

    Kibon looked more hurt than I felt. His expression turned bitter.

    “You noticed I was his watcher, then?”

    “When I arrived at the palace and realized you were connected to the Crown Prince. Not before that.”

    “Are you disappointed?”

    “Come on. You were just doing your job. I get it—it’s what any good civil servant would do. It’s not like you volunteered for it.”

    At my calm reply, Kibon let out a small sigh. Then he continued.

    “Anyway... His Highness the Crown Prince has made a decision. If the High Chancellor really turns out to be a collaborator with the Reformists, he won’t suspect you anymore.”

    “Oh, really? Well... I don’t think he even needed to explain all that.”

    I muttered, a bit awkwardly.

    He was the one on the throne. There was no need to deliver a formal declaration like that. He could’ve just changed his mind and moved on without a word.

    “But if that’s the case... if you’re someone who can relay the Crown Prince’s words like this...”

    Still, it was a meaningful statement in its own way.

    Kibon had effectively admitted that he was closely tied to Kiaros.

    Which meant there was something I’d been curious about for a while now.

    “In that case... if the opportunity arises, could you tell me more about the Reformists? It’s related to my dad, so I’m curious. As long as it’s within what the Crown Prince would allow you to share.”

    Kiaros had countless informants. He probably knew more than I did, even with my knowledge of the original novel.

    I couldn’t just go to him and demand information—but Kibon might be able to pass along a few things.

    To my surprise, Kibon answered immediately.

    “Seems like you already figured out most of it... But anyway, as soon as you started suspecting the High Chancellor, crows were dispatched to every temple in the empire. Up until now, the temples had been off-limits due to religious respect.”

    Wait—what? Just like that?

    Without any approval, he was just telling me everything?

    I’d only meant for him to maybe ask Kiaros and pass along the official version later...

    “And...”

    As I sat there feeling awkward, Kibon kept going.

    “The interrogation of the Education Minister was conducted by His Majesty himself. We received the results recently.”

    I nodded calmly. At this point, the Education Minister probably didn’t know much anyway.

    “The Reformists are said to possess knowledge of the future.”

    The next thing Kibon said hit me like a hammer to the back of the head.

    “They perceive this world as if it were a book, as though they reincarnated into it...”

    Hold on a second. Isn’t that me?

    I also came to see this world as a book one day!

    “They say it’s the result of an experiment... But since they’ve already changed the flow of events, the original story might not even matter anymore.”

    So it was the result of an experiment?

    I suddenly felt like all the blood had drained from my head.

    “Anyway, based on all the info we’ve gathered, it seems—as you suspected—they’ve been conducting bizarre experiments using the blood of those with special abilities.”

    Kibon’s explanation continued.

    “Just like last time, when they secured that pregnant monster test subject—they’re doing the same thing to humans.”

    Pregnant monster test subject... I’d already heard about that from Kiaros.

    [But the mother showed no change. The traits manifested only in the child... And when they administered a substance to the mother, it triggered a reaction in the baby.]

    Even after birth, experiments on the mother still affected the child.

    My heart started pounding wildly as a new hypothesis crashed into my mind.

    “They say the Magic Tower Lord’s daughter also cooperated—wanting to improve her magic skills. Apparently she had a deep complex about not being able to use magic.”

    At that moment—

    Something that had bothered me during the banquet resurfaced in my mind.

    Dad had said that the Tower Lord’s daughter was incredibly gifted in magic. That she was going to be the Tower Lord’s successor. And that he’d heard this from my mother, who was from the capital.

    But from all the time I spent in the capital... people don’t know much about the Tower. If someone has no connection to it, there’s no reason they’d lie about something like that!

    No normal person from the capital would’ve heard that kind of rumor. And when I mentioned something similar to the Tower Lord once, she gave me a strange expression.

    Then she left immediately for the south, saying she needed to learn more about her daughter.

    No way.

    The pieces were falling together so fast I could barely keep up.

    No way... Could that useless woman actually be my mom?