The guard looked slightly surprised.
But he did not dare to ask any questions.
"Yes, Your Grace."
He imdiately stepped back and left the crowd to carry out the order.
anwhile, the villagers were still standing in front of Demian with challenging expressions.
The middle-aged woman who had thrown the apple earlier was still glaring at him.
"If you’re done causing trouble," she said irritably, "then leave this place."
Several people nodded in agreent.
But Demian did not move.
He looked again at the woman who claid her na was Celia.
His gaze slowly changed.
No longer angry.
No longer shocked.
Instead, it beca cold and calculating.
"Celia," he repeated the na quietly.
The woman frowned.
Demian continued in a calm tone, yet it made the air around them feel heavier.
"In that case..."
He tilted his head slightly.
"We will find out."
A faint smile that carried no warmth appeared on his lips.
"Whether you are truly Celia."
Or Ivanka who was supposed to be dead.
The northern wind battered the tall windows of the town hall. The faint creaking of wood echoed through the chamber filled with trembling guards and city officials.
At the center of the room stood two n who made the entire town feel as if it were balanced on the edge of a blade.
On one side stood Demian, his face as cold as stone.
On the other stood Kaiser, the Crown Prince who had just arrived after a long journey from the capital.
He had not even fully removed his heavy cloak when he looked at Demian with clear irritation.
"So..."
He tossed his gloves onto the table with a soft thud.
"You summoned all the way here... for sothing like this?"
His gaze was sharp and full of annoyance.
"Bastard."
Several city officials standing along the walls imdiately lowered their heads even further. Even the guards did not dare to move.
But Demian remained perfectly calm.
Not the slightest reaction appeared on his face.
"If I handled this myself," he said flatly,
"then this town part of your territory might no longer exist."
The air in the room instantly grew colder.
Several local nobles swallowed nervously, their faces pale.
Because they all knew one thing Demian never joked.
Kaiser stared at him for a few monts.
Then he let out an irritated sigh.
"You’re always like this."
He shook his head.
"Fine... where is the woman?"
Demian gave a small signal.
The large doors at the far end of the hall opened.
Two guards entered, escorting a woman.
The sa woman who had been selling fruit in the market a few days earlier.
The face that had made Demian’s entire group fall silent the first ti they saw it.
The exact sa face as Ivanka Kosler.
But now the woman looked nervous.
Her hands were tightly clasped together.
She looked around the room in confusion.
Kaiser studied her for a long mont.
His eyes narrowed.
"This?"
He glanced at Demian with disbelief.
"This is the woman who made you summon to the far north?"
Demian answered briefly.
"Examine her."
Kaiser sighed quietly and stepped closer.
He stopped right in front of the woman.
His gaze carefully examined her face from up close.
"Your na?"
The woman swallowed before answering softly.
"Celia... Your Highness."
Several people in the room exchanged glances.
Because that face was far too familiar.
Kaiser tilted his head slightly.
"Interesting," he murmured.
Then he turned to Demian.
"You want to confirm whether she is truly Ivanka Kosler..."
"...or just a village woman who happens to share the sa face."
Demian did not answer.
But his gaze said enough.
Kaiser sighed again, this ti longer.
"Very well."
He looked back at the woman.
"Let’s begin with sothing simple."
He bent slightly so his face was level with hers.
His gaze sharpened.
"Tell , Celia..."
"Have you ever heard the na Ivanka Kosler before?"
The room was so quiet that the sound of breathing could be clearly heard.
The woman standing in the middle of the room who claid her na was Celia swallowed nervously. Her gaze shifted from Kaiser’s face to Demian, then back again.
The pressure from the two most powerful n in the room felt like a heavy stone pressing against her chest.
Kaiser was still standing in front of her, looking straight into her eyes.
"Tell , Celia... have you ever heard the na Ivanka Kosler before?"
The woman seed to think for a few seconds.
Then she slowly shook her head.
"No, Your Highness."
Several people in the room exchanged glances.
The answer had co too quickly.
Too simply.
Kaiser narrowed his eyes.
"Really?"
Celia nodded.
"I don’t know the person you are referring to."
Demian, who stood a few steps behind them, said nothing.
But his eyes never left the woman’s face.
Every small movent.
Every blink.
Every breath.
He rembered everything.
The way Ivanka used to speak.
The way Ivanka used to look at him.
The way Ivanka smiled when she lied.
And this woman showed none of that.
Kaiser slowly walked around Celia.
"In that case," he said casually, "how long have you lived in this town?"
"Since I was little, Your Highness."
"And your parents?"
Celia pointed slightly toward the door of the hall.
"My mother lives here. She helps at the shop."
Several guards opened the door.
The middle-aged woman who had thrown an apple at Demian a few days earlier was standing outside the room with a tense expression.
She imdiately knelt when she saw Kaiser.
"Your Highness..."
Kaiser glanced at her briefly.
"You’re her mother?"
The woman nodded quickly.
"Yes, Your Highness. She is my daughter."
Kaiser studied the woman’s face.
Then he looked back at Celia.
One thing was clear their faces did not truly resemble each other.
But in a small village, such things were not unusual.
Kaiser let out a quiet sigh.
Then he turned toward Demian.
"So?"
he said casually.
"What exactly are you trying to prove?"
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