The next morning...
Nolan, Sharon, Cassiopeia, and Draco stood in the entrance hall, facing Glarvic, Leina, Sylvia, Jisha, and Olivia.
"Well then, we’ll be leaving now, Your Majesty," Nolan said calmly.
Glarvic smiled and replied, "Be careful, Prince. Journeys in winter are far more dangerous than before. Powerful monsters become more active, especially at night."
For land monsters, winter signaled a long slumber until the next season arrived.
For sea monsters, however, it was the opposite. Winter was the time they emerged. Many of them, whether in shallow waters or the open ocean, would appear frequently in search of food.
After all, winter made their hunger far worse than usual.
As a result, oceans that were normally peaceful would become chaotic and dangerous.
Glarvic had actually suggested that Nolan return in the next season instead.
He was even willing to provide them with the highest level of hospitality.
Unfortunately, Nolan refused and insisted on leaving today.
"Thank you for the reminder, Your Majesty. Don’t worry—I’ll be fine."
Glarvic said nothing more. He chatted with Nolan for a while before Nolan, along with Sharon, Cassiopeia, and Draco, turned to leave.
But suddenly—
"Prince Nolan, wait a moment!"
Olivia’s voice stopped them in their tracks.
Nolan turned and looked at her with curiosity.
"Do you need something from me, Princess?"
He was not very familiar with Olivia. Ever since yesterday, he has barely interacted with her.
Besides, he had already observed Olivia’s eyes and confirmed that they had not fully awakened yet.
Because of that, her power was still quite limited—nothing compared to his Eyes of Chaos.
Under everyone’s curious gazes, Olivia looked at Nolan with determination and said, "I want to speak with you privately. May I?"
...
"So, what do you want?"
In a hallway, Nolan leaned against one of the pillars and looked at Olivia standing before him.
Looking more closely, it had to be admitted that Olivia was very beautiful.
She carried an elegant aura, just like most princesses.
Olivia did not answer immediately. She glanced around, as if making sure no one else was nearby.
Nolan was clearly confused by her behavior. Before he could say anything, Olivia spoke.
"Prince Nolan, I am truly grateful for your kindness toward my father and my kingdom. If you hadn’t changed the terms, my father would probably still be sad and frustrated. Once again, thank you."
She lowered her head in a polite bow.
Nolan’s eyebrows rose slightly. He doubted that Olivia had asked for a private meeting just to say this.
However, he did not press her and replied indifferently, "You’re welcome."
After that, both of them fell silent. The atmosphere grew awkward as neither started a new conversation.
Nolan sighed softly and was about to leave when Olivia said something that made his heart beat faster for the first time.
"Prince Nolan... are you the Singularity of Chaos?"
Nolan’s eyes widened as murderous intent burst from his body.
But in the next second, he regained his composure and pretended to be confused.
"Me? The Singularity of Chaos? Are you out of your mind, Princess?"
Olivia did not flinch. Her two black eyes stared intently at Nolan, as if they could see through everything he had hidden from the world.
"You know about my eyes, right? Many people believe that my gaze can destroy anyone I look at—even objects. That is true. But what very few people know is that my eyes can see what others cannot," she explained calmly.
After steadying herself, she continued in a heavy voice. "From the moment I first saw you, I was shocked. I could see how overwhelmingly vast your mana was. It felt as if the entire kingdom—no, the entire northern continent—was wrapped in your mana. It was truly... terrifying. After recalling my master’s story, I reached one conclusion: the Singularity of Chaos she encountered was you. After all, only someone as powerful as a Singularity could possess mana on that scale."
In truth, Olivia had wanted to hide this realization from everyone—including Nolan.
However, for some reason, she could not hide it from him.
Perhaps it was because of his kindness toward her father earlier, or perhaps because she herself was a great admirer of the Singularity of Chaos.
Either way, she did not want to lose the chance to grow closer to him.
After hearing Olivia’s explanation, Nolan remained silent.
The hallway fell into a tense, suffocating quiet. Olivia swallowed hard, uneasy at the sudden stillness.
Then, under her bewildered gaze, Nolan—silent until that moment—suddenly erupted into laughter.
"Hahaha... hahaha!"
He covered half of his face as he continued laughing.
Olivia shivered in fear. Nolan’s laughter was sharp and terrifying.
He lowered his hand and looked at Olivia with cold indifference.
"Princess, earlier I examined your eyes from afar and was certain that your power had not fully awakened. I never thought I would be wrong. The power of your eyes far exceeds my expectations. This truly surpasses even my wildest imagination."
Whoosh!
His figure vanished and reappeared right in front of her. In the next instant, his hand closed tightly around Olivia’s neck.
"Therefore, I must kill you. My secret cannot be known by anyone—especially you."
There was only one person who knew his true identity: Malverna.
But Nolan did not care. Malverna was his slave. Revealing his secret would mean her death.
Olivia, however, was different. He had no connection to the woman standing before him.
Thus, the safest course of action was to kill her and erase her memories so that no one could read them.
Olivia cried out in pain as Nolan’s grip tightened. Her face turned red as she desperately struck at his hand.
"Prince... you... misunderstand. I... never meant to threaten you!" she gasped.
Nolan snorted and sneered. "Do you think I would simply believe you?"
His grip tightened further, cutting off her breath completely.
Just as her vision began to fade, Nolan suddenly released her.
Olivia sagged to the floor, gasping as air finally flooded her lungs.
"Hah... hah... hah..." She pressed a hand to her chest, struggling to catch her breath.
Cold sweat ran down her forehead and neck, and her face was ghostly pale.
"Am I... still alive?" She whispered, staring at the floor in shock.
At first, she had thought Nolan would kill her.
Who would have imagined he would let her live?
She lifted her head and met Nolan’s indifferent gaze.
"I’m not going to kill you. I’ve changed my mind."
After saying that, he pressed his index finger to her forehead. In an instant, a black flame-shaped mark appeared there.
At the same time, Olivia felt a strange sensation deep inside her, as if invisible chains were wrapping around her heart.
"I’ve placed a curse on you. Don’t worry—it won’t affect your life. But if you ever try to reveal my identity... you will face the consequences."
Without waiting for her response, he turned and walked away.
Olivia remained seated on the floor, still dazed, rubbing her neck where Nolan’s grip had left its mark.
"That... feeling just now... what was it?" she whispered to herself.
What Nolan didn’t realize was that his actions had stirred something long dormant within Olivia...