By the time they arrived at the monastery, commoners from the lower districts had already gathered in droves.
Cheers erupted for one reason only—the second son of the Bastian Hanwick family.
Adrian Hanwick's reputation as a dangerously charming man was clearly no exaggeration. Admiring stares, shy whispers, and hysterical screams blended together, as though his mere presence was enough to throw reason into disarray.
The moment Seo-jun stepped down from the carriage, the women's cheers surged even louder. Accustomed to scenes like this in his former life, he responded with an easy, almost indifferent air.
He raised a hand in a graceful wave, then deliberately lifted and kissed the back of a common woman's hand.
She fainted on the spot.
"Being handsome really does solve a lot of problems,"
Seo-jun murmured lightly as he walked into the monastery grounds.
But the instant his foot crossed the gates, the atmosphere shifted sharply.
The nobles already in attendance—especially members of the royal family—turned almost in unison. Their gazes were sharp, cold, and calculating, as though every step Seo-jun took was a mistake worth recording.
As he passed by the Second Princess of the Kingdom of Aurelion Albion, Victoria Aurelion, a single wink from the princess made his steps falter for half a second.
Seo-jun immediately continued forward, though irritation had already flooded his thoughts.
"Adrian Hanwick…"
he muttered under his breath.
"Don't tell me you were actually involved with a royal princess. Social suicide with full awareness—truly your way of life."
His gaze shifted to Alaric Hanwick, who stood before the altar, leading the purification ceremony with an expression of devout solemnity.
Once Seo-jun reached the altar, Alaric began chanting the sacred verses. The entire congregation bowed their heads.
Everyone—except Seo-jun.
Noticing his brother casually scanning the surroundings instead, Alaric didn't hesitate to press Seo-jun's head down with considerable force.
Seo-jun flinched, but quickly followed the motions of those around him.
Holy water was sprinkled.
Its refreshing chill made Seo-jun instinctively part his lips—an unforgivable mistake.
Alaric's gaze sharpened instantly, heavy with warning.
"Mind your behavior,"
he said quietly, his voice laden with pressure.
"Unless you wish to be forced to remain in this monastery."
Seo-jun let out a long breath, then answered with a broad smile—far too relaxed for such a sacred occasion.
The ceremony finally came to an end.
The attendees gathered around, offering congratulations on the successful purification of Adrian Hanwick. Polite smiles, formal prayers, and hollow praise overlapped in a practiced chorus.
The Second Princess, Victoria Aurelion, stepped forward. She presented an exquisite pendant adorned with a precious gemstone—a locket that could be opened.
"Open it once you return to the Hanwick estate,"
the princess instructed.
Seo-jun bowed politely, though in his mind, the object was already labeled as a problem yet to explode.
The event—little more than an extravagant waste of funds in his eyes—soon grew unbearably dull. That was, until Alaric led him to meet someone who immediately set his instincts on edge.
Archbishop Matthias Corwin.
The Archbishop of the Kingdom of Aurelion Albion appeared young—far too young for someone wielding such authority. Yet his eyes were sharp, calculating, and utterly devoid of innocence.
Matthias's gaze lingered on the luxurious attire Seo-jun wore.
And in that moment, Seo-jun understood—
this man was not merely a religious leader.
He was a predator.
Seo-jun curved his lips into a faint smile.
Then, deliberately, he let the most expensive diamond brooch he was wearing fall to the floor.
Without a second's hesitation, the Archbishop ordered his disciple to pick up the diamond—and keep it as an offering to God.
Seo-jun raised an eyebrow.
"Why did my brooch suddenly become an offering?" he asked calmly, though his tone was sharp. "I haven't given my consent."
The Archbishop replied with a gentle smile—the kind worn by someone who had spent far too long twisting meanings to his advantage.
"Anything destined to become an offering to God," he said lightly, "will surrender itself—without prohibition or coercion."
At that moment, Seo-jun's memory clicked into place.
So this was him.
The ambitious bishop who would one day become the axis of the Hanwick family's downfall. The man who brainwashed religious fanatics, drained them of their wealth, and slowly funneled it all into the hands of the crown.
"So this is the source of the poison," Seo-jun murmured, glancing at Alaric, who was now gazing at the Archbishop with pure admiration. "A power-hungry bishop masquerading as a guardian of morality."
As the only person still thinking rationally in this monastery, the urge to expose every lie Matthias Corwin spoke nearly slipped past Seo-jun's lips.
But he restrained himself.
Not yet.
Noticing the stark difference in fabric quality between the Archbishop's robes and Alaric's, Seo-jun nearly laughed. Especially when the Archbishop, cloaked in false dignity, lectured Alaric about resisting worldly luxury—while wearing garments made of the finest cloth, far superior to anything a common priest should possess.
Seo-jun merely shook his head.
"How can someone that foolish believe this nonsense," he muttered, suppressing a laugh. "The difference in their fabrics alone already proves who's truly greedy."
Once all the ceremonies were concluded, Seo-jun returned to the Sebastian Hanwick estate. He wandered through the back garden, accompanied by a nagging curiosity that had been tugging at his thoughts.
The round golden pendant felt heavy in his palm. Diamonds encrusted across its surface shimmered beneath the afternoon light.
With a sardonic smile, he opened it.
Inside was a photograph—the sweetly smiling face of Princess Victoria Aurelion.
Beautiful. Elegant. Perfectly crafted to be adored.
But to Seo-jun, that smile also recalled the same woman's cunning smirk when Adrian Hanwick was tried and ruined—entirely due to his own foolishness, having surrendered a neighboring kingdom's treasured relic for blind love.
Back in his room, Seo-jun worked with meticulous care. One by one, he pried the diamonds from the pendant.
"Not bad," he murmured in satisfaction. "Enough for starting capital."
The now-empty gold pendant was buried in a flowerpot on the balcony.
"Done," he chuckled softly. "Too bad, Princess Victoria. This time, you picked the wrong man."
His thoughts returned to the real challenge—proving himself worthy as an heir.
The discomfort of traveling by horse-drawn carriage resurfaced vividly in his mind. Hard wooden wheels. Stone-paved roads. The relentless jolting that left his back and hips aching every time he traveled.
And that was when the idea struck.
Rubber tires for carriages.
Simple—yet revolutionary.
As he began sketching the design onto paper, Seo-jun's hand suddenly froze.
"The butterfly effect…" he muttered uneasily. "Creating innovation far ahead of its time."
He fell silent for a long moment.
"But this is just a novel's world," he continued softly, as if convincing himself. "It shouldn't be a problem… right?"
Even so, the unease lingered.
Once the design was complete, Seo-jun headed toward Edmund Hanwick's study. He was just about to knock when the door suddenly flew open.
His face nearly slammed into the wall.
"Whoa—close one," he complained irritably. "My handsome face almost got ruined."
When he looked up, a stranger stood before him.
Older than Adrian Hanwick. His jet-black eyes were sharp, cold, and oppressive—enough to make the hair on Seo-jun's neck stand on end.
The man's aura was different.
Even as his heart raced, Seo-jun forced himself to remain calm.
From inside the room, Edmund Hanwick's voice rang out.
"Come in, my son."
Seo-jun gave a small nod and stepped inside, stopping before his father's desk—while the presence of the unfamiliar man continued to prick at his instincts.