Ivy sat restlessly beside Winter. She had been praying for Race's safety continuously. After waiting a little longer, they heard the sound of horse hooves approaching, which seemed very chaotic. Ivy instinctively stood up to check if her husband was alright. Seeing this, Winter also stood up and urged Ivy to sit back down.

"Calm down! Standing up won't help you see Race. Use this spyglass!" Winter handed Ivy the spyglass he had been holding. Ivy hesitated to take it, looking at Winter with a puzzled expression.

"Don't keep staring at me like that! Use it quickly!" Winter ordered.

Ivy finally took the spyglass and tried to use it. Winter smiled thinly, watching Ivy struggle a bit. He helped Ivy adjust the spyglass properly.

"Like this, then aim it like this," Winter instructed.

Ivy's eyes widened when she could finally see Race on his horse. "I see Race, and he seems fine, Winter!" Ivy exclaimed joyfully.

Winter felt relieved seeing Ivy happy. Ivy continued to watch Race Through the Spyglass.

After a while, one by one, the race participants entered the finish line. Ivy started to panic because Race had arrived first, but he still hadn't reappeared. Ivy looked at Winter.

"Winter, please let me find Race," Ivy pleaded.

Winter glanced at Ivy and then shook his head gently. "You can't. You have to stay with me. Remember, my charm is currently with Race?"

Ivy recalled that fact and reluctantly nodded but with a sad expression. Winter sighed deeply and then looked at the group of race participants. He saw a glimpse of Race, who was removing his armor, and it seemed that Race's iron-clad armor was damaged.

"What's happening? If his iron armor is damaged, what about Race?" Winter wondered silently, not wanting Ivy to know what he was seeing.

Winter looked at Ivy, who kept scanning her surroundings, looking for Race. "Ivy shouldn't know this now, or she might panic," Winter thought to himself.

Ivy sighed in disappointment because it was almost dark, and she still hadn't seen Race again. Winter said that Race had to participate in evaluating the horse race. Ivy finally followed Winter back to the palace without meeting her husband first.

"Don't worry! Race is fine. You heard it from the guards earlier, didn't you?" Winter tried to reassure Ivy.

Ivy looked at Winter and nodded in agreement. Winter smiled to himself, feeling like he had successfully deceived Ivy. He then held Ivy's hand without asking for permission.

"I'll feel much calmer holding your hand like this. So, allow me to hold you just for a while!" Winter requested.

Ivy didn't respond but looked at Winter with a puzzled expression. With a faint nod, Ivy reluctantly agreed to Winter's request.
***
The palace was bustling with activity as all the preparations for the grand event the following evening were finalized. Mr. Milano was inspecting all the arrangements and occasionally discussing matters with the event organizers at the palace. Mr. Milano fell silent as he remembered his conversation with his younger brother, King Michel.

"At the climax of the annual festival, I will officially crown Winter as the Crown Prince. So, you must ensure that after that, Ivy disappears completely from the east. By any means necessary!"

"Why? What's wrong with my daughter-in-law?" Mr. Milano asked.

"Is something wrong? Doesn't even Kakak want Ivy gone so that Race can be free from that witch?" King Michel replied.

Mr. Milano remained silent upon hearing King Michel's words. Shortly afterward, King Michel placed his hand on Mr. Milano's shoulder.

"We must both work together to eliminate Ivy. I don't want my son anywhere near her. After all, a witch will always be a witch, Kakak. They're cunning and manipulative."

Mr. Milano did not respond to King Michel's words anymore. He just looked at his younger brother with a flat expression. Even though what his brother said was true, it still felt uncomfortable having to make efforts to remove Ivy.

"Mr. Milano, are you listening to me?" one of the event organizers asked.

Mr. Milano, lost in thought, jolted back to reality. He attempted to smile at the event organizer.

"I'm sorry, what did you say earlier?" Mr. Milano asked.

The event organizer smiled and pointed at the palace roof Ivy had intentionally left open. Ivy had her reasons for doing so. She had already cast protective spells over the palace, and the open top would serve as her escape route if she sensed the sudden arrival of forest monsters.

"Should we leave it open like this? Isn't the rainy season starting now? I'm worried that the grand event might be disrupted by rain later," the organizer said.

Mr. Milano remained silent as he looked at the palace roof. He knew Ivy must have had a good reason for leaving the top open wide. Mr. Milano seemed to be deep in thought, and after a moment, he lowered his gaze and looked at the event organizer.

"Just close it! We can't take the risk of rain suddenly pouring down later," Mr. Milano ordered.

The event organizer smiled and nodded obediently.
***
It wasn't usual for Ivy to fall asleep in the carriage. She jolted awake, her eyes wide, as she saw a vision in her dream. Ivy looked at Winter, who was now gazing at her with confusion. Ivy noticed that her hand was still held by Winter.

"What's wrong, Iv?" Winter asked, looking puzzled.

"Race," Ivy whispered.

"Why again? Did you see another vision about him?" Winter asked.
It was challenging to deceive Ivy, who had her abilities. Winter regretted dragging Ivy away from the race location earlier.

"Are you lying to me, Winter?" Ivy asked.

Winter fell silent, unable to answer Ivy's question. He then nodded gently, unable to evade anymore. Ivy looked at Winter and heaved a deep and heavy sigh. She then shifted her gaze to the window, her tears flowing uncontrollably.

"I hope you're okay, Race. I can only protect one of you," Ivy said to herself.

"Ivy," Winter called, feeling guilty for lying.

Ivy wiped her tears away quickly and then looked back at Winter. She smiled faintly. "Why?" Winter asked.

"Are you angry? Should we go back now?" Winter asked.

Ivy shook her head gently. "No need, let's continue our journey home. It could be dangerous if we return there now," Ivy said.

"Dangerous?" Winter was truly confused about what Ivy had seen in her dream. Why would Ivy say something like that now?

Back at the horse racing arena, a commotion had broken out. Several forest monsters had appeared and were disrupting the guards who had been resting. The situation became very tense and chaotic. Race was trying to fight the demons in his way. He often fell because of the strange creatures resembling a cross between pigs and pangolins.

"Luckily you came back, Iv," Race thought amidst his battle with the monsters.
***