Luise’s eyes grew even more determined at Sched’s question.

“What are you thinking?”

She only had thoughts of protecting Ive.

If he tried to harm the child…… she was prepared to confront him.

Even if the one she had to face was Ive’s biological father.

Sched’s eyes narrowed at her resolute tone.

“Who knows? Perhaps the merit of dealing with a heretic will precede my name even more.”

Straightening his bent back, he stroked his jaw that had become sharper and more wily than before, exuding a bittersweet sneer.

His warning, recited in a casual tone, did not sound empty at all.

Luise felt as if she had been thrown onto a board he had set up.

It was as if even the air here was playing into his hands.

“Please don’t make me point a sword at you, Sched.”

“Then you shouldn’t have left me.”

His eyes narrowed.

The root of all causes lay with Luise.

He had no choice but to come here, following an unalterable fate.

No choice but to come see you……

“Baron Sched Lester.”

At that moment, an uninvited guest intervened.

Sched lifted his long lashes and looked down the hill.

“Papa!”

As Ive, who was nestled in Luise’s arms, exclaimed joyfully, Luise also turned around.

Eclas and the soldiers were there.

“……It seems you asked Eclas for help?”

Sched slowly moved his hand to grasp the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Luise shook her head.

For Ive’s safety, she faithfully followed the conditions he had proposed in the note.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Then I suppose your hearts were in tune.”

Staring at Eclas standing at a distance, Sched muttered irritably.

Beside Eclas was Grita, whom he had spurned.

Perhaps Grita had conveyed the news to Eclas, and Eclas had moved upon realizing Luise’s absence.

‘How persistently devoted.’

Unbeknownst to him, Luise and Eclas had grown even closer over the past few years.

Perhaps more than he had thought.

The tendons on his forearm gripping the sword hilt bulged.

Seeing Sched place his hand on the sword, the soldiers stopped, on guard.

Eclas and the Sizron soldiers had completely surrounded the cliff.

Sched slowly rubbed the wolf-shaped sculpture at the end of the sword hilt with his fingertips.

“It seems they still don’t know the secret about you and the child.”

A low whisper brushed past Luise’s ear.

Luise looked at him with frightened eyes, as if a blade had entered the nape of her neck.

Sched thought he must have gone mad.

Whenever Luise feared him, strangely enough, the corners of his mouth twitched.

Yes, be afraid.

So you can’t run away.

I’ll have a grip on your weakness until it chokes you.

“If you want to protect the child, follow me.”

Sched held out his hand to her.

It was a polite and courteous gesture.

But there was no stronger threat than that.

If she wanted to protect Ive, if she didn’t want the child’s secret to be discovered……

There was only one option.

Luise, holding Ive, placed her trembling hand on top of his.

At that, the corners of Sched’s mouth rose in satisfaction.

As if this deal could not be backed out of, his hand firmly grasped hers.

“Leah!”

As Eclas took a step, Sched pulled Luise’s hand and embraced her in his arms.

The tiny little one was a bonus.

“What are you doing now, Baron Lester? Handling a frail woman and child so recklessly……!”

“Frail?”

It seemed that bastard didn’t know anything after all.

If he knew the power Luise and Ive possessed, he wouldn’t have said such a thing.

Sched, smirking at Eclas’ ignorance, scooped up Luise and Ive in both arms.

“Mama!”

“Sched……!”

Screams bordering on shrieks burst from the two females’ mouths, but Sched took a step with a calm face.

“I’m busy today, so I’ll let it slide this time, Eclas.”

Sched slowly stepped backwards towards the edge of the cliff.

The red horizon with the half-submerged sun deepened.

“Baron Lester, behind you is……!”

The moment Eclas raised his hand to stop him,

“See you next time.”

With a smile on his lips, Sched turned his body and leaped off the cliff into the red sea.

“Aaaah!”

A scream echoed through the sunset sky.

Luise hugged Ive tightly.

The vertically blowing wind roughly brushed past her hair.

“Leah!”

Eclas and the soldiers hurriedly ran to the edge of the cliff after Sched, who had disappeared below.

Bang!

With a huge sound, waves crashed below the cliff.

Eclas stretched his head and looked down the cliff.

A small fishing boat rocked on the waves beneath the giant’s head.

Sched, who had fallen, stood on the boat unscathed as if he had planned everything.

Sched lifted his head and looked up at the cliff.

A face that had become relaxed as if he had grasped victory.

He bade farewell to the lord of Sizron Island with a noble gesture.

With a brief nod, the fishing boat skillfully navigated through the reefs.

Only then did Eclas spot a large ship anchored in the distant sea.

Above the flag dyed red by the sunset, the emblem of a wolf biting a sword was visible.

It was the warship of House Lester.

Perhaps because it had been too eventful of a day, or perhaps because she was too shocked, Ive fell asleep in Luise’s arms at some point while sobbing.

Sched sat in the cabin, quietly gazing at Luise and Ive.

He knew, but seeing them side by side, the mother and daughter resembled each other to an astonishing degree.

It would be difficult to lie that she was a daughter brought from another family.

However, Luise still dyed her hair brown, as she had when living as ‘Riana’.

Eclas must have been continually providing her with hair dye potions.

Arms crossed, Sched assessed Ive’s age.

Although just a tiny little one, thinking of her as Luise’s daughter made her seem quite grown.

No, to be precise, he couldn’t believe Luise had a daughter that old.

‘A child of that age… she must have been born right after the escape.’

Scenes he didn’t particularly want to imagine flashed through his mind.

“You must have had a good time.”

The first words that spilled from Sched’s lips, who had been silent since boarding the ship, were sarcasm.

While he was wandering around doing nonsense, Luise had cozily established a family and was living happily with her daughter.

To them, Sched was the ‘villain’, as Ive had said.

The feeling of becoming a villain who had come to shatter a family’s happiness was truly foul.

He wanted to sort out his thoughts as he had many questions to ask, but seeing the affectionate mother and daughter made anger surge first.

Holding Ive, Luise parted her lips, still with eyes that faced a villain.

“……I heard Your Excellency also served as the governor of Blancas.”

His reputation, conveyed through Eclas.

After the war with Blancas, House Lester was enjoying unparalleled prosperity.

The name of the ducal house of Lester had risen to a position that could be compared to the imperial house of Chefbolden in both name and reality.

If the past few years had been good, Luise thought no one would have had a better time than Sched.

So it was incomprehensible.

When he should be enjoying honor and glory that would go down in history, he came all the way here in that shabby attire to find her.

In an appearance that didn’t suit honor and glory.

At first, she thought it was simply because of his shabby appearance.

But he definitely looked… different from before.

The muscles and physique that had been overwhelming, packed tightly into every nook and cranny of his body, had lost weight unlike before.

Perhaps because of that, he exuded a more agile, sharp, and somewhat irritable impression.

As if he would explode at the slightest provocation, he gave off an even more startling atmosphere.

“You knew I was in Blancas too.”

Sched murmured as if savoring and analyzing every word flowing from her lips.

“While I was wandering around knowing nothing, you knew everything about me.”

“Wandering around……?”

At the innocent expression that seemed to know nothing, Sched pressed his temple as if in thought.

Surely you’re not going to say you didn’t know I was looking for you all this time.

After running away first.

Leaning back against the backrest, Sched tilted his chin up at an angle.

“I’ve learned a bit about black magic in the meantime.”

At the word black magic, the nape of Luise’s neck stiffened.

She was rigid like prey before a predator.

Sched lazily stroked the corner of his mouth with his finger.

“I’ve also come to know a bit about the crescent-shaped mark engraved on the body.”

The violet gaze turned towards Luise’s chest.

More precisely, towards the collarbone where there was a crescent-shaped birthmark.

After Parmen’s incident, he was buried in countless questions.

Why Parmen had become a heretic.

Why Parmen also had the same crescent-shaped birthmark that Luise had.

What relation that crescent-shaped birthmark had with the power of heresy……

And he found the answers.

“You were also a heretic.”

Tok, Sched’s long finger lightly tapped his chin once.

At the small movement that didn’t even make a sound, Luise’s body trembled as if she had heard thunder.

“Come to think of it, the wound from the dog bite had healed cleanly.”

His gaze, which had lingered around her chest, slowly turned to her calf.

Sched slowly rose from his seat, picking up his sword.

“Back then…… did you make the excuse that it was thanks to holy water?”

He interrogated, grasping at old memories.

Luise didn’t answer, her lips parted.

She could make up any excuses somehow.

But no excuse would convince Sched Lester.

At the silence without denial, Sched stopped in front of her.

And a large hand gripped the wrist of Luise, who was holding Ive.

The moment Luise looked up at him, a sharp blade swiftly sliced her white palm.

Luise’s face momentarily frowned faintly.

A vivid red line spread where the blade had passed, soon dripping blood droplets onto the cabin floor.

Sched lowered his sword, looking down at the woman who didn’t even let out a scream.

The wound on her palm didn’t heal and continued to bleed.

“I see you can suppress it too.”