The sacred forest, no, the monster’s garden was full of greenery following the seasons, unlike when Duke Ostein was nearly killed. But the green here was not blue and beautiful.

Rather, it was darkly black, eerily gloomy within the bright summer. The leaves were so lush that it was dark from the entrance. As the sun began to set, the shadows grew long and deep, making one reluctant to enter.

Why here of all places? Kaella wished she could just lay her tired body down somewhere and keep her eyes closed for a long time. She wasn’t in the mental state to return to where her father had died, or nearly died.

But due to separate orders from the emperor, she had no choice but to come here. With a sour expression, she looked down at what the servant standing at the entrance was holding out.

“Please take this.”

That was the emperor’s order. Come and take what the servant offers, and enter the monster’s garden. Kaella stared at the small bottle placed on the tray the servant held out.

It looked similar to the poison bottle she had secretly brought when she got married. But it was a much smaller crystal bottle. And what was inside was a suspicious black liquid that anyone could see.

“What is this?”

Kaella knew she always had to obey without question, but she couldn’t help asking. The elderly servant who served the emperor, Count Horhen, stared at Kaella blankly.

“It is a gift Your Highness is presenting to His Imperial Majesty.”

Kaella doesn’t know this bottle. She doesn’t know what it is. But it meant that it was decided to be a gift she was presenting. The emperor, the master of the empire, had decided so. Then she had to follow along as if she knew.

Kaella took the tray Horhen held out. This was similar to a story she knew. There are two people inside the garden.

“Enter alone. His Majesty has not permitted visits from anyone other than Your Highness.”

Kaella entered the gloomy monster’s garden alone, without knights or maids. A chilling sound was heard from somewhere. The rattling, grating noise repeated.

Kaella looked down. It was the sound of the bottle shaking and hitting the tray because her hand was trembling.

Are Ostein and Lüsenford falling today? Is this poison, and the Duchess of Lüsenford presenting poison disguised as a gift to the emperor, and thus the two estates being razed to the ground?

If the emperor wanted, he could create a situation and then annihilate troublesome families. It was entirely possible.

He was capricious, after all. Now that Lüsenford has struck gold and seems to be making some money, if his greedy personality wants to swallow up Ostein too, he just needs to roughly dispose of the Duke and Duchess of Lüsenford.

Kaella knew best how easy it was to frame someone.

‘What should I do?’

What if she just drank this here herself? Not delivering the gift is also a serious crime. But she was scared. She was afraid there might be something too painful at the end of this, afraid there might be something scary again.

‘No, get a hold of yourself.’

Kaella squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again. Painful and scary things ultimately mean a painful death. Death. That’s what she wanted. She should accept it gracefully.

Judging from her experiences so far, it seemed she had no connection with a painless death. Perhaps a painful death was her destiny.

‘You have to suffer enough to die. You couldn’t die because you tried not to suffer.’

She knew. But her hand gripping the tray turned white. Though she tried to prepare herself, she was scared. Kaella moved her feet. She knew this path well.

It’s the path she ran down to save her father, no, to die together with her father who was helplessly exposed before the emperor. Ominous birdsong scratched at her ears.

The shadows on the gloomy path grew deeper, and Kaella sensed death again before this suddenly arrived ill-fated event.

No matter what happens, she just needs to die. She can endure the pain. Recalling the fact she kept forgetting, Kaella walked on silently. Did Peon feel like this too when he saw Duke Ostein and the emperor sitting face to face?

“Ah, you’ve come.”

In the inner garden, where Duke Ostein had been murdered, Peon and the emperor were sitting. As the emperor rose from his seat, Kaella slowly bowed.

“I greet the sun of the empire. May you live ten thousand years.”

Her voice trembled so much it barely came out. She desperately clutched the tray to keep the bottle from tipping over.

“Enough, rise.”

The emperor grabbed the staggering Kaella about to fall and lifted her up, taking the tray.

“You always make me wait.”

The emperor’s voice was mixed with rebuke and irritation. Those were barbed words. Kaella quickly lowered her head.

“I’m sorry.”

The emperor looked at Kaella with her head bowed, seemingly displeased, then spoke again after a short pause.

“You may leave.”

It meant to go back. Like in the horrific murder that occurred here before the regression, the one who delivered the item leaves the monster’s garden again.

‘The emperor has done this more than once or twice.’

Kaella was careful not to distort her face at the intuition that flashed through her mind.

“Wait outside, then leave together. It won’t take long.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

With her head bowed, only able to say “yes” in this situation, Kaella saw Peon as she straightened up again. Like her father, he remained here. Is he going to die this time?

It’s fine, go ahead and wait.

A voice was heard in her mind, not her ears. Peon and Kaella’s eyes met. He was sitting with a tea set in front of him, looking at her and nodding slightly.

Hurry.

Kaella couldn’t tell what expression Peon was making. She turned back the way she came, deathly pale. Her legs were shaking.

‘He’s the son of a dragon.’

So Peon will be fine. Probably. Is there a poison that can kill a dragon? Does the emperor know Peon is the son of a dragon? I don’t know. It must have been like this when Dad died too.

Peon seemed to know since he’d already experienced it, but Dad must have died not knowing anything, just watching thinking “I see” and then getting shot by the gun the emperor pulled out and fired.

So after the Ostein ducal family was shattered, is the Lüsenford grand ducal family suddenly disappearing today? No one can escape the absolute death the emperor hands down, right? Thoughts flowed incoherently and chaotically, jumbling together in a dizzying mess.

“Ah…”

Kaella finally grabbed a towering shrub and bent over, exhaling rough breaths. There was a ringing in her ears. The giant trees standing in the monster’s garden looked down at her as if they would devour her.

*

As the emperor said, it was “not a long matter.” The emperor opened the bottle Kaella had brought and poured its contents into a new teacup. He didn’t even bother hiding it. This was a common occurrence between stepfather and stepson since childhood. That black poison was Peon’s share. It was just decided that way.

“How’s work going?”

The emperor grabbed the teacup without poison.

“Most things will be resolved once the engagement ceremony is decided.”

“Dorothea is taking quite long to decide.”

The conversation mostly consisted of the usual reports between emperor and subject. It’s only for a moment anyway. The emperor just checked that Peon’s complexion turned pale and blood pooled at the corners of his mouth after drinking his share of the tea.

“The imperial family has no heirs. That’s why I called you, Hyperion.”

This was a kind of “education.”

“I know you’re doing well, but still, you should come right away when I call.”

“Yes, I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

Peon swallowed the pooled blood and the tea as he answered.

“Drink it all before you go.”

“Yes.”

The emperor stood up, not intending to watch any longer. Whether he drank it all or not, the servants will check anyway.

“From now on, don’t refuse when I order. Should this old man have to beg?”

So that’s what bothered him. Peon held back a laugh as he bowed his head.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’m sorry.”

“You’ve started a family now too. You’re not a foolish child like before, you’ve grown up, so you should understand what I mean.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

The emperor left without looking back. Peon looked down at the teacup, then took another sip. This taste on the tip of his tongue was one he hadn’t noticed when he swallowed the same poison before. His keenly developed sense of taste now picks up all sorts of things.

‘How troublesome.’

He decided to act human without showing it because of Kaella, but everything was still bothersome. Having to drink just enough, cough up some blood, and show a struggling appearance to the emperor’s eyes hidden here and there – the whole process was cumbersome and annoying.

But contrary to his annoyed thoughts, Peon very diligently showed the entire process, even faking staggering steps and a pale complexion as he walked out of the monster’s garden.

His wife is waiting. He wiped his mouth stained with the roughly spat out poison and blood.

Kaella was crouched at the garden entrance. Unlike her noble lady demeanor, she was crouched down with her face buried between her knees, shaking. If she’s that shaken up, it must have been that difficult. Peon approached and bent down.

“Let’s go, Kaella. It’s over. It’s okay.”

Kaella, trembling, barely raised her head. A pale face drenched in cold sweat was slightly visible. Peon smiled.

“Let’s go.”

“…Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re bleeding.”

Kaella pointed at his mouth. He whispered softly.

“I have to at least pretend.”

The emperor’s servants were still around. They were checking if Peon had properly emptied the teacup, hadn’t spilled it somewhere else, had drunk the exact measured amount and was showing just the right amount of symptoms.

“I have to pretend to struggle a bit too. Let’s go, Kaella.”

Kaella got up as he lifted her. The couple received the same punishment from the emperor today. The grand ducal couple barely left the monster’s garden, then returned to the townhouse by carriage.

In the carriage, Kaella stared at Peon.

“I said I’m fine.”

He smiled, having drawn all the curtains.

“You look paler than me.”

Kaella didn’t answer.

“This much is nothing now.”

Is it because he’s a dragon? Kaella could only ask with her eyes since she couldn’t say such things at the palace.

“I’ve eaten a lot of it before, and as you think, this kind of poison has no effect on me now.”

“You’ve… eaten a lot?”

“Well, yes.”

“How?”

“Like you saw today. Like this. It’s the punishment stepfather gives when you do something bad.”

Not just poison, but fear and humiliation together.

“W-When…”

“Since before going to Lüsenford.”

A shocked silence filled the carriage again.

“Were you worried? It’s nothing.”

“I wasn’t worried about Your Highness.”

“I know. That’s not what I was asking.”

Kaella looked outside with reddened eyes. But there wasn’t much to see properly on the streets as darkness had fallen.

“The emperor has a habit of suddenly lashing out at unexpected times. If you just obediently drink it well, it ends quietly. Ostein won’t be in danger either.”

Peon spoke very precisely about what Kaella had been worried about.

“You’re a sick person, so he only had you bring the poison.”

Kaella is someone who would be terrified just by looking, and the emperor probably thought it was enough “punishment” just to see Peon coughing up blood afterwards.

“Why did he do that?”

“Because we came late.”

“I know that. What else?”

“Because we made the emperor have to ask and plead several times despite coming late.”

Ha. A laugh of disbelief burst out.

“We should have immediately said yes to the great emperor, but we didn’t, so we dared to make him explain and plead. That’s the kind of person he is.”

As a result, Peon had to drink poison, and Kaella had to bring that poison and watch her husband drink it. The couple received punishment together.

“There’s no need to worry about it.”

“I don’t want to worry about it either.”

Kaella, who had been trying to look out the window, finally lowered her head and muttered.

“I didn’t want to know about these things either.”

But you end up knowing everything. Even if you try to turn a blind eye, it was visible, and even if you want to pretend not to know, the brain already moves on its own to thoroughly uncover the hidden background and conclusions.

“I wish I could not know too…!”

At her trembling voice, Peon’s calm gaze changed.

“Kaella.”

“Why do I have to know Your Highness’s circumstances? You didn’t know about my circumstances either, you weren’t even interested! Then I should fairly not know either, why, why make me know, why…!”

Peon could only watch as she became completely rigid, her blue eyes turning red with transparent liquid pooling in them.

“I was a spy until the end, so why can’t you, why can’t you be the person who killed our father until the end, why!”