No one noticed the nondescript young man in servant’s clothing crossing the central cross-shaped garden and entering the entrance of the Imperial Palace with its glittering golden roof.

[Yuriella. Let’s go back now. Didn’t you firmly promise Helena that you would only scout and leave?]

Popo anxiously hooted from inside the pocket.

“That was when I thought Helena was a small, tainted piece of the god. The Emperor… is a tainted piece of the god, let’s just confirm that and go.”

[If that’s the case, there’s no need to sneak into the Imperial Palace, is there? There are ways to approach him when the opportunity arises. I know you came here because you wanted to see Flama directly.]

Yuriella flinched her shoulders and stuck her tongue out at Popo in her pocket.

“What doesn’t Popo know?”

[I have watched you since you were a little beggar child. I can tell just by looking at your eyes.]

“…Flama will want to see me. I also want to see Flama.”

[Won’t it only hurt both of you?]

“Fighting the magic must have tired it out a lot. To give strength… even if I’m an incompetent owner who couldn’t protect you… Still, I want to tell you directly. That I’m waiting for you… That I’ll save you somehow…”

And who knows. Seeing me might give it strength to overcome the magic. A miracle might happen where I can hold Flama again. So I might be able to take it out of here.

Yuriella couldn’t bring herself to say her earnest wish out loud, swallowing it hard with a long sigh.

While Yuriella calmly headed towards the Emperor’s bedchamber, mixing in with the servants, Popo hid its small body in the earth’s energy and quietly slid across the building floor, following behind.

Perhaps because of the aftermath of His Highness Lewis’s appearance? The front of the Emperor’s bedchamber was deserted. There were no guards or patrolling knights to be seen.

Popo put its small four feet on the doorknob. Gathering the fine earth energy scattered in the air, Popo lightly turned the lock and opened the door.

Yuriella entered the inner chamber of the bedchamber with a tense face.

“Flama…”

Yuriella’s eyes, staring blankly at the holy sword in the glass case, became hotly wet.

Without even thinking to wipe her tears, Yuriella strode closer to Flama.

The closer she got, small but distinct sparks of crimson fire began to rise from inside Flama, which had been tied tightly with dark magic and placed on the stand like a lump of red-hot iron.

“Flama. Do you recognize me even in this state?”

The small sparks spread throughout the sword, pulsating.

“Are you… welcoming me?”

When she put her trembling hand on the glass case, Flama vibrated loudly with a woong! woong!

“I couldn’t even protect you… But still, you’re happy that I came…?”

Yuriella collapsed to her knees and leaned her forehead against the glass case.

“I’m sorry for coming late… I’m really sorry for leaving you alone, making it hard for you…”

As if welcoming Yuriella, who was shedding hot tears, the red flames trapped in the magic sword billowed greatly like waves.

*

After giving Leo a few detailed instructions regarding the funerals of those killed by the undead mercenaries and the treatment of the injured, Frost ran up to the guest room on the third floor of the mansion.

Even after the Matap Master returned to the Matap, Popo had stayed behind, residing in the room it had been using. It was Ricarion’s consideration for Yuriella’s safety.

The air was subtly permeated with the energy of the earth.

By tracking the earth energy left by Popo, he would be able to find where Yuriella was.

Frost summoned the ice sword Iello and thrust it into the stone floor with a poof!

The blue gem embedded in the pommel of the holy sword Iello vibrated with a woong~ woong~, and icy energy gushed out from the transparent blade, fiercely swirling around the long protruding sword.

Soon, traces of a deep maroon aura appeared in the air in the shape of a tangled skein.

Frost narrowed his eyes and stared at the trace that remained the darkest among them. The line of deep maroon led to the terrace.

The moment Frost leaped over the railing. A sharp cat’s meow tore through the air from behind.

– Meow! Meow!

Frost glanced back, his eyes growing wide.

Nero, who had run in through the open door, was engulfed in crimson flames blazing all over its body.

“Nero!”

Nero leaped into the air, meowing noisily.

– Meow! Meow!

Frost jumped down from the railing and ran towards the black cat enveloped in flames.

Before he could unfurl an icy aura, Frost urgently reached out to Nero, his face strangely furrowing.

‘Huh? It’s not hot at all…!’

All he felt from the crimson flames enveloping Nero was the rippling energy of the fire, not a single hair on his hands and forearms was singed by the flames.

The carpet Nero had crossed was also perfectly fine without a single trace of being burned!

“Nero. Were you meowing not because you were hot?”

– Meow!

As if understanding his words, Nero vigorously shook its small head and meowed loudly, stretching its neck.

Nero’s large emerald eyes sparkled as if a light had been turned on.

This wasn’t the first time Frost had seen the strange flames enveloping Nero’s body.

‘How…!’

Frost touched the tip of his finger to the flames, the same bright red color as his wife’s eyes.

4 years ago. When he had participated in the Great Magic War alongside the Imperial Knights.

The crimson phoenix that had soared through the sky had also spewed flames of this color, this energy.

At that time, Frost was in a state of exhaustion from facing the Cerberuses rushing at them from all directions, back-to-back with Solas.

When the giant magic beasts with three heads opened their maws wide, trying to swallow him and Solas, the huge phoenix had snatched the two with its sharp claws and spat out flames, instantly reducing the beasts to ashes.

The heat of the flames burning the magic beasts was scorching even from a distance, but strangely, the flames emanating from Flama’s body were not hot at all.

Rather, it even purified the surrounding air with a sacred energy, making one feel refreshed.

Like the energy of these crimson flames enveloping the noisy little black furnace cat in his arms…

“Nero. What are you?”

– Meow!

“Do you know Flama?”

– Meow~!

Frost shook his head with a self-mocking chuckle.

‘What nonsense am I spouting to a creature that can’t even speak.’

Even though he considered it an absurd thought, Frost held Nero tightly in his arms. For some reason, he felt he had to take this burning cat to his wife.

When Frost whistled “Whew!” a huge black horse soon appeared, crossing the garden with a loud sound of hooves.

As he swiftly threw his body below the terrace railing, Nero meowed loudly in his arms.

Frost, who had swiftly mounted Mars, gave a powerful kick.

– Hee-hee-hee.

Tracing Popo’s trail stretched far in the air with his eyes, Frost’s expression gradually hardened as he increased the horse’s speed.

The maroon trail was leading to Blanc Casa.

– Meow~.

The crimson flames enveloping Nero slowly died down, and Frost spurred the horse harder.

*

The red flames billowing inside the magic sword seemed to have lost strength, slowly dying down.

“Flama…? Flama…!”

Yuriella wiped her tears with the back of her hand and stood up abruptly.

“Flama!”

She tried to find the seams and open the lid by fumbling around the glass case containing Flama, but the glass case did not budge.

Even when punched with fists. Even when hit with a chair until its legs broke.

Whether it was made of a special material or some special magic had been cast on it, not a single tiny crack appeared on the glass case.

Yuriella kicked the glass case hard, venting her frustration.

“Whoa. Whoa. Calm down, Solas. You’ll only hurt your feet like that.”

An unwelcome voice came from behind.

Yuriella quickly turned around. Flames flared in her two tear-filled eyes.

“Justin Della Ponti.”

At the voice calling his name, the Emperor placed a hand on his chest as if calming his fluttering heart and blushed.

“Ah. I’m so glad, Solas. You came to find me on your own, without even being called.”

Justin curved his gem-like blue eyes prettily, as if receiving a surprise gift.

Discreetly moving his feet to close the entrance door, as if afraid Yuriella would leave at any moment, the Emperor made a pretty dimple.

“I didn’t even know you were here, I was caught by my uncle, listening to his tiresome nagging.”

Justin slightly raised his lush golden eyebrows and fidgeted with his fingertips shyly.

“I knew you would come someday since Flama is here. I kept it in my room so it would be easy for you to find. I personally designed this glass case too. Even the Duke Grande’s iron mace wouldn’t be able to break this glass, right?”

Expecting praise, Justin curved his eyes prettily in a childlike expression, which was so disgusting that Yuriella picked up a broken chair leg and threw it at him with all her might.

Lightly dodging the chair, Justin took a big step closer to Yuriella.

The Emperor approached Yuriella so closely that they were almost touching, then pulled her hand and placed it on the glass case, placing his own hand on top of hers.

“Flama really resembles you a lot, Solas. It never knows how to give up. It’s really amazing that it reacts to you even in that state.”

Justin’s careful fingers gently stroked the top of Yuriella’s fingers.

“…!”

Yuriella pulled her hand away with a shudder and took a big step back.

The Emperor, who had been clenching and unclenching his hand where her body heat had touched with a regretful expression, drew a picturesque smile on his face.

“Remember the promise you made with me? That if you appeared in a completely different form and I recognized you, you would grant me one wish?”

Justin raised a finger and pointed in turn to Yuriella’s face and body, disguised as an imperial palace servant.

“It wasn’t just Flama who recognized you. I also recognized you. Even if you take on the appearance of such an ugly man and speak in a voice I’m hearing for the first time, I can recognize you, Solas.”

“Shut up with the bullshit, and tell me what you did to Flama!”

Yuriella strode up to the Emperor and grabbed his collar, shouting.

As if even such contact was welcome, Justin darkly colored his blue eyes and laughed lowly.

“Let’s have dinner together, Solas. That’s my wish.”

“What?”

“I want to have a meal facing you. I want to share trivial and mundane stories with you about how you spent today, just like we used to.”

“You didn’t recognize me, in the North.”

“At that time…!”

Recalling the moment he had to watch Yuriella’s wedding in the North, Justin bit his lip until it bled.

“Even though I didn’t know it was you, I couldn’t take my eyes off you. Every time I saw you in the arms of Frost Ielheim, I wanted to cut off that bastard’s hands! I wanted to kill that bastard!”

“He’s my precious husband. Don’t even think about killing him.”

“Your husband?”

“Yes. My companion, with whom I pledged eternity before the Goddess.”

“Solas. Solas. I know you better than you know yourself. You can never truly be the companion of Frost Ielheim.”

Justin snickered as if it was ridiculous.

“Will your sins disappear after as many days pass as the number of drops of blood of the innocent Northerners you killed? Will your punishment end if you kill me and put Lewis on the throne? No, Solas. You can never have him.”

“I… have no intention of having His Highness. Because I’m not worthy. But His Highness… has me. I am His Highness’s. My life, my heart, my loyalty, my… love.”

Justin closed his eyes and regulated his breathing. He had no intention of getting angry at her. Being blinded by jealousy and killing was enough once.

“What did you do to Flama? At least tell me that.”

“Nothing. Yet.”

Justin smiled. Right now, just the fact that she existed before his eyes was satisfying enough.

“You want Flama? I’ll give it back if you want. I’ll give you anything if you want it.”

Justin tightly embraced Yuriella.

“Solas. I missed you. I was so lonely for you, I thought I was going crazy. No, every day without you here, I am going crazy.”

Yuriella bit her lip. She could raise the energy of the wind and blow the Emperor away, but it wasn’t time yet.

She couldn’t expose her powers by letting the Emperor find out that she had a contract with the holy sword Aeri. Especially now when he might be the one to become the master of the magic sword.

“Justin. It hurts.”

“Ah. Sorry.”

When the strong arms that had tightly held her loosened, Yuriella swiftly turned her body, grabbed the collar of Justin’s uniform, and tripped his legs. While the Emperor staggered and lost balance, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and waist, using the momentum to slam him to the floor with a thud!