A black carriage with no insignia arrived at the Duke’s mansion, cutting through the pouring rain that fell like a hole had been torn in the dark night sky.

The carriage door opened and Duke Greco stepped out with a dark expression.

Moments later, a shimmering magic circle rippled and Mage Tower Master Ricarion also appeared.

“You came too?”

The Duke frowned as he looked at his exhausted son. The foolish boy.

He had volunteered to treat half of the five hundred coma patients admitted to the Mage Tower. Was it because he wanted to see the Duchess smile brightly? What an idiot.

The waiting head butler and Captain Leo shielded the Duke and Mage Tower Master with umbrellas and guided them to the conference room.

“It’s been a while, Your Grace. Mage Tower Master.”

Shavell Allery, who had been sitting absentmindedly with his chin resting on the table, stood up and politely greeted the Duke.

“His Highness will be down soon. The treatment took longer than expected.”

“Is His Majesty injured?”

When Greco asked in surprise, Shavell quickly shook his head.

“No. Not His Majesty, but Her Majesty the Duchess-.”

Ricarion asked Shavell in surprise.

“Her Majesty the Duchess is injured? Did it happen at the Swan Palace?”

“No. She was attacked on her way back. Slightly grazed by a poisoned arrow-.”

“A poisoned arrow? Who would dare harm the Duchess? The culprit? Was he caught?”

Shavell grabbed Ricarion, who looked ready to storm into the Duchess’s chamber, and barely managed to calm him down.

Only after the doctors he had summoned to the mansion repeatedly assured him that she was fine did Frost leave the Duchess’s chamber, holding Yuriella in his arms.

“Please put me down. I’m perfectly fine now. I was fine from the start.”

As Yuriella protested while looking around, she met the blue eyes that glared at her as if they would devour her, and slowly lowered her eyelids to avoid his gaze.

“There’s no way you’re fine. If that pretty head of yours contained a brain instead of rocks, you wouldn’t have recklessly driven the carriage off a cliff.”

At His Highness’s sharp demeanor, frost formed on the wall sconces and thin ice even covered the stairwell.

The moisture in the humid air turned into sparkling snowflake-like particles and fluttered about.

“Wow…! It’s like stardust falling.”

Yuriella stretched out her arms and caught the small snowflakes in her hands.

Frost stopped and stared at Yuriella.

When he saw his wife’s carriage fall off the cliff, he thought his heart would burst.

It was a good thing he had come out to meet her because he couldn’t relax.

Healing abilities are only useful when you’re alive. With the carriage shattered like that, there was no way her delicate body could have remained unscathed.

Grinding his teeth, thinking it was something he could neither overlook nor forgive, Frost glared fiercely at his wife.

And then.

The red eyes that held a small flame sparkled like stars as they turned towards him.

How could he get angry and scold those pretty stars?

“Hmm. If you wish, I can change the falling rain outside into large snowflakes. Since it’s pouring like this, we could easily build a snowman.”

[Duke! Now is the time to scold Yuriella!]

Unable to stand it any longer, Airy flew over and placed her small hands on her hips, shouting at Frost.

[You can’t go easy on her just because she’s pretty. Yuriella is too brave for her own good. If you don’t scold her properly, she’ll throw herself into danger again, not caring about her precious life.]

“Yuriella. You need to be scolded. Healing abilities can only be used if you’re alive. Didn’t you see the carriage shatter into pieces?”

Although he scolded her belatedly, the rebuke, dampened by his beautiful wife’s pretty eyes, was as soft as pudding drizzled with honey.

[And Yuriella! Did you forget already? All your ‘wow’s belong to Airy. Don’t admire the Duke!]

“Okay. I’ll be careful, Airy. I love you.”

[I hate Yuriella. I really hate you.]

Airy burrowed into Yuriella’s luxuriously flowing hair.

“I’m sorry for worrying you. I love you.”

[Do you know you’re sorry? How surprised I was earlier! It felt like someone was squeezing and bursting my heart, making it throb and pound!]

Airy sobbed while dangling from Yuriella’s hair.

Frost gently detached Airy from his wife’s hair and tossed her into the air with a flick.

“My heart felt like it was being torn apart by an iron rake. But your apology and declaration of love are only for Airy’s grain-sized heart that throbbed.”

Yuriella let out a soft sigh and struggled to be put down.

They had already reached the conference room while being pestered by His Highness and Airy.

However, Frost, still seemingly in shock from the cliff incident, entered the conference room while still holding Yuriella.

Duke Greco, who had been frowning with his back turned to Shavell, let out a scornful laugh when he saw Frost enter, preciously holding the Duchess.

Ricarion, who had been absently looking out the window, turned around with joy, only for his face to darken more than the rain clouds outside.

Frost set his wife down on a chair but couldn’t leave Yuriella’s side, repeatedly smoothing her dress and checking if she was uncomfortable.

“I rushed over here because you said it was an urgent matter. Why did you summon me?”

When Duke Greco asked gruffly, Frost turned to Shavell.

“Didn’t I tell you to show Cassandra’s memories to the Duke in advance?”

Shavell rested his chin on his hands and shrugged.

“You made it so he couldn’t even open his mouth. Didn’t the Duke’s wife say to only talk to the Duke?”

Frost let out a soft sigh and opened the wooden box on the table, taking out a small orb swirling with dark energy.

It was the orb Yuriella had received from Cassandra.

Woo~. Woo~.

The vibrating black orb slowly floated into the air and popped! It greatly expanded and began to unfold fragments of Cassandra’s memories.

“These are memories sent by the black mage from Swan Palace. There are some cuts in between, likely due to torture, but it shouldn’t be difficult to understand the situation.”

.

.

[Cassandra Cabeza! Why did you try to secretly divert the Flamma?]

Inside the dome tower of Swan Palace where Cassandra was imprisoned, Empress Dowager Sophia grabbed Cassandra’s chin and asked coldly.

Since it was Cassandra’s memory, only Empress Dowager Sophia was visible in the scene unfolded in the air.

[Cough. It was all for you, Sophia. To take back the Flamma and make it yours to command-.] [Nonsense! Who put you up to this? Frost?] [Sophia, my sister. Would I steal the Flamma for the enemy who imprisoned and persecuted me? If I had ulterior motives, would I have involved Carina? Everyone knows she’s your chosen daughter-in-law.]

Empress Dowager Sophia narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

[You secretly diverted it for me without my knowledge? You expect me to believe that?] [Believe me. I wanted to prove my usefulness to you! From the moment I was dragged to the palace, I sensed the presence of the Flamma-imbued Sword of Fire. I wanted to find a way for you to make use of it! I thought Carina would do as I asked since she’s desperate for your favor.]

Cassandra’s great acting seemed to work as Empress Dowager Sophia’s crimson lips curved into a faint smile.

[My foolish sister. Giving away affection so freely is why, despite your great talents, you only managed to turn one husband into a pig and were imprisoned in a cave for 6 years.] [You’re family. My one and only sister. Trust me. I have no one but you.]

The sound of Cassandra’s sobbing could be heard.

The Empress Dowager bent her knees to meet Cassandra’s eyes.

[Sister. The true owner of the Flamma is not me. The real one is someone else. A very, very precious child. When that child grasps the Flamma, the earth will split and lava redder than blood will scorch the fertile land.]

Sophia’s amethyst eyes flashed with madness.

[Flames will rise from the northern sea where ice floats, and a hurricane bearing black ashes will envelop the world. A world fit only for the chosen ones is coming. Ah, just imagining it makes my heart tremble. I pray for that day to come soon, sister.]

.

.

That was the end of Cassandra’s memory.

“The Empress Dowager’s precious child.”

It was Shavell who broke the silence that had filled the conference room, with only the sound of rain.

“Could she be referring to Lady Helena Figuera?”

Shavell let out a soft sigh, his gaze fixed on the air where the memory had been playing.

“Your Highness, how could you allow such a woman in this place…!”

Duke Greco slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

Anger raged in his deep purple eyes behind thick single-lens glasses.

To have the Duke’s wife present at a meeting where such important information was being shared… Unless he was insane!

“Is the Duke more bothered by my wife than the nonsense Empress Dowager Sophia is spouting?”

“The Empress Dowager says she’ll overturn the world with the Flamma that has become a demon sword. And Your Highness treats this as a trivial matter to be shared with a mere wife? I thought you were more right in the head than the Emperor. What happened to your head at the end of your illness? Or is Greco so insignificant and laughable to you!”

The voice of the scholar-like high noble, who rarely got excited, tore through the air of the conference room with a clang.

Mage Tower Master Ricarion Greco, sitting next to Duke Greco, quietly grabbed his father’s arm and shook his head.

He had already suspected as much when Shavell, in the guise of the maid Delilah, had accompanied the Duke and Duchess on their honeymoon.

“Are you finally willing to reveal to us who Shavell really is? First, that he’s a man, not a woman. And that he’s important enough for Your Highness to personally protect for 3 years, that much I understand. What is it that I don’t know?”

At Ricarion’s words, Duke Greco turned his gaze to Shavell and narrowed his eyes.

“That woman… is a man?”

The splendid golden hair cascading to the waist, the slender figure wrapped in a dress. The milky white skin and sharp nose. And the glossy red lips that wouldn’t be out of place on the Empire’s greatest beauty. That’s a man?

The Duke clicked his tongue and frowned.

“How can a man look like that.”

“Duke. I thought Duke Greco of all people might recognize Shavell. Shavell must be disappointed.”

“Pardon? Are you saying it’s someone I’ve met before?”

“Did you only meet?”

Duke Greco turned his head back towards Shavell with a puzzled look.

Shavell smiled radiantly and waved at the Duke, his lace sleeves below the elbow fluttering.

“It’s been a while, Uncle Mel.”

Duke Greco’s eyes wavered. There was only one person who called him ‘Uncle Mel’.

Lewis Della Ponti, son of Empress Jelsomina who died in the fire at the Empress Palace 11 years ago.

“No, that can’t be… I… I personally confirmed Prince Lewis’s burnt corpse… and even held his funeral…!”

Shaking his head in denial, tears gradually welled up in the Duke’s reddened eyes.

Why didn’t he recognize him? Jelsomina’s kind eyes and gentle lips were the same.

“Are you really… truly… Prince Lewis?”

Duke Greco approached Lewis falteringly and grasped Shavell’s hands. The bony fingers, hardened from long sword training, could be felt.

“Yes. Lord Uncle. It’s Lewis. I apologize for greeting you only now.”

“Oh, Prince Lewis…!”

Duke Greco knelt on one knee and buried his face in Lewis’s hand, shedding thick tears.

“Thank you… for being alive… for letting me see you alive again like this… truly, thank you.”

Lewis also knelt to meet his gaze and smiled with misty eyes.

“I remember a lot now. When I went on a trip to the west with Mother, you caught a fox with big ears for me. It was very pretty… but I couldn’t save Mother or that fox because I was too weak…”

“Why didn’t you come to me… Why did you endure the contempt and pointing fingers of the world in this wretched state…”

The Duke wiped his tears with the back of his hand and glared at Frost.

“How could you make the Emperor’s younger brother cross-dress and masquerade as Your Highness’s wife?”

“Huh. I saved a drowning man and now he’s asking for the bundle.”

Frost brushed back the silver hair that had fallen over his forehead and snorted.

“He must have found you so untrustworthy that he sought me out instead and entrusted his life to me.”

“Your Highness!”

Duke Greco jumped to his feet and roared fiercely.

“Prince Lewis is the only son of Empress Jelsomina! Empress Jelsomina was the proper daughter of Marquis Bandelli of the west and my youngest sister-in-law!”

“Is your memory only returning now? About what kind of person you were to Prince Lewis?”

“Pardon?”

“Yet what did the west and Mage Tower do when Empress Jelsomina was unjustly killed by the Empress Dowager’s faction? You maintained your precious neutrality and covered up the fire incident! And when Marquis Bandelli demanded an investigation into the deaths of his daughter and grandson, only to be caught up in treason and have his entire clan exterminated, what did you do!”

“At that time…!”

Duke Greco was at a loss for words at Frost’s stern rebuke and could only clench his fists tightly.

“You had no choice? After my parents passed away in an unfortunate accident, the north and south joined forces against the imperial family, so you did it out of fear that the balance of power would crumble if the west also became hostile to the imperial family? With innocent people dying and the Empire’s security collapsing, is that damned balance so important!”