However, meeting Vercheria alone wasn’t enough. How should the fact that even the emperor’s government had golden eyes be interpreted?

“Pretend you don’t know for a while.”

Vercheria said to Groovy.

“What?”

“Pretend you didn’t see. Don’t say anything. Not even to me. I’ll figure out what happened. How it turned out.”

“Oh. Okay.”
Groovy opened his eyes wide and nodded.

He didn’t know what had happened exactly, but Vercheria could be trusted.

“I’ll do as you say, Vercheria.”

That night, Vercheria couldn’t easily fall asleep.

A woman who looks like her, yet by the emperor’s side.

Someone who tried to use Groovy to kill Vercheria in such a situation.

Her tossing and turning on the bed became more intense as time passed.

To overcome this situation, she had to first understand the intentions and act ahead, but it wasn’t easy to easily guess what Rione wanted.

It started as a light conversation to get rid of the small things that bothered her.

“I’m lucky to know now.”

Turning over again, Vercheria once again thought deeply.

She got up from the bed and walked to the window, looking at the scenery outside the palace.

Rain began to fall gently as Vercheria quietly looked at the landscapes outside the palace.

“As one of the protectors of this continent, you want me to come to you.”

The rain containing her wishes would reach Dickfer, the continent’s god residing in Feriate, and Vellofay, the god of the sea.

And one more person she needed.

After hesitating for a moment, Vercheria turned around and went outside.

It was quite late, as everyone had gone to bed after the party, even though they used portals to return to the palace.

Despite believing that he was already asleep, there was only one person left in her complicated mind.

“Lacrachan.”

Vercheria headed to his room.

After going near, she found the shadow walking from the opposite side.

Now, she could easily recognize who it was with just the silhouette.

“Vercheria.”

Just hearing the voice calling her name made her anxious feelings calm down.

When she stopped walking, Lacrachan approached with broad steps.

The distance between them disappeared, and the familiar scent of the dark corridor enveloped them.

How could she forget this man and live for so long?

How could she not recognize a man who made her heart tremble just by looking at him?

“Where are you going?”

“I was coming to meet you.”

Unexpectedly, his eyebrows rose brightly.

“Oh.”

He took another step forward and held Vercheria’s hand.

Since Lacrachan had never been exposed to contact in public places, Vercheria looked surprised.

Looking at the widened golden eyes, Lacrachan smiled gently.

“Shall we take a walk?”
The warm temperature overlapped with the cold fingertips of Vercheria.

It was almost time for the sun to rise, but that didn’t seem to matter.

Vercheria raised her head and looked at him.

“It’s the perfect time for a walk, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

The two of them leisurely walked through the deserted corridor.

The palace of Feriate boasted a magnificent beauty that would impress anyone.

After the war, Gerard had invested an enormous amount of money in rebuilding the destroyed palace.

The money collected from various places was enough to create a small kingdom.

There were rumors that Gerard was conscious of the Deransis Empire, the most prosperous among the three continents.

Although Gerard had not completely repaid his debt, thanks to it, those who watched this spectacle could enjoy benefits.

Representing the palace, red roses, characteristic of the capital with warmer weather than the north, embraced the walls.

The fully opened flower buds made the scene even more delightful.

The two strolled through the garden, where only darkness and moonlight existed.

“It’s peaceful.”

Vercheria calmly observed the garden.

Benches where women would sit and chat during the day, narrow paths where people would hurry back and forth—all now quiet as if time had stopped.

“Yeah. The scenes we’ll experience in the future will be the opposite.”

Lacrachan raised his head, pulling up the corners of his mouth towards Vercheria.

“Today, Princess Kelita declared. If you don’t marry her, she’ll torment you.”

He lightly applied force to Vercheria’s hand, which he was holding, knowing the true meaning behind his words.

“Do you believe that Kelita’s mother is inside her body?”

“The atmosphere is completely different from the previous Kelita.”

Lacrachan stopped walking and faced Vercheria.

“Can you endure it?”

Vercheria recalled the narrow tower and the sound of carriage wheels from that tower.

Her mother, who came with dry bread.

The sensation of the whip that struck her body every time.

“The question of whether I can endure is irrelevant now.”

She looked at Lacrachan with a firm gaze.

“Now that the opportunity for revenge has finally come.”