And that was the last page of the diary.

“This is…”

I couldn’t have imagined they treated him so harshly. I thought it might be neglect or indifference.

But this was close to abuse.

They deliberately brought him in and treated him as if he were invisible, pushing him away whenever he tried to express his emotions.

Moreover, unless he was with someone else, they never called Nathaniel by name even once.

Words calling him in Nathaniel’s diary.

As the diary progressed, Nathaniel’s emotions gradually disappeared.

“Ah!”

I rushed to the bookshelf and touched the ornament in the middle at the top.

With a clattering sound, the title of the book, which was stuck in the adjacent slot, changed.
As I skimmed through the titles one by one, I found the copy that Kilian had given me not long ago.

“There must have been a part related to emotions.”

It was in the middle, a little toward the back.

“Light and darkness appear completely different. However, their origins can be considered one if viewed broadly, as chaos. The reason beings of light seem more beautiful than darkness is due to their brilliant emotions, and the reason beings of darkness seem more elegant than light is because of emotions that appear chaotic.”

In the original work, Nathaniel almost lacked emotions.

And the only entity that was special to him, Teresa, completely transformed into a dragon of darkness when she died.

“And the creatures I met then…”

They, too, expressed anxiety, stating that their emotions were gradually dulling.

The scattered puzzle pieces were slowly coming together to form a complete picture.

“When you gain emotions, you maintain a human form.”

Young Nathaniel always wanted to escape from being hurt by his mother, specifically from her negative ’emotions.’

Unconsciously, he erased his own emotions, and as a result, the time he spent in the form of a dragon became longer.

“And in the end, losing Teresa, who was a friend, made me want to escape from all emotions.”

Faced with the death of the person he first opened his heart to, Nathaniel completely erased his own emotions.
The magic he uses is materializing his thoughts into powerful magical forces.

So, it was not an impossible task.

I slowly skimmed through his handwriting with my fingertips.

It was too heartbreaking that I couldn’t protect young Nathaniel.

‘I miss you.’

I wiped away tears with the back of my hand and stepped out of the study.

He might be busy with work in the office by now. I hurriedly went downstairs and, without knocking, opened the office door.

“What’s going on?”

I met Nathaniel’s surprised eyes as he stood in the middle of the office. I rushed over and hugged his neck.

“Jaena?”

Even in his bewildered voice, I pulled him closer.

Maximilian came out of the social club with a weary expression.

Although it was a meeting for a contract, there was a separate matter that people were curious about.

Wherever he went, he was bombarded with questions about his relationship with Gurovan Youngae.

“It’s a headache having people so interested in some woman I don’t even know.”

Avoiding gazes, he escaped to a quiet tea house, sweeping his hair back and murmuring.

I wonder if Teresa heard the rumors.

He worried that she might start doubting their relationship for no reason.

After collapsing that day, Teresa refrained from external activities.

It seemed she needed more time to get used to her powers.

‘I miss you.’

As soon as I recognized the thirst, my throat felt like it was drying up.
As I recalled Teresa’s collapsing figure, the blood in my body ran cold.

In her dreamlike state, Teresa’s face turned pale, as if she could die any moment.

The conflicting feelings of wanting to confirm and the realization that I shouldn’t be doing so created chaos.

The only fortunate thing was that she no longer had nightmares.

‘Was the cure unnecessary in the end?’

The sacred power was a healing force, and Nathaniel explained that the probability of this power harming Teresa was low.

Nevertheless, it seemed prudent to know about a cure just in case.

“Um…”

Lost in thought, I belatedly noticed someone standing in front of me.

As I raised my head, I saw an unfamiliar woman.

“Do you come to see me?”

“Yes, may I sit for a moment?”

“No, I’m not so idle as to sit with an unknown woman.”

Maximilian now realized the toxicity of excessive kindness.

He stood up, tidied the surroundings, placed money on the table, and left the shop to head towards the carriage.

“Wait!”

Seeing the woman clinging to his clothes, Maximilian frowned.

‘Isn’t this a bit too much even without a case?’

Gently pulling away the fabric, Maximilian spoke firmly.

“Youngae, whoever you are, there’s no need to cling to me like this.”
“You don’t remember, do you?”

As the situation unfolded as expected, Diana sighed. Since she hadn’t even revealed her name, there was no way a man with the stature of Maximilian would remember her. Now, her position seemed coldly apparent.

“You must have heard of my name. I am Diana Groban, milord.”

Disgust filled Maximilian’s eyes.

Diana bit her lip. It was painful to be looked at with such eyes by someone she liked. She resented herself for not making more of that potion. With the books stolen, she couldn’t recreate it. So, she had to find a different way. Using the emperor’s authority would have been the easiest, but the opposition from the Duke of Winters was more substantial than she thought.

“Moreover, the potion’s power is not perfect.”

Afraid that the emperor’s heart might change, Diana hesitated but decided to ask Maximilian for help directly. If he heard her situation, he might pity her and offer assistance.

“You are… Youngae Groban, right?”

“Yes, yes!”

Maximilian sighed, looking at the woman who seemed deeply in love with him. Diana was not the first woman like her. Women infatuated with him would secretly follow him, even stealing things.

“Please, stop this kind of behavior.”

Maximilian said with a disgusted expression.