Those who knew Sieghart’s true identity would have been extremely rare.

The man would have meticulously hidden the fact that he was Enoch Calent, so apart from the deceased former emperor, only Kyle Letius would know the man’s secret.

The other person was already aware that Kyle Letius was the one who revealed his identity to Natasha.

So the question would be to ask about the details of the situation at that time.

‘…It’s over anyway, so whatever.’

It was clear that in explaining this, it would also be revealed that Natasha had been in danger.

The inflexible Sieghart would obviously exclude her from the operation for safety reasons, but now that the operation in the imperial palace was over, there seemed no need to hide it.

As for Ron Letius’s plan, she was already in the carriage, so there was no way to stop it anyway.

Natasha watched the other’s expression and finally opened her mouth.

“…It was when we found the secret door in the emperor’s bedroom, and you all entered through the secret door to begin the investigation. The emperor, who should have been attending the banquet, suddenly burst into the bedroom.”

Sieghart, listening to the story, seemed lost in thought. Yes, I thought he was suddenly moving somewhere… His short murmur tinged with empathy suggested he was recalling that time.

“I was worried that Kyle Letius, who had noticed I had ulterior motives, might figure out the entire plan. It was obvious that if it was revealed that a secret door had opened in the study beyond the wall, that knights had entered inside, the whole plan would be exposed.”

Natasha, wanting to euphemize that day’s events as much as possible, became cautious. It wasn’t an explanation that needed to be this long, but perhaps to express that it was unavoidable, her words kept trailing on.

“…So I had a mission to restrain the emperor. To protect our operation and you all.”

Natasha, pursing her dry lips, hesitantly continued her words.

“To divert his attention to me, I provoked the emperor, and the enraged emperor spoke shortly after.”

“…”

“How much of a worm-like existence I was. How much of a contradictory burden I was to you.”

She then revealed that she had seen the tragic footsteps of the man, from the despair of Enoch Calent who had lost everything to the despair of Sieghart Asthart.

Additionally, for some reason, she saw visions of Enoch and Sieghart’s past before her eyes.

“He probably wanted me to suffer. Since our relationship would seem quite amicable in others’ eyes. If I learned that the man I loved was actually suffering because of me, it was obvious I would be discouraged…”

“…”

“Well, he was right sometimes. Thanks to the emperor’s words, I did become distressed. And I felt guilty thinking that the person I had hated had actually been enduring even greater pain because of me.”

The atmosphere had become quite somber as she spoke absentmindedly. Feeling awkward, Natasha tried to end with a bit of humor, but it fell flat.

While waiting for Sieghart’s response, she was just fidgeting with her innocent skirt hem.

“You don’t need to be in pain.”

Instead of the expected scolding, what greeted her was unexpectedly comforting.

Natasha, not understanding the meaning, stared ahead as if to ask what he meant.

“There’s no reason for you to be distressed in this relationship.”

“…”

“You don’t need to be troubled just because you learned about my past.”

She couldn’t understand.

Then what?

Was he encouraging her to hate Sieghart as she originally did?

It was when Natasha furrowed her brow slightly, as if unable to empathize.

“Even that pain was created by me.”

Sieghart, who had somehow read her emotions, answered.

“I saved you out of my selfishness.”

“…”

“My selfishness urged me to approach you.”

“…”

“My selfishness desired your love, and my selfishness craved forgiveness for the past. That’s why I acted oppositely to the past, trying not to repeat past mistakes.”

A bitter smile hung at the corners of his eyes. Guilt was intimately intertwined with his lips like breath.

“My guilt is only of the past… Natasha, yours remains in the present.”

“…”

“So you don’t need to worry about embracing my past as well.”

Why on earth.

The unspoken question only circulated inside.

Once surfaced, the question gradually multiplied. Repeated inquiries tangled like a spider’s web.

“…Why on earth?”

Her head became complicated because of it. Unintentionally, a counter-question burst out.

“Why don’t you hate me? Why on earth?”

The sincerity that had broken through from within did not easily return. The voiced doubt showed no signs of fading.

“I hated you all along without knowing your past! I hurt you by demanding you bring back my family…! Why do you, how…”

“I told you. Everything stemmed from my selfishness.”

“…”

“The fact that you learned that truth, and thus felt guilty, it’s all because I set things in motion.”

She still couldn’t understand the context.

As the man said, Natasha learned that truth because Sieghart saved her, thus repeating a meaningless life.

But wasn’t the fundamental truth there from before? Why was he thinking so obtusely and one-dimensionally, as if blind?

Natasha decided not to think too deeply.

Right, since when did she understand Sieghart.

“I’ll ask just one thing too. What was your reason for saving me?”

Instead, she asked something else.

Perhaps something she also knew, yet somehow felt the need to have confirmed, such a trivial thing.

“I wanted to love.”

“…”

“I wanted to bring back the time when you loved me, that beautiful moment when I loved Tisha Winter.”

Although it was impossible because of what I had done.

The man only recited in a low voice this time too, as if recalling the moment.

“…You really did love me.”

Natasha murmured unknowingly as she recalled the past.

She had heard the man’s confessions of love countless times, but she had never believed them.

She believed that if he truly loved her, he couldn’t have acted that way. Even if that man had some grand circumstances, the fact that she was treated worse than livestock remained unchanged.

Yet in this life he claimed to love her, it was still an unbelievable story.

“There was never a time I didn’t love you.”

“…”

“Even the emotion I dismissed as resentment was in fact love. I just turned away, not wanting to admit it, but my true feelings were always the same. Surprisingly.”

It certainly had been that way…

Unlike his firm words, the other’s emotions were faintly revealed. Vague feelings nudged at Natasha’s heart.

“Then don’t you dislike my eyes now? My birth… don’t you hate my birth?”

“I love you enough now that such things don’t matter.”

When the man’s words were punctuated, the world seemed to stop as the carriage halted.

The coachman shouted loudly that the horse was tired and they would rest for a while.

Before getting out of the carriage to answer, Sieghart smiled faintly at Natasha.

“Ah, Natasha. Thank you for saying that.”

For what?

As Natasha silently questioned, Sieghart continued his words as if he had expected it.

“You told me it was okay to rest for a while.”

“Ah…”

“Thanks to that, my fever stopped. As if the curse the world placed on me for defying God had been extinguished.”

It took five days to reach Osrail.

Captivated by Osrail’s beautiful scenery, Natasha enjoyed the trip, almost forgetting their purpose.

For the first few days, they just followed the travel itinerary to avoid suspicion, but it felt like it had become the actual purpose rather than just a pretext.

It was around the time they had enjoyed traveling for about three days. The two gradually moved from the city of Osrail to the outskirts.

And a few days later, when the two finally settled in a rural village.

Sieghart paid the coachman and ordered him to return.

“I’d like us to enjoy ourselves from here on. Continuing to ride in a carriage is cumbersome, and people’s gazes are bothersome.”

“Ah, yes! I understand.”

The coachman, understanding, immediately disappeared with the carriage.

Sieghart, who had gone out saying he would rent a horse from the village, returned an hour later with a horse as black as his own hair.

After letting the horse loose in a small stable, he guided Natasha into the mansion.

Natasha was surprised twice, first by the unexpectedly wide corridor, and then by the large interior that gradually revealed itself as they passed through the corridor. He had said he got the largest mansion in the village, but the house was absurdly big.

Bewildered, she was led to the table and sat in the chair he pulled out for her.

Sitting across from her, Sieghart immediately got to the point.

“We’re planning to stay here for a month.”

The two were planning to stay in this village for about a month. They intended to stay for a long time on purpose to be thought of as villagers.

“We’re a couple who’ve come to the countryside for a short recuperation. You’re the sick wife, and I’m the husband taking care of you. After staying for about ten days pretending to be residents, approach Ron Letius pretending to be a neighboring resident.”

He brought out a map, which he must have prepared sometime, and pointed to Ron Letius’s house.

“Ron Letius will know our identities, but it doesn’t matter. As long as the villagers don’t find out. There’s nothing more suspicious than approaching a fallen royal, so acting as naturally as possible is the key to the plan.”

Natasha nodded at Sieghart’s warning.

And it was the seventh day since they had settled in the village.