“Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any problem with the seal.”

Vincent, who had thoroughly checked the state of the seal, scratched the tip of his nose.

After spending a night at the Mansion of Light, he headed to Mount Manakin in the demon realm early the next morning with Cedric.

It was to check if Lillian’s heart was properly sealed.

From Cedric’s perspective, there didn’t seem to be any particular issue with the seal either.

“We can close the hole now, Manakin.”

At Cedric’s words, Manakin snorted with an indifferent expression.

“Insolent brats. Bothering this old one from the morning.”

After saying that, Manakin slowly moved its giant front paw.

Kuung—

As Manakin blocked the large hole in the ground, a light earthquake occurred inside the cave with a majestic sound.

However, Cedric and Vincent only calmly gazed at Manakin’s large eyes, as if familiar with the situation.

Cedric, Vincent, and Manakin.

These three were bound by a contract to seal ‘Lillian’s Heart’.

Due to their contract, that dangerous object was sealed with the magical power of the two Grand Duke family heads and buried under Manakin’s giant foot.

As the surrounding earthquake finally stopped, Vincent chuckled towards Manakin.

“Hey, old hag. Even if you’re close to dying, how can you be lazy even in moving your front paw?”

At those words, Manakin glared fiercely and blew hot breath towards Vincent.

Vincent dodged nimbly as if accustomed to it, then glared back at Manakin, grinding his teeth.

“Ah, this old hag again!”

“You were impertinent and annoying even as a little brat who came for his first greeting following his father, and now you’ve grown up to become the head of a family, yet your behavior is exactly the same?”

Cedric watched the situation with a slightly tired expression, as if used to their bickering.

Eventually, as soon as Vincent saw red flames starting to flicker between Manakin’s teeth, he hurriedly turned his back towards the cave entrance.

“I should get going now that we’ve checked the seal, Cedric. If I stay here any longer, I feel like the Norman family line might really end!”

Vincent waved his hand high as he turned his back and gradually moved away.

“Send my regards to Rebecca too!”

The large eyes of the dragon Manakin, who had been watching Vincent leave, slowly turned towards Cedric.

“Rebecca…”

Manakin murmured in a low, ominous voice.

Then, with an expression as if pulling out one of many memories, she asked:

“Was that the name of your wife?”

As Cedric slowly nodded, she let out a small snort.

“Still not imprinted?”

It was an indifferent voice.

As Cedric frowned at that, Manakin let out a chuckling laugh.

“You still seem to think my choice was wrong.”

Cedric had always insisted that Manakin’s choice to connect him and Rebecca was a mistake.

But now, Cedric just remained silent with a confused face.

After a long while, Cedric slowly parted his lips.

“I’m not so sure anymore.”

“…”

“I sometimes think… that your choice might not have been wrong.”

Cedric was someone who always poured out resentment towards Manakin.

Such an uncharacteristic response from him might have been surprising, but there was not the slightest change in Manakin’s expression.

She only gave an enigmatic smile.

“Are you still suspicious of that woman because of ‘that night’?”

At Manakin’s words, a crease formed between Cedric’s brows.

It was because memories of the past came to mind.

On their wedding night, Cedric received an urgent call from Vincent.

There was news of suspicious movements near Mount Manakin.

So he left for Mount Manakin, promising Rebecca next time, but he met her again in an unexpected place.

‘Rebecca, how are you here…?’

Right here, at the sealing site of ‘Lillian’s Heart’.

It was a stroke of luck that Cedric discovered Rebecca before Vincent arrived.

If not, Vincent would have surely tried to kill her for appearing at the sealing site.

In fact, Vincent didn’t hide his suspicions about Rebecca’s origins even until their wedding day.

‘I hear her father was from the Kingdom of Kachis? What if you carelessly spend your first night with such a woman and end up being used, you who are the seal manager of that object?’

Vincent had a playful grin, but Cedric knew the meaning behind those words.

The now fallen Kingdom of Kachis.

Their royal family was a lineage that had continued since ancient times.

Because of that, despite being human, they knew secrets of the demon race that were not well known in the human realm.

Namely, about imprinting and Lillian’s heart.

Of course, due to their contract with the Demon King, they had been keeping that secret for a long time, but…

‘Humans who lose power in an instant and collapse tend to become obsessed with regaining that power.’

The Kingdom of Kachis had fallen just a few years ago and was driven to a nearby island.

For them, Lillian’s heart, which promised supreme power the moment it was obtained, would be the most coveted object.

Moreover, after learning that the Kachis royal family had been secretly continuing exchanges with Duke Bold.

Cedric’s suspicion towards Rebecca began to grow uncontrollably.

Especially as he faced her obsession with their one night together.

“But why do you now think that my choice might not have been wrong?”

Manakin asked with an enigmatic smile.

“Did you find out that everything was a misunderstanding?”

At Manakin’s words, Cedric looked elsewhere and opened his mouth.

“Yes. I thought that everything might have been my misunderstanding.”

“…”

“I was always suspicious of her wanting me too much. It seemed like she was trying to use me to get something. Yes… That’s definitely how it was, but,”

Cedric’s lips quivered as if struggling to speak.

After a few attempts, Cedric finally opened his mouth with a bitter expression.

“…Rebecca said she no longer wants me.”

A flicker of interest passed through Manakin’s large eyes.

“Oh ho. Finally…”

As Cedric furrowed his brows in displeasure at her words, Manakin laughed heartily.

“So how about you?”

“…What?”

“Now that the woman you wanted doesn’t want you anymore, do you feel relieved?”

At Manakin’s question, Cedric remained silent for a while.

Just keeping a bitter face in silence for a long time.

He murmured lowly like someone revealing a secret.

“…Not at all.”

At first, it was just that Rebecca’s coldness felt a bit unfamiliar.

And he thought Rebecca’s indifference towards him was just an act.

But every time he saw the changed Rebecca afterwards, he thought that perhaps he had been misunderstanding her for a long time.

So Cedric gradually let go of his suspicions and faced Rebecca.

She was a completely different person from what he knew.

Rebecca was a woman who could smile beautifully as if illuminating the whole world.

And she constantly strived to right past wrongs while kindly taking care of those around her.

Cedric felt increasingly guilty about his coldness that had made her into a bad wife.

And he finally regretted.

The fact that he didn’t realize her preciousness before Rebecca’s heart left him.

“It seems you’ve finally taken that child into your heart.”

Manakin murmured softly towards the silent Cedric.

Cedric nodded with a bitter face.

However, even though he had now realized his feelings, he and Rebecca were already divorced.

Cedric resented his past self for throwing away even the only justification to hold onto Rebecca.

And his position where he couldn’t say anything even if Rebecca left his side right now.

“If I could, I’d like to go back to that last moment when I could have held onto Rebecca.”

It was then, as Cedric was self-deprecating with his head lowered.

“You fool, you can still hold onto her even now.”

At Manakin’s casual voice, Cedric slowly raised his head.

“The only thing that’s changed is that now you want that child more than Rebecca does.”

Manakin laughed softly as she saw Cedric’s face tinged with faint shock.

“Cedric, I certainly bestowed upon you a connection destined by heaven and earth.”

“…”

“But turning that connection into fate is solely up to you.”

Cedric’s blue eyes slowly widened.

It felt like a tangled thread had been unraveled.

Cedric raised the corners of his mouth refreshingly, feeling a sense of clarity he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

“I guess it wasn’t entirely nonsense when they said a monster living for a long time gains the wisdom of all creation.”

At Cedric’s words, Manakin burst into laughter.

After conversing with her a bit more, Cedric bid farewell and left the cave.

Manakin watched Cedric’s retreating figure with a satisfied smile.

“…Now it’s finally your turn to pine for Rebecca one-sidedly.”

* * *

In the early afternoon, Bianca invited me to the Mansion of Light.

Since Cedric had left for the demon realm with Vincent, leaving the mansion empty, she wanted to have a tea party together.

After chatting with the adorable Bianca for quite some time, just the two of us.

A servant approached and carefully held out something.

“Um… Lady B. A letter has arrived.”

“…”

“I-I told them you were enjoying refreshments, but the messenger was so insistent on getting an answer right away…”

She looked afraid, as if dreading a harsh reprimand from me.

Knowing that the servants of the Mansion of Light were still afraid of me, I deliberately smiled more brightly and nodded.

“Thank you.”

Then she, along with the surrounding servants, blinked in surprise.

“…Pardon?”

“You must have tried hard to deliver it to me quickly since it’s said to be urgent news. I’m saying thank you.”

Then the servant holding the letter raised the corners of her mouth slightly with a dazed expression.

“Ah, no. Thank you, Lady B…”

She handed me the letter and stepped back.

‘Is there someone who would send me an urgent letter?’

The moment I finally checked the sender of the letter.

‘Of course.’

I frowned at the displeasure that washed over me.

And immediately tore up the letter while gesturing towards the servant who had brought me the letter.

“Tell them it’s difficult for me to make time. And that it will likely continue to be so in the future.”

.

.

.

That evening, at the Bold Duke’s estate in the south.

A carrier pigeon sent from the north flew into the Bold Duke’s study only in the evening.

The Bold Duke hastily untied the note attached to the pigeon’s leg.

After reading its contents for a moment.

“This…! This insolent thing!”

Kwang!

The Bold Duke, who had struck the table irritably, ground his teeth audibly.

“Rebecca, if you ignore the promise you made with me before marrying the Grand Duke in this way…”

Fierce eyes filled with venom as the Bold Duke glared.

“I can’t just stand by and watch you like this either, can I?”