“A guest? To me?”

Mercian, who had been learning how to make butternut squash soup from the cook Zhang that morning, frowned as she entered the reception room at Charles’s words.

“Sister?”

“Oh? My lovely little sister Mer. How did you lose so much weight in just one day? Surely these people aren’t looking down on you for being from a baronet family?”

Mercian stifled a laugh at the absurdity of Lucienne, who approached her as if they hadn’t seen each other in years, giving an exaggerated greeting while glaring at Charles.

Haa. You look down on me more than anyone here, sister.

Yesterday at the wedding, Lucienne left with an expression that seemed to wish for my unhappiness. What on earth is going on now?

“Sister, why would you say such things? Everyone has been so kind to me.”

Kind? Well, you’re the type who thinks being fed well is being treated kindly, so seeing how you’ve gained even more weight in just one day, it seems the duke doesn’t care about Mer at all.

Well, if that’s the case, perhaps I can seduce this foolish girl more easily?

“First, send everyone around us away.”

“What?”

“It’s a really important conversation.”

What nonsense is she going to spout now? From her experience, when someone acts this excessively, it’s surely going to be useless talk, but knowing that Lucienne won’t just leave if told no, Mercian sighed softly and said:

“Charles, please give us a moment.”

“But madam, the head maid told me to stay close to you.”

“It’s alright, so please let me talk with my sister alone for a moment.”

At Mercian’s words, Charles glanced at Lucienne with a worried expression, then bowed her head and left.

Haa. It’s only been one day since the wedding, is she really under the delusion that she’s a duchess?

When the reason she was able to safely have that wedding yesterday was because of who…

Lucienne felt anger rising as she looked at Mercian sitting in front of her, completely unaware of her efforts, but she suppressed it and took a sip of the tea placed in front of her.

“What do you want to say?”

“Mer, you should be grateful to me.”

“What?”

“Do you know who’s responsible for you safely completing your wedding yesterday?”

“Surely you’re not trying to say it was because of you?”

Is she going to spout nonsense about how I got married because she couldn’t spill soup on my dress yesterday?

Seeing Mercian looking at her as if to say ‘What nonsense are you talking about?’, Lucienne lowered her voice and said:

“Do you know that the duke is plotting treason?”

[This is the timeline separator]

The Imperial Palace, Ruan’s office.

“As you thought, Your Grace, the Crown Prince has approached the baronet’s daughter.”

“Is that so? He moved faster than expected. Thanks to that, we’ll have plenty of time to deal with the Crown Prince.”

Ruan quietly gazed at the red line that had grown darker since yesterday.

[This is the timeline separator]

Two weeks ago, as the two-year war with the Kingdom of Alromand was coming to an end, Ruan was stationed in a town that had already surrendered to mop up the last of the resistance forces.

“What do you mean? What did Sinclair do?”

At Ruan’s question, Cassel hesitated before answering.

“He tried to rape a woman who was among the last group of resistance fighters.”

Before Cassel could finish speaking, Ruan moved.

“Where is that bastard? And the woman?”

“Sinclair has been locked up in a temporary prison. And the woman’s condition isn’t very good. The doctor said she was pregnant.”

Haa…

Ruan hurriedly went to the temporary town hospital and flung open the ward door.

“Y-Your Grace! Be careful!”

As Ruan opened the door, a white light passed through his body.

“Ugh!”

“Your Grace, are you alright?”

As Cassel, who had been following behind, supported Ruan, he got up and walked towards the bed where the woman was lying.

“I’m fine.”

The woman, who had been looking satisfied at the sight of Ruan stumbling as he entered, muttered something towards Ruan as he approached her with her few remaining breaths.

“… curse you… my husband’s revenge…”

“M-Ma’am, what are you saying? Ma’am!!”

As Cassel hurriedly approached the woman and shook her, her hand fell limply off the bed.

“Your Grace, she’s dead.”

Cassel looked at Ruan with a bewildered expression.

“Let’s go to Sinclair first.”

Temporary prison.

“Your Grace, I’m really innocent. That wench seduced me!”

Ruan quietly looked at Sinclair, who was speaking with an aggrieved expression.

Sinclair Arfonbark.

He was the youngest son of Emperor Bisseluk Arfonbark, the son of Empress Ohara, and the 3rd Prince who was a troublemaker of the empire.

It was a mistake to bring him along at the emperor’s request when starting the war.

No, to be precise, it was the Crown Prince’s scheme.

He recommended Sinclair, the most useless and troublesome of the princes, saying that one of the princes should participate in the war, in order to set me up.

Sinclair had been causing all sorts of trouble for two years.

But he had always stayed within certain limits…

What on earth happened?

Ruan looked at Sinclair, who seemed half out of his mind, and said:

“You’ve violated military law. I’m sure I told you. Never touch women or the elderly and weak during war.”

“It’s been two years, Duke. Because of that damn military law or whatever, I haven’t been able to touch a woman even once! And then when that wench comes on to me aggressively… Argh!”

Before Sinclair could finish speaking, Ruan kicked him in the chest.

“Y-You dare kick me? Do you know who I am?!”

“You’re just my subordinate who has violated military law right now!”

“Ha! The war is almost over, once we return to the empire, someone like you…”

“Your Grace. Please calm down first. No matter what, laying hands on a prince is…”

“I was given permission to kill him.”

“… What?”

Ruan took out a scroll from his breast pocket and threw it in front of Sinclair.

“The condition was that I could kill him according to military law if he caused trouble. Did you think I would bring a troublemaker like you without any conditions?”

“N-No way. Father would never do this to me. This must be fake!”

At Sinclair’s words, Ruan smiled coldly and said:

“Those who violate military law are subject to death.”

“What? What nonsense. Death penalty for just touching one wench?!”

“She’s dead. Because of you!”

“What? Hey Duke, it’s just one wench, and she’s an enemy too. Not even our imperial citizen, why the death penalty?”

“It’s two people. The woman was pregnant. So you killed two people. The death penalty will be carried out immediately upon returning to the empire through a court-martial. Watch him so he doesn’t escape or commit suicide!”

“D-Duke!!”

Ruan left the prison, ignoring Sinclair calling out to him desperately.

Ugh!!

Having taken only a few steps after leaving the prison, Ruan suddenly felt his heart freeze and collapsed, unable to breathe.

[This is the timeline separator]

“So you’re saying this is a curse?”

As Ruan opened his eyes at Cassel’s words, Cassel, the military doctor Fabian, and several people who had defected from the Kingdom of Alromand to the empire were looking at him with serious expressions.

“What’s going on?”

“Well, that…”

As Cassel hesitated at Ruan’s question, a kindly-looking old man came forward and spoke to Ruan.

“Your Grace, it seems you’ve been cursed.”

“Cursed?”

At Ruan’s question, Cassel nodded and answered:

“Upon investigation, it seems that the deceased woman deliberately approached His Highness the Prince.”

“Deliberately?”

“Yes, after learning that her husband had died in the war, she deliberately approached His Highness and then…”

“She lured me. To place a curse on me.”

“Yes. For the woman, Your Grace was the enemy who killed her husband.”

“So can this curse be lifted?”

“We’re currently investigating about that woman, but according to the kingdom’s people, it seems to be a witch’s curse.”

“A witch’s curse?”

At Ruan’s question, the man who seemed to be an elder pointed to a thin red blood vessel on Ruan’s wrist and said:

“Yes. It’s called a witch’s curse, where this blood vessel gradually moves towards the heart. Usually, it takes about 6 months for this blood vessel to reach the heart, and the moment it touches the heart, it freezes.”

“The heart freezes?”

“Yes. There may be no symptoms now, but as the blood vessel moves closer to the heart, you’ll experience more frequent pain and dizziness, and in the future, you may even lose consciousness.”

“Is there a way to break the curse?”

“Well.”

“There isn’t one?”

“No one knows exactly how to break a witch’s curse. The witch’s curse is also called the love curse, and it’s said that if you truly love someone, the curse will be broken, but that’s not certain either.”

“Truly love? What’s the standard for that sincerity?”

Ruan muttered, tilting his head at the elder’s words.

“There’s a saying that the curse will be broken if you love someone so much that you feel it would be okay to give up your own life for them.”

At the elder’s words, Ruan smiled cynically and said:

“To be willing to give up my life instead? How ridiculous.”

“Perhaps they placed such a curse because of the rumors that Your Grace’s heart is as cold and cruel as if it were frozen.”

At Cassel’s words, Ruan laughed incredulously and thought:

Giving up one’s life for love, not for honor.

Where else is there such foolishness?

“Thank you for letting me know. Everyone, you may leave now.”

After the Alromand people left, Ruan said to Cassel:

“Cassel, find out exactly what kind of curse has been placed on me. And also ways to break the curse.”

“Yes, I understand. Your Grace. Or perhaps you could try this thing called love…”

“Love is for fools. That woman also cursed me for her husband’s revenge, but the result was losing her own life and her child’s life. Throwing away one’s life for revenge, isn’t that truly foolish? Even if it’s her own life, what sin did the child who hasn’t even been born into the world commit? Rather, if she had thought like that, given birth to the child, raised them well to become an excellent knight, and then tried to kill me, wouldn’t that have been more practical and rational?”

Practical and rational.

No, how can you apply practicality and rationality to human emotions like that?

This is why people say you’re cold-hearted and your heart is as cold as ice.

“Of course, that’s true. But perhaps she no longer wanted to live after her beloved husband died?”

“Cassel, then what about the child? Did she ask the child if it wanted to die together?”

“W-Well, it was in the womb, so…”

“The most foolish thing in the world is risking one’s life for someone you love. Have they ever thought about what would happen to the other person after they die?”

“No, Your Grace’s words are correct, but still… somehow it doesn’t seem right.”

“Stop talking nonsense and go find out.”

“Yes, Your Grace. Then I’ll keep Your Grace’s curse a secret and investigate quietly.”

“Six months, they said…”

“Yes.”

“No, there’s no need for that. Spread a rumor that I’ve been poisoned and will die within 6 months, but leave out the part about the curse.”

“What? But.”

“Whether I die from poison or a curse, dying is the same, isn’t it?”

“Why on earth?”

“The Crown Prince’s movements are suspicious. He might kill Prince Harmen soon.”

“His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Yes, as you know, the Crown Prince is absolutely not fit to be emperor. His Majesty the Emperor has been secretly teaching Prince Harmen the etiquette and education of a crown prince for a very long time.”

“But.”

“Why do you think they attached Prince Sinclair to me when I went to war? It’s one of two things. Either they hoped I would kill the prince in the war, or they hoped I would lose the war because of the prince.”

“Then what do you plan to do?”

“Once the rumor spreads that I’ve been poisoned and am about to die, and my illness becomes apparent, the Crown Prince will probably wait for the day I die to kill Prince Harmen.”

“Then.”

“If I can break the curse within 6 months, that would be good, but if I can’t, I should at least remove one sprout to prevent the empire from falling before I go.”

“Your Grace.”

“For now, let’s keep this between you and me. And keep a close watch on Sinclair. It would be troublesome if he were to die before we return to the empire.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

From that day on, to make people aware of his poisoning more quickly, Ruan started deliberately losing weight by eating only one meal a day.

After some time passed and Ruan’s weight dropped dramatically, it became an established fact that Ruan would die in 6 months.

He had planned to endure well for 6 months, resolve the Crown Prince’s matter, and then quietly meet his death.

Marriage was an unexpected variable.