His loneliness had just begun anew.

In Ermedillin’s bedroom, a quiet night had come after everyone had left.

Ermedillin had issued a nighttime bedroom entry ban to Luny because the nurse’s overnight care was exposed when casually asked what the oftrepeated ‘Gyungse’ meant.

The interior, which relied on a small flickering lantern because even the moon didn’t rise tonight, was utterly dark.

It had been an emotionally draining day.

“Did that woman make it back safely?”

A man who disappears leaving his bleeding lover on the street may be despicable, but the queen cannot interfere in the love affairs of the commoners.

Ermedillin had no words to say to the crying woman except to endure.

“Endure? To endure?”

A newlyrealized emotion began to shake Ermedillin’s soul completely as the time of solitude arrived.

The wound that was frozen in the late winter, when she had stood in front of the Han River to end her life, triggered excruciating pain in every nook and cranny of her soul.

Not only her soul but also her flesh felt pain.

“My friend, my lover, my family.”

The only side that had helped her endure the world where she was thrown alone.

Only now did she truly realize that she had been left entirely alone in this world.

That was why she had tried to die that day.

Because she felt like suffocating from that terrible sense of loneliness.

Joy, pain, happiness, sadness. If there is no one to share them with, they are meaningless.

Where in the world does one find a reason to live?

The vivid fear of being alone began to overwhelm her again.

But Ermedillin will soon shake it off and rise.

Just as she had found a new goal back then, a new goal has appeared for her now.

“Yes. Let’s survive first. I’ll save my life, and protect the people from the epidemic that has broken out in the capital!”

The next morning, Ermedillin devoted herself to magical research from an early hour.

Today was the day to finally test the curse magic in actuality.

Since she could not test this terrible magic on a human, Ermedillin decided to proceed with the experiment by picking a blooming rose from the garden.
“I’m sorry. You’ve blossomed so beautifully… I might just make you wither. I truly am sorry.”

Torn about taking away the vitality of just one tempting rose, Ermedillin couldn’t help but wonder what the previous owner of her body was thinking when casting curses on people.

‘The theory is perfect. Now all that’s left is to implement it.’

Ermedillin closed her eyes, trying to sense the dark magic flowing through her blood.

At first, she had no idea what feeling the magic actually meant, but she was slowly starting to understand what that sensation was trying to tell her.

‘Now!’

At one moment, she felt the circulating magic concentrate towards her fingertips and immediately chanted the spell.

To her amazement, the rose that had been vibrant just moments ago rotted away instantly.

It wasn’t just withering; it had decayed entirely into a black lump.

“What the… This is more than just stealing vitality. What is this?”

A novice herself, Ermedillin looked at the rose, now vanished into nothing, with a regretful expression.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen. The spell was specifically for siphoning vitality!”

Unsurprisingly, the result was expected.

Though overflowing with the magic of a grand mage, her soul was of an absolute beginner. Controlling it accurately in one go would have been the oddity.

‘I guess magic isn’t something you can use just because you study it. I’ll need to practice for a while.’

But just the thought of ruining more beautiful roses like this already gave her a headache.

‘Should I just not do it? As if someone would try to kill me again?’

She didn’t hesitate for more than a few seconds.

Ermedillin immediately immersed herself back into practicing magic.

“Right. They would try to kill me! Not just once, but multiple times! So frustrating!”

Meanwhile, Vallier had been waiting all morning for Henri’s visit.

He had expected Henri to come, bowing in humility, especially after yesterday’s spectacular performance.

Yet the morning passed without a word from Henri.

“Wasn’t anyone sent to check on me by His Majesty?”

“No, there wasn’t.”

A maid lowered her head as if feeling guilty.

‘Did the shock get to him? All this over a mere wrist…’

Vallier decided to take the initiative and visit Henri, putting on the mask he had left behind as if doing a favor.

Henri greeted Vallier without avoiding him.

“Your Majesty. How do I look? Do I suit it?”

It was a gesture of reconciliation in its own way, but Henri’s reaction was not exactly positive.

“You must have been quite startled yesterday. My emotions got the best of me… I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

If you go strong, you also have to know when to go soft.

Vallier looked up at Henri with pitiable eyes.

“No, you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m just glad you’re recovered.”

Henri brushed the tips of Vallier’s hair with a faint smile.

Though his lips were smiling, his blue eyes were filled as if a harsh rain was about to fall.

“I’ll wear the mask. Upon reflection, I realized I was shortsighted.”

“Yes. With or without the mask, your beauty cannot be hidden.”

Soft words, as if resigned.

However, Vallier took this as a sign that Henri was letting go of his anger and adjusting to him.

“Thank you. You always have such beautiful words.”

Pleased, he praised sincerely for the first time in a long while.

Yet, Henri only frowned slightly, bit his lip, and gave a small nod.

“I’m really looking forward to the founding festival! I’ll do my best to prepare the event I’m responsible for, so it won’t tarnish the reputation of the Trevian Empire!”

“Yes, I believe you will do well.”
Hearing the word “believe” from Henri’s mouth, Valliere felt even better.

‘I knew it would work.’

“Yes! Of course!! I will definitely successfully hold the founding ceremony!!”

As soon as he returned to his office, Henri threw himself onto his chair.

Even though he admitted that all emotional responses were now meaningless, his heart still raced at the sight of his lover’s happy smile.

Even though he had repeatedly told himself that his first love had died, that Valliere no longer existed, he still crumbled at the sight of a smile that looked exactly like the one he had loved.

Loving Valliere was suffocating, and thinking about breaking up was also suffocating.

Henri was simply standing blankly on a bridge that was blocked on both ends, waiting for the moment of inevitable fall that would come one day.