“Duke Daniel has escaped from solitary confinement,” it was reported.

“As we expected. Ruans… Did he escape with him?”

Teishar shook his head and replied.

“No. Duke Daniel escaped alone.”

Lorencia bit her lower lip at the reality that differed from the future she had seen. What went wrong? She was confused about what she might be missing.

“What’s wrong, Roa? Your expression doesn’t look good.”

“In the future I saw, Duke Daniel rescued Ruans from solitary confinement and they escaped together, but it changed.”

Anxious, Lorencia spread her hands and summoned an amethyst orb. She had to check if war might break out in this changed future.

“Roa.”

Teishar’s face filled with worry as he looked at Lorencia.

“Fortunately, war hasn’t broken out.”

Even though Daniel didn’t escape with Ruans, thankfully war didn’t break out. Lorencia sighed in relief and dismissed the amethyst orb.

“I’m sorry, Ter. I seem to be getting sensitive as the future changes subtly bit by bit.”

“Roa has nothing to be sorry to me about.”

Teishar knew well that Lorencia had been increasingly concerned lately about the future changing little by little. She was worried that the future she desired might not come due to the constantly changing future.

“Roa.”

“Yes, Ter.”

“Even if war doesn’t break out, I intend to always be prepared for it.”

“You don’t need to prepare. War will absolutely not happen. I’ll keep checking the future to make sure it doesn’t occur.”

Lorencia can see the future. Therefore, she has absolute trust in her power. But when the future she saw changes even a little, she becomes anxious in proportion to that absolute trust.

“War must absolutely not… happen.”

Lorencia couldn’t shake off the anxious, restless feeling that kept rising every time the future she had seen changed.

In the previous future, there was never such frequent changes in the future. The future she saw always came true absolutely.

Why was the future changing? What if something even bigger than war happens as the future keeps changing like this?

“Roa. It’s alright.”

Teishar stroked Lorencia’s hair as she looked up at him and said.

“I’m not alright. If war breaks out, everything will be ruined. I don’t want to see people grieving anymore as they look at the red earth stained with blood and rotting lakes. You know I can see the future. I have to stop it. What if war breaks out as the future changes little by little? I’m anxious.”

“Do you know why I prepare for a war that hasn’t happened? People cannot see the future. Therefore, we prepare to achieve what we want and guard against dangers.”

“I think I’ll be distressed if war breaks out because of the gradually changing future.”

“Even if war breaks out in the future, it’s absolutely not Roa’s fault. So please don’t be anxious anymore about the changing future. Do you know something?”

Teishar gently cupped Lorencia’s cheeks with both hands.

“The present future has become better than the future Roa saw.”

“Ter. What do you mean? How has it become better?”

“I informed His Highness Adrian about the future where Duke Daniel escapes with Ruans. Naturally, security was strengthened, and thanks to that, Duke Daniel couldn’t escape with Ruans. The present future that has changed from what Roa saw has a much better outcome.”

At his words, her anxious heart seemed to melt like sweet cream. Lorencia tightly grasped Teishar’s hands.

“I know well that Roa is trying hard alone to prevent the war that will happen in this world. So I want to tell you.”

Teishar continued speaking with a kind smile.

“Roa is not alone. I hope you won’t bear it alone even if the future goes wrong. Even if the future changes for the worse, the love that I, including your family and everyone, have for Roa will never change, and we will protect you no matter what happens.”

Teishar wrapped his hands around Lorencia’s shoulders.

“Please stop trying to protect us all by yourself.”

Lorencia’s eyes reddened. And she nodded at his words.

“Roa will become much happier in the future. You’ll be with the people you love, so you don’t need to be anxious. Even if a bad future comes, everyone, including me, will protect Roa to prevent it from happening.”

Lorencia pulled up the corners of her mouth and nodded.

Teishar took Lorencia’s hand and knelt on one knee on the floor. She felt the inside of her eyes grow hot as she saw him smile at her while kissing the back of her hand deeply.

As their gazes met like that, their lips softly overlapped without either side initiating it.

Without saying anything, they desired each other, and laughter leaked through their touching lips.

Teishar began to relay the rest of the information that came from the Isuter Empire to Lorencia.

People were more pleased than wary about Adolf’s return.

“It’s said that people openly liked Emperor Adolf’s return because of the evil deeds Ruans committed while on the throne. All nobles, regardless of whether they were pro-nobility or pro-emperor.”

“He wasn’t even on the throne for that long… Are you saying all the nobles and people came to dislike Ruans?”

“That’s right. And when Ruans was confined to solitary, it was said to be like a festival atmosphere.”

“To that extent? How badly did he behave as emperor for people to be so happy?”

“Because he arrested and killed people without reason.”

He kept silent about the stories of forcibly dyeing maids’ hair red, calling them Lorencia, and dragging them to the bedroom. Among most of the maids who were dragged away, there were those who enjoyed receiving the emperor’s favor, but there were also those who ended their own lives.

“The families of those who died unjustly didn’t stay quiet. And the Pol Heredian family also launched an exposé about Ruans and Daniel.”

“Yes.”

Lorencia smiled. Illina had said she would become a dog that would bite Ruans’ nape. It was a natural result. After all, she had induced Illina to become such a dog.

“Illina blamed me for everything that happened to her. Illina never blames herself. But now that she’s fallen out with Ruans, she’ll resent and blame him.”

“That’s right, Roa. She said that Ruans was the one who killed Lord Lorirolls, and testified that when they were lovers, he said he would kill Emperor Adolf, Empress Ines, and even Crown Prince Adrian. Furthermore, she added that the suicide of the former Count Brant was due to guilt for not being able to stop Ruans’ atrocities.”

“She really did bite him to pieces.”

Fiercely.

“I induced Illina to choose whether to become meat for the pot or to bite her master’s nape, but I didn’t know she would bite to this extent.”

“Well, it’s a good thing.”

Lorencia had told Adolf before he returned to the Isuter Empire that Illina would testify.

And Adolf said that if by any chance Illina were to testify, he would punish her.

Adolf asked Lorencia how it would be good to hold her accountable.

Lorencia smiled. Adolf promised to do as she wished. With this, the words she had said to Lady Anne in the past were kept.

Although Anne died in the convent and Brant in his room, she intends to make Illina painfully watch the Pol Heredian family, like a crumbling sand castle, being swept away by waves until the end, bearing Brant and Lady Anne’s share as well.

Can Illina, who lived as a noble lady, live as a commoner? Of course not.

So she plans to give her help and hope at first so that she can somehow survive.

To live miserably until the end. So that she won’t even think of dying. Just a little.

“But I think people would have been more surprised that Crown Prince Adrian was alive?”

“That’s right.”

People had mentioned the eldest son of the Acteur Duke family as the next crown prince. However, Adolf named Adrian as the next crown prince. People thought it was a joke at first, but when Adrian revealed his face, they couldn’t hide their shock.

And the story that he had pretended to be dead for a while to survive made Daniel and Ruans’ crimes stand out even more clearly.

“But Concubine Pelena is claiming that Ruans is innocent.”

“Concubine Pelena…”

“She’s Emperor Adolf’s concubine. Have you met her before?”

“Not at all.”

“Is that so?”

I’ve only heard stories about who Pelena is. Lorencia had never seen her, neither in the previous future nor now.

“I’ve only heard that she’s a beautiful person. But her claim seems too forced.”

“Concubine Pelena pleaded that Ruans fell into a trap planned by Crown Prince Adrian. But no one believed those words. No, no one even wanted to believe.”

“They must have experienced how incompetent and tyrannical Ruans was when he was emperor, so no one wants to support him.”

“As expected, our Roa is smart. Everyone is just sick of Ruans. By the way, Crown Prince Adrian said that the record of Ruans fighting with Lord Lorirolls had been erased. So he said he restored that content.”

“The first thing Ruans did when he became emperor was to hide his shameful truth. I guess he was ashamed after all.”

“Ter.”

“Yes.”

“I hope he doesn’t let go of hope. The hope that he can become emperor again. At the same time, I want him to become someone who can’t trust anyone at all.”

To be left all alone, pushing everything away while only doubting the kindness that approaches.

I hope that sweet hope along with bitter punishment never ends.