A few hours ago.

After arriving at the inn promised by Arcadia and finally being alone in the room, Sion let out a long sigh.

He had barely slept for two days.

Even lying on a comfortable bed, even while riding a horse like a madman, the memory of that night would not be forgotten.

That memory would not let go of him, and he could not think of anything else.

Until the sunset, Sion sat on the bed and blankly stared out the window.

At first, he was flustered, thinking that his hasty and clumsy movements had hurt her. If that were the case, he would not have been able to forgive himself.

But that was not it.

‘The words, white butterfly.’

It was clear that was the reason.

Sion Belfast was not a fool to simply believe the woman’s words that she had kissed him on impulse.

He shared that sensation that collided with him, that gaze, that breath. It was not a lie.

Why did she react so intensely to the words ‘white butterfly’?

When they reunited after she had crawled out of the ventilation duct to save him at the Southern Duke’s mansion, when he asked her name, she had said,

[Just call me ‘Bug’.]

Perhaps it was because she was called a bug in her caterpillar stage, before formally becoming an assassin and receiving her name in advance.

Was that ‘white butterfly’, and so she got angry upon hearing that name?

Because she thought I had investigated her background?

No. It doesn’t seem like that’s it.

‘Why, Esther, why. It’s not like you’ve regressed like me and have memories of your previous life.’

That you are her before killing countless people. That you are not the White Butterfly. That you are simply her who has not yet committed sins.

Then, he let out an empty laugh at his own endless imagination.

‘Are you having these delusions now, Sion Belfast.’

He looked down at his hands.

The hands that had embraced her slender body, the hands that had held those small hands, the hands that had ruffled through her soft hair.

‘It’s like your warmth still remains.’

When he closed his eyes, all the sensations he had shared with Esther vividly revived. Blood rushes to the center of his body and desire rears its head.

‘Crazy bastard.’

The previous life where he was drawn to her to a degree he himself could not understand.

There was no way to sever the feelings from the previous life with just the night before.

But Sion thought.

He could not be pulled along forever by feelings that could not be consummated as the Northern Duke.

For the North, for the long fight ahead that must be fought through. For a different ending in this life than the previous one.

‘Arcadia, hurry and come. Come quickly and face me even with a sword, and untangle my stifling heart.’

But once again.

[Was it alright that it was not me?] [That’s right.]

She claws at his heart and passes by.

It feels as if the wind is blowing through his heart.

Those words may be the truth. Thinking that her heart was the same as his own may have been excessive conceit.

Then, the sound of horse hooves could be heard in the distance.

Sion went to the window. And he saw.

His Esther running out to greet Arcadia, her bright smile.

In an instant, an indescribable emotion surged up from his stomach to his throat.

Is this jealousy, absurdly enough.

Sion ordered Moby outside the door.

“Lieutenant General Moby, bring Arcadia.”

[This is the timeline separator]

The friend who entered the room kneels on one knee before him again.

If only he would just treat him comfortably when it’s just the two of them.

Is he saying that he will now treat him not as a friend, but only as the duke, only as the object of his loyalty?

“It must have been difficult, Arcadia.”

“My heart was pounding at the thought of seeing Your Highness.”

He smiles like a prodigal son.

“Disgusting.”

“I got goosebumps as well.”

“Haha.”

Only then did Sion laugh.

“So, how is the North?”

“What could happen in a day since you left. Ah, there is something to report.”

“What is it.”

His voice lowered without him realizing it.

“Daisy Antoine and the Devrith Antoine clan leader are heading to the island, at the same time as me.”

“Why?”

“To visit the aunt they haven’t seen in a long time. It seems Count Antoine received a letter from Her Majesty the Queen.”

Arcadia wore a faint smile.

I see.

“It is my understanding that Count Antoine wishes for that tomboy to receive a strict education as a lady of the island on this occasion.”

“Haha.”

‘That’s a relief. The people who wanted to see each other are meeting one by one.’

It was then.

Arcadia knelt on his other knee and looked up at Sion Belfast.

“Arcadia?”

“Your Highness.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“I have an urgent… request. I will not accept a refusal.”

“…You’re saying not to refuse.”

“Yes.”

The friend is no longer smiling.

“I’ll listen first and then decide.”

“I don’t like it. Say now that you won’t refuse.”

“Are you threatening the duke.”

“I’m saying this because I want to live properly.”

“!”

Those were painful words.

Arcadia raised his head.

“Your Highness. I, Arcadia, former vice-commander of the Northern Knights. From today, please consider me a dead man.”

“What?”

Sion doubted his own ears.

The previous life, how long had he suffered after sending you away like that.

I’m watching your life that you’re miraculously living after going back in time.

To consider you a dead man?

Sion still remembered the terrible pain and loneliness he had to endure after sending away like that the only friend he could open his heart to.

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I will become Your Highness’s secret knight. Your shadow.”

‘Secret knight!’

Does he mean he will officially become a dead person?

Sion gripped the bedspread of the bed he was sitting on.

“That won’t do.”

“Your Highness!”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”

“Sion!”

Arcadia called his name like a secret weapon.

“Your Highness Duke Sion Belfast. Shouldn’t you ask me the reason?”

“……”

“Do you remember what Esther said?”

Arcadia, don’t tell me.

“…Are you saying that the Southern Duke is creating a secret army.”

“Yes. The words that he is using the military funds he embezzled to form his private soldiers. To prove that, we need evidence. Using informants, I also found out about the secret routes Lahert uses to recruit mercenaries. If I join the Southern Duke’s secret army, I can do it.”

“You really do whatever you want.”

“…I’m sorry.”

A long silence passed. The one who spoke first was the duke.

“Arcadia, do you know what it means to become a shadow?”

“…Yes.”

“If you are discovered there and die, I cannot avenge your death. I cannot even hold them accountable for that death. Because you’re a secret agent, because you’re a shadow.”

“I told you not to refuse. Don’t take away my opportunity to repay the great thing you did to save my younger sibling. What you did is rewriting the history of the North.”

“That was not the result I intended to obtain.”

“I know.”

“…Arcadia.”

“I am different from Your Highness. I find the flank more interesting than the front. How fortunate it is that I am different from Your Highness. The odds of winning will go up.”

A sigh like a groan escaped from between Sion’s teeth.

The odds, the possibility of winning. Sweet words, but it can’t be done.

“Does Infidel know?”

“He doesn’t. If he knew, it wouldn’t be a secret.”

“Crazy bastard.”

“Do you understand now?”

Arcadia smiled again.

Sion closed his eyes.

He knew that Arcadia had begun to wander after Julia Nugent left.

[I will protect you!]

He remembers the words Arcadia, who was only nine years old, had said to him when he was eight.

How could he forget those days when it was just the two of them. How could I not know you.

“Arcadia.”

“Please. Let me protect you and the North.”

“……”

“Please grant me permission, Your Highness.”

Arcadia deeply bowed his head.

[This is the timeline separator]

I asked Lieutenant General Moby and came near the duke’s room.

But no matter how much time passed, Arcadia showed no sign of coming out.

‘What important thing are they talking about.’

I was curious. If it’s a secret, I should know too.

If it were any other time, I would have knocked. Then the duke inside would have told me to come in and I would have opened the door.

We would have predicted what was to come together and devised strategies and pondered together.

The bitter result I brought about.

I haven’t even told the duke that I’m sorry yet.

If he tells me that the kiss was a mistake, that he wouldn’t have been able to suppress the impulse even if it was a woman other than me, then I…

Just imagining it made my heart feel like it was being torn to shreds.

Yes, I was the one who did wrong, so I have to be the first to gather my courage.

I slowly walked to the front of the duke’s room. And I raised my hand to knock.

Then, I heard the words the two people were exchanging inside the closed room.

Even without using a Sword Master’s senses, I could hear the voices of the two people I knew.

– Arcadia, do you know what it means to become a shadow?

– Yes.

– If you are discovered there and die, I cannot avenge your death. I cannot even hold them accountable for that death. Because you’re a secret agent, because you’re a shadow.

– I told you not to refuse.

What does this mean.

Secret agent? Shadow? That even if he dies, that death cannot be held accountable?

I stepped away from the door. I couldn’t bear to listen anymore.

But in the end, unable to endure it, I knocked on the door not long after.

“Come in.”

The duke’s voice.

I slowly opened the door.

The two were standing.

As soon as I opened the door, what I encountered was the duke’s blue eyes looking at me.

His eyes that recognized it was me were… indifferent to the utmost degree.

My heart felt cold.

I opened my mouth.

“Your Highness. I unintentionally heard a bit of the conversation you were having inside.”

The duke said nothing. Arcadia turned to look at me.

“Oh dear, I told you not to come, Esther.”

“I need to know too. Because I am the North’s Sword Master and Your Highness’s adjutant.”

Your Highness’s adjutant, that’s right.

I asked Arcadia point-blank.

“What do you mean by becoming a shadow?”

“…Oh dear.”

He made a perplexed face.

“Please answer me.”

But Arcadia was silent. I asked again.

“Where are you going to infiltrate? Do you know how difficult it is to erase your existence and secretly infiltrate, to do something that cannot be revealed even if you lose your life.”

“Esther, isn’t that too much to say? I’m not an idiot, you know.”

Arcadia tried to brush off my words with a laugh.

“Sir Nugent, you’ve never done that kind of work. It doesn’t suit you. That kind of work is something that those of us who were bugs do.”

“It’s to win, Esther. Because if I do that, the odds of winning go up. If we make a clumsy move, we won’t be able to beat them. I clearly realized that through Julia’s incident.”

‘!’

“Is it Lahert, the place you’re going to risk your life to enter.”

“Yes. You said it yourself, that Lahert is raising a secret army. I found out the route he secretly uses to recruit mercenaries. You did a big thing for us just by passing along that information. Next, confirming and utilizing that information is my and His Highness’s role. No, it’s my role. Because His Highness took on the sin I should have shared, I want to do at least this, Esther. It’s not for you to step up. It’s for His Highness to decide.”

This was the first time I saw Arcadia so resolute.

I looked at the duke.

The duke is also staring at me.

“Your Highness.”

I called Sion Belfast.

The duke slowly opened his mouth.

“Shall we have a sip of tea.”

[This is the timeline separator]

I sat on the duke’s bed with a table in front of me.

Arcadia also sat next to me, and the duke, after directly serving us tea, leaned against the window frame.

His shoulders where the sunset was descending looked burdened by the weight of life more than ever today.

Arcadia showed a bitter smile.

“Esther, when you have time, even if it’s tomorrow, teach me some assassin training.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m not joking. It seems like I’ll have a lot of things to do now that require being soundless, leaving no trace, and being secretive. I think I should learn such things from an expert.”

“I refuse.”

I answered. The duke said coldly.

“Arcadia, I haven’t permitted it yet.”

“Ah, yes, yes.”

Arcadia brushes off the duke’s words with a laugh.

My heart ached.

I asked.

“Why do you want to go down that path.”

“To win faster. And for revenge too.”

Arcadia’s answer was simple.

“That’s the better path for all of us, for the North, and for this empire. How long are we going to slowly just investigate their misdeeds? We missed the big evidence of the red caterpillar too. The visible evidence that he was connected to Medeia, we lost more precious things trying to capture that. I don’t want to waste time like that anymore.”

‘Arcadia.’

“Your Highness, was what I said wrong?”

Arcadia asked the duke.

The duke was silent. Then, looking at me, he said,

“Yes. I agree with your words that we need to set right the twisted things for the sake of the empire. So that all things can find and return to their proper places… For the sake of not only the North but the empire.”

His eyes as he said those words were those of the shield of the Delphast Empire, the Northern Duke.

Arcadia vigorously nodded as if in agreement.

The eyes of the man who spoke of love were no longer there.

“Still, Arcadia, give me a little more time. I will ponder if there are no other ways to accuse Lahert of his misdeeds.”

“I have pondered enough, Your Highness. A better method, a less dangerous method, it’s not on that level. There is simply no other way to obtain proper evidence, no matter how much I think about it.”

Arcadia answered. The duke’s face contorted in pain.