Siana said she had handed over the body of the former head of Nebel to the royal family.

“I, I thought it was right since he committed treason.”

That was the answer she heard when she asked if she could have her father’s head.

Idren seemed flustered by the sudden topic. He narrowed his brows slightly and asked.

“What do you mean?”

“There’s someone I want to give it to.”

At that, Idren made a troubled expression. Seeing his face, Ophelia realized her question might have been difficult. Perhaps there were political implications tied to Gillord Nebel’s head that she was unaware of.

“It’s okay if it’s difficult to do.”

“That’s not it. It’s just that you with the corpse…”

And the man let out a small sigh.

“Who do you want to give it to? I can send it on your behalf.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I need to confirm it myself.”

There was something she needed to do upon seeing that head. Ophelia asked the man looking at her with conflicted eyes.

“Can I retrieve the head now?”

Even though she said she would handle it, Idren still insisted on accompanying her. As he walked matching her pace, he said.

“The head of a corpse will smell terrible and look unsightly.”

“I know.”

Ophelia knew how corpses decomposed.

She wasn’t someone who had only seen pleasant sights as Idren thought. Haslen’s head had been hanging in the square for quite a while, and before that, she had begged while bowing her head like a commoner.

But Idren still seemed uneasy. After hesitating for a moment, he confessed.

“I’m worried you might be shocked.”

Even if she was shocked as he said, it wouldn’t change anything. Ophelia replied.

“You don’t need to worry.”

Instead of being reassured by her words, Idren asked.

“May I hold your hand?”

It sounded like something a frightened person would say.

Since a man who came from the battlefield wouldn’t be scared of a human head, what frightened him was probably his own attitude.

Ophelia didn’t refuse his request. Sighing once again, Idren enveloped her hand. Though it didn’t show on his face, the hardships were clearly evident in his hands, as the man’s palms had become rougher than before.

The path to the castle walls where the heads of criminals were hung wasn’t far. At Idren’s command, a guard lowered the head that was on a spear. Along with the buzzing of insects, the stench of death hit strongly. When Ophelia flinched, Idren blocked her view.

“It would be better not to look.”

Ophelia pushed aside the man blocking her front, not unpleasantly.

“It’s fine.”

To handle the matter before Idren became more anxious, she gestured to those who had followed. They opened a wooden box, placed the head inside, and poured salt over it.

Ophelia threw a necklace missing one bead onto the half-rotted head covered in sea remnants. The blue gem atop the white salt matched well, like the sea and a sandy beach.

The workers closed the box and carried it away as instructed beforehand. Ophelia looked down at the empty space where the box had been. The lingering smell of corpse mixed with the salty scent still lingered in her nose.

Idren approached her side and took her hand again. Ophelia muttered.

“I wanted to cut it myself.”

Both sides knew the missing subject referred to the head that had just been carried away.

Though it wasn’t said expecting an answer, Idren wore the expression of someone uncomfortable with silence. Before he could force out any words, Ophelia added.

“But Siana had the right to do it.”

Just as she had constantly aimed for Mahanas’s neck, Gillord Nebel was Siana’s share.

The man gently rubbed her hand with his thumb and said.

“It’s regrettable that Prince Reden died so easily.”

It was a statement that cut through the topic while considering her feelings.

Ophelia let out a hollow laugh at her counterpart’s perfect demeanor, which seemed tailored just for her with each encounter.

How could there be anyone in the world as ill-suited for perfection as me, you.

“Indeed.”

Thank you for granting my request, the woman said again as she released his hand. Idren watched the back of his companion as she turned away from him.

Something seemed to have gone terribly wrong, but he didn’t know how to fix it.

The next few days were so busy it was indescribable.

There was so much to handle that the smell of blood permeated even the corridors of the castle. Idren was inwardly worried that Ophelia might try to roam the castle again, but fortunately, she didn’t leave her bedroom after that day.

Not only was there no time to spare if he wanted to deal with matters quickly, but he also needed time for the smell of blood ingrained in his body to fade, so Idren didn’t enter the bedroom at night.

Seeing her face occasionally during the day was different from spending hours in the same place. He couldn’t ask a woman with a weak stomach, unlike someone trained, to endure such things.

However, since he couldn’t leave Ophelia alone, he instructed those attending to her to watch over her carefully. He was also concerned that she didn’t sleep well when he wasn’t there.

Contrary to his worries, Ophelia seemed to be doing better than expected. Although she spent most of her days sleeping, it was due to the medicine she was taking. The medicine prescribed by the doctor for her, who must have been shocked over the past few days, had a sleep-inducing effect.

Still, the results of working day and night were quite good, and Idren had resolved most of the problems that had befallen them within a week. He finished drafting documents to send to Brinwell, the defeated country, confiscated all the rebel assets and divided them between the national treasury and Ophelia’s vault, and dispatched investigators regarding the death of the Lord of Rohos. He also suppressed the Reden refugee issue so that Ophelia wouldn’t have to worry about it.

And towards the end of that week, the Tears of Mevasa came into his hands.

The silver necklace with blue gems, having lost even its case, was inside a leather pouch.

It was stored in a way that made it hard to tell if it was genuine or fake, but strangely, the moment Idren saw the necklace, he was convinced it was real. When he touched the blue gems set in the necklace, he felt an odd sensation. It was a sensation he had never felt when handling numerous jewels before.

In fact, even if it wasn’t genuine, he had no way to appraise it. Originally, holy relics were authenticated by placing them next to another holy relic to see if they resonated, but he no longer possessed the Kiss of Sigrasal. That ring with the yellow gem had disappeared while traversing time.

In any case, when he declared the holy relic genuine, no one dared to refute him.

Even if the holy relic wasn’t real, it didn’t matter since the blood flowing beneath Ophelia’s skin was that of the Mevasa royal family.

While it’s true that holy relics support legitimacy, no one would question the legitimacy of the royal family after seeing Ophelia’s appearance.

After securing the Tears of Mevasa, he felt like he had somewhat regained face to see Ophelia. That night, Idren entered her bedroom for the first time in a while. Although he had stopped working at the execution grounds after the first few days, he bathed with stronger fragrances than usual just in case.

Perhaps because it wasn’t too late at night, Ophelia was still awake. Idren awkwardly smiled at the woman who didn’t seem much healthier despite days of rest.

“It’s been a while.”

Ophelia, sitting on the bed reading a book, replied indifferently as if he had said something unnecessary.

“We saw each other during the day, didn’t we?”

“Still, it’s been a while since I came in at night, hasn’t it?”

And Idren chose his usual side of the bed to sit on. Ophelia silently made room for him. After glancing at the cover of the book she was reading, Idren said deliberately jokingly.

“Actually, I was prepared to leave without complaint if you chased me out.”

“Why would I chase you out?”

“I haven’t come in for several days. I deserve such treatment.”

In truth, what he worried about more than Ophelia chasing him out was her returning to the private bedroom she used in her previous life, but Idren didn’t voice that concern. There was no need to mix the reality of his fear into a joke meant to diffuse tension.

“Even if you don’t come in for several more days, that won’t happen, so don’t worry.”

Was the reason words containing content to be thankful for sounded uneasy because of the monotonous tone? Unconsciously analyzing the situation, Idren swallowed dryly.

Ophelia didn’t seem angry, nor did she look sad. Nevertheless, she was keeping her distance from him. It was a more unsettling fact than other intense emotions.

“Why are you reading the Aglante Law Book?”

“There’s something I need to check.”

Ophelia replied as she closed the book. Looking into those deep blue eyes gazing up at him, Idren was reminded of the necklace he had brought into the room. Clearing his throat nervously, he lowered his gaze slightly.

“Actually, the heirloom of the Mevasa royal family came in today.”

And he held out the necklace, which he had placed in a decent box, to the woman. Ophelia looked at him once, then at the box, and said.

“I was actually looking for that, thank you.”

“No need for thanks. It’s yours, isn’t it? More importantly, now that we’ve found the necklace, there’s something I want to ask… Do you still dislike taking the Reden throne?”

Previously, Ophelia had reacted negatively to becoming the ruler of Reden.

But seeing how she cared for the Reden refugees and was trying to find the necklace, it seemed her mind might have changed now. As he waited for her answer, Idren hoped she would make a more enthusiastic choice.

However, what Ophelia returned after a silence was a question.

“Before that, can we talk about something else?”

“Do as you wish.”

At that, she lowered her eyes and tapped the leather cover of the closed book with her finger. The light tapping sound echoed in the room.

Idren rolled his eyes at the ominousness of that cautious attitude. The Ophelia he knew wasn’t the type to show hesitation in such a manner.

Finally, she opened her mouth.

“Shall we nullify our marriage?”