The last night spent in Edegrün.

Talia stood in the corridor of Edegrün’s royal palace, staring blankly out the window. The moon, nearly full, had risen, brightening the night.

The journey to Edegrün had been arduous. The Aglante soldiers had become quite sharp with her after she helped their king escape – if that was the right word to use. The black-haired knight who had been polite throughout even threatened her in a low voice.

“If any harm comes to the king, be prepared to face the consequences.”

Fortunately, when they quickly pursued and reached the palace, the Duke was safely with his wife. The garden of the castle was completely burned, and the couple was soaking wet, but they looked quite happy nonetheless.

Even as the Aglante knights surrounded them, Talia saw that one thing for certain.

And finally, Netepel Runtalis was dead. They said not even a corpse remained.

Calling her to inform her of this, the Duke of Aglante gave her a grayish stone.

“This is what the Second Prince left behind in the last place he was.”

Talia barely recognized it as Runtalis’s sacred artifact that had been embedded in the hall. Once brilliantly glowing crimson, it now looked as black and rough as a roadside stone.

As she looked down at the stone lump with its divinity completely extinguished, the Duke said something incomprehensible.

“Didn’t I tell you my wife is very smart and scary?”

The Duchess of Aglante, now the Queen of Reden, still looked gentle and quiet, but Talia just nodded to the man. There was no use arguing with someone who firmly believed in something.

Moreover, she was too preoccupied with the chaos in her own household to worry about the neighboring king’s rose-colored glasses.

Rahelica, whom she met again, cried and hugged her as if she had eaten something bad. Talia thought her sister had gone completely mad. It made sense, having lived comfortably in the palace and suddenly being thrown into a harsh world.

Later, she heard a brief explanation from Rahelica about their past, but her impression didn’t change much.

They had lived as if they couldn’t bear not killing each other all their lives, but apparently there was love underneath. It was definitely not an easy thing to accept.

“You don’t have to forgive me.”

After confessing her past actions and judgments made on her own, Rahelica ended with those words.

But they were not in a relationship of one-sided harm and victimization.

For every time Rahelica scratched her, Talia had tried her best to return it twofold. She had actually succeeded a few times.

So Talia had no right to forgive her sister or not. If she had such a right, Rahelica would have the same right, and Talia didn’t want to give her annoying sister the right to receive an apology from her.

So Talia threatened her sister who was trying to act weakly apologetic.

“Don’t say useless things.”

Then Rahelica said something even more useless.

“Thank you.”

If only those purple eyes saying those words weren’t brimming with tears, she would have thought of how to mock them. As she was thinking about this, she heard someone approaching. Talia knew who was standing behind her without turning around.

Lecit Amaren.

Talia had told him she would annul their marriage, so he should return to his country. Egelbamot was in ruins, and she was in a position where she had to devote her life to the country from now on.

Above all, she wasn’t sure if Lecit would want to endure the emotional rift that had built up between them.

However, Lecit rejected her proposal.

“I will not return.”

It was the first time the man who had always been quiet as if devoid of emotion expressed his refusal.

Talia respected his wishes and did not propose twice. In fact, she also felt that if she asked twice, he might change his mind.

Nevertheless, perhaps because it was late at night, her mouth moved on its own. Talia spoke to the man who she knew was looking at her back.

“I don’t have money anymore.”

The trading company was hastily liquidated, mostly without receiving proper value. Although it hadn’t completely collapsed, it would take quite some time to restore it to its previous state.

“I know.”

“And the throne… Sister told me to ascend, but I’m not confident.”

She wasn’t sure if she was righteous enough to sit in such a position.

Looking at it simply, that was the case.

Until now, Talia had despised illegitimate children. She believed she was different from them by birth, and didn’t even treat them as humans.

But the Duke of Aglante who saved her was also born out of wedlock.

Talia knew that he was more suited to the throne than the three princes who were born of legitimate bloodlines.

Perhaps blood wasn’t the only thing that proved a person’s worth.

Moreover, it wasn’t the illegitimate children who tainted the blood, but those who caused their birth.

Yet Talia was afraid to blame Revernen and instead directed that arrow at Netepel Runtalis.

Because Revernen was the emperor looked up to by all, while Netepel, though of royal blood, was beneath her.

So what she had done was nothing more than oppressing the weak.

The fact that the weak she had oppressed later killed her family and took her prisoner didn’t erase that fact.

What mattered was not Netepel Runtalis, but the choices and actions she had made.

Talia realized this when she saw Bahamal, who came to rescue her while she was hiding by the river.

“I always felt sorry for you.”

With a face that had aged completely in just a few months, the long-time servant of the royal family confessed.

“I thought you were a pitiful child alone, and wanted to fill that void.”

Although there was no specific reference, Talia immediately understood who he was talking about.

There was only one child in the imperial palace that Bahamal would feel sorry for.

“Perhaps my sympathy caused this situation.”

The servant said with a face full of remorse.

It was purely a reflection on his own actions, but strangely, at that moment, Talia found herself looking inward.

It didn’t take long to realize how shallow and arrogant what she believed to be justice was.

She confessed to the man standing behind her.

“I’m a coward. Contradictory and selfish.”

The answer came back immediately.

“Such flaws do not erase your virtues, my lady.”

“What if even those virtues were something I could have only because of the environment I was born and raised in?”

The willpower and confidence that others counted as her virtues mostly came from her status and wealth. Talia couldn’t be sure if she would have been the same person if she had been born into a commoner’s family.

She was secretly waiting to see how Lecit would refute her words, but the answer that came back was acceptance, not rebuttal.

“I think you are enough regardless of that.”

I didn’t know he could say things like this. Talia was a little surprised to hear those words. She hadn’t had a proper conversation with Lecit since long ago, when they were closer to boy and girl than adults. Naturally, she had never looked into what was inside him.

Perhaps the man had built up many things on his own during that gap.

The calm voice continued slowly even though she didn’t turn around.

“However, if you feel that you are lacking, you can build up new things to fill the empty spaces.”

“Yes.”

Still not taking her eyes off the dim night sky, Talia nodded. Lecit was right.

What was wrong should be corrected, and what was missing should be filled.

As a first step towards such a future, Talia dug up the stone that had long been submerged between them.

“Once, I cursed you to die by my side.”

He was a man I hated that much. I hated Rahelica, and I thought he loved Rahelica.

It was hard to care for someone who loved the person you hated. Especially if you had secretly harbored feelings for that person yourself.

But Talia no longer hated Rahelica.

She didn’t fully understand the past Rahelica had confessed. Talia couldn’t understand why her sister had gone to such lengths. Rahelica should have talked to her before thinking alone and making decisions.

Even if she was afraid of failing, shouldn’t she have had the courage?

But not being able to understand doesn’t mean they’re not family.

Though they said they tore at each other like enemies, it also meant that even treating each other so terribly, they couldn’t become enemies.

Rahelica was, after all, her family.

Lecit too, though not tied by blood, was a precious person.

So Talia decided to rebuild what she had torn down herself.

“Can I change those words?”

And Talia turned around. She couldn’t remember how many years it had been since she faced him without resentment.

“Stay by my side until you die.”

The man, still shining enough to be the pride of a country, gave the same answer this time too.

“Gladly.”

[This is the timeline separator]

Netepel had completely disappeared.

The bottom of the well was deep and dark, making it impossible to confirm if the enemy’s corpse had really fallen in. But Ophelia instinctively knew. He would never return.

Idren said to completely fill in the well as if his teeth were chattering. Ophelia said to plant vines over it. The dark green leaves that grow well even in cold weather would soon cover the ground. By then, what was buried underneath would be forgotten.

Deos agreed to take care of Reden for a while. The woman who rushed straight from Tessendot at just one word that there was a favor to ask, nodded readily after checking if she had any injuries.

“My son would want that too.”

Ophelia embraced the woman who had passed on kindness to the boy she had loved. Deos hugged her back. It was the first embrace where they didn’t worry about each other.

The Runtalis royals left Edegrün. Though in ruins, Egelbamot was their country, so they were going to take care of that land. Recently, Ophelia discovered that the sisters’ relationship had improved from before. It was a sight that reminded her of the saying that sometimes a crisis becomes an opportunity.

As she stood on the castle wall watching them leave through the gate, Idren approached from behind. Standing to her right, he said,

“Not much of a procession to watch.”

Ophelia hugged the left arm of the man who always complained first when it came to the Runtalis royal family. Resting her head on him for a moment, she murmured,

“I didn’t know the Second Princess would be so considerate.”

Before leaving the country, Talia Runtalis, who was to succeed the throne, had said,

“Since the empire’s situation isn’t good enough to have a duchy, we have no choice but to recognize Aglante as an independent country now.”

Before she could finish reminiscing, Idren grumbled,

“It was practically independent already.”

“That’s true.”

Still, it was considerate to think about another country’s affairs when her own was in such a mess right in front of her.

But her picky husband didn’t seem to see such things. Idren pulled his trapped arm free and wrapped it around her waist as he complained,

“Instead of the royals of another country who will manage well on their own, pay attention to your husband right next to you first.”

His whining had increased.

Ophelia placed her hand on the face of the man hugging her and nuzzling her neck. Idren rubbed his cheek there too as he urged,

“Hurry and pay attention to me.”

It was quite cute how he demanded affection almost like extortion.

Thinking that she too was quite severe, Ophelia turned to do as he wished. She kissed her husband who was becoming increasingly spoiled.

With a small sigh, the man who separated his lips made her bury her head in his chest. Despite his limp actions, his mouth continued to grumble endlessly.

“Salode is having a headache because of you. It’s already weather where plants don’t grow well, and you went and burned it all down, so it’s understandable.”

“…But Salode agreed to the plan too?”

“What did you say?”

Oops.

Ophelia caught him and blocked his mouth again before he could run off to interrogate the finance advisor who had just been faithful to the situation.

Salode was already busy enough. He had to relax the finances that had been tightened for war preparations back to their original state, make plans for repairing damaged things, and fix the parts that had inevitably become sloppy while Idren was away.

Even ten bodies wouldn’t be enough.

And that would be the same for Idren too.

Despite that, the fact that this man had come to find her meant he was being somewhat negligent in his work, but Ophelia didn’t scold him. She thought she should keep her promise to love him anyway.

When she kissed him, Idren went a step further and tried to lift her up. Ophelia slapped the chest of the man who had clearly forgotten the situation. You.

“Your bone hasn’t healed yet, you know.”

Idren had a crack in his right shoulder. He said it was where Netepel had grabbed him. It wasn’t severe, but it was true that he should refrain from movement until it healed.

But the man didn’t seem to care much about the condition of his shoulder. Feeling her waist, he said,

“It’s fine. I’ve gone about daily life when it was worse than this, you know.”

Just how has he been living? Suppressing the sigh that was about to come out, Ophelia nagged again.

“You’re going to use that shoulder for the rest of your life, are you going to talk like that?”

It was a fair point, but Idren showed no remorse. He pouted and said,

“I came to be loved. I didn’t come to be scolded.”

He’s been grumbling more lately since I’ve been indulging him.

What can I do? Even his whining sounds pleasant. Ophelia threw a carrot to her husband, who could never use the whip again.

“If you behave well, I’ll give you a reward later.”

Idren nodded to his wife, who had clearly become much more lenient than before. It was only possible because he didn’t know what Ophelia was going to do until then.

That evening, Ophelia tied him to the bed.

“…When you said you’d give a reward, was this what you meant?”

Idren blinked, lying still as she had instructed.

Today, it seemed Ophelia had decided to try something different. First of all, her attire was unusual. Instead of her usual white nightgown, wasn’t that something red? Idren blankly looked up and down at the fluttering red fabric that could never be worn outside the bedroom, and the person wearing it.

It wasn’t just Ophelia’s clothes that were intensely colored. The cloth binding his wrists also seemed far from anything typically used for restraint. While he couldn’t claim much experience in tying someone up, Idren knew that red silk wasn’t meant for restraining someone.

However, more striking than all that red was Ophelia’s face. To be precise, her lips, painted darker than usual…

Moving those red lips, Ophelia spoke with unbelievable sweetness.

“I’ve wanted to try this at least once.”

“It’s certainly an admirable spirit of adventure, but…”

It was too stimulating.

As he seriously wondered if this might be too much for his heart, Ophelia straddled him and whispered, “Shh.”

“You just need to stay still and receive.”

[This is the timeline separator]

“…I told you to stay still.”

Ophelia blankly stared at the ceiling. She was so dumbfounded that she couldn’t even muster strength in her fingertips.

Hugging and kissing her limp form, Idren made an unbelievable excuse.

“I tried to.”

“I prepared this because of your arm. Even the silk was from Shefor…”

“I’ll get you as many silk ties as you want.”

“What’s the point of getting more if you’re just going to break them all?”

Idren hadn’t even tried to stay tied up. Ophelia didn’t believe he would be faithful to his role next time either.

“Are you going to do it again?”

…Wasn’t he talking nonsense even now?

I like it. The man whispered, rubbing his cheek against her shoulder. His mouth was already at her ear.

Ophelia scolded her partner who was enjoying himself without thinking of her condition.

“What if you overexert yourself and your wound reopens…”

“Actually, I saw a doctor this afternoon. He said I’ve already fully recovered.”

“What?”

She was flabbergasted. Sitting up abruptly, she looked down at her conscience-less husband with sharp eyes.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I liked you worrying about me, so I wanted to enjoy it a bit longer.”

There wasn’t a trace of guilt on his face as he spoke. Ophelia slapped the back of his hand as it stealthily caressed her stomach.

“…You’re shameless.”

“Please forgive me.”

His voice still showed not the slightest sign of remorse.

But no matter his attitude or the nature of his offense, he was someone she couldn’t help but call for leniency. Finally, as she lay back down led by his hand, Ophelia grumbled.

“I shouldn’t have indulged you.”

“But it was beneficial.”

“It was only beneficial for you.”

She was twice as tired. It had taken a lot of energy from the start, and after the tables turned not long after, she was truly exhausted from head to toe.

Lying her down beside him and caressing her, her husband said,

“Next time, I’ll prepare for you.”

“Don’t.”

He would surely just satisfy his own desires while claiming it was for her.

Though it was meant to be somewhat serious, Idren just laughed. Not even hiding his intention to repeat the offense, he slowly moved his hand downward. His warm hand gently rubbed her chest and stomach. Ophelia yawned without realizing it.

“Get some sleep.”

“…But I need to wash up.”

“I’ll take care of that.”

You’ll be clean when you wake up again.

His whispering voice was full of ulterior motives. If I keep allowing this, he’ll develop bad habits. Though she thought this in her head, her body was tired and her eyes kept closing.

Yawning once more, Ophelia gave up resisting sleep. After patting her stomach a few times, Idren hugged her. His body temperature, unusually warm for someone born and raised in winter weather, touched her skin.

Listening to the man’s heartbeat resonating towards her, Ophelia unconsciously murmured.

“…I love you.”

I’m glad you’re here.

If Idren hadn’t been here, she might never have known that life could be so worth living.

The man who was as good as her tomorrow answered tenderly.

“I feel the same.”

Ophelia slowly smiled hearing those words. Even without opening her eyes, she could tell Idren wore the same expression. She let out a slow, even breath.

Idren caressed the warmth in his arms. He now knew how to savor this happiness. He had learned to love fully, without being hasty or anxious. Paradoxically, it was taught to him by the woman who had made him hasty and anxious.

After great effort, Idren had finally found his place in the woman’s heart. Ophelia too had promised she wouldn’t go anywhere without him.

The love thus obtained was more of a mess and flimsier than he had expected. But it was hotter and more colorful than he had imagined, and so greedy that it eventually completely swallowed his life.

Before he knew that what he thought was the deep sea was actually waves, Idren was completely soaked. But isn’t that how life by the sea is?

With no thought of fleeing to land from the sea that had completely knocked him down, Idren planned to live submerged in it forever. He would live holding tightly to what he had repeatedly wished for. With that resolve, he kissed the cheek of his small, warm sea.

At last, it was love.

-The End-