Though seeing Ernant’s hurt expression was satisfying, that wasn’t all there was to it.

A slight feeling of regret also arose, wondering if I had done something petty.

The one who had caused me pain was the real Ernant who exists in reality, and this fake Ernant before my eyes was innocent.

Taking revenge for the pain received from the real one on this fake may have been nothing more than narrow-minded venting.

So I belatedly added to Ernant, who still had a wounded expression:

“If you don’t like it, you can ignore my request. It seems a bit odd for Your Majesty to do such a thing-”

“If you want it, I’ll get it for you.”

“…Pardon?”

“Black hair, golden eyes, and tall… Those are the only conditions to satisfy, right?”

“You’ll really get one for me?”

I was taken aback.

Asking him to get me a man was merely a demand made to torment Ernant.

I only wanted to see him angry, distressed, and disgusted, not because I actually wanted a man.

But he said he would get one.

“I promised first that I’d do whatever you want.”

Left speechless by his reply, I could only move my lips silently.

Meanwhile, he picked up a nearby bell as if to call a servant.

“I’ll get one right away so you can spend the night together.”

Just as Ernant was about to ring the bell he had picked up to summon a servant, I quickly reached out first.

Then, grabbing his hand to stop him, I asked:

“Why are you really doing this?”

“What do you mean?”

“You… You’re not the type to just take this kind of insult.”

I continued to snap at him, who had a blank expression:

“Even if this is a fake world, how can you distort the truth like this? You were a bastard. When someone displeased you, you were the type of person who would retaliate cruelly no matter what.”

Even knowing it was all meaningless illusion, I was angry.

After all I’d suffered from him in reality.

How much bitter anger was burning inside me.

This dream world was mocking me by showing such absurdly distorted lies.

Glorifying the perpetrator is always disgusting, but now it had gone too far.

Holding back nausea, I grabbed his collar.

“You are evil. If you’re evil, act like it. Pretending to be nice now is just sickening.”

Having spoken so harshly, he might soon call soldiers to order my head cut off.

I rather hoped he would.

If I died now, I could immediately escape this terrible fantasy world.

However, he did not summon any soldiers.

He just gently clasped my hand gripping his collar and looked at me.

“I’m not pretending to be nice to win your favor.”

“…”

“I just… want to make you happy. I want to see you smile. I’ve wanted that for a very long time.”

My hand gripping his collar loosened on its own.

As my arm fell limply, he went from the terrace into the room.

Then he returned with a bouquet of white roses from somewhere.

“Take it.”

“This is…”

“White roses. Your favorite flower. But I realized I’ve never given these to you as a gift before.”

He handed me the rose bouquet as I stood there dazed.

I lowered my gaze to examine the roses quietly.

The snow-white petals were glowing softly in the sunlight.

“…”

Holding the bouquet, I was unable to utter a word for a while.

“I’ve decided. We’ll burn it all.”

That was the decision Martin reached after long deliberation with Franz in the cramped room.

He decided to burn everything in sight.

It was a choice of physical destruction to clear away the hallucinations that provided no answers.

Franz, who had been listening, cried out in shock:

“N-No! If you use your ability here, the entire palace will catch fire! The history of this palace-”

“If we don’t burn it, we’ll be trapped in these damned illusions, won’t we? Do you want to starve to death locked in here?”

“…”

“I need to solve this and get out. My wife is waiting.”

Martin was anxious. By now, Yulia would be waiting for him under the surveillance of the group members.

For Yulia’s sake too, he couldn’t die trapped in these nonsensical illusions.

Resolved, he opened the door of the small room and once again stood in the eternally extending corridor.

Then he summoned his ability.

Black flames rose fiercely as if to burn even eternity itself.

Yulia did not end up accepting the bouquet.

She also said she didn’t need the man she had initially asked for.

Ernant returned to the villa bedroom, unable to give her more gifts as Yulia said she just wanted to be alone.

Afterwards, he tossed and turned in bed before falling asleep and having a strange dream.

In the dream, he was still the Emperor.

He was the Emperor just the same, looked identical, and most of the people around him were the same.

But his personality was completely different.

Unlike the current Ernant, the dream Ernant who had ascended to the throne by killing his brothers was afflicted with an inability to trust people.

So he never gave his heart to others.

He would use others but never love them.

He never gave his heart even to the silver knight who offered loyalty and love to him.

No, rather he tried to use them even more cruelly.

To see if they would continue to love him even when used so cruelly.

Because he wanted to test the sincerity of that love…

“Huk, heuk…!”

Ernant woke up gasping for breath and quickly looked around.

He saw the scenery of the villa bedroom.

Realizing he had just been dreaming, he clutched at his chest.

Killing his brothers to ascend the throne, toying with and using Yulia – it was all just a dream.

He wiped the cold sweat from his brow and reassured himself.

That a dream was just a dream.

That everything he had seen while sleeping was all a dream, an illusion, and this was reality.

Though he hadn’t treated Yulia well in the dream, it didn’t matter.

He could treat her with utmost care here in reality.

He could give Yulia everything she desired, make her so happy she’d cry, and ensure she would never again speak of leaving this world.

“Yulia…”

Suddenly he wanted to see Yulia’s face.

But it was still before dawn, so Yulia would likely be sound asleep by now.

Should he wait a bit longer? Just as he was thinking that:

“Kyaaaaaah!!”

A high-pitched scream echoed through the corridor.

It came from the direction of Yulia’s bedroom.

Without time to think, Ernant leapt out of bed and ran towards where the scream had come from.

A villa maid had collapsed, looking towards Yulia’s bedroom.

With his heart feeling like it would burst from anxiety, Ernant peered into the bedroom.

“Yu-Yulia…!”

Yulia was there. Hanging by a rope around her neck.

In a daze, Ernant approached Yulia as she dangled.

This can’t be. You can’t be dead. Repeating those words internally, he approached and checked Yulia’s pulse.

“…She’s alive. She’s alive! Quickly, bring a healer!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!!”

The servants who had belatedly gathered lowered Yulia’s body from the rope.

Then a healer rushed in and used healing abilities on Yulia.

Her pale complexion soon returned, and her heavily closed eyes slowly opened.

Regaining consciousness, Yulia looked around and muttered:

“Damn it… Still in the dream…”

Ernant, who had been about to shout and ask why she had done such a thing, was momentarily unable to say anything.

For him this place was reality, but Yulia was treating it as a nightmare.

She viewed it as such a horrible nightmare that she had even resorted to hanging herself to escape.

“Why…”

Ernant, who had blurted that out incoherently, continued to mutter:

“You said you wouldn’t attempt suicide for a week. So why did you do this…”

Hearing Ernant’s words, Yulia burst out laughing.

“I had hoped to die comfortably by your hand.”

“…”

“But it seems the you in this dream isn’t evil enough to kill a person.”

Ernant couldn’t refute.

He truly had no intention of killing Yulia.

Saying he would kill her was just a hasty lie to prevent Yulia’s suicide attempt.

“…I’m sorry.”

As Yulia heard Ernant’s final words, she slowly closed her eyes.

She woke again after two days had passed in that dream.