“You don’t look well.”

She weakly lifted her gaze from staring out the window.

Valentin was sitting relaxed in the opposite seat, staring at her. Adelheit was a bit surprised that he seemed unbothered.

‘Even after seeing such horrible things just moments ago.’

At that moment, Adelheit realized she had seen something similar in Valentin’s shadow before and hurriedly changed the subject.

“It’s just……”

Adelheit said, avoiding his gaze and intertwining her fingers.

“I’m just shocked.”

Unlike Adelheit who was quite tense, Valentin looked as calm as usual.

The chill she had felt from him when Morig’s light had covered the world earlier was already gone without a trace.

Adelheit clenched her hands resting on her skirt. She felt a bit ill.

Even without looking in a mirror, she was sure her face had turned pale.

Valentin asked with a concerned look.

“You don’t look well. Should we stop the carriage?”

“No, no….. Please go a bit faster instead.”

She wanted to get away from the Grand Cathedral as soon as possible. Valentin opened the window towards the coachman and instructed him to speed up a little.

Even with just that small opening, the incoming breeze seemed to ease her stuffy breathing a bit.

As he sat back properly in his seat, she carefully asked.

“Are you alright, Valentin?”

When he gave her a puzzled look, Adelheit continued.

“Morig occasionally gives prophecies. What if a prophecy comes down and the high priests catch on to Valentin’s identity?”

“Don’t worry. Morig is just being anxious. If I don’t move, they won’t move either.”

“……”

Some color returned to Adelheit’s lips. Valentin answered with an unconcerned face as he loosened his neck ornament a bit more.

“They won’t provoke like this first anymore. They may be greedy, but they’re not complete fools. At most, they’ll try some tricks behind the scenes.”

“……”

“I won’t let you get involved. This is between me and Morig. It’s not even worth your concern, Adelheit.”

“……”

“But you still look afraid.”

“……”

“Are you scared of me now too?”

When he reached out his hand, Adelheit instinctively shrank back.

Valentin grabbed her cheek with a hardened face and lifted it. His voice seeping through gritted teeth was anxious.

“Please don’t avoid me.”

She barely lifted her pale face to face Valentin.

Even in the dim carriage, his eyes were exceptionally clear. As if facing the eyes of a beast, not a human.

Suddenly, a passage from an old theology book she had read long ago came to mind.

That the dragon of Bitzleben was a calamity and the end for humans. That those who witnessed him would ultimately become unhappy.

She had never felt the eeriness of that sentence as much as today.

Previously, she thought it was a passage written by ancients who added imagination after seeing tsunamis or earthquakes, and after getting to know Valentin, she thought it was quite an exaggerated account.

But ‘Morig’. Now that she had seen the power of his twin, his cloned other half.

The hands of light crawling over people’s heads. The eeriness of that sight will probably never be forgotten until she dies.

And Adelheit realized at the same time.

That perhaps neither ‘Valentin’ nor ‘Morig’ would care if mere humans were swept up in their power.

‘Just as tsunamis or storms don’t consider human circumstances.’

Valentin, who had been staring at Adelheit’s weakly trembling eyelids, suddenly raised the corners of his mouth.

“If I knew you’d be this anxious, I should have just kept you safely at Ansgar Castle.”

It would have been better if that had been possible. Everything felt like it was slowly falling apart since leaving Ansgar Castle.

Adelheit didn’t know how to respond, and smiled with a face that was half about to cry.

“How could I do that? His Majesty called for me……”

“Just keep doing that.”

Looking at him in surprise at the unexpected answer, Valentin continued matter-of-factly.

“Pretend you don’t see or hear anything, just live a human life like that. I won’t let anything change. I promise.”

Ridiculously, the first thing that came to mind at those words was what Valentin had said to her in the past.

That he hoped she would fully enjoy life, that he wanted to see what kind of life she had wanted so much as to give up everything.

In fact, she was not the one who should have heard such words from him.

Adelheit clenched her fists tightly. She felt anxious, as if treading on thin ice that could break at any moment.

“……You’re good at hiding things, Valentin.”

“……”

“So you don’t properly tell me even a fraction of the truth I should know.”

Valentin’s eyes widened at Adelheit’s honest statement. Soon he smiled as if to soothe her.

“Don’t you remember? I promised I’d tell you everything honestly when you’re ready.”

“You might lie to me when that time comes.”

Adelheit bit her lip hard after snapping back without realizing.

She had noticed for a while that Valentin was hiding many things from her, and that he was rarely honest about even the little he did tell her.

Nevertheless, the reason she could endure by his side was not because of a mere promise, but because she believed in what he had shown her.

At least, she had judged that Valentin’s affection for her was something she could believe in.

But looking back on today, she realized she knew nothing about him after all.

Even the affection she believed he had given her was just fragments he had handed out as he pleased.

‘It was never mine to begin with.’

Valentin, who had been looking at Adelheit expressionlessly, suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him.

“Still, keep believing in me.”

Laying Adelheit, who had lost her balance and tilted, on the seat, Valentin rather roughly intertwined his large hand with her small, slender fingers.

In the dim carriage with curtains drawn, his golden eyes curved mischievously.

“It’s already too late for this life anyway.”

Adelheit looked up at him with moist eyes. As soon as she fell into his arms, she felt a surprisingly deep sense of relief.

She knew in her head that this was abnormal. But she finally felt like she could breathe.

Her heart pounded, sending a warning. Adelheit ignored the warning and asked.

“What if this life ends?”

“Then I’ll have to stop you from running away.”

“……See, another… lie.”

“By any means necessary.”

He replied firmly and kissed her fingers. Ridiculously, all the anxiety in her head flew away with it.

Adelheit looked at the clean stone path leading to the hunting grounds and the ornamental trees stretching on both sides.

Although the scenery was incomparably beautiful, she didn’t feel any particular emotion.

The fact that the Emperor spent more than half the year at the Schwarzwald hunting grounds, and thus managed those hunting grounds like a sacred place, was now so worn out that it didn’t even count as a scandal anymore.

His efforts to somehow consolidate imperial power were constantly thwarted, and even the military power he barely held was taken away by the Ernst family.

After his plan to raise the stability of his reign by taking a woman from that family as Empress was only half successful, the Emperor had lived for nearly a decade as if he had given up on life.

The few remaining pro-imperial ministers took care of things, barely managing to keep things from reversing……

Meanwhile, the Emperor hated the Crown Prince, born of the Empress, more than anything in the world.

Worried that his handful of power would fade as the prince grew up, he indulged in all sorts of excuses to check and envy him.

Then when hunting season came around, he would bury himself in Schwarzwald for months at a time, leading young boys.

If such a place wasn’t beautiful, what place in the world would be?

“Please stop for a moment.”

As they approached the hunting grounds, soldiers with spears blocked the front of the carriage.

The knight who seemed to be of the highest rank among them approached the window.

“This is a restricted area from here on. Did you bring an invitation?”

Valentin silently took out a paper from his breast pocket. The knight received it with both hands to check, then replied so politely it was almost embarrassing.

“Ah! You are His Highness the Grand Duke of Ansgar. I didn’t recognize you since your carriage doesn’t have a banner. You may pass.”

At the knight’s gesture, the soldiers blocking the way hurriedly stepped back.

After driving a bit further from there, an open field with tents pitched here and there appeared.

The carriage soon came to a complete stop. Adelheit carefully stepped onto the grass, holding Valentin’s hand.

As she looked around, the Emperor’s chamberlain hurriedly approached and bowed politely.

“I will guide you to the tent for Your two Highnesses.”

Magnificent tents for the nobles to stay in for three days were set up in the open field leading to the entrance of the hunting grounds.

Women dressed to match the hunting festival could already be seen here and there.

People gathered in small groups laughed merrily, and in the distance the sound of a minstrel cheerfully plucking a lute could be heard.

The chamberlain stopped in front of a huge tent closest to the Emperor’s tent.

“You may use this place.”

Inside the tent, a carpet was laid out, and luxurious beds, makeshift tables, and chairs could be seen.

It looked like a modest relocation of a room from the imperial palace. The chamberlain quickly spoke up.

“If Your Highness wishes, I will escort you to the detached palace.”

Detached palace? As she looked at him quizzically, the chamberlain hastily added.

“Even for a hunting festival, there are often ladies who cannot endure camping. There is a detached palace nearby that His Majesty uses every hunting season. We have prepared it with everything you might need.”

At that moment, Valentin gripped her hand tightly.