Aden, dressed in a tailcoat, stood in front of the mirror adjusting his bowtie.

The maid had fixed it several times, but he was still unsatisfied. Perhaps he was displeased about attending the eve party in such attire.

If possible, he wanted to toss away the tailcoat and attend in comfortable clothes, but he couldn’t act as he pleased.

It was a hunting festival hosted by the Crown Prince. And he had received an invitation that was tantamount to a threat.

To think that the Imperial gratitude, which had seemed so insignificant, would become such a threatening card.

As that thought crossed his mind, a twisted smile escaped Aden’s lips.

No, in fact, what changed him wasn’t the gratitude, but Ludmila. It was the power engraved on the card named Ludmila, not the card offered by the Crown Prince.

In the end, the Crown Prince’s threat was effective because of Ludmila. Thinking that way, Ludmila was like a weakness to him.

A perfect means to hold his leash. A gap that could destroy Habertz. Realizing anew the weakness that had been valid since he brought Ludmila to the black barrier, Aden couldn’t help but let out a small sigh.

Nevertheless, the question of whether he wanted to be with Ludmila naturally followed.

He had dedicated his entire life to the prosperity of the Khan clan.

Comparing one woman to the entire clan should have been laughable, and the answer should have come very easily.

And as expected, the answer Aden swallowed was indeed simple.

He wanted to be with her.

That unchanging truth had already remained deeply like a faith.

“Are you ready?”

As he was attaching cufflinks to his sleeves, a languid voice floated over. He slightly rolled his eyes to check the doorway reflected in the mirror.

He saw Benjamin leaning against the wall at an angle.

His presence here meant that the Crown Prince, Jeffrey, had sent him. Without needing to ask, Aden turned around, leaving the obvious fact unspoken.

“Yeah.”

“We’ll be late. Let’s hurry.”

“Being late is good. We’ll see fewer noisy people.”

“Still, it’s not good to be later than the Crown Prince, is it?”

Aden’s eyes rolled as he responded with an uninterested face. As Benjamin shrugged his shoulders, Aden’s eyes narrowed.

Cunning fellow. He clearly knew who Aden was most concerned about and what he was worried about.

Well, that’s probably how he climbed to his current position. Benjamin’s achievements amidst contempt and discrimination were truly remarkable.

Realizing this anew, Aden couldn’t gauge just how thorny the path he was about to take would be.

Even Benjamin, who had obtained a common noblewoman’s love and marriage, and the position of vice-minister, had achieved it at the cost of his lifespan.

Inwardly showing respect to him with a smile, Aden quietly turned around.

He left the room and stepped onto the stairs leading to the main entrance.

Midway, the clock chimed loudly, announcing 8 o’clock. At the center of the staircase.

It was when the 8th chime ended that he saw Ludmila standing there.

Ludmila, who had been standing in that quiet place without any servants, turned her head as Aden descended.

Though it wasn’t the first time she saw him in a tailcoat, somehow Aden’s expression became a bit more surly out of embarrassment.

“Lady Ludmila.”

Benjamin greeted first.

After exchanging greetings with him with a gentle smile reminiscent of sunlight, Ludmila’s gaze fixed on Aden who followed behind.

Was this the first time they met since the incident in the solarium?

As Aden’s Adam’s apple bobbed, Ludmila turned her body and approached him.

Like a criminal awaiting punishment, Aden stood there sturdily watching her approach, and let out a soft exclamation when her hand touched his bowtie.

“Your tie is crooked.”

Amidst the quiet voice, her gentle touch continued to adjust the bowtie.

As her voice faded, the sound of her fingers brushing against the cotton shirt pleasantly flowed. Rustle, rustle−.

From Ludmila’s hands to her face. His gaze shifted there, where a pair of red jewels were set side by side.

Her face was very serious, as if adjusting the bowtie was her mission.

Are you trying to be a fairy godmother from a fairytale?

“The eve party will end soon, so just bear with it for a little while.”

Was it obvious that he didn’t like the clothes? Her eyes, which had absorbed the warmth of the oil lamp on the wall, seemed to ripple for a moment before rising.

“You can leave right after His Highness the Crown Prince enters, so if you’re uncomfortable, you can come back right away.”

“You’re talking as if you’re my mother.”

When Aden retorted grumpily out of unnecessary embarrassment, a pleasant laugh followed.

As her hand that had been adjusting the bowtie withdrew, the lingering warmth and scent disappeared.

Following the fading presence, his gaze shifted to Ludmila.

“Take care on your way.”

“Yeah, I’ll be careful.”

Although he was just repeating her words, it seemed to be enough as Ludmila pulled her lips into a smile.

Benjamin made a gesture urging them to hurry. Aden nodded briefly and turned around after a polite bow.

After descending the remaining stairs, he looked back before going out the door.

Aden smiled as he briefly gazed at the lady of the night looking at him against the background of twinkling stars beyond the huge window, then left the building.

Aden boarded the carriage Benjamin had arrived in and closed the door.

The carriage soon departed and quickly got onto the road.

While quietly continuing his thoughts to the rattling sound, Aden noticed his reflection in the glass due to the lamp light meeting the darkness.

The bowtie that he had disliked so much until leaving the room now seemed quite fine.

It didn’t seem much different, though. Aden chuckled as he slowly caressed the bowtie with his fingertips.

“She must have really cast a spell.”

“What? You want to drink?”

Aden glared at Benjamin who broke the mood. The darkness was settling in deeply.

[This is the timeline separator]

Ludmila, who had been staring blankly at the departing carriage, turned around.

She quietly returned to her room and picked up the letter she had been reading until just now.

The sender was anonymous. But although no name was written, it wasn’t that she didn’t know who sent it.

[…but fortunately, we succeeded in planting a person without suspicion.]

It was a report sent by Emma who had granted her request. Ludmila let out a small sigh and turned around with the letter in hand.

She threw the letter onto the gently burning firewood.

Ludmila’s gaze, which had been staring blankly at the letter slowly turning to ashes in the flames, turned towards the window.

The same bright moonlight as a few days ago was hanging beyond the window.

Ludmila, who had been deeply lost in thought recalling the breath of that day, wore a faint smile.

After meeting Aden, revisiting the past like a habit no longer hurt. Her past self was always groping in the pain of illusions.

The time spent in the Imperial Palace and leaving to become the Duchess of Erdi.

Passing through the time of becoming the mascot of the Erdi ducal family while frequenting social circles, death always waited at the end.

When she woke up after floundering in nightmares created by unforgettable pain and despair, her heart always ached.

She let out a deep sigh filled with regret for the miserable future she had faced, having to live like this for a lifetime.

And when she fell asleep again, the nightmare would start the same way.

It should have been time for even those emotions to become dull after repeating that flow of time so many times that it was hazy.

Ludmila still couldn’t help but shudder from the terrible helplessness of that day when standing under the chandelier. But that too was now a thing of the past.

Ludmila slowly turned around and adjusted the slightly open curtains.

As even the soft moonlight disappeared, Ludmila returned to her seat in the room where the full night scenery had settled.

Although the things she had to do in the future were scattered and unorganized, she needed to focus on what would happen tomorrow for now.

Kedilen.

My husband, who is the source of hatred and despair, and the target of my revenge.

Ludmila’s lips exhaled a slow breath as she rubbed her fingertips over the photo containing his cursed face even in her dreams.

The day of the final battle was tomorrow.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Wait here.”

Kedilen, who had set foot at the entrance of the garden where the eve party was in full swing, gave an order to the servant following him and turned around.

After showing his invitation and identification to the guard standing at the entrance, Kedilen received permission to enter and went inside.

The daily lives of the nobles gathered here and there were nothing special.

Factions and titles, power and wealth, areas of interest or bloodlines. The sight of groups formed with numerous intertwined interests was a scene that could be seen at any banquet.

“Ah, I-I’m sorry!”

His body shook once while he was scanning the familiar scene with dry eyes.

When he turned around, it seemed that a clumsy maid carrying a tray full of glasses had stumbled and bumped into Kedilen while moving.

Fortunately, the glasses didn’t fall or spill their contents, but the maid’s face had turned pale at the thought of harming a nobleman.

“It’s alright.”

As Kedilen was responding with a polite nod, the maid’s face suddenly caught his eye.

How old could she be? 18? Her youthful face that seemed to have just come of age smoothly pushed up Kedilen’s stiff lips.

“It’s been a while, Marquis. Or perhaps not so long?”

Just as he was thinking he might get something worthwhile from this unwanted eve party, a voice called out from afar, raising Kedilen’s gaze.

A man whose appearance was ridiculous, trying to show off his nobility by dressing up in a pathetic tailcoat.

“It’s been a while, Your Grace.”

It was Aden.