Due to the fatigue accumulated for a while, Clea fell asleep not long after.

Admund kissed her forehead after looking at her, then stepped outside.

Oberon was waiting outside.

“How about resting a bit more?”

Oberon asked with a worried look.

To this, Admund’s expression hardened before he soon smiled. He hadn’t expected him to say such a thing.

He had always said that to lead the empire, one must always prioritize work.

At the unfamiliar words from his mouth, which had seemed to want him to become an iron man, Admund felt that quite a lot had changed.

“I’ve already heard from the bishop. About what dream Your Majesty was having.”

As he was about to push past Oberon and go forward, his words caught his ankle.

‘Hayden told him.’

There was something Hayden had informed him when Admund woke up.

He said he saw what kind of dream he had been having during the process of detoxifying the drug Aria had given him.

He regretted not silencing him right then, but it seemed he hadn’t told Clea at least.

‘As long as she doesn’t know, it’s fine.’

In fact, Clea had also been worried if anything had happened during that time.

But Admund deliberately avoided conversations or brushed it off as nothing.

Yet knowing that Hayden and others already knew left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Oberon, I’m fine.”

“But.”

“It’s fine, so you stay by her side.”

Nothing had changed.

Clea had already suffered too much while he was collapsed.

Thinking that he should strive to ensure she wouldn’t suffer anymore in the future, he moved forward without waiting for Oberon’s words.

Oberon, watching Admund’s retreating back, didn’t try to stop him.

He thought it right to respect his will if he had made up his mind.

“Still, don’t overdo it.”

* * *

The place Admund arrived at was his office where he used to stay every day until he collapsed.

There were always countless stacks of documents piled on the desk.

If he finished them in a day, the next morning they would be piled up again just like yesterday, repeating.

Having not attended to state affairs for days in such a repetitive routine, Admund was worried.

But for some reason, his desk was very clean.

Clearly, someone had taken care of the work he was supposed to do.

Admund felt sorry, knowing who it was.

“I should treat her even better for her hard work.”

The bitter coffee scent that always permeated the office was gone. Instead, a fragrant lavender scent lingered.

Admund, led by the fragrance, soon reached the desk.

There were a few sheets of paper on the desk.

Those papers had content about policies he had been eager to implement.

At first, he thought it might be Oberon, since few knew about the related content, but he was surprised when he saw the handwriting.

“She really is an amazing woman.”

And that surprise soon turned into admiration.

Unlike the strange cuteness felt from her unexpectedly poor handwriting, the contents on the paper were bold.

She had made the things Admund had been preparing realistic.

Admund was at a loss for words at the content, which was complete enough to be implemented immediately without any flaws.

As he read intently through the documents she had prepared, Admund discovered other things beside them.

“This is…”

Admund narrowed his brows as he examined the objects placed on the desk.

There were two books with the mark used by the temple attached and one book that looked old at a glance.

He looked around briefly before sitting down.

Confirming that no one would visit here in the middle of the night, he first reached for the old book.

‘Records of the Hersher Family.’

Admund wasn’t surprised by the ancient language that appeared as soon as he opened the book. He was already versed in various disciplines.

Admund was astounded as he looked at the drawings and writings in the book. It contained quite horrific content.

If this were to become known to the public, it would be certain that the Hersher family would be exterminated.

The reason was that the spells and potions written in the book were said to have been created through the deaths of countless people.

He continued to look at the contents inside, and it didn’t take long to reach the content Aria had organized.

“Have you finished reading?”

Just as he finished reading through the content, someone’s voice was heard in his ear.

Admund looked up.

Silver-haired Clea was standing in front wearing a thin shawl.

Nodding, Admund didn’t ask how long she had been standing there or why she had come here.

Seeing that she seemed to have something to say, he simply waited silently for her next words.

“Admund, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“Anything.”

Clea hesitated for a moment. She wasn’t sure if she should ask him this question.

Meeting Admund’s gaze, she smiled bitterly at the thought that he would take her side in any situation.

“If you had to kill someone yourself for my sake, could you do it?”

Admund knew who that person to be killed was.

And he could well imagine why she was bringing this up.

“I don’t want to leave those who harm you alone.”

He spoke in a flat voice.

“Especially if it’s someone who threatens your life, I can’t do that even more.”

Admund already had people he disliked enough to want to kill several times.

Lloyd Percy, Grit Odoi, Aria Hersher, and others.

He wanted to break their arms so they could never hurt her again.

But that was entirely up to Clea’s will, so he couldn’t act on his own.

So he had only kept it in his heart, but it seemed the time had finally come.

“They say you have to kill Aria yourself to break my curse.”

It was the only way to break the curse, but Clea didn’t want to get blood on Admund’s hands.

She felt reluctant to ask someone else to take a life because of her. Especially Admund.

“Admund, can you kill Aria?”

If he showed signs of reluctance, Clea was thinking of choosing another method.

But Admund quietly said, with an expression no different from usual.

“This is your business, but it’s also our business.”

“Our business…”

“Yes, we’re husband and wife now.”

At Admund’s words, Clea looked at the ring on her little finger.

Since it hadn’t been long since the wedding, the word ‘couple’ didn’t quite resonate.

Clea was happy but continued to feel sorry.

“If you end up feeling guilty, then hate me at that time.”

Hearing those words, Admund quietly got up and approached Clea. Then he lifted her and sat her on the desk.

Clea showed a bewildered expression at the sudden action.

“I’ll say it again, but I will never feel guilty.”

Admund spoke first before Clea could say anything.

“I can do anything for you. Even if it’s killing a god.”

Thinking it was a very typical answer for him, the drooping emotions completely disappeared.

Clea smiled at the absurdity of the reversed atmosphere.

“Pfft, is there any need to kill an innocent god?”

As Admund unbuttoned his own clothes, pale skin was revealed.

“Right. There’s no need to kill.”

With those final words, Admund embraced Clea. No more words were needed after that.

* * *

“Where on earth are you dragging me?”

It was now a dark night.

Aria was very cold due to her damp clothes.

Extreme pain surged with each step, as if her ankle was sprained.

But Lloyd, seemingly not caring about such things at all, grabbed Aria’s wrist tightly and dragged her somewhere.

She tried talking to him, but he didn’t even answer, so as anxiety gradually circled, she finally shook off Lloyd’s hand.

“At least answer me!”

But Aria soon regretted it.

As soon as she shook off his hand, Lloyd glared at Aria with a frightening look.

It was the first time he had given her such a look.

Knowing his personality better than anyone, Aria felt fear.

“Do you know what kind of state I’m in now because of you?”

“Did you drag me all the way here just to say such things?”

“Just? Ha, right. That’s what you would say.”

Amidst the surrounding darkness, the place where they stopped was an alley reeking of a foul smell.

It was a place they would never set foot in normally.

“Don’t you feel sorry for me at all?”

“Why should I feel sorry for you?”

“Aria!”

Aria believed that Lloyd’s current state was all due to his own karma.

Why did he try to climb a tree he couldn’t reach, causing this situation?

He appeared at Aria’s side at every turn, interfering with her.

Aria thought that was his fault.

Meanwhile, Lloyd was furious at Aria for not only treating him like a fool but also using his love.

He pushed her against the wall.

“If it weren’t for you, my life wouldn’t have been ruined like this.”

At Lloyd’s words blaming her, Aria now felt anger more than fear.

“Why are you blaming me for what you brought upon yourself?”

As Aria answered without backing down at all, he swung his fist at her.

“If it weren’t for you, I would have been a duke with a guaranteed future. A duke everyone looked up to except the imperial family!”

Having not eaten anything for days, his punch wasn’t that strong.

But it was enough to inflict pain on Aria.

She lost strength in her legs at the impact surging from her abdomen.

“Get up, get up now!”

But Lloyd looked down at her coldly, as if he wouldn’t spare her anymore.

Aria thought.

‘I’ll never forgive you. Never.’

She glared at Lloyd while caressing the small dagger hidden in her clothes.

‘Let’s end this now, this squalid relationship too.’