After treating the wounds, Roel, who had been silently shedding tears, finally went to bed when exhaustion took over. Reus observed her reddened eyes and recalled the sight of her crying miserably.

The unstoppable flow of tears was undoubtedly born from genuine concern.

‘…Absurdly soft-hearted.’

Reus knew better than anyone that his behavior towards Roel had been less than ideal.

Yet, he intentionally acted more cruelly.

From long ago, he had resolved to eradicate every trace of the Ibel family from the earth, no matter what it took.

So, what did it matter what a girl, carrying the blood of the cursed Ibel Count, thought or felt? Even if she was pained and hurt by his actions, what difference did it make?

After all, having saved Roel Ibel’s life as a return favor for saving his own, hadn’t he fulfilled his obligation towards the daughter of his enemy and benefactor?

That was the extent of his sentiment for the person who had saved his life.

‘And yet she’s oblivious to it…’

And cries so sorrowfully.

Reus’s hand moved towards Roel’s eyes involuntarily. Touching her still damp eyelids, he felt the moisture on his fingertips. Realizing what he was doing, Reus withdrew his hand.

It was only a tear that had soaked in.

But strangely, the tingling sensation spread from his fingertips lingered for a long time.

Since then, Reus found his gaze lingering on Roel more often and for longer periods.

Naturally, this wasn’t intentional.

He simply found himself frequently caught by her and thought of her without any particular reason, unaware of the change within himself.

To Reus, Roel was still an utterly useless being.

Yet, why did she keep intruding into his thoughts?

From the moment he learned the hidden truth about his parents’ death, Reus’s sole aim in life was to ensure that those responsible paid a fitting price. His life became a series of failures and successes, of gains and losses.

Then, Roel Ibel suddenly entered his barren life, merely a descendant of his enemy.

Yet, at some point, she became neither a blind victim of vengeance nor a mere pawn of conscience, residing on a boundary that didn’t lean to either extreme.

Was it because he hadn’t yet defined her role in his life?

Recently, she refused to leave his thoughts.

Initially, Reus tried to push her out of his mind.

But the more he did so, the clearer her presence became. Eventually, even his mind seemed to accept her, stopping all attempts to dismiss her.

Thus, today too, Reus leaned back in his chair, his gaze unusually scattered, lost in thought.

He was contemplating Roel’s reckless action in the Quiet Forest, interfering in a dangerous situation to save a stranger, him.

‘A woman as fearful as her.’

It didn’t seem like a logical choice at all.

Yet, Roel chose to extend kindness without expecting anything in return, even going as far as to spend all her escape funds.

Though his life was saved by Roel’s altruistic choice, it only seemed irksome to him.
Precisely, it was Roel Ibel’s attitude of not wanting to exploit her status as a benefactor after risking her life to save him that perplexed Reus. He began to tap his pen on the table, pondering why she wouldn’t seize the opportunity.

If it were him, he would have certainly used the position of benefactor to extract some advantage from Reus. If not, he would have used that day’s event as leverage to extract something.

But Roel Ibel was just too peaceful. She never demanded anything, seemed to want nothing, and simply accepted the compensation he had announced.

She should have expected more than what he had offered.

This was something Reus had been prepared for even before proposing the contract to Roel.

But how did Roel act when the contract was proposed?

Far from feeling grateful for the favor, she seemed oblivious to the idea of exploiting it and even showed signs of appreciation, which baffled Reus.

‘Why show it so obviously?’

Reus felt irritated again.

It’s conceivable she might not demand material things. Then at least, she could have shown unconditional kindness or a submissive attitude.

‘Isn’t that what should be expected?’

But paradoxically, it was always Roel who appeased him.

In a world where family members would stab each other in the back, how could someone so gentle survive?

Before he knew it, Reus’s thoughts had drifted to Roel in Beliata a year later.

What if some strange people get involved with her again, like the son of the Duke of Ersian, her former fiancé? There was no guarantee that such an event wouldn’t recur.

‘Too naive…’

He was worried at that moment. Reus almost threw the pen he was holding.

“Lost her mind,” he muttered.

Dewin, in the office, flinched at the thud of the pen rolling on the desk.

What had upset His Highness this time? Dewin knew most of the documents had been reviewed by Reus himself and were problem-free.

Was it the Count of Ibel? Or the Emperor?

Regardless, it was an exceptionally unlucky day for Dewin, who had to work with the Duke rather than Her Highness.

Ignoring his assistant, who was almost bending over the desk in apprehension, Reus stood up.

Feeling the need to divert his attention to break this unreasonable train of thought, Reus approached the window, attempting a change of mood he had never tried before.

Was it a twist of fate? Instead of in his head, now Roel appeared before his eyes.

His attempt to clear his thoughts of the woman was in vain, as his gaze faithfully followed Roel’s movements.

Predictably, Roel was surrounded by trivial chatter, pausing her intended path to indulge in conversations.

As expected, she was engaging in conversation and greetings with no sign of annoyance. She laughed heartily, and at times her eyes widened like a rabbit’s.

Watching her stirred something inside him, and his thoughts naturally called out to Roel again.

Indeed, she, like him, had spent her childhood in darkness. He still remembered her swollen cheeks, pitifully puffed up, when he abruptly visited the Ibel mansion.

Annoyingly, Roel from that day seemed too familiar, almost naturally so.
At that time, Reus had felt no emotion, but now, for some inexplicable reason, he felt dirty. Just looking at Roel, he could sketch out her life.

With so many tears, she must have spent countless nights crying. Yet, she could still smile so purely.

This realization struck Reus anew.

He had encountered countless people with unfortunate stories – those who were continuously abused, those who lost their parents overnight, those who were forced into battlefields at a young age due to family circumstances.

Without going into details, most of them continued to flounder in the darkness they had created for themselves. In fact, it was more akin to waste than continuation.

And among those people was Reus himself.

Usually, people are addicted to the ugly memories imprinted from childhood, frequently drowning in depressive emotions. But strangely, Roel was untouched by darkness.

At this point, Reus had to admit that Roel Ibel was terrifyingly upright.

Adversity doesn’t selectively strike; often, those too upright suffer the most. It may seem unfair, but that’s how the world works.

Roel’s ability to maintain such a righteous disposition in this world meant she was incredibly strong.

Maybe the reason he couldn’t take his eyes off her was that she possessed an inner strength he lacked.

As Reus quietly observed Roel, the image of her shedding tears on the bed a few days ago suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Her tearful eyes hidden behind glistening blue irises. The tears that eventually formed large droplets, tracing transparent paths over her skin as white as a rose, before dropping onto her soft slip, staining it.

And then Roel looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen, tears hanging from her eyelashes like dewdrops on flower petals…

“Damn it-.”

Was he getting up just to be caught up in thoughts of Roel Ibel again?

Calling himself insane, Reus stormed out of the office.