“Leaving…?”

Roel had developed a habit of having to chew over even simple words once more. So for a moment, she kept repeating the same words as if talking to herself.

Overhearing Roel’s murmuring, Theron felt a piercing regret. If he was going to fall out with Reus anyway, there was no need to have refused Roel’s request back then.

Soon, Theron continued speaking, unusually calm and gentle.

“Roel. I’m saying I’ll help you get out of here. You, last time…”

“I can’t leave here.”

“…”

“I can’t go. If I leave, Reus will…”

Roel’s voice trembled as if the very fact of hearing such words was wrong. But Theron didn’t have much time left.

“I’m not saying we should go right now. I’ll come back again. So think it over well until then.”

“No, I can’t leave Reus behind… I won’t go.”

“Think carefully about whether your being by Reus’s side is really helping.”

This was something he could say because he knew that the biggest reason Roel had decided to stay here was guilt, even without having to talk about it.

“Think about whether things have gotten any better by following what Reus wants, Roel.”

“…”

“I’ll come back at midnight a week from now. I’ll hide a sleeping drug in the third windowsill from the bedroom door…”

The small piece of paper Theron put in the corner of the windowsill. What was inside was a sleeping drug used for catching dragons.

It was definitely not something to be used on people, but because Reus’s recovery ability was extraordinary, deciding to use this drug was an unavoidable choice for Theron.

Probably, the opportunity to come back in a week would be the first and last, so he had to tie Reus down for certain.

“If your thoughts haven’t changed when I come back… Alright, then I’ll follow your opinion. But if your mind changes even a little, then I’ll help you. So if you think about leaving with me, give that drug to Reus.”

Theron said to think carefully about what would really help each other. Roel tried to say again that she had no such thoughts at all, but the presence beyond the door had already urgently disappeared.

And really, not even a few seconds later, Reus appeared right behind her.

“Roel.”

At the deeply sunken voice, Roel’s shoulders flinched.

“What are you doing here?”

As Roel sensed, Reus was a little angry. And for good reason, as he had discovered traces of someone trying to break the barrier of the bedroom. There was no way Roel would have done it.

Probably, it must have been Theron.

He told me not to meddle in what he was doing, but he was thinking of pulling this kind of stunt. Reus put an extremely annoyed smile on the corner of his mouth.

Then he wrapped his arm around the waist of the woman who still couldn’t take one hand off the doorknob and pulled her to himself.

“Reus, I really…”

“I know. I trust you.”

Roel knew that those words were a perfect lie. Soon, a soft kiss landed on top of her head.

“Roel, I like you. Very much.”

“…”

“So everything you say is right.”

Reus’s words confessing his feelings out of habit no longer sounded sweet to Roel. Because she now knew that this was no different from telling her not to leave.

[“Think carefully about whether your being by Reus’s side is really helping.”]

It had been a very long time since she had doubted whether this was really right.

‘No… But Reus wants me to be by his side…’

After all, it was I who chose not to leave. Roel covered up the true feelings deep inside her that Theron had uncovered.

[This is the timeline separator]

Although it seemed like the same daily life was repeating, Roel felt even more suffocated these days, feeling overwhelmed every day.

It was because the anxiety that the Emperor might play tricks again at any time, and that Theron might take Roel away, made Reus a little more persistent.

Among these, what troubled Reus the most was, of course, his own thought that the woman might leave him at any time.

Roel said she had no intention of leaving, like before, but now Reus couldn’t be reassured by these words. He poured all his strength into staying by the woman’s side, even giving up sleep.

And Roel accepted even that. Because it was she herself who had chosen to remain here, knowing that there was nothing she could do.

Then, Reus, who hadn’t slept for several days, fell into a light sleep while holding Roel tightly.

The man who now couldn’t fall asleep even if she stroked his head.

She thought there was nothing left to break, but these days she felt the man was going mad little by little.

But then Reus frowned and soon made a small groaning sound. It was the moment she was about to wake him up, thinking he might be having a nightmare.

“Fath…”

At those words, Roel’s body stiffened at once. Soon, a voice barely audible flowed into her ears.

I’m sorry… Father. I did wrong.

Even though she knew Reus would never give up on revenge, she had stayed because he said he wanted to live.

[“Think carefully about whether your being by Reus’s side is really helping.”] [“Think about whether things have gotten any better, Roel.”]

She now had to admit that they had reached this current situation while delaying the inevitable parting.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Reus. May I make one request?”

Recently, Roel had become much more demanding. Reus, who had been thinking she might be up to something, suspecting her sudden change from being almost silent before Theron’s visit, now largely withdrew his suspicions.

This was because the things Roel asked for consisted of very small matters that he could gladly do for her.

Seeing Reus nodding, Roel carefully continued speaking.

“I… I want to go to the library.”

However, at the words of wanting to go outside the bedroom, Reus’s eyes sharpened for a moment.

“If that’s difficult, even just the corridor for a moment…”

Roel added timidly in a small voice, saying she just wanted to walk for a bit…

Reus also knew that it was time for the woman to feel stuffy. But he couldn’t readily agree to do so.

Even though he knew that there was nothing Roel could do in the current situation, an inexplicable anxiety crept up his body.

“No, I think I said something unnecessary. Please pretend you didn’t hear it…”

However, even at moments like this, the one who always lost when the woman showed a disappointed face was Reus.

“…Alright.”

“Will you go to the library with me?”

“Yes. But promise me you’ll never leave my side.”

“Of course. I’ll never leave your side.”

Reus smiled along with Roel’s rare bright face.

After bundling up Roel’s clothes tightly, they left the room together. As they were heading towards the library like that, Roel suddenly stopped after walking a few steps. Then she put her hand on the windowsill and stared out the window for a moment.

Reus stared at Roel but didn’t send particularly suspicious looks.

This was because he understood the woman’s reaction given it was an outing after a long time, and because he had no idea what was happening under her clothes due to the many layers she was wearing.

[This is the timeline separator]

After returning from the library, for a few days, Roel became more talkative and wanted more things. This was enough to give Reus the illusion that things had returned to how they were before.

Just as he was thinking it wouldn’t be bad to go for walks together occasionally from now on, Roel said,

“Come to think of it, Reus’s birthday was in spring too, right?”

The ambiguous season transitioning from winter to spring. Reus’s birthday had been a few days before the two met.

“Your birthday will be coming up soon. How did you spend your birthdays until now?”

“I didn’t particularly celebrate.”

“Not even once?”

“No.”

Reus’s mood quickly improved even at the trivial questions the woman asked. The certainty that Roel wasn’t dying by his side after all. The fact that it wasn’t he who was wrong, but Theron.

Those things made Reus even happier.

“If we had met a little earlier, I could have celebrated Reus’s birthday before mine…”

“If you want, I’ll prepare.”

“How can you prepare your own birthday…”

For a moment, Roel’s face hardened. Probably just the two of them blowing out candles on a cake in the dining room without servants would be all.

Her mood plummeted as she was reminded of the fact that she could no longer feel the joy she used to feel before.

Without saying to prepare or not to prepare, Roel changed the subject.

“Reus, may I make one more request?”

“Yes, anything.”

“It’s a bit sudden, but… I want to drink alcohol. The alcohol we had on our first wedding night.”

Reus seemed to ponder for a moment before answering.

“I’ll prepare it right away, so please wait a moment.”

After all, it was Roel who was weak with alcohol. Since they would be drinking inside the bedroom, and even if a problem arose, he could handle it all himself, he readily agreed.

Reus, who soon returned to the room with alcohol and simple snacks, placed the food with very skillful hands.

“Thank you.”

“Not at all. If there’s anything you want in the future, please tell me. I’ll do anything for you.”

Roel smiled without answering and then held up her glass. The glasses were filled with alcohol and soon clinked together with a clear sound.

“I think this is the first time we’re drinking together like this. I don’t know why I didn’t think of spending time like this with you.”

“We have plenty of time ahead.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

There was not a trace of lie to be found on Roel’s face as she answered immediately. Like that, when they hadn’t tilted their glasses many times, Roel soon made another small request.

“Reus, I’m really sorry, but… Could you bring me some water? I think I’m starting to feel a bit tipsy…”

As it was always something he did, Reus granted the request as if it were natural.

Roel drank it and casually held up her glass again. The sound of glass clinking rang out again, and they each drank their alcohol just like before.

But something was a bit strange. Reus originally had a constitution that didn’t get drunk at all from alcohol. Though that was certainly true, now his head felt a bit dizzy.

He hadn’t been able to sleep lately… but even though he had suffered from insomnia for almost his entire life, he had never felt like this, making his current state feel even stranger.

Just as Reus was putting his hand to his forehead, Roel said,

“Reus. I’ve really thought about it a lot… I think it’s right for me to leave your side.”