In the deep dawn with a halo around the moon. Emperor Aselet is heading somewhere. Behind him, the captain of the imperial guard, Ian, followed with hurried steps.

“Your Majesty. According to the shadows, something strange happened in the Silent Forest at dawn.”

Despite his subordinate’s worried voice, the emperor didn’t stop walking. His relaxed back showed no sign of agitation.

Anxious, Ian continued his report even though the emperor hadn’t given permission to continue speaking.

“They say the black mist suddenly cleared in an instant. I’m reporting this because it doesn’t seem like something to be taken lightly, Your Majesty, even though they say the forest returned to its original state after a few minutes.”

Den asked in a voice as relaxed as his demeanor.

“My friend. Is he still well buried below?”

He sounded affectionate, as if asking about a friend who was still alive. Ian felt it was bizarre but tried not to show it as he quickly answered.

“That… Yes, we’ve confirmed that the device made by the inventor is still buried in the forest.”

The device buried under the forest would randomly change its position even with the slightest change in magical concentration.

Because of this, even the inventor who first created it could no longer find Likasen’s heart.

But who could find it by predicting all the variables?

Unless it was a god watching his misdeeds from above, no human, no matter who they were, could ever find it.

But it would be a lie to say Ian’s words didn’t bother him.

The incident that reportedly occurred at dawn was clearly the work of those who had been obsessed with the Silent Forest for some time.

He had killed everyone who knew about Likasen’s death at that time, except for Ian.

Ian had sworn his soul to the emperor when he ascended the throne, cursing himself to eternal loyalty, so he couldn’t speak the truth in the first place.

He had killed all the shadows he used without leaving a single one, and even Cain, who knew the most about the affair and whom he loved the most, he had personally slain.

So there couldn’t be anyone under heaven who knew the full story of the Grand Duke’s death.

‘Yet they still have the audacity to show interest. This time they’re openly messing with the forest…’

Suspicion naturally turned to one person.

My dear friend. Likasen Rocheter’s son, Reus Rocheter.

Even if Reus didn’t know why his father died or how he passed away, it was a reasonable suspicion given that he didn’t know what variables might be hidden in the Rocheter family’s power.

For this reason, the emperor had been keeping a close eye on Reus for quite a long time since his friend’s death.

But Reus Rocheter had never done anything conspicuous so far. Rather, he had given everything he could offer.

Especially unlike his father, he was skilled in swordsmanship, and whenever given orders to dispatch, he had always obeyed without fail, proving more useful than any loyal subject so far.

He was a child who unconditionally followed his orders without a word, no matter what.

But if Reus Rocheter was the annoying one stirring up the forest every time…

‘Does it really matter?’

Even if it was true that he had been lying low for a very long time for the sake of a greater cause, it wasn’t much of a threat to Den.

To Den, Reus Rocheter was just a well-bred and sturdy pet dog.

Unless he had regained his family’s power, there wasn’t much a mere dog could do, so Den hadn’t cared much whether Reus was the culprit or not for quite some time.

But today, he suddenly became curious about this fact.

Which side would Reus Rocheter be on – a substitute for my friend and a loyal pet dog?

Would he be his loyal sword? Or had he truly become a dog after being showered with affection, running around the Silent Forest?

Although he couldn’t know the truth, Den hoped that it was indeed Reus Rocheter who had been obsessed with the Silent Forest all this time.

If that were true, wouldn’t it mean that his cherished pet dog had lived his entire life broken in front of him, questioning his father’s death?

A life mired in the deepest mud, even in a place without a single ray of hope.

Thinking that he had never lived in his right mind, his insides twisting every moment, Den felt like he might burst into laughter at any moment. No matter how he thought about it, it was a story perfectly fitting for a son of a bitch who had lost his parents.

In a slightly better mood, Den asked in an amicable voice.

“How has Reus been doing lately?”

“I’ve heard that the Grand Duke has been reducing his work lately and spending most of his time with the Grand Duchess.”

Ah, right. He had momentarily forgotten that his beloved dog had acquired a pretty bride.

‘Ibel. Roel Ibel.’

How did that pretty child manage to find her perfect match?

Den dared to claim that he would be the one who most blessed the union of Reus Rocheter and Roel Ibel in the world.

After all, Reus didn’t know she was the daughter of the person who killed his mother, and Roel didn’t know her father had killed her husband’s mother.

How could one not bless such foolish ignorance, pouring out all their affection without knowing who was whose misfortune?

If he had known this would happen, he should have arranged their meeting from the start.

Make them fall in love and when they’re at their happiest, tell Reus that Roel Rocheter is actually the daughter of the enemy who killed his mother – he became a little curious about what expression Reus would make.

Of course, it would have been fun in its own way to force them together too.

It’s a pity. Why didn’t he think of this earlier?

“I see… Then how is the Grand Duchess doing? The daughter of Count Ibel, I mean.”

“Ah, I heard she was quite ill with a cold recently.”

At Ian’s answer, Den’s eyebrows tilted as if in sympathy.

“Oh dear. It’s a shame she’s so ill even after leaving home. Now that there’s no mother to torment her or father to neglect her, you’d think she could live comfortably in the Grand Duke’s castle. Fate is truly cruel…”

Ian, as the captain of the imperial guard, roughly knew about Roel Ibel, so he wasn’t surprised at all. Rather, he silently agreed with the emperor’s words about her cruel fate.

She seemed to have no idea that even the Grand Duke’s castle she had fled to from the darkness had once been overshadowed by her father.

“Yes, that’s why the Grand Duke has been buying up all the rare medicinal herbs, I hear.”

But Ian couldn’t continue with what came next.

Lately, the only information the spy in the Grand Duke’s castle had been relaying was about Reus’s excessive behavior towards Roel.

How he couldn’t bear to see the Grand Duchess even walk and kept her in his arms all the time, or how he wouldn’t think of leaving the bedroom even when the sun was high in the sky…

Ian, who had always been suspicious of Reus, was a bit confused by the recent reports.

Seeing how deeply infatuated he was with the Grand Duchess to the point of losing his senses, it seemed he wouldn’t have the capacity to focus on anything else…

At that moment, the emperor spoke in a fresh voice.

“I’m relieved to hear that Reus is getting along well with the Grand Duchess. He was a child who had lost his smile after his father’s death, you know.”

“…”

“Aren’t you grateful?”

Ian thought the emperor’s words were about the Rocheter Grand Duchess.

But it was a complete misunderstanding.

“He’s created his own weakness, so it’s become easier to yank his leash. It’s quite admirable, isn’t it?”

Den was simply pleased that he had been given the opportunity to personally destroy the smile Reus had regained.

‘Ah. If I’m curious whether he’s the one searching the forest, I could just hold a knife to his wife’s throat.’

Wouldn’t that easily reveal his true colors?

Even if not, if the loyal dog shows even slightly suspicious behavior in the future, all he needs to do is capture the Grand Duchess.

The emperor was dying of curiosity to see how the child who never showed emotion would crumble when his weakness, as precious as his life, was touched.

An irresistible sense of anticipation and a strange excitement came like a massive wave, sweeping away all the boredom of recent times.

It had been a long time since he felt such elation. Den naturally thought of his friend.

The image of his friend looking up at him with eyes tinged with betrayal, his limbs tightly bound.

The sight of the one who had made his halo even more intense from an equal position, now miserably broken and crawling on the ground, was truly an unforgettable scene.

It was also quite impressive how he cried and shouted desperately not to touch his son, even when he could barely move his body.

From the beginning, before all the events unfolded, when he asked which one he would choose between his wife and son, he had intended to spare one of them.

He didn’t bother to tell Likasen, who was shouting with bloodshot eyes until his death, but.

Den quietly promised only after Likasen’s death that he would spare his son as requested.

But now I’m sorry to say that promise will have to be nullified.

Since I’ve refrained from touching his son for so long to keep my promise to him, wouldn’t Likasen understand this much?

“It might be good to spend some time with the Grand Duchess soon.”

Den smiled brightly as he thought of an exciting plan that piqued his interest after a long time.

* * *

A few days later, an invitation personally signed by the emperor arrived at the Grand Duke’s castle.

It was a letter that began with greetings to the dear Grand Duke couple, but there was only one recipient.

Namely, the Rocheter Grand Duchess.

In other words, only the Grand Duchess was invited. But that letter never reached Roel.

It first fell into Roteo’s hands, then Dewyn’s, and finally into Reus’s hands.

Reus read the letter carefully with a completely blank expression. Dewyn, tensed at the sight of his former master’s appearance after a long time, quietly gulped.

These days, as His Highness had become even more protective of Her Highness, Dewyn was terribly afraid that he might lead the knights to the imperial palace right away in response to the emperor’s provocation.

But Dewyn’s fear soon turned to bewilderment.

Because Reus magically incinerated the letter without a trace. Dewyn stood dumbfounded for a while at the absurd scene that unfolded before his eyes. Then he called out to his master in a loud voice.

“Y-Your Highness!”

But Reus blatantly ignored Dewyn’s call and headed to his desk.

“Your Highness…! The invitation personally signed by His Majesty the Emperor, to do such a thing…”

Unable to finish his sentence, Dewyn seriously pondered what word he should use to describe an act even crazier than crazy.