“The opportunity is now.”

Delia, with great difficulty, closed her eyes.

Even in her fading consciousness, his pupils were vividly remembered.

Deep eyes of silver hue.

And the ashcolored sky reflecting his gaze.

“By tonight at the earliest, or at dawn tomorrow. It’s going to rain.”

At Delia’s weak voice, flowing out like a groan, Zer’s face hardened.

It will rain.

Even the imperial army, armed with advanced modern weapons, couldn’t win against the rain.

Because the damp gunpowder wouldn’t ignite.

If Eorenti attacked while the imperial army was battling the rain…

What the princess of Zer implied was clear.

“I understand. I will definitely bring you the news of victory, Your Highness.”

Hearing Zer’s firm response, Delia finally let go of the tension in her body, as if she had finished her tasks.

Like an ancient soldier delivering important news and taking his last breath.

She let go of the consciousness she had been holding onto until the end.

“Del.”

The queen, holding her hand, felt Delia’s strength slipping away, and her face turned ashen.

“No.”

The desperate queen’s scream echoed in the room, and the maids hurriedly supported her.

Even the king rushed to Delia’s side, pale as death.

The doctor’s hands moving over the princess sped up.

Zer stepped back and watched the scene around Delia.

The king and queen worried about their daughter, the doctors and assistants working to save the princess, and the servants and maids helping them.

As if in a different world from them, Zer stood alone, listening to the echoing voice in his head.

The weak voice of the princess, urging him to launch a fullscale attack on the imperial army during the rain.

The commander’s frantic voice, insisting on saving the princess of Eorenti at all costs.

The two voices tangled in Zer’s mind, creating confusion.

But amidst the confusion, one thing was clear.

He was the captain of the guard who had to protect the princess of Eorenti.

He wouldn’t let the princess of Eorenti be taken from him again.

Zer tightly gripped the scabbard at his waist.

In the urgent situation unfolding in the room, no one was looking at him.

But Zer bowed his head in courtesy, turned around, and left the princess’s room.

He had to do what was given to him, in his place.

For his princess.

Aaron, left alone in the barracks, had his eyes tightly shut.

He had no sense of how long he had been lying there.

She had been here for a week.

Just a week.

But the traces she left were vivid, wrapping around Aaron.

What went wrong?

Aaron buried himself in the bed where Delia’s warmth still remained.

The red light illuminating the barracks flowed over the exhausted Aaron.

The strong color and scent were not felt.

Her golden hair like threads, her blue eyes resembling the sky.

The sour smell of brandy, the scent of flowers and grass.

It felt distant and blurry.

Did it really exist?

Aaron, seeking her traces, raised his hand to the light.

The texture of the gauze left at his fingertips was clear.

The moments he bandaged the wound left on her arm came to his mind vividly.

Why did he shoot her arm, not the heart of the black mask?

If he had killed her, everything would have ended in an instant.

It was his hand that he offered to treat the prisoner who was shot by his gun.

The traces of her clenching her teeth to withstand the pain had disappeared.

Why did he need to treat her?

There was no need to scrape out the gunshot he shot and save her.

What seemed natural at the time lost its meaning.

Due to his inexplicable actions, the meaning of her became clear.

From then on, I wanted her.

From the moment I met her blue eyes at the edge of the cliff.

From the moment I was wrapped in an unknown thirst.

I wanted her.

But she…

She desperately tried to get away and return to Eorenti.

When I tried to take her to the empire, she chose death.

I want you so much.

Aaron’s memory returned to the last moment when he let go of her hand.

The frail body trembling like a herbivore,

The small hand that clung desperately.

Eyes losing focus and becoming blurry.

Only traces that seemed to disappear remained, painting Aaron with terrible regret.

He even forgot why he came to Eorenti.

The conquest of the Southern Three Countries.

To the south of the empire, the three countries of Loieni, Kirens, and Eorenti shared a border.

Although small, these nations had a deep and venerable history that predated the Stilraits Empire.

Serving as a bridge connecting the sea and the continent, they each bloomed with their own unique cultures.

The Empire had been eyeing these small countries since the time of the former emperor.

If they could control these three southern nations, they would be able to use the naturally defensive sea as a border and establish stable defenses.

Furthermore, they could also gain access to ports that could lead maritime trade.

From the Empire’s perspective, they were very tempting prey… that was their view.

For Aaron Stilraits Bergen, the only archduke of the Empire, this war presented an opportunity.