The atmosphere in the underground prison was extremely solemn.

The soldiers stood at regular intervals, quietly holding their positions, and several knights patrolled the prison in preparation for any unforeseen events, keeping an eye on the detained individuals.

“Your Highness, the prince.”

Rex, spotting Sinclair, greeted him with a respectful salute.

“It seems the meeting ended well and you have returned.”

“Yes.”

Sinclair nodded and replied.

“Was there any trouble?”

“Lundberg and Rockford are quieter than expected. They seem to have realized that there is no way out now. They just sit there, dazed.”

“What about Hister?”

“There was a small disturbance just now. I went to check on it and heard that Your Highness had arrived…”

A disturbance?

Sinclair, who had been quietly listening to Rex’s words, slightly furrowed his eyebrows.

“He made a scene, demanding to be brought to Your Highness. Needless to say, he hurled abuse at those standing guard.”

“…”

“I warned him that nothing would change anyway, and if he caused trouble one more time, we would gag his mouth.”

But it would hardly be of any use. A person like Hister would not be discouraged by such words.

“Open this door right now! Hurry!”

As if to prove that Sinclair’s prediction was correct, an unpleasant shout was heard from ahead.

“You uncivilized lot, do you know what you are doing to the Crown Prince of the Empire? How dare you. How dare you!”

Rex let out a heavy sigh and looked at Sinclair apologetically, and Sinclair slowly shook his head as if he understood.

“Have the soldiers step back for a moment. I have an urgent conversation to have with Hister.”

“…Will you be all right?”

“Of course.”

Having said that, Sinclair began to stride forward. Accompanied by Rex following behind him, they soon reached the deepest part of the underground prison.

As Rex swiftly dismissed the soldiers standing guard, Sinclair stepped towards the place where Hister was imprisoned.

“Sinclair!”

As soon as Sinclair appeared, Hister began to shout like a madman and make a scene.

He glared at Sinclair with bloodshot eyes, kicked the iron bars with all his might, and then grabbed the door with his blood-vessel-bulging hands and shook it violently.

But Sinclair showed no reaction and simply stared at Hister.

There was no trace of past glory to be found in Hister, who was locked up in the underground prison.

Disheveled hair. A dirty face stained with blood and wounds. A right sleeve hanging limply from a lost arm. And a voice that was hoarse from endlessly screaming in anger.

What was before his eyes was no longer the shining Crown Prince of Adenbell, but merely a traitorous criminal who would be executed at dawn.

Nevertheless, Sinclair’s reason for visiting Hister was simple.

“It feels like you’ve finally found your place, Hister.”

To see with his own eyes the sight of him being driven to the edge, just as Sinclair himself had once lost his mother and Elly.

“I told you repeatedly. In the end, everything would go according to my plan.”

Eventually, Sinclair began to speak in a low voice.

“I told you to struggle all you want. But I also told you to keep in mind that there’s nothing you can do as you please in this imperial palace.”

Back then, Hister had scoffed at Sinclair’s words, but in the end, Sinclair was right.

Everything had concluded according to Sinclair’s plan, and Hister had accomplished nothing.

“If there’s one thing I regret, it’s that your mother can’t see you now. It would have been more painful for you two. So I regret it a little. I shouldn’t have killed her so easily back then.”

“Sinclair, how dare you! To me, the Crown Prince!”

“Crown Prince?”

Sinclair laughed.

“It was just a convenient position created by a powerless emperor and a wicked woman who ate away at the emperor and Adenbell. If you truly had the ability, you wouldn’t have been defeated by me like this every time.”

“Ha, you’re just the abandoned empress’ son, and you dare say such things? You don’t even know your place!”

“You’re the one to talk, being the son of a commoner concubine.”

No matter what words Hister spewed, they had no impact on Sinclair. He had already lost, and Sinclair had won.

“Anyway, this place suits you quite well, Hister.”

“You…!”

“You will die as soon as dawn breaks. So savor the fear and dread a little more. This is my last gift to you.”

“Sinclair! You bastard!”

Suddenly, Hister’s voice resounded through the underground prison. It seemed Hister had also realized it now. No matter how much he struggled, there was no way to stop his execution.

Thus, he had been completely defeated by Sinclair.

“I will never forgive you. Never!”

“…”

“I will curse you even in death, Sinclair! You, your princess, and all those who insulted me!”

Hister ranted and raved.

“Let’s see if you can live peacefully after committing such a great sin! If you can govern Adenbell safely!”

“Yes, do as you please.”

Even in the face of Hister’s thorny abuse, Sinclair did not back down at all.

“I will continue to unfailingly protect my loved ones, now and in the future. I’ll do it for all to see.”

Far from backing down, he answered firmly as if advising him.

“When dawn breaks, you can tattle to your father and mother about everything I said and throw a tantrum. Shouldn’t you be grateful, Hister? That’s the only thing you can do. It was like that in the past, it’s like that now, and it will be like that even after you die.”

“Sinclair!”

“Then let’s meet tomorrow. We won’t be able to converse like today, but I should at least watch your final moments, shouldn’t I?”

“Aaargh!”

Along with Hister’s scream, the sound of him striking the iron bars rang in the ears.

However, Sinclair slowly began to leave the underground prison without even glancing at Hister anymore.

To return to Elaina, who would be waiting for him.

* * *

The corridor leading back to the bedroom did not feel as eerie as it had last time.

“…”

What does Elaina want to say to me?

While bringing Elaina back to the palace, I was solely focused on her condition.

I don’t know how many times I checked on Elaina, who had fallen asleep as if she had fainted under the influence of the drug, or how many times I was anxious. Without even checking on my own body.

So no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out what she had to say to me. The same went for guessing.

‘Still…’

She smiled at me.

She kindly called my name.

Also, she told me not to worry.

That alone was more than enough to quell the anxiety that kept welling up in my heart.

Of course, there was no way to know for sure what Elaina’s feelings were.

“…”

Sinclair, who had already arrived in front of the bedroom where Elaina was, slowly came to a halt. Then he checked several times to see if his hair was disheveled or if his clothes were in disarray.

Then, unlike in front of Hister, he opened the door with a slightly nervous face.

“Sinclair.”

As if she had been waiting for Sinclair, Elaina, who was sitting with her back against the bed, greeted him as soon as the door opened.

“You should have slept a little more. You haven’t fully recovered yet, Elaina.”

Sinclair said as he hurriedly approached the bed.

“I’m fine. But your body…”

“I told you earlier. You don’t have to worry about me anymore. I can handle this much.”

Elaina seemed to chuckle at Sinclair’s words, and then slowly parted her lips as she faced Sinclair, who had already sat down beside her.

“That’s purely from your perspective, not mine.”

“…”

“No matter how much you say you can handle it, I still worry. Just like how you always do for me.”

In Elaina’s eyes gazing at him, there was no resentment or anger to be felt.

Only affection and gentleness.

Sinclair silently looked at Elaina for a while.

And he slowly reached out and quietly stroked her black hair that had become short enough to reach her shoulders.

“I’m sorry.”

Sinclair’s voice, much lower than usual, quietly echoed in the bedroom.

“For being too late.”

“…”

“I’m really… sorry.”

What was he sorry for?

For not being able to rescue me, who was kidnapped by Hister, a little sooner?

Or…

For rescuing me from that nightmare only after 10 years had passed? Perhaps it was both.

But either way, it was okay. Sinclair had no reason to be sorry to me, and I had no intention of blaming him enough to hear an apology from him.

How long did it take to get to this point? And how much did we wander and despair?

There was a time when I thought it was my own wandering and despair alone, but not anymore.

The loneliness and alienation that Elly felt while growing up haphazardly, with no place to attach her heart to, must have been the same for Ren.

That didn’t change even after we were reunited.

“…Sinclair.”

Elaina placed her hand on top of Sinclair’s hand that kept stroking her cheek endlessly.

“Ren.”

Then, looking at him affectionately, she slowly began to speak.