At those words, Edan lifted his hand and gently patted my head, as if comforting me.

“Really?”

His voice was soft, like he was soothing a child, as if praising me for saying something right.

“Yes.”

When I gave a small nod, Edan gently lifted the corners of his lips and smiled beautifully.

Then, he spun around gracefully, turned toward Jenald, tilted his chin up, and swept his hair back.

“Jenald Johan?”

“Eh… wha? Yes?”

Foolish Jenald. He started stuttering, paralyzed by fear.

“So at least your name was real?”

“Ah, no. What do you mean?”

“I was thinking of stomping you to death, but this works out perfectly.”

Though he spoke casually, killing intent radiated from Edan’s back.

“Any last words?”

“L-last words…?”

It wasn’t a joke—I suddenly felt certain Jenald might actually die right then.

Jenald, too, instinctively sensed it; he waved his hands frantically and slowly backed away.

In the midst of it, he rolled his eyes toward me, but I coldly turned away. I didn’t want to exchange another word with a man who wasn’t even worth talking to.

At the sight of my icy gaze, Jenald seemed to grasp the situation and dropped to his knees before Edan.

That was even more absurd. He’d spewed all sorts of words shamelessly in front of me, yet crumbled so easily before someone stronger.

“W-wait a second. Th-this is a misunderstanding! Just hear me out for a moment…!”

His terrified expression was completely unfiltered.

“Is that your last words?”

“L-Latieana! Oh no! I was wrong!”

Only then did an apology finally spill from Jenald’s mouth. But by then, I no longer heard his words.

Edan slowly stepped toward Jenald.

“Ruben. Take Latie away.”

The moment he finished speaking, Ruben appeared from somewhere.

“Let’s go.”

Without hesitation, I turned around and walked away.

After a few steps, I turned back once more.

“L-Latieana? Talk to me, please!”

Jenald, seeing me turn, looked at me with hopeful, pleading eyes—as if he’d found a ray of light.

“Jenald.”

“Yes! Yeah! It’s me! I’m sorry! It was all my fault!”

To Jenald, now desperately groveling as if his hands had turned into feet, I cruelly curled up one corner of my mouth.

“Go eat shit, you bastard.”

Again, I found myself back here, screaming inwardly.

Standing in front of the familiar door, I lowered my head, unable to bring myself to grasp the doorknob, and let out a sigh.

Looking out the large window in the hallway, I realized it was already deep into the night—the moon had risen full.

Normally, I’d be alone at this hour, but Edan hadn’t returned yet, and I was with Ruben.

“He wouldn’t actually stomp someone to death, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

Ruben offered what sounded like comfort as I sighed heavily, then returned through the portal.

I wasn’t sure whether he thought I was worried about Jenald, or whether he thought sentencing someone to death over fraud was excessive.

But I wasn’t worried about Jenald at all.

I appreciated Ruben’s comforting words, but I already knew.

Edan wouldn’t kill Jenald over something like this.

Well… even if he becomes a mass murderer soon because of Ivy, he isn’t one yet.

The Edan I know now is crazy, sure, but still retains some humanity.

And when Edan said he’d “eliminate” Jenald, that was before I broke off the engagement.

But now…

“It’s not even an engagement anymore—just straight-up fraud.”

I ended up returning here again, unable to escape. I wanted to tear my hair out.

Plop. I collapsed onto the neatly arranged bed sheets—I’d prepared them thinking I’d never come back.

Absurdly, in this situation, the bed felt incredibly cozy.

Probably because I’d had an exhausting day. Happiness really is this simple. Truly.

I didn’t ask for much. I just didn’t want to die as a mummy. I just wanted to live an ordinary life.

What the hell am I supposed to do?! I grabbed my hair with both hands.

“Ugh…!”

When my tensed wrist touched my forehead, the pain I’d forgotten surged back.

I saw the bandage on my wrist, now loose and messy. Turning my head, I noticed the fresh bandages and ointment Edan had left there.

“Get yourself together.”

I got up again, finished showering, and returned.

As I re-bandaged my injured wrist and dried my wet hair with a towel, thoughts of Edan kept surfacing.

Since he hadn’t returned, had he gone straight to the North from there? How did he handle Jenald? Maybe I should’ve asked him to lock Jenald in prison for about fifty years—he probably would’ve agreed if I’d asked.

I fiddled pointlessly with the bandage.

This was the first time I’d ever relied on someone who wasn’t Jenald. I never expected that person to be Edan.

Edan had definitely stood on my side. He was kind, warm. At least in that moment, I felt genuinely grateful he was my master.

I’d been entirely consumed by thoughts of escape—but even thinking that way now felt ridiculous. Still, the only reason I could find my way out of that pitch-black maze was because Edan came for me.

The arms of the very person I most wanted to run from… had become my only refuge.

‘Really?’

His gentle smile, reassuring me not to worry, after I’d confessed everything. His tender voice.

Since when had Edan smiled at me like that? I tried hard to recall.

I’m not sure. Edan had always been frightening. But at least last night, he’d definitely smiled that way.

His beautiful face, constantly breaking into soft laughter. I traced my fingertips over my lips, where his burning gaze had lingered.

‘You can’t go anywhere. I’ve decided to keep you.’

Why did he say that? No matter how I think about it, I’m not the person Edan should be saying such things to.

‘I want to pounce on you.’

That’s something he should’ve said to Ivy. Why is he fixated on me?

As one question led to another, my memory stopped at one moment.

The moment Hillstain Mathias and Edan met.

‘You shouldn’t try to steal what belongs to someone else.’

He’d spoken as if I were his property. Back then, I assumed Edan was obsessed with me because he saw me as his possession. Sometimes psychopaths treat people like objects and feel intense possessiveness over “their things.”

But if he truly saw me only as an object, his behavior didn’t quite add up.

Because Edan treats me so preciously.

Even when he grumbles, as long as I don’t try to leave here, he ultimately lets me do whatever I want and rarely stops me.

Of course, he says his headaches eased after I arrived—maybe that’s why he’s obsessed. But objectively speaking, if all he needed was pepper, he could’ve just gone out and bought some himself.

“I really thought I’d successfully escape this time….”

In the end, my plan failed.

By the time my hair had mostly dried, I stared blankly at the bag I’d left on the bedside table.

The clerk had clearly said money could buy citizenship in the Western Kingdom. So right now, the most important thing I must secure is money.

I picked up the bag containing my bankbook and left the room.

Edan might have realized, during my conversation with Jenald, that I’d seriously planned to leave the Empire entirely. Still, he wouldn’t arbitrarily confiscate my money—it’s practically pocket change to him. But better safe than sorry.

I walked down the stairs and headed toward the base of the castle wall. Piles of rubble lay scattered around the castle, shattered by Hillstain.

Though it was midnight, the sky was clear, the full moon shining brightly without a single cloud—visibility was excellent.

Scanning the area, I found a small hole in a corner of the castle wall.

“This spot should work.”

I slipped the bag containing my bankbook into the hole, then fetched stones from the broken wall and packed them tightly over it.

No matter how closely I checked, it looked perfectly hidden—at a glance, no one would notice.

Good. I’ve safely hidden my most trustworthy asset—my entire fortune.

Now, the remaining problem is…

I lifted my head and gazed up at the moon nestled between the broken castle walls.

Unlike before, the wall now seemed easy enough to climb over if I really wanted to.

But I know escaping like this now would be pointless.

Because there’s a root cause I hadn’t known about.

“Ivy Violet…”

She’s looking for me.

Last time, when Hillstain suddenly stormed in here, I got through it thanks to Edan—but there’s no guarantee I’ll be saved so luckily next time.

Hillstain knows I was once a Holy Maiden candidate.

I don’t know exactly what Edan did when he took Hillstain away to “handle things,” but I’ll find out soon.

That it wasn’t pepper—I used healing power.

Or perhaps…

Thud. Thud. Pointlessly, I kicked fragments of stone lying on the ground.

Just maybe—ridiculously unlikely, but perhaps—Edan…

‘Might have known I was a Holy Maiden candidate and pretended not to.’

It’s a hypothesis I’ve never considered before, but in this situation, thinking this way makes things simpler.

It even explains why he’s so fixated on me.

But that’s only because Edan doesn’t know how mesmerizing Ivy’s healing power is.

He’s obsessed with me because he doesn’t know.

Once he learns about Ivy’s healing power—and realizes I’m truly worthless—he’ll abandon me without hesitation.

Just like Hillstain intended to drag me to Ivy, Edan would gladly deliver me to her too.

To please Ivy, to win her favor.

Edan will never take responsibility for me.

In this world, Ivy’s healing power holds more authority than any other force. In the end, he’ll choose her.

Ultimately, whether I stay or run, I’m doomed.

Then there’s only one way out—straightforward confrontation.

It’s different from the plans I’ve made until now, but if it succeeds, I’ll never need to run again.

If done right, I might escape this situation more easily than anything else.

“Come to think of it, I need to destroy all the letters I received from Jenald.”

Damn it. I’ll tear them to shreds and burn every last one!

Suddenly, the thought of Jenald’s face—forgotten amid worries about what lay ahead—flashed back, souring my mood.

No. It wasn’t just sour. It was horrifying—he’d been thinking those things while I was here, dreaming of a peaceful future and working hard.

Not just trying to extort money—he’d planned to sell me off.

A wave of bitter sorrow surged up to my throat.

At this hour, I should’ve already left the Empire.

“What are you doing?”

Gah!

I flinched, shoulders jerking at the sudden voice—no footsteps, just his voice appearing out of nowhere.

No matter the reason, hearing Edan’s voice in the dead of night always feels like my heart’s about to drop out.

I turned around in alarm—and sure enough, there stood Edan.

Normally, Edan at this hour would be drenched in blood—but today, he was still dressed as earlier, perfectly clean.

“Princess, what are you doing here?”