Thump.

My heart felt like it dropped to the Earth’s inner core as my hair stood on end.

The familiar voice from behind me had none of the gentleness from before.

My face drained of color as I realized how drastically a person’s body temperature can change when gripped by intense fear.

The heat from the tension of trying to escape cooled instantly, and my lips became parched.

Like a broken wooden puppet, I creakily turned around and, as expected, Edan came into view.

Against the ancient castle walls, under the moonlight, Edan stood with his black cloak billowing. He was staring at me with cold, narrowed eyes. I had forgotten, lulled by his constant kindness, but I suddenly came to my senses. This impossibly beautiful man before me was indeed the villain.

“Latieana.”

He called my name for the first time in a flat, monotonous voice.

“I asked you,” he said again, emphasizing each word.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, with the slightest hint of a smile.

“Where are you going?”

Instead of answering, I shifted my gaze to the object in Edan’s left hand.

My eyes naturally drifted there. A long, sharp silver blade was stained with bright red blood.

As if he had just been cutting something, the vivid red blood…

A chill ran through me from head to toe, and my heart started racing.

‘What on earth has he been doing in the library every night?’

I let go of the stone I had been holding.

“This… this is… a misunderstanding.”

Edan asked without blinking.

“What misunderstanding?”

“I… well, I was just going to do some exercises under the bright moonlight…”

“What an excuse.”

I thought he would get angry, but Edan’s smile softened a bit as he cut me off.

Feeling my fingertips getting damp with sweat, I gripped my bag strap tightly.

“I know what you were trying to do.”

“Pardon?”

“You must have been very angry that I didn’t accept your resignation. Considering you were planning to leave like this.”

He guessed accurately, as if he had read my mind.

But I shook my head from side to side. As if I never had such a thought, not even in my dreams.

“No, that’s not it. Really…”

“It’s okay.”

Edan cut me off again, and my eyes widened at the words that came out of his mouth.

“You can run away.”

Did I hear that right? I never knew escape could be such a hopeful word!

I finally detached myself completely from the castle wall where I had been awkwardly clinging.

“R-really?”

At that moment, I didn’t even realize how stupid my question was.

It was like admitting that I was trying to escape.

Edan smiled benevolently at my eyes sparkling with hope, as if gladly agreeing.

“As much as you want.”

I’m saved! Edan, who had looked like the grim reaper just moments ago, suddenly started to look like an angel. His smooth lips seemed even more beautiful today. Edan was so pretty that I felt a tiny bit sad that I wouldn’t see his face anymore after leaving here. But goodbye. I really want to live.

“Thank you! Then, farewell!”

I bowed deeply, my long hair almost touching the ground, then firmly grasped my bag and turned around. Just as I was about to take a vigorous step, Edan’s low voice continued.

“But if you get caught, you die.”

…Huh?

This time, I really broke down. I barely managed to turn my body around to look at him, and Edan was tilting his head back and forth with his hand on his nape.

His eyelids slowly closed and opened once. The smile had disappeared from his lips by now, and his blood-red eyes, full of killing intent yet seemingly languid, pierced me coldly.

“…Didn’t you say I could go?”

“Yeah. But I’ll kill you.”

That’s the same as telling me not to go.

“Well, you can try running away anyway.”

“But… you said you’d kill me…?”

“Yeah. But be brave.”

“…”

My mouth automatically clamped shut.

What courage? The courage to end my life here? With that voice… with that merciless expression… telling me to be brave…

No one would dare to be brave in this situation.

My wandering eyes returned to the object in his left hand.

With each drop of bright red blood falling from the well-sharpened blade, I felt like I was losing a month of my life.

I lifted the foot I had stepped forward and moved it back.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re not going to run? Escape?”

“Oh my. Master, really. Who said anything about escaping? I told you, I was just doing exercises under the moonlight.”

As I said this, I swung my arms around wildly.

I had to be brazen. I decided to insist no matter what, for the sake of survival.

Swallowing my embarrassment, I flailed my arms chaotically, did some waist stretches back and forth and side to side, and even threw in some knee bends.

Edan, who had been quietly watching me, seemed inclined to go along with my insistence and asked again.

“You’re really not going?”

“I’m not.”

“You lack courage.”

Edan slightly raised the corner of his mouth. His smile didn’t make him any less scary, but it was much better than his expressionless face.

“Well then, come here for now, it’s urgent.”

“…What?”

Edan approached with long strides, wrapped one arm around my waist, and flipped me over his shoulder.

“Eek! W-what are you doing?”

Before I could regain my senses from the dizzying sensation, Edan started moving quickly, and I instinctively gripped his cloak tightly.

“I’d like to play with you more, but I’m a bit pressed for time today.”

Clinging tightly out of fear of falling, we arrived in front of the library in no time.

“Why here…”

Through the open door, I could see suspicious flashes of light inside the library.

At that moment, my hands that had been gripping the cloak tightly went limp.

The place Edan frequented every night. I had tried not to pay attention on purpose, but the bloodstains he was covered in every day came from here. Even the blood on this sword today…

I had guessed that something I didn’t know about was happening inside the library every night, but I never wanted to know, not now, not ever. I didn’t want to be curious, nor did I want to know the answer.

You said you’d spare me if I didn’t run away. Why did you bring me here?

I swallowed hard, my mouth completely dry.

Edan opened the library door wide without hesitation, and I gaped in shock.

“This… this is…!”

Inside the library, a portal was open.

“Close your eyes if you’re not used to portal travel.”

Edan carried me into the portal without hesitation.

“Ugh…!”

I squeezed my eyes shut against the pouring light.

Not long after, the wind suddenly changed.

From the warm, gentle breeze of the east to a cold, dry winter wind.

When I opened my eyes, we were in a place shrouded in darkness and fog.

Bang! Crash! Loud noises and the smell of blood filled the air.

“This is…”

Edan answered my bewildered mumbling as he set me down on the ground.

“The Unbreakable Wall.”

Good heavens. The Unbreakable Wall was the northern border area at the edge of the empire.

In the north of the empire, there was a massive snow-capped mountain range, which was where monsters first attempted to invade.

And the wall built along that mountain range was the Unbreakable Wall, right where I was standing.

As I shivered from the cold wind whipping around my body, Edan carelessly pulled down a flag standing nearby and draped it over me.

The large flag covered my entire body from head to knees, and Edan pointed his finger across the wall.

“Can you see that?”

Following the direction of his finger, I momentarily held my breath.

Not far below the wall, soldiers were engaged in a fierce battle with a massive monster.

The monster, which looked vaguely like a lizard, had a thick, long tail that sent three or four soldiers flying into the air with each swing.

Seeing the soldiers flying and falling like dolls, I unconsciously stepped back in fear.

And for some reason, feeling something odd, I looked behind me.

“How is this possible…”

Unlike the terrible battle taking place in front of the wall, behind the wall was a very peaceful prairie.

Countless stars formed the Milky Way in the sky, and in the middle of the vast prairie, a river sparkled in the moonlight, flowing peacefully.

The moment I saw the contrasting prairie separated by just one wall, I realized.

This was where Edan had been fighting the war, writhing in agony before meeting Ivy.

Everything fell into place.

I never thought they would have opened a portal inside the castle… Edan had been fighting monsters here every night and then using the portal to rest in the east.

To think that the place I had run away to and found a job was actually the lair of a crazy villain.

They say if you’re unlucky, you can break your nose even falling backwards, but this is more like getting your whole face fractured.

“Latieana.”

“Y-yes? What is it?”

I snapped back to reality at Edan’s voice.

“I’m warning you, monsters like bright colors. So stay still and keep that covered.”

Edan patted my head.

I looked up at him. His brilliant blonde hair was shining even brighter than mine.

“What about you, Master?”

“Me? What about me.”

Ah, I guess it doesn’t matter for this man. If a monster attacks him, he’ll kill it instantly.

Just then, with hurried footsteps, a knight came rushing up the stairs.

Like Edan earlier, the knight covered in blood spotted us and, catching his breath, blurted out words in disbelief.

“Grand Duke! Where on earth did you go in the middle of battle? Are you trying to get all the soldiers killed?!”

Edan clicked his tongue lightly.

“Ruben.”

“Yes! Let’s hear your excuse.”

“I told you I had an important matter.”

“What could be more important to the Grand Duke than killing monsters! Do you know how shocked everyone was when you suddenly disappeared from the frontlines? In such an emergency situation…”

The knight wearing the same black cloak as Edan was approaching while shouting non-stop, but suddenly stopped.

Because our eyes met.

“…?”

As if he had seen something he shouldn’t have, something he wasn’t supposed to see.

The knight’s eyes seemed to shake with shock before his brow furrowed.

“Don’t tell me… Latieana Merigold?”

This time, my brow furrowed.

“You know me?”