As soon as she finished the coronation ceremony in the Smale Kingdom, Erina left messages for Sereni, Connie, and Terik.

The three of them always replied when Erina contacted them via artifact, even if it wasn’t for anything major.

However, strangely, while the message reached Sereni and Terik, there was no response from Connie.

Erina felt an oddly chilling sensation and told people she wanted to apologize and return quickly.

The group readily agreed and moved swiftly towards the tower, then crossed the gate to arrive at the imperial palace.

Terik was waiting in the square next to the gate, which was still under construction.

Glad to see him, Erina called out to Terik as she approached.

“Baron Semul!”

But Terik’s face was quite dark.

As if something had happened.

“My lady.”

“Did something happen?”

Erina found it strange that a cool breeze brushed past her on such a warm day.

It should have been hot weather, but oddly, she felt a sticky, cold wind enveloping her entire body.

“My lady, Lady Jabel…”

“I was about to ask about Connie since I didn’t hear back from her. Did something happen?”

Terik closed his eyes tightly with a devastated expression and answered.

“The lady has passed away.”

“…Pardon?”

Unable to comprehend the words, Erina asked again with wide eyes.

The delegation members who had been moving together were startled by the sharp questioning voice and approached.

“What did you say about Connie?”

“Count Jabel is… preparing the funeral.”

“Why? Why on earth?”

It was just yesterday that Connie and Erina had exchanged greetings via the communication artifact.

But suddenly hearing about funeral preparations, Erina couldn’t understand at all.

“It seems that Hedton, who was the second prince of the Trumto Kingdom, was driven out and sought Lady Jabel. The lady detained Hedton, but he escaped using an artifact he had and…”

Terik swallowed the rest of his words, but everyone in the square couldn’t help but understand.

“That’s impossible.”

“My lady.”

“It can’t be, surely just yesterday…”

Erina was denying Connie’s death, but seeing Terik’s expression, she moved urgently.

“I need to go see.”

As Erina started to run out of the imperial palace, Sandes hurriedly grabbed her.

“Erina.”

“Let go, Sandes. I need to go quickly.”

“Erina!”

“It can’t be true! Connie, Connie clearly said she’d make reservations for us to go to a cafe together when she returned.”

Sandes pulled Erina, who was trying to shake him off and run away, into an embrace.

“Calm down, Erina.”

“How can I calm down. How can I, calm down. I’m the one who dragged Connie into this!”

Erina trembled violently, trying to break free from Sandes’ arms.

“Erina.”

Sandes held her tightly, feeling her body shaking like an aspen, and slowly stroked her back.

“I’ll go with you, so please calm down first, okay?”

At Sandes’ gentle words in her ear, Erina stopped struggling to break free.

Then Terik, who had been watching from the side, spoke to Erina.

“I’ve prepared a carriage that can move quickly. I’ve already spoken to His Majesty and asked for his understanding.”

The delegation had originally planned to meet Enzo for lunch as soon as they arrived in the empire.

So Terik had already asked the emperor for understanding and prepared for Erina to move.

Then Duke Papia, standing nearby, spoke with a dark face.

“I will report the details to His Majesty, so please, both of you go.”

As the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Duke Papia couldn’t be unaware of the situation in the Trumto Kingdom.

Recognizing that a major problem had arisen between countries from Erina’s reaction, he spoke up first.

“Th-thank you, Your Grace.”

Duke Papia, feeling sorry for Erina who was too shocked to speak properly, nodded to Sandes.

“Baron Semul.”

As Sandes called Terik, he discreetly guided the two to where the carriage was waiting.

Terik also informed Barun, who was following, that a horse had been prepared for him.

As Duke Papia headed to the imperial palace, Sandes, Erina, Terik, and Barun hurriedly moved towards the Jabel residence.

Upon arriving at the Jabel residence, Erina’s heart pounded at the desolate atmosphere from the entrance.

Even as she thought it couldn’t be true, she felt like she was going crazy from the strange, sticky, and cold feeling that seemed to be pulling at her feet.

Erina hurriedly moved, running towards where people were heading.

“Countess Medelia!”

Those who recognized Erina called out to her, but she just kept running.

Sandes, Barun, and Terik hurriedly followed behind Erina.

When Erina arrived, she saw Fereman already there, crying as he looked down at Connie’s body laid in a transparent coffin.

“…Connie.”

Erina rushed to the coffin.

“Connie?”

Erina called out to Connie, finding her quietly lying there strange.

She was strangely pale, lifeless.

Fereman, seeing Erina standing dazed behind him, took a step to the side.

“Count Jabel, why is Connie, why is she lying here?”

Fereman, finding it difficult to say again with his own mouth that Connie had died, tightly closed his eyes.

“Count, Connie clearly said we’d have tea when she returned.”

Erina, her body trembling, took another step closer to Connie, who was quietly resting in the coffin.

Erina then collapsed to her knees, falling onto the coffin.

“This is strange. Why is Connie here?”

As Erina kept saying it was strange, unable to cry, people lowered their heads in sorrow, mourning Connie.

“She said… she was sorry to you, my lady… hic.”

Fereman, who uttered those words, finally broke down as well.

Erina, wondering why he was conveying an apology, spoke to Connie with a pale face.

“Trumto will fall soon, Connie. It’s what you sacrificed and worked for. You know that, right?”

Erina spoke softly, recalling the words she wanted to say to Connie when they met, amidst the ringing in her ears.

“When Trumto falls, you’ll be safe too, Connie. Then you won’t have to worry anymore.”

Stroking the cold coffin where Connie lay, Erina continued speaking.

“Then you can do all the things you wanted to do. The flower viewing you wanted, dates with Count Jabel, traveling to scenic places.”

The two had been slowly building a friendship, exchanging letters while avoiding the eyes of the small kingdom alliance.

They were in the process of opening their hearts to each other.

But why.

As Erina saw Connie still motionless despite talking to her earnestly, she felt her senses being pulled back to reality.

“Just now, just now when you could finally breathe freely…”

Erina pressed her forehead against the coffin, which felt chillingly cold, gripping it tightly.

“Why does it have to be so painful… You who deserved only happiness, why did this have to happen!”

Erina cried out for Connie, sobbing loudly.

“Ah, Connie!”

At her sorrowful cries, everyone present swallowed their tears.

Most of the people standing here knew Connie’s secret and had moved together with her.

People also couldn’t believe Connie’s death and endlessly stared at the coffin Erina was clinging to.

After crying loudly for a long time, Erina seemed to calm down and raised her head to look at Connie, who appeared so peaceful she seemed serene.

“…Connie.”

Erina traced over her on top of the coffin, caressing it.

“In your next life…”

Erina, unable to continue speaking as her voice choked up, bit her lip hard and whispered in a tear-stained voice.

“In your next life, be born as my child.”

Erina, who had been constantly stroking the coffin, spoke slowly as her voice kept breaking.

“Then, from the moment you’re born, every moment you breathe and live, I’ll love you. I’ll let you live happily, only receiving love.”

Erina, who had been quietly looking at Connie’s face that seemed to be faintly smiling, asked for forgiveness that wouldn’t reach her.

“I’m sorry, Connie. I’m truly, sorry. I’m sorry for making you suffer alone.”

Erina, who had been whispering “I’m sorry” for a long time with her forehead resting on the glass coffin, stood up.

People looked at Erina standing with a pale face.

Erina quietly asked Fereman, who was still staring blankly at Connie.

“Where is he?”

Then Fereman’s face slowly turned.

“Where is that bastard who did this to Connie?”

At Erina’s words, Fereman finally remembered Hedton, whom he hadn’t thought of in his grief over losing Connie.

Fereman stood up with a darkened gaze.

“I will guide you.”

Fereman moved personally to lead Erina.

Then Sandes and Barun followed behind Erina.

The place Erina followed Fereman to was a room where Hedton was imprisoned, stripped down to his underwear with his hands chained to pillars on either side.

“My lady, you’ve come.”

A knight at the door bowed his head in greeting to Fereman and Erina’s group.

Then the knight who had been guarding him inside came out and said,

“We’ve checked for any artifacts just in case. The artifact he used to attempt escape was disposable.”

As soon as Hedton saw Fereman, he started screaming.

Because he was gagged, it didn’t come out as language.

Suddenly, Erina rushed towards Hedton as if to pounce on him and slapped his cheek hard.

‘Slap!’

“Erina!”

Startled, Sandes approached Erina, but she didn’t stop striking Hedton.

Sandes hurriedly grabbed Erina, who kept gritting her teeth and repeatedly slapping Hedton’s cheeks.

“Let go of me!”

“Erina.”

Sandes grabbed her hands.

And only then did a faint pain that couldn’t be felt before creep up her arms.