“Don’t hurt yourself dealing with this bastard.”

When Sandes carefully wrapped her hand, Erina came to her senses.

It felt like her hazy mind, filled with anger and sadness, was becoming clear again.

Erina wasn’t the only one who regained her senses at Sandes’ words.

Pereman also shook his head to straighten out his mind that had been filled with white fog.

“…Yes, Count Medelia. Your Grace is right.”

Pereman suddenly said in a very cracked voice.

Erina turned her head to look at Pereman.

His eyes seemed to shine bright blue with hatred and anger.

“I will give him the same pain that Cony suffered, so please go back, Count.”

“But Count Javel.”

“You should… be with her for her last moments.”

At Pereman’s pained smile, Erina could not add any words and collapsed into Sandes’ arms.

Erina had no choice but to leave the room, led by Sandes, leaving behind the struggling Headton.

She had to pull herself together and move to watch over Cony’s final journey.

Erina felt her steps gradually becoming heavier as her chest kept growing numb.

Behind Erina’s retreating back, Headton’s suppressed screams echoed.

Erina returned to the Count’s residence, put on a plain black dress without any decorations, and attended the funeral again.

She stayed at the Javel Count’s residence until the end of the funeral to honor Cony’s last moments.

Sandes stayed by Erina’s side, taking care of her lest she collapse, while mourning for Cony.

After all the procedures were over and all the guests had left the Javel Count’s residence, Erina asked Pereman for permission and stood in front of Cony’s gravestone.

“Sandes.”

“Yes, Erina.”

“I didn’t know what it felt like to lose someone, as I never had the chance to give affection to anyone.”

Erina had never lost a loved one since losing her parents.

It was because she had always been alone.

Even before the regression, due to Rose’s schemes, she didn’t even have a maid to give affection to, so she didn’t know what it felt like for someone around her to die.

“Actually, I wasn’t afraid of dying.”

With no one to mourn her death, Erina wasn’t afraid of dying in her revenge.

It never felt difficult to become alone again at any time.

“But now I’m scared.”

She was afraid that those who shared her heart, those she cared for, would know this feeling.

She was scared that they might feel pain as if their hearts were being carved out, just like she did now.

Sandes, who had been quietly watching Erina exhale a sigh mixed with various emotions, silently comforted her.

Erina sat down in front of the gravestone and whispered quietly to Cony as if praying.

“Cony, I will surely give a painful death to all those who tormented you.”

Erina whispered revenge to her again and again.

To never forget until she died.

[This is the timeline separator]

Even in the Kingdom of Smale, many contracts were exchanged with the Empire on quite favorable terms while forming an alliance.

The magic stone mining business continued to shine more and more.

The Kingdoms of Tula and Trumto were not leisurely enough to care about the Empire due to their internal problems.

But as the Medelia County flourished, Erina’s heart grew colder.

It was painful as if all of this was created through Cony’s sacrifice.

Terik, who felt this, handed her a strong wine one day and said to Erina.

“To ensure there are no more victims like Countess Javel, you must work harder, Count.”

His words were right.

Only then could Erina escape a little from the sadness that had been consuming her.

While she couldn’t completely carve out the terrible sadness from her heart, she had to finish the work using this emotion as a stepping stone.

To Erina, who was moving with emotion as her driving force, one day, Peiron came to visit.

“Count, Count Iolls has come to see you.”

“Count Iolls?”

Erina frowned deeply and asked Terik again if it was correct that Peiron had come to see her.

“You say Peiron Iolls has come?”

“Yes, he says he will wait until you have time, and is standing in front of the mansion.”

Erina tried to find the reason why Peiron, who should be happy bickering with Rose, had come to see her.

“The reason?”

“He only says he wants to talk.”

After a moment of silence, Erina continued her work, telling him to guide Peiron to the reception room.

Since he had come unannounced, there would be no problem meeting him when she had time.

Peiron, whom she thought would have left on his own when tired, sat quietly in the reception room waiting for Erina until evening approached.

Erina moved without hiding her annoyed feelings when Terik said that Peiron was still waiting.

When she entered the reception room where Peiron was said to be waiting, she saw him sitting upright in his seat.

Erina sat across from him.

Then Peiron’s stiff head moved.

“What brings you here, Count Iolls.”

At Erina’s cold question, Peiron opened his mouth, closed it repeatedly, then sighed.

“If it’s not important enough to make a busy person come and go, I’d like you to leave.”

“Erina.”

“I never gave permission for my name. Address me properly.”

At the firm rejection, Peiron was silent.

Thinking he wasn’t worth dealing with, Erina stood up from her seat.

“You have a talent for making the time I spared worthless. Please leave.”

“You.”

As he still seemed to have no intention of addressing Erina properly, Erina was about to move when Peiron urgently said.

“You suddenly distanced yourself from me at some point.”

“So? If you’re going to talk about the past, leave.”

“What truth did you find out?”

Erina’s cold golden eyes looked at Peiron, trying to understand what he was trying to say.

His ruby eyes, which she once thought sparkled like the sun, were now fading like the setting sun.

He must have fought with Rose.

“What truth? That your love was nothing more than dirty adultery?”

Despite Erina’s mocking words, Peiron said again with a pale expression.

“Please, I beg you, tell me, please. Why did you suddenly leave the Iolls family?”

At Peiron’s desperate plea, Erina examined him.

His sunken eyes and pale face seemed as if he hadn’t taken care of himself at all.

Like someone who had discovered a shocking truth.

“You found out something.”

“The Risky family, descendants of fairies, and a curse that makes one fall in love.”

With a face as painful as if chewing glass shards, Peiron spoke.

Then a sneer appeared on Erina’s face.

“Well, don’t you know everything already?”

“Erina… you knew too.”

Peiron looked at Erina with a shocked face.

Erina found it ridiculous that he was shocked.

“My goodness, how self-centered can you be?”

At Peiron’s ridiculous way of thinking that only considered things from his perspective, Erina could only let out a helpless sigh.

She couldn’t understand her past self who had loved this person even for a moment.

“So is there a problem with me knowing that Rose is the only descendant of fairies from the Risky family?”

“Help me, Erina.”

“Ha, really.”

She was exasperated by Peiron’s behavior of only spouting his own words again.

“Go back, Count Iolls. Since it seems the Count has no intention of having a proper conversation.”

Erina turned her back on Peiron and moved.

Then Peiron grabbed Erina’s arm as she was passing by.

As soon as her arm was grabbed, Erina quickly shook it off and rubbed the arm Peiron had grabbed as if wiping off dirty filth.

“What do you think you’re doing now?”

“Erina, please just listen to me for a moment…”

Erina’s head throbbed at Peiron’s attitude of persistently clinging to the end.

“I have nothing to say, so please leave.”

As Erina moved to go on her way again, Peiron jumped up and grabbed Erina again.

“Erina, please!”

At the unpleasantly grabbed arm, Erina turned and pushed Peiron with all her strength.

As if he hadn’t even imagined she would push him, Peiron was pushed back, losing his grip on her arm.

“This is quite unpleasant, Count Iolls. Would you mind if I raised this coercive attitude as an issue with the head of the family?”

At Erina’s words implying she would take it to a family matter, Peiron pleaded with her again.

“Help me, Erina, please. I know it’s a shameless request!”

“If you know it’s shameless, you shouldn’t do this.”

As if he couldn’t even hear Erina’s words, Peiron once again only said what he wanted to say.

“I’m really sorry. I’m regretting everything I did to you.”

He seemed so nonchalant that it was questionable whether he knew the meaning of the word ‘regret’ as he uttered it.

Erina spoke to him for the last time, as if grinding her words.

“If you know and you’re sorry, please just get lost.”

With that, Erina moved to leave the reception room.

Then Peiron rushed in front of her, blocking her way out, and said urgently.

“Erina, please tell me what you know. I don’t understand why she’s acting like this. I don’t understand what the Risky family is all about!”

Erina grabbed her throbbing head and pushed him away again.

“She! Rose seems to be rushing alone towards death! Even if it’s love born from fate, from a curse…”

He wasn’t pushed away by Erina’s strength and continued to spout only his own words.

Disgustingly, she felt nauseous at him uttering the word ‘love’ in front of her.

“So, what does it have to do with me that she’s making a fuss about dying? Oh, it does matter.”

At those words, Peiron’s face lit up.

But it was only for a moment.

“I hope she dies. So I can’t help you.”

Peiron found Erina, who spoke with a cruel smile, utterly unfamiliar.