The attacks from the kingdoms of Tula and Trumto had intensified to a degree that could not be quietly buried.

At first, they only attacked villages with extremely few households, but as time passed, they started invading larger villages.

However, as if they certainly did not intend to wage war, they avoided attacking areas belonging to noble territories.

They chose to move only against places that formed villages freely near the borders adjacent to other kingdoms, without the protection of territories.

In response, the imperial court accelerated preparations for the knights to depart, and a strange tension began to circulate in the once peaceful empire.

On the day before the departure of the imperial knights and their thousand-strong army.

The Iolls mansion was engulfed in a gloomy atmosphere upon receiving news of the head of the family’s departure for battle.

Although it was not a particularly worrisome expedition, the mansion could not help but sink due to Peiron’s deeply darkened appearance.

With the mansion looking no different from an abandoned house and the added gloomy atmosphere, no one dared to set foot near it.

In the evening when everyone was asleep, Peiron entered the room with Rose, who had quietly visited the mansion.

“Rose.”

“Ron!”

As soon as the door closed, Rose ran to him in one breath and embraced him.

Strangely, his embrace felt cool, but Rose paid no mind to it.

The goal was right before their eyes.

If only Peiron succeeded, it was certain that everything would end happily.

Unaware that it might be a vain dream, Rose was simply immersed in sweet fantasies.

Peiron quietly embraced her, shaking his throbbing head at the sight of Rose looking so happy.

His unstable heart found calm in her small embrace.

He thought he had given up on everything, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Every minute, every second, his heart pounded with tension and his breath caught in his throat.

His mind alternated between turning white and burning black with despair, leaving him unable to think of anything.

Peiron bent down and buried his nose in Rose’s cotton candy-sweet pink hair, inhaling deeply.

Everything was for her and the child to be born later.

He had to erase all worries and thoughts.

With different thoughts in mind, they simply held each other for a long time, feeling a faint sense of peace in each other’s arms.

Peiron grasped her shoulders and faced her, trying to engrave her in his eyes in case this might be the last time.

He tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear with his fingers, taking in her face.

Even if it felt like a curse of fate, Peiron loved everything about her.

Even though what was reflected in her eyes wasn’t love, he loved Rose.

Peiron held her face with both hands and approached carefully, as if facing something sacred.

After lightly kissing her forehead and nose, he deeply kissed her trembling lips, then spoke at a distance close enough to feel her breath.

“Rose, how are you feeling?”

That single question contained numerous emotions.

Deep resignation about the future, profound love for her, and a desperate sense of relief that he had finally gained her love.

Rose gradually became colored by his emotions, which strangely felt natural to her.

Tears welled up at his genuine concern for her well-being.

Since realizing her pregnancy, she had become increasingly emotional, feeling anxious and depressed at all times.

“Peiron.”

Why was it only now, on the eve of the end, that she could feel his love?

Rose ultimately couldn’t bear to look at Peiron, closing her eyes tightly due to the pain that seemed to wring her heart.

“I hope you won’t be in pain anymore.”

“Ron…”

“Don’t cry, Rose.”

At his gentle words, tears flowed ceaselessly from Rose’s eyes.

“You foolish man.”

Peiron was truly foolish.

Even realizing that everything was an artificial love due to the curse, he had collided with it so sincerely.

Rose had hated that fact so much before, but now she couldn’t understand why it was so painful.

“I love you.”

Although it wasn’t his first confession, it felt as hazy and thrilling as if it were.

Rose deliberately ignored his heartfelt feelings.

What use was it now that she could feel his heart, even if it had just become apparent?

If this plan didn’t succeed, everything would be ruined.

Now was the time to focus all her nerves and heart on the poison in her possession.

“Here.”

Avoiding Peiron’s gaze, which was trying to give her his full attention, Rose handed him a small leather bag from her bosom.

As Peiron took the bag, the clinking sound of glass vials colliding could be heard.

Although the bag in his hand was as light as a wine glass, it felt as heavy as an iron sword.

“There are two glass vials containing poison. I put in two in case something goes wrong.”

“Poison…”

The moment Peiron tried to mention the word ‘poison’, he felt as if someone was choking him.

He forcibly exhaled and asked Rose.

“Didn’t you say it was a deadly poison that would stop one’s breath instantly?”

“That’s right. It’s not a poison that will damage the sword, so if you’re not confident in spraying it, you can just apply it to the blade.”

Rose said this because she knew Peiron had volunteered for her sake, but she also knew his timid heart, softened by the peaceful world.

However, contrary to her expectations, he packed the leather bag with an impassive expression.

Her expression twisted strangely.

“Did you hear me correctly?”

“Yes, you said to apply it to the sword and stab, right?”

Feeling something odd about his unwavering response, Rose raised her head to look at Peiron.

The sun-like eyes that had been filled with love had lost their light.

Strangely, Rose liked the sight of him having fallen into corruption along with her.

“That’s right, Peiron. Use that poison-coated sword to erase that woman from this world and make me shine.”

“Rose.”

Peiron took her hand from his cheek with the hand not holding the leather bag.

Carefully kissing the back of her hand, he said.

“Promise me.”

“What?”

“That when all this is over, we’ll live happily thinking only of you and the child from now on.”

Rose answered without hesitation.

“Of course.”

After all, once this was over, the world would revolve around her and this child.

It would happen that way even if she didn’t want it to.

“Naturally. So you focus all your efforts on succeeding.”

The smile formed by her lips curling up like a slithering snake looked infinitely cruel.

Peiron, reassured by Rose’s pledge, sent her away.

“Go back, Rose.”

“Peiron.”

“Soon, you’ll hear the news you want.”

Rose turned back, pleased by his words that once again nailed down his commitment.

Not knowing that because of her, his soul had been plunged into the mire and fallen into the abyss.

A deep darkness was gradually engulfing the Iolls house, but the sunset illuminating the world was blooming beautifully.

[This is the timeline separator]

It was just as dawn was breaking on the day the Imperial Knights were to head to the frontier.

It was quite rude to visit another noble family’s mansion at such an hour unless it was a matter of great urgency.

Despite this being common knowledge, someone came to knock on the door of the Medelia mansion.

A knight from the 5th Imperial Knight Division, who was patrolling the area, hurriedly approached the person urgently knocking on the main gate.

“Who is it?”

“Call for Count Medelia.”

The knight looked the person knocking on the door up and down.

It was someone who had once been the object of many people’s admiration, often seen standing beside His Majesty the Emperor.

“Are you Count Iolls?”

Peiron, with a deathly pale face, nodded slowly without a word.

The knight frowned openly, pointing out his rudeness.

“The sun hasn’t even fully risen yet. Unless it’s a matter of life and death, please visit later.”

Indeed, his behavior was quite rude.

Moreover, the knight couldn’t help but know what kind of relationship this man had with the person he was currently guarding.

He was someone who had lost everything by shamelessly bringing his mistress into his home, unaware that he possessed a jewel, and even became the target of finger-pointing from the knights he had worked with.

Having sensed Erina’s temperament while guarding her, the knight unconsciously responded brusquely.

Peiron, undeterred by the somewhat unfriendly attitude, stared at the knight with hollow eyes and spoke again.

“Tell her, tell the Countess that I have something I must say to her.”

The knight looked at him with incredulous eyes.

“Count Iolls, this is not a time when visits are permitted.”

At the knight’s call, Peiron took another step closer to the knight who still refused to open the gate.

His eyes caught sight of the golden mark embroidered on the Imperial Knight uniform the knight was wearing.

Originally, he should have been wearing the uniform the knight was wearing and heading to the palace to join the troops departing today.

But Peiron had left the crisply ironed Imperial Knight uniform prepared by the butler out of sight and wore a pitch-black suit instead.

Because it was a day when he had to give up and let go of everything.

“Sir.”

“Please visit again later.”

At Peiron’s call, the knight firmly rejected his visit and was about to turn away.

But in that instant, Peiron grabbed the knight’s collar and said.

“As you said, I have something to say regarding a matter of life and death, so inform Countess Medelia.”

“This is outrageous! Let go of me!”

Perhaps his former position as captain of the 2nd Imperial Knight Division wasn’t just for show, as the knight couldn’t budge while being held by the collar.

“Ugh!”

“I told you, didn’t I? That it’s a very important matter.”

Just as the knight, caught by Peiron, raised his hand to counterattack in an attempt to break free, a voice was heard from behind.

“Release him, Count Iolls.”

Erina’s voice, as clear as the dawn air yet as chilly as frost on leaves, rang out.