Late at night, Erina summarized her conversation with Sereni and wrote letters to Sandes and Enzo.

Just as she was about to call for Butler Bertrel, someone knocked and entered the study.

“Ah, Bertrel. I was just about to call for you.”

Bertrel approached at Erina’s words and asked.

“Is there anything you need?”

“Please deliver these letters to the Imperial Palace and the Kerenik Marquis’ residence. It’s urgent.”

“Understood.”

Bertrel looked at the letters Erina held out, but only took the one addressed to the Imperial Palace.

Erina, surprised that he didn’t take the letter for the Kerenik Marquis’ residence, asked with wide eyes.

“Why didn’t you take this letter…”

“Actually, Marquis Kerenik has arrived. He said he wanted to meet quietly. I thought it would be better if you gave him the letter directly, so I didn’t take it.”

“Is that so? Please show him in.”

Bertrel smiled at Erina, who was about to leap up and rush out to guide him to the study herself.

“I’ve already brought him here. Then, I’ll take my leave.”

As Bertrel bowed to Erina and left, Sandes opened the door and entered.

“Erina.”

“Sandes!”

Sandes closed the door and strode towards Erina, who was approaching him with a bright smile.

As Erina hurried towards him, Sandes embraced her tightly.

Surprised by Sandes’ action, Erina returned his embrace.

Sandes nuzzled her shoulder and murmured.

“Ah, I feel alive.”

Hearing Sandes’ unusual behavior and deep exhale, Erina quietly asked in his arms.

“Sandes, did something happen?”

Sandes didn’t answer immediately.

Erina silently patted his back in response.

“Erina.”

“Yes, Sandes.”

“Erina…”

As he called her name longingly, Erina waited for him without saying more.

Strangely, though his soft light brown hair brushed against her cheek, it felt as if droplets of water were falling.

Like Revil, when they first met at the Iolls mansion in the rain.

“I met them.”

“Who?”

“The one who caused my sister’s death and tormented Leo.”

Sandes couldn’t bring himself to say Mirea’s name, fearing he would be overwhelmed by emotion.

He had visited a jeweler to commission a gift for Erina, which he planned to give her with joy.

Though it might seem like an excuse, he was happy to have another reason to meet her.

But his joy was shattered when he saw Mirea huddled in a corner of the jewelry shop, trying to remain unnoticed.

Mirea, seemingly aware of her shame, had hidden her face with a wide-brimmed hat and wore a dull dress to avoid attention.

But Sandes couldn’t mistake her for anyone else.

Having heard the whole truth from the maid Reni, Sandes couldn’t describe the emotions he felt upon first seeing Mirea.

A pitch-black hatred began to burn in his chest, eating away at his reason.

He felt an uncontrollable anger coursing through him with each step he took towards Mirea.

Sandes barely remembered what he had said until he saw Mirea flee the jewelry shop in fear.

It seemed he had struggled not to reveal his desire to strangle Mirea then and there.

The moment Sandes faced Mirea, his regularly beating heart seemed to malfunction.

Why was it so difficult to breathe, to think straight?

“I know I shouldn’t.”

Sandes wanted to kill Mirea.

“That woman who pushed me into this hellish abyss and lives on without a care.”

He truly wanted to run and kill her right now.

But Sandes couldn’t bring himself to say those words.

He wanted to speak, fearing he might rush to the Iolls mansion if overcome by emotion, but he couldn’t.

Erina’s eyes stung with tears, recognizing that unmistakable emotion.

Uncontrollable anger and hatred could consume a person’s reason and thoughts.

She felt immense sorrow for Sandes, who was struggling with the same pain she had experienced.

Erina silently hugged him tighter.

“It’s alright.”

“Erina.”

“Everything will be alright. I understand how you feel.”

Sandes felt as if rain was falling on his burning heart, seeing Erina’s tearful reaction for his sake.

She was like rain falling on him as he struggled with emotions that were black, red, dirty, and sticky.

“Both you and I.”

Sandes felt like crying at the lovely scent of her so close, at the gentle comfort he felt throughout his body.

“It’s alright. It will be alright.”

“E-rina.”

“Because I’m here, and you’re here.”

“Erina…”

“We’ll be alright.”

In her embrace, Sandes bit his lip hard.

The emotions he had to suppress, having to protect and endure alone, now surfaced at her words, becoming too much to bear.

Born as an unnecessary illegitimate child of the previous emperor, never receiving a blessing, the small boy who had to live in hiding unable to reveal himself, learned about the world early and locked away the emotion of sadness in a box.

Just as the young boy found stability, he lost his sister and mother.

Sandes threw the box of emotions into the depths of his heart.

He struggled to move away from the depths where he had thrown the box, so it would never be retrieved.

After losing his sister and believing his last remaining nephew to be dead, Sandes stood before the depths of his heart.

He reached out to grab the box of emotions, intending to embrace it and sink together.

But meeting Enzo and being forced to live, he couldn’t open the box.

Erina made him stand before that box again.

The emotion of love evaporated all the water in the depths, gradually making the dark and dirty water disappear.

She kept turning him into a child honest with his emotions.

Why was he so overwhelmed and joyful that it was because of her?

“I love you.”

Did she know that her tearful confession gave him a hammer to break the box?

“I love you, Sandes.”

He wondered if she knew that her existence alone made him look forward to tomorrow.

“…Me too.”

Sandes’ voice, clearing his throat, was as wet as Erina’s.

“I love you too, Erina. I love you.”

Though the moon hung bright in the clear night sky, they couldn’t understand why such sorrowful rain fell in the study where the two embraced.

[This is the timeline separator]

The capital was bustling with delegations from various kingdoms arriving one by one in the Empire.

As there was a limit to the number of delegates from each kingdom who could enter the palace, not many people came from a single kingdom.

However, as they represented their kingdoms, it was splendid and noisy.

Thanks to this, the Imperial Palace was loud with the incoming delegations.

Most were polite, coming to pay respects in hopes of favor regarding mana stone mines, but there were some who were not.

“Wow, the Empire really is something else.”

A man with short teal hair and narrow, upturned eyes whistled as he walked with his hands clasped behind his head.

This man with seemingly poor behavior was Hedton de Trumto, the second prince of the Trumto Kingdom.

“Prince Hedton, this is the Imperial Palace of the Asilium Empire. Please, your behavior…”

The aide following Hedton hurriedly advised, fearing the servant walking ahead might hear his improper words.

But Hedton waved his hand, ignoring the aide’s words.

“Who’s going to hear me in this big place? Don’t worry.”

“Your Highness, we’re not here for fun! Didn’t His Majesty the King emphasize this repeatedly?”

The frustrated aide emphasized in a small voice, unable to shout, stomping his feet.

“Yeah, yeah. Who doesn’t know we’re here to beg for mana stone distribution?”

“Your Highness!”

Seeing Hedton snickering mockingly, the aide tried to stop him with a pale face, but he only moved faster.

Hedton walked flippantly, whistling with an arrogant look, seemingly oblivious to the aide turning blue.

“The delegation from the Trumto Kingdom may use this room.”

The servant bowed to Hedton and the aide with an expressionless face and disappeared.

Hedton clicked his tongue at the servant’s retreating figure and pushed the door open with his foot.

“Even the servants here are stuck-up. How unpleasant.”

Seeing Hedton’s smirk, the aide wanted to flee the room immediately.

Hedton wandered around the room, kicking visible objects with his foot.

Looking at a slender vase in one corner of the room, Hedton asked the aide.

“That good-for-nothing wench, no, no. Where did you say the Empire’s esteemed Countess Cony Jabel would be? Hm?”

“The Second Princess, having learned of Your Highness’s arrival at the palace today, is expected to visit either this evening or tomorrow morning.”

“Hey, what Second Princess? A lowly bastard who luckily married into the Empire and became a countess, huh?”

“Your Highness, please watch your words! This is not the Trumto Kingdom!”

At the aide’s words, Hedton suddenly hardened his expression and strode towards the aide.

Approaching in an instant, Hedton raised his hand and struck the aide.

‘Thwack−!’

“Ugh!”

“You keep pushing it, you bastard. Can’t you shut up?”

The aide rubbed his slapped cheek and once again told Hedton to be careful with his actions.

“Knowing this, didn’t His Majesty send me? Please be careful!”

The aide, somehow seeming accustomed to it, ignored his stinging cheek and repeated the same words.

“Tch.”

Hedton clicked his tongue and turned away, as if losing interest in the aide’s unwavering face.

Behind the turned Hedton, the aide’s eyes flashed sharply.