“If you cannot believe my story or anything else, please believe in me, Your Majesty.”

Enzo looked at Erina with round eyes.

Her face asking for belief was as firm and soft as a flower that would not wilt.

Her beautifully shining golden eyes gently knocked on Enzo’s half-closed door of doubt.

“…I shall do so.”

Enzo found himself responding as if enchanted by her.

At this, both Erina’s and Herigel’s expressions brightened.

Sandes, who had been quietly lost in thought during their conversation, suddenly asked Erina.

“If the alliance of small kingdoms supports the Risky family, wouldn’t it suffice to simply remove the Risky family?”

“That’s impossible.”

Erina cut off Sandes’ rational doubt without hesitation.

At Erina’s resolute words, Sandes questioned further.

“Is there a reason?”

“There’s no evidence to confirm she is a member of the Risky family. Moreover, if we punish or expel an innocent noble, it could easily be seen as a witch hunt.”

“Even for nobles, there are various ways to remove them.”

Despite Sandes’ cruel words, Erina remained firm.

“No, it’s literally impossible.”

It was because of what Erina knew from her dream memories.

The fairies, until their last moments, cast a curse and blessing to ensure their descendants would continue for generations.

If the last descendant of the fairies remained on the continent, they cast a curse disguised as a blessing that they could never die by the hands of ordinary humans.

Before the regression, Rose cruelly moved towards destruction, upholding the fairy’s last will.

Like Erina, Rose sought out and killed all those with golden eyes or hair who received God’s love, even those in hiding.

Even those with partial gold were all dealt with, hiding behind the alliance of small kingdoms.

Enzo, with his light golden hair, also fell victim to their clutches.

Enraged by this, Sandes and Herigel learned of Rose hiding behind the alliance of small kingdoms and tried to kill her, but they couldn’t.

Any sword that touched her body would break, and any poison would be neutralized.

There were only two ways to kill such a Rose.

She could only die by her own hand or by natural causes.

“She is the last descendant of the fairies. The fairies, wishing their descendants wouldn’t disappear from this land, left behind a power they considered a blessing for their descendants but a curse for humans.”

At Erina’s words, Sandes caught on to what she was trying to say.

“So there’s no way to kill her.”

“That’s correct.”

“Huh.”

Enzo and Herigel sighed at the conversation between Erina and Sandes.

Saying she couldn’t be killed was essentially the same as saying she was immortal.

If Erina’s words were true, this wasn’t a matter to be overlooked.

Thinking this fact could be easily abused if known, Enzo asked.

“Does this last descendant of the Risky family know this fact?”

“She might not know yet. But I’m not certain.”

Even Erina didn’t know if Rose had regained her memories.

She might already know, or she might find out soon.

“Erina, who is she?”

“Rose Asila of the Asila family.”

Erina didn’t bother hiding it from them.

“We’ll keep an eye on the Asila family.”

The three discussed the Asila family based on Erina’s words.

It was an unremarkable family, neither particularly problematic nor outstanding.

“Your Majesty, lastly…”

The three who had been discussing the Asila family looked at Erina as she threw out another topic.

“I’d like to request protection for Marchioness Serene Borbom, connected to the Tula Kingdom, and Countess Connie Jabel, connected to the Trumto Kingdom.”

“Both of them?”

“Neither came here of their own will, but they wish to remain.”

Enzo, seeing Erina’s somewhat pained expression, didn’t ask further and agreed.

Herigel informed that he would check on both families.

Erina, Sandes, Enzo, and Herigel wrapped up their conversation, summarizing the discussion.

It was a conclusion that left each of them with somewhat complicated concerns.

[This is the timeline separator]

Connie received help from Erina’s maid Heila in treating the wounds inflicted by Headton and his aide.

Heila silently treated the wounds without asking questions and called for a carriage so Connie could return to the Jabel Count’s residence.

Heila was about to leave after seeing Connie off, but Connie adamantly refused, so Heila called for a carriage and left.

Connie regretted sending Heila away.

With the carriage in front of her, Connie couldn’t board it.

“Hey, Connie.”

It was because Headton called her back, his green eyes gleaming strangely.

Connie, her hands clasped together and trembling, had to follow Headton.

It was to a secluded part of the garden located in a corner of the imperial palace where the guest rooms were.

The garden was very quiet, with no delegations wandering around, wary of the empire’s mood.

Headton, who had taken Connie deep into the garden, suddenly swung his fist towards her head.

‘Thwack−!’

“Kyaah! Huk!”

Unable to suppress her voice due to the sudden, tremendous pain, she screamed and fell.

Connie swallowed her breath, fearing that her scream would further upset Headton.

“Ha, shit. Did this come out? You even screamed?”

“I’m, I’m, I’m sorry, Your High-highness. Pl-please have mercy, I beg you…”

Connie, unable to clear her dizzy vision from the blow to her head, stammered severely as she crawled towards him, begging for mercy.

Feeling a strange satisfaction at the sight of Connie crawling on the ground, Headton squatted in front of her and laughed bizarrely.

“Kekeke. Yes, yes. That’s your place, isn’t it? Hm? But why is that other countess woman different?”

Connie’s trembling body suddenly stopped at Headton’s incomprehensible words.

“Just because she has a mana stone mine, she’s all high and mighty, looking down on me, ha, shit.”

Thinking about it again, Headton, seemingly angered, started hitting Connie’s head once more.

“Hey, do you know that Medelia Countess or whatever?”

Connie held her breath at Headton’s sudden interest in Erina.

She was afraid, not understanding why Headton suddenly took an interest in Erina.

In a short time, she had extended salvation to Connie and bestowed light upon her.

She was a woman who deserved to sparkle even more beautifully.

She was a woman who should not be touched by Headton’s filthy, nauseating hands.

Headton swung his hand down on Connie, who was lost in thought, once again.

‘Thwack−!’

“Ugh!”

Her arms, barely holding up, finally gave way, and her head hit the ground.

Unaccustomed to the pain, Connie’s tears flowed freely.

“Not answering, Connie?”

“I, I don’t know anything, Your Highness…”

“Of course not. What could you possibly know, hm? Someone who can’t even do her job properly.”

Seeing Connie sprawled on the ground, writhing in pain, Headton felt his bad mood from Erina slightly dissipate.

“You try to get close to that woman. Hm?”

“Y-yes, I understand.”

Fearing he might notice if she showed any other reaction, Connie displayed her usual submissive behavior.

Headton spat next to Connie and then turned to leave the garden.

Connie remained dazed on the ground for a while before getting up.

Unable to return to the count’s residence covered in wounds, she forced herself to move to send away the prepared carriage.

As she stood up and dusted off her mud-stained skirt, Connie looked ahead and was shocked white.

Someone who absolutely should not be there was standing before her.

“Hu-husband.”

Connie felt as if her heart would stop.

Her husband, Count Pereman Jabel, stood before her battered self, looking at her with wavering eyes.

“Wh-why are you here…”

Pereman silently wiped the dirt off her face with a handkerchief, ignoring Connie’s words.

Connie trembled, her face paler than when facing Headton.

Pereman quietly fixed her hair and straightened her disheveled dress.

Intimidated by Pereman’s silence, Connie asked him with a trembling voice.

“Why, why aren’t you asking anything?”

Even to Connie’s tearful question, Pereman diligently wiped the dirt off her hands.

“Let’s go, home.”

At Pereman’s deep yet slightly wavering voice, Connie felt as if her heart would burst.

“Why aren’t you asking? Darling, why?”

“Because you don’t want me to.”

Pereman had recently learned of her situation by sheer coincidence.

That she was the illegitimate second princess of Trumto, that she was being used as their puppet, that her mother was held hostage in Trumto.

He had tried to approach her to help, but Connie was always busy running away from him.

“Did you see?”

“The trash? I saw him very well. So.”

Pereman’s voice choked, unable to say more.

When he learned that his wife had been fighting alone, Pereman wanted to overthrow the Trumto Kingdom immediately.

But he couldn’t meet Connie, and he lacked the power.

Then today, visiting the imperial palace for a banquet, Countess Medelia approached and told him.

That she would help Connie and him.

After hearing the story from Countess Medelia and urgently searching for Connie, Pereman felt almost mad seeing her in such pain.

“…If you want, I’ll quietly divorce and leave. I’m sorry.”

“Wife.”

“I, I didn’t want to be like this either. But!”

“I know. You didn’t want this, did you?”

At Pereman’s soft words, Connie felt like crying.

“Why are you being so kind to me? Why, to someone as dirty and lacking as me…”

“Because you’re my wife.”

Pereman carefully brushed aside Connie’s disheveled hair.

At his gentle touch, Connie finally broke down in his arms.

Heila had said that Erina would destroy Trumto to dismantle the alliance of small kingdoms.

Leaning into Pereman’s embrace, Connie planted hope in her dying heart, recalling the things she had gathered to rescue her mother from Trumto.

The little remaining hesitation in her heart evaporated, leaving only plans to bring them down.

Connie, who thought she could give up on life at any time, now had something she wanted to protect in this warm and peaceful empire.