Espen clenched his fist and forcefully slammed the door.

“Where did that bastard go!”

The sound echoed through Changgung. Those who knew Espen’s true nature quickly hid as if in mouse holes, and the soldiers who had been monitoring Hadel desperately prostrated themselves.

“Not a single rat has passed!”

“What, what happened?”

Since there was no way Hadel had conspired with them, it was clear that Hadel had found some escape route. Espen shouted nervously.

“Find him immediately!”

The knights found traces of Hadel, but it didn’t take long. Another knight rushed from another palace.

“Your Highness! There’s a fire in Princess’s palace!”

“What?”

There was only one reason for a fire in the royal palace.

‘Hadel!’

He had escaped!

‘Moreover, if it’s the Princess’s palace, it means Dante is there.’

Since the death of Hadel’s younger brother, the demon Dante, contracted by Espen, had been impersonating the Princess.

‘And if there’s a fire there…….’

Espen rushed to the Princess’s palace. Since Dante had taken on the role of the Princess, there were not many courtiers staying at the Princess’s palace as there was no longer any need for public appearances.

Therefore, the discovery was delayed.

‘This is…….’

In the gruesome palace scene, Espen stiffened. The knights who accompanied him looked around the room and reported the situation in detail.

“Your Highness, there’s a smell of burnt flesh in the room.”

“Not only that, but there are scorch marks all over the room. It seems like fire magic was used.”

Espen, breathing deeply, looked where the knights were pointing. On the floor, many scorch marks overlapped with several handprints. It was a trace of someone struggling in great pain.

Only now did Espen realize the cause of the unease that had plagued him all day.

‘Dante has been annihilated.’

Espen’s arms trembled. The knights’ report continued.

“It seems like there was a duel. Judging by the lingering smell of burnt flesh, it seems that he left the room not long ago.”

The knight said, grimacing as if it were terrible.

“Considering there is no body left, Princess must be in another place…….,”

Espen twisted his lips. Perhaps he had to roll a bone to confirm death. As a sworn pact-bearer of the demon, he instinctively knew.

‘Dante has been obliterated.’

Although the situation was serious, the footprints scattered around the room were neat. Espen’s gaze followed the footprints. There were no footprints towards the door, but there were traces of footprints on the terrace that appeared and disappeared.

‘The entrance route is not the door, but the exit route is the terrace.’

Should he go after him like this? Or…

Espen raised his head and looked outside the terrace. Baekokgung was visible beyond the window. At that moment, Espen shouted loudly.

“Hadel!”

It was clear that he had gone to find Marian. Espen immediately crossed the terrace.

How long has it been since I was trapped in Baekokgung?

A welcome guest has come again today.
“Sesil, you came again.”

It was Yeong-ae, Sesil, with the exact same hair color as mine.

‘I intimidated her as a warning not to come again.’

I’m under surveillance. I could die if I speak recklessly.

Instead, she spoke to me.

I am Sesil.

‘I didn’t know she was Espen’s fiancée.’

That bastard has quite a twisted taste. How can he be engaged to a woman with the same hair and eye color as mine, claiming to miss me?

‘Creepy.’

The more I knew about him, the more repulsive he felt.

Anyway, Sesil’s face was welcoming. Surrounded by those who didn’t make eye contact with me, it felt like my head was about to explode.

“I thought you wouldn’t come anymore.”

In response to my greeting, Sesil looked at me with a weary face.

“I thought about it. Whether it’s better to live comfortably even if my heart is miserable or to live upright even if it’s a bit uncomfortable.”

Although the words that would cause trouble if they reached Espen were omitted, the meaning was clear.

“So?”

I was curious about the result of her fierce contemplation. Sesil took a deep breath and answered like a sigh.

“I want to live with integrity.”

The answer was unexpected. The woman who would become Espen’s wife, and guaranteed comfort, said she wanted to live with integrity.

Sesil, with a determined expression, said seriously.

“Tell me. What should I do to live with integrity?”

Her choice was correct. After Hadel saved the family, I intended to defeat Espen.

‘I will do my best so that your decision is not in vain.’

After silently making that commitment, I asked Sesil for the practical things I needed.

“I can’t go outside my room. Can you describe what Baekokgung looks like?”

“Inside Baekokgung?”

“Yes.”

Sesil frowned. Then she asked the servant standing at the entrance.

“Can’t she even take a walk inside the palace?”

The courtier answered with a doll-like expression.

“Yes. Her Highness has instructed that you should not go outside.”

“Oh my.”