The sunset was already visible through the window. Kardian, sitting cross-legged in the chair, shifted his gaze from the red sky.

Ansi was sleeping quietly on the bed. The woman’s face, bathed in the sunset glow, was beautiful. Her calm, settled expression held a different charm from when she had boldly sought out Kardian yesterday.

Enough to forgive her for ruining his event.

Just then, Ansi furrowed her brow. Kardian, who had been quietly observing her, raised an eyebrow.

Soon after, Ansi opened her eyes with difficulty.

“You’re awake.”

At the gentle voice, Ansi abruptly sat up in bed. A small groan escaped her lips from the headache that felt like it was crushing her skull.

She leaned back, biting her dry lips. Her eyes, wide open while enduring the pain, looked as if she was seeing an enemy who might harm her.

“How are you feeling?”

Kardian asked without showing any emotion. Ansi, seeming to have finally grasped where she was, looked around before speaking.

“Where is Damion?”

A cracked voice came through her lips. It seemed to be the result of screaming for help when Damion was shot.

When Kardian didn’t answer, Ansi immediately tried to leave the bed. Kardian stood up to stop her.

“Damion’s surgery went well.”

“I need to see him…”

“Before that.”

Kardian looked down at Ansi. His quiet voice echoed in the hospital room.

“Can you tell me why Damion was shot?”

“…”

Ansi’s dry lips trembled.

The truth was clear. But she couldn’t tell the truth in front of Kardian of all people.

Damion’s words to definitely say it was an accidental discharge echoed in her mind. Finally, Ansi opened her mouth.

“…It was an accidental discharge.”

Her throat tightened. He was lying there, shot by her gun, and here she was, blaming him and creating an escape for herself. She felt incredibly cruel.

“The servants said the same. That Damion said it was an accidental discharge before he lost consciousness. Was he suggesting some kind of hunting game?”

“I said I wanted to try hunting in that forest. Damion was just indulging me.”

“Hmm… Well, since Damion was holding the gun, I suppose Ansi didn’t shoot him.”

Kardian’s eyes traveled up and down Ansi’s form. A chill ran down her spine following his gaze. She couldn’t bear to continue this conversation with this man.

“If you’re done questioning, I’ll be going now.”

“But you know, Ansi.”

Kardian caught Ansi again as she tried to pass him. He bent down to meet her eyes. His inscrutable golden eyes glinted.

“Why would Damion have my gun?”

“…”

A tense silence fell between Kardian and Ansi.

Ansi knew she shouldn’t make any half-hearted excuses here.

That gun was one of a kind in the world. Moreover, a piece of Ansi’s clothing had been left in front of Kardian’s armory. He probably already knew she had taken the gun and was asking to confirm.

“…I took it out.”

“Why?”

“I wanted it. I was planning to use it briefly and put it back, but I didn’t expect this to happen. I’m sorry for using the gun.”

Kardian’s eyebrows shot up.

The woman who gave such a brazenly shameless answer showed no awareness of being a criminal. She was looking straight into Kardian’s eyes without even trying to apologize.

Kardian stared at her intently, trying to read the hidden meaning in her blue eyes.

“Was this planned since you came to the annex yesterday?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know that it’s not ethically right?”

“Yes. But I wanted to use it that badly. I’ve never seen such a beautiful gun before.”

“Haha…”

Kardian turned his head and let out a hollow laugh.

The answers were strangely honest and forthcoming. Her unfathomable blue eyes even seemed to hold a hint of madness.

“I understand. Sometimes people covet what doesn’t belong to them.”

Kardian took a step back. Though her answers were highly suspicious, he didn’t feel like probing further.

It was merely intriguing.

Ansi hurriedly left the hospital room.

Kardian approached the bed where Ansi had been lying and slowly ran his hand over the sheets.

Something that doesn’t belong to him.

He mulled over the image of his brother’s wife again and again.

Damion lay alone in the large hospital room, seemingly dead to the world. Ansi’s eyes trembled as she entered the room and faced him.

“Damion.”

Ansi carefully touched the back of Damion’s hand and flinched. The man’s hand, which was always warm, was unfamiliarly cold.

“Why did you do it?”

A cracked question escaped her lips.

Why did you turn that gun on yourself? Why did you try to reassure me that it was okay? Why did you tell me to say it was your fault?

The man gave no answer.

Ansi bit her lips hard.

Terrible guilt and confusion overwhelmed her.

One thing was clear: Ansi could no longer complete this revenge. Even if another opportunity came, she couldn’t seize it.

In fact, she knew.

When Damion was shot and stumbled back earlier, that was the opportunity.

With the gunshot ringing out from afar, the emperor’s side might have stopped hunting and turned back. So she should have aimed at the emperor while he was still visible. She should have shot the emperor instead of focusing on Damion.

But she couldn’t do it. Instinct overpowered reason. The judgment to shoot the emperor was swallowed up by the instinct to save Damion.

Then she forgot what she had been trying to do, her purpose and the situation. All she could see was Damion.

She could only tremble in fear at the thought of this man dying.

Ansi sank down by Damion’s bedside. She covered her face with both hands.

“Damion, what should I do now?”

The path she had been following was a dead end.

She had lost her way, and now she had no idea where to go.

Bringing down Orphe meant not caring if this man died…

But she realized that wasn’t true.

She couldn’t betray this man. If bringing down Orphe meant this man would fall with it, Ansi couldn’t do anything.

She sat quietly by the bedside, staring at Damion’s face for a long time.

No tears would come.

She was just so afraid of the man’s peaceful, closed-eyed appearance. The thought of his possible absence drove her nearly mad with fear.

Henet, who had disembarked from the train that stopped at Chelsea Station, hurriedly left the platform. He had departed immediately upon hearing about Damion, but it still took a full day to reach the north.

“Do you know where I can catch a carriage?”

Henet asked a station attendant.

“Over there.”

Henet sighed as he looked where the attendant pointed. There were more people waiting than there were carriages. It seemed it would take quite some time to wait.

Just then.

“Lord Henet!”

A carriage stopped in front of him. The door opened and a woman poked her head out. Elize de Baylis. Someone he was acquainted with from a few parties.

“Are you going to the hospital?”

“Are you headed that way too, Lady Baylis?”

“Get in.”

Henet boarded Elize’s carriage. The carriage immediately set off for the hospital. Inside the bumpy carriage, the two looked out the window with serious expressions.

In the bathroom located inside the hospital room. Ansi, finished washing her face, pulled up her blouse in front of the mirror.

The heart-shaped mark on her waist was the same as when she had prevented Geris’s incident last time. There were no changes from this incident.

It was natural, since she hadn’t seen anything she could prevent, and thus nothing had changed.

Ansi realized.

Both putting Damion in danger and saving him from that situation were her choices. Even if Amor had directly shown her that situation, she would have likely walked the same path.

After pulling down her blouse and tidying her clothes, Ansi came out. Damion was still asleep.

Ansi left the hospital room. It was to use the hospital’s telephone.

“This is Ansi de Orphe. Can you connect me to Elma?”

She was calling Damion’s house. After a moment, Elma answered the phone.

− My lady…!

The woman’s voice was cautious but full of choked sobs. Hearing that voice, emotions welled up. Ansi tried her best to calm herself as she spoke.

“Damion’s surgery went well. But he hasn’t woken up yet… The hospital asked if Damion had any medicine he usually took, or if he had any chronic ailments… But I, I don’t know well…”

At those words, Elma burst into tears again. After calming down a bit, Elma answered.

− The young master often took sleeping pills. He had trouble sleeping and often had nightmares, so he relied on medication.

“Has it been like that since he was discharged from the military?”

− No. It’s been since he was young.

“…Because of Kardian?”

It was the first time Ansi had asked someone about how Damion had lived within Orphe.

Until now, she had deliberately not asked, feeling that if she heard about it, she wouldn’t be able to move forward. She had pretended not to know.

But now it seemed she needed to know.

− …Yes, that’s right.

“Elma, can you tell me what happened to Damion?”

− It won’t be a pleasant story… Are you sure you’re alright with this, my lady?

“I want to hear it. For Damion’s sake.”