Ansi swallowed her breath.

Kardian was touching her with a very vicious method. Deril being alive… It didn’t make sense. He knew there was no body of Deril, so he dared to use that point.

She wanted to retort that he shouldn’t say such nonsense, that she knew his dirty trick of trying to play with people through lies.

However, she couldn’t do that.

The possibility of ‘what if’ choked her throat.

Kardian spoke to Ansi, who kept her mouth shut, as if regretfully.

“There’s something Ansi is misunderstanding. I’m not your enemy. Rather, I’m an ally.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I kept it a secret that Ansi stole my gun. I told everyone that I lent that gun directly. If I had honestly said that Ansi stole it, there surely would have been a problem.”

Even from Ansi’s standpoint, that part was an incomprehensible point. Why didn’t he tell people? At the end of her thoughts, what she realized was that for some reason, Kardian was thinking of her favorably.

“I also overlooked that you ruined my hunting event with Mion. Even so, does it not seem that I’m Ansi’s ally?”

Kardian took a few steps closer to Ansi. With each narrowing of the distance between them, Ansi felt like she was being choked.

“Listen to me. I won’t ask for anything that will harm Ansi.”

“…No.”

Ansi slowly stepped back.

“Whatever the request is, I won’t listen.”

Ansi turned her body again and left the reception room.

With her heart beating violently, she quickly ran into her room.

Behind the door that slammed shut, Ansi slumped down.

Kardian is lying.

Didn’t he kill everyone by hiding the peace treaty with Parma from his father and lying that they would strike first there?

As a result, both her father and Deril died.

How could she believe the words of such a person? It was clear he was lying even now.

But, if… if by any chance Deril was really alive…

The small possibility shot up both hope and anxiety simultaneously. She closed her eyes, biting her lip hard. She felt like she was going crazy, not knowing what to do.

Flowers were placed in front of the graves of Count Rubellsa and Deril.

Damion stared at the graves placed side by side with sunken eyes.

“It’s been a while, Colonel.”

In front of the silent gravestone, a bitter voice escaped.

Colonel Rubellsa was a respectable and good superior.

Although the time spent together wasn’t long, during that time, the colonel showed quite a lot of trust in Damion. With his support, Damion implemented the tactics he thought of without hesitation. It was also because of the merits of that time that Damion was quickly promoted from captain to major.

He must have been a good father to Ansi too.

The image of Ansi shouting sharply like broken glass came to mind.

Ansi never told him the reason why she wanted to take revenge on Orphe. This must be because she thought of Damion as Orphe before her husband.

Damion didn’t ask further because he hoped Ansi would forget about revenge. He wanted her to focus on the current peace, for the promise they made to make each other the purpose of their lives to last for a long time.

That’s not to say he had no idea.

If the reason Ansi wanted revenge was related to Count Rubellsa… he could find the connecting link from there.

‘It was probably Kardian who delivered the peace treaty to the Colonel.’

Was there something in that process? Such suspicion crawled like a bug in Damion’s mind.

However, even if Kardian was involved, Damion’s conclusion didn’t change.

What he wanted was only one thing.

For Ansi to be happy now, by his side.

“Please help your daughter to be happy.”

Damion murmured towards the grave.

If Kardian was even slightly involved in the Colonel’s death, and so Ansi was trying to throw her life into revenge…

Even if it might seem selfish from the Colonel’s standpoint, Damion hoped Ansi would stop her revenge.

Damion knew well how much such emotions could eat away at one’s life. Moreover, the end of the path Ansi was trying to go was an abyss for her too.

For her happiness, and his, he had to hug her tightly and stop at this place.

Just as Damion had backed away from the dark forest path leading to the annex, just as he had ignored his crying younger self for the sake of present happiness.

Ansi also promised to do so. They agreed to hold hands and walk together even knowing each other’s purposes. They whispered to make each other the purpose of their lives and be happy.

They decided to abandon everything and leave together.

Damion believed in Ansi.

At the same time, he was convinced that his choice to stop her, even to the point of being shot, was not in vain.

He bowed to the grave and turned his steps. He walked to the nearby square and slowly looked around.

This was where he had met the woman who told him Ansi’s location on that rainy day.

He wanted to find clues about the woman here, but of course, she wasn’t visible now. Even if she passed by, he wouldn’t have been able to recognize her since he hadn’t seen her face in the first place.

Ansi’s location, conveyed at the appropriate time.

And the colorful umbrella the woman was holding.

Damion was certain that the woman from that time was Amor, the goddess of love.

Of course, he knew how nonsensical it was for a god to wander around like that. However, to begin with, Ansi saving his life, him saving Sofia’s life, all of that was truly unbelievable.

It wouldn’t be strange for Amor to be hovering around Rubellsa.

That’s why Damion wanted to ask her something if he met her again.

Ansi’s reduced lifespan.

If he could exchange it with his own life.

If the god had the power to give and take life at will, it would surely be possible. Then Damion wished to split his increased lifespan and return it to Ansi.

So that they could fall asleep on the same day and at the same time. He wanted to tell her to share it like that.

However, it wasn’t easy to find clues even after investigating about the goddess Amor and going to churches that claimed to enshrine Amor. It was the same in this square today.

Eventually, Damion turned his steps and returned to the mansion. Butler Nubel greeted Damion.

“You’ve arrived.”

“Yes. Where’s Ansi?”

“She’s in the room.”

A faint smile appeared on Damion’s lips.

Now there was no need to distinguish whether it was his room or Ansi’s room when they said ‘room’. It was their room, which he and she used together.

Damion moved his steps towards the second floor.

At that moment, Nubel conveyed something concerning.

“Sir Kardian visited.”

“…For what reason?”

Damion, who had hesitated for a moment, soon asked naturally.

“He briefly met with the madam and left. I don’t know what kind of conversation they had.”

Damion nodded. His face was expressionless, but inside, worry for Ansi welled up. In case Kardian had said something hurtful to her. Moreover, if the reason Ansi had wanted to bring down Orphe was really Kardian, he didn’t know what kind of agitation that meeting would cause her.

Damion, who had climbed the stairs with long strides, soon entered the room.

“Ansi.”

Ansi, sitting on the sofa, was lost in thought, not even hearing the sound of the door. Only at Damion’s call did she turn to look at him with surprised eyes.

“When did you come?”

“Just now. What were you thinking about so deeply?”

“Ah… Just some random thoughts.”

Ansi pulled up the corners of her mouth. Damion asked in a light tone while taking off his jacket.

“Did anything happen?”

It was a question like a routine greeting. But in fact, it was a question about what conversation she had with Kardian.

Damion thought that maybe Ansi wouldn’t answer that question properly. Even though they had promised to abandon everything and leave together, somehow it felt like there might still be lingering regrets of revenge left in her heart.

However, Ansi soon opened her mouth.

“Kardian came by during the day.”

It was an obedient answer.

The tension left Damion’s body.

It seemed only he had doubted their promise.

Damion approached Ansi and sat down next to her on the sofa. He asked with a somewhat relaxed mind.

“What did he come for?”

“He said he would overlook the gun I took that day.”

Damion furrowed his brow.

Kardian wouldn’t have shown such consideration for no reason. It was suspicious. He surely must want something.

“What does he want?”

“…Nothing. Oh, and he said he would cover up the disturbance that happened at the hunting event too. It’s fortunate.”

It meant he would treat everything as if it never happened and move on.

It wasn’t impossible to guess why Kardian made such a decision. The hunting event was prepared by Kardian, and it was beneficial for Kardian to minimize any controversial issues that arose during the event, whatever they were.

Maybe he just didn’t want to blow things up and decided to bury it.

Damion decided to think that way, burying his remaining doubts.

Because just seeing Ansi honestly talking about the conversation she had with Kardian was reassuring. Because looking at her saying it was fortunate made him dislike having negative thoughts.