Unaware of humility, Ibi, despite her sins, boldly held the marquis’s jaw, resisting and firmly pushing him away. Then, fearing she might be caught again, she distanced herself and whispered.

“Don’t give up just yet, tell them a ghost appeared! Wish you good health!”

Ibi left behind those words and swiftly ascended through the secret passage in the ceiling. Left alone in the room after Ibi departed through the ceiling, Zion looked at the bite marks left on his hand.

It was absurd, but he wasn’t angry. Because he had already confirmed it.

When Ibi struck Zion’s jaw to prevent him from asking the question, Zion had intended to ask her this.

‘Am I not someone you recognize?’
However, as if already knowing what question Zion would ask, Ibi vehemently refused and fled.

It was a truly pointless effort. At that moment, Zion didn’t need an answer anymore.

The fact that he could start asking that question, that he could speak it out loud, made everything clear.

Zion took a deep breath, just as Ibi did earlier.

Confusion, desire, and various indescribable emotions crossed paths at the sudden liberation.

Ibi Ariate set foot in the secret realm that had confined him.

The loneliness that had been driving him crazy was finally coming to an end.

At the same time, Ibi, who had returned to the room, didn’t even think about dusting off the dust that clung to her. As soon as she arrived in the room, her legs gave way, and she sat there, hesitating to get up.

Ibi wanted to confirm the voice she had heard early in the morning.

So she went to the marquis, achieved her goal, and ended up in confusion.

“Lies…”

Ibi groaned unknowingly.

Ibi couldn’t accept anything.

So she sat there for a long time, unable to accept anything.

Zion graciously let Ibi go because he knew she needed time.

When Ibi realized that Zion knew something, Zion also felt a sense of resistance.

It was the vague sense of responsibility for dealing with things that he had to face after confirming the truth.

Even Ibi, who knew everything, would find it much more perplexing not knowing anything.

So Zion decided to gather his shattered compassion and wait for Ibi. Not for long, just about three hours.

But as expected, the formidable Ibi Ariate shattered Zion’s scarce compassion even more finely than usual.

“Ibi Ariate returned to his mansion an hour ago.”

‘…She ran away.’

Zion felt his blood pressure rise at Moren’s report.

He slowly began to get angry. So, considering going to catch her even now, Moren asked slyly.

“When will you return to the headquarters?”

Looking at Moren asking about the schedule, Zion realized that it was time to return to alert mode.

It seemed like Moren brought up the topic of going back to the headquarters because Ibi had left the villa. He was saying, “Now that your little flower is no longer here, let’s stop working.”

Zion clicked his tongue at this unjust treatment but agreed with Moren’s intentions.

It had already been three weeks since Amaneser was put to sleep. He couldn’t keep his guard up any longer. Now, he had to go back to the headquarters to prepare for Amaneser’s awakening.

But he didn’t feel like going like this.

Ibi’s butler was now in the southeast of Biss, and yesterday, Ibi had a perfect confrontation with Cacel Montra. Whether she was a butler or a guard, it was clear that Ibi, who moved alone, had been caught.

Since Ibi had the protection of the tower, Cacel Montra wouldn’t dare to touch her recklessly. Still, humans were not always rational beings.
“Cacel Montra?”

“Marquis left in the morning. It seems like he returned immediately after meeting with Ariate.”

So, at least, there won’t be a chance of their paths crossing.

Moreover, the roads around the vast lake in Tienda are perfectly open. Worrying about Ibi’s shortcut through the sparse mountain paths or forest trails would be unnecessary fundamentally different from the roads in Biss.

While Zion was thinking like this, the alert Moren added one piece of news that the superior might want to know.

“And yesterday evening, Ibi Ariate, who defamed Marquis Montera, seems to have become known to most nobles. According to my sister, even those close to Ariate were greatly surprised.”

Being greatly surprised was Moren’s euphemistic expression.

The nobles weren’t just surprised; they were furious. Upon learning that the girl who had behaved like an angel was a vile imposter, they trembled with betrayal. The gentle ones recoiled in fear, and the honest ones expressed disgust.

Even Arco, Ibi’s close friend and one who was indifferent to everything, said, “I hope it’s a misunderstanding, but if this is true, I’m not sure how to continue my friendship with Miss Ariate in the future.”

Even if they were high-ranking nobles, ignoring the voices of many nobles altogether was impossible. So, Ibi Ariate becoming a saint had now become a very delicate matter.

While Moren thought so and sighed, Zion did not agree with the lieutenant’s speculation at all.

Ibi wasn’t someone to give up like this. She had a plan from the beginning, and she would surely commit another misdeed. And as if flaunting it, she would turn the tables.

Although Zion respected her unwavering determination, he hoped that Ibi would confirm something about him first before all of this.

Don’t run away like this.

“We are also returning.”

“All right. I’ll prepare right away.”

The deputy commander saluted cheerfully and turned away.

When Zion returned to the alert, he would have to stay there for a short week, or at most, about two weeks.

In the end, leaving without finishing the business from earlier felt stifling, but Zion remembered his duty and gathered his resolve.

While doing so, he only hoped. That when he returned, Ibi wouldn’t run away anymore.

The time he had spent waiting for that, enduring and holding back, had already been too long.