Staring intently at the desperately speaking Marquis Brown, Cyrus looked down with dark eyes.

The days spent with Marquis Brown came to mind, making Cyrus feel frustrated.

Cyrus suppressed the urge to get angry, shout, and shake him. It must not be done. If he showed his emotions in front of his subordinates, it would be the end.

“I may not know, but I know.”

With a chilling tone, Marquis Brown stood up as if he had guessed his own future. Marquis Brown, hiding a dagger in his arms, rushed towards Cyrus.

Cyrus easily twisted his body to avoid and subdued Marquis Brown. While Cyrus held him down, Marquis Brown’s back was stomped hard by Cyrus.

Marquis Brown shouted while lying down.

“Cyrus! Have you forgotten what I’ve done for you?”

“I remember. I remember it well.”
Cyrus grabbed the marquis’s hair roughly, causing the marquis’s neck to twist backward.

“Was this place so tempting for you?”

“Cough…”

Cyrus coldly looked at Marquis Brown, who couldn’t answer properly due to his twisted neck, and ordered,

“Kill him. Leave no one who followed the path of House Brown alive.”

Only then did the venomous expression on Marquis Brown’s face crumble. Marquis Brown clung to Cyrus’s legs.

“Your Excellency, please… please spare my children. They don’t know anything, Your Excellency. Don’t you know how much they respect you?”

I do.

Marquis Brown’s eldest son was a royal guard, and the second son, when he saw Cyrus, used to greet him with a bright smile.

“They don’t know anything now, but they will know everything soon.”

Cyrus did not reveal the turbulent emotions.

“Like me, they will try to avenge their father.”

“Oh, no. No. They swore allegiance to you, didn’t they? They will never betray you. Please, spare them…”

“Marquis.”

As if Cyrus didn’t want to hear any more, he interrupted him.

“Haven’t you also sworn allegiance to me?”

Knights grabbed Marquis Brown’s arms from both sides. With fierce eyes, Marquis Brown, lying on the ground, cursed Cyrus.

Cyrus watched Marquis Brown being dragged out for a moment and then turned around.

The subordinates who were watching helplessly followed Cyrus. Cyrus said,

“I want to be alone.”

Everyone stopped walking at his words.

Cyrus walked down the long corridor, feeling like walking on a razor’s edge.

Memories of Marquis Brown and his family were laid on the sharp blade. Blood flowed with each step. Invisible blood clung to Cyrus’s ankles.

Cyrus stopped walking and looked out the window.

The top of the snow-covered Graten Mountain came into view. Looking at the blue sky above it, the blue eyes that always silently watched him came to mind. The fine hair like the sky on a good day and the clear, clean voice.

“[Dash] Your Excellency is truly graceful.”

The words that made Cyrus smile came to mind, but he couldn’t laugh as cheerfully as he did back then.

Graceful? No. I’m still afraid. The young me from the time when I lost my parents and was chased makes me cruel.

Curious.

What would you say if I said this? Would you still say I’m graceful? Or would you be disappointed in me?

And.

Why am I thinking of you now?

When Cyrus clenched and opened his fist, the various emotions that had appeared on his face disappeared.

As always, he became the lord of the North, without any expression, unshaken by anything, and walked towards his office.

+++

Ariana opened her eyes.

Every night, she had nightmares.
All that is happening now is a dream, and the reality is still the nightmare of being a troublemaker in Duke Bronte’s residence.

Every time she woke up from the dreadful nightmare, she couldn’t gauge what was a dream and what was reality. After scanning her surroundings with blurry eyes and confirming that she was still in Dongryeong, she sighed.

“Half a year has already passed….”

Eight months have passed since she died and came back to life.

Ariana resurrected in the year 210 of Lathan, arrived in Dongryeong around April, became Ariana White in June, and it’s now October.

The first party Ariana attended as a princess ended without major problems, and for several months afterward, there was nothing threatening Ariana.

Isaac, who visited Dongryeong, was dedicated to Shini’s treatment. Andrei, after showing a friendly attitude to Ariana, left without staying for a few days, saying that something happened in the Northern Command.

Isaac’s treatment was effective, and Shini’s condition was gradually improving. The twisted bones were almost straightened, and the eyes that couldn’t withstand light now recovered enough not to twitch under bright lighting.

The members of the White family still treated Ariana kindly, and Ariana became accustomed to their affection.

Even the house tutors, employees, and even Jeor, who taught swordsmanship to Ariana, were all kind to her.

Nevertheless, Ariana’s soul still lingered on the past, those dreadful days sticking to her like ticks.

Ariana put on her coat and left the room. Quietly going down the stairs, she headed to the garden.

Although the night in October was chilly, the starry sky was so densely filled that it was incredibly beautiful.

Ariana passed through the path between long flower beds and arrived at the central garden. There was someone who had arrived first in the central garden.

“Isaac.”

At Ariana’s call, Isaac, who was absentmindedly looking up at the sky, suddenly stood up and shook her hand vigorously.

“Princess!”

Isaac called Ariana ‘Your Highness’ in places where people were present, but when they were alone, he always called her ‘Princess.’

Now, she let that title go because changing that address was tiresome. However, whenever called ‘Princess,’ memories of Cyrus came up, and it didn’t make her feel good.

“What are you doing at this hour? Can’t you sleep? I have some medicine for a good night’s sleep.”

Seeing Isaac smile cheerfully, her troubled heart calmed down a bit due to the nightmares.

“I don’t want to take medicine. If I go out and get some fresh air, I might be able to sleep.”

“Well, taking medicine too often is not good. Then, shall we walk together?”

Although she wanted to be alone, walking with Isaac seemed okay. Isaac was cheerful, and just being with him made the other person feel better.