However, regardless of the embarrassment, the word ‘dad’ seemed to suit Cedar well.

‘I think Cedar would make a caring father. Wouldn’t he be even more attentive to a child than he is to me?’

I closed my eyes for a moment and imagined Cedar as a father.

Cedar saying “Let’s run around the capital together” on weekends, Cedar nagging about not being picky with food, Cedar always telling to dress neatly, and so on.

Apart from Cedar’s kindness, it seemed clear he would become a nagging father.

With my eyes closed, I sent a few words of condolence to the future child.

‘…I’m sorry, baby. Mom is powerless.’

Then I slapped both my cheeks.

‘What am I thinking right now!’

Wasn’t I imagining Cedar and my child too naturally?

‘Of course, since we’re married, it will happen someday! But it’s still far off!’

As I was twisting my body trying to shake off the embarrassment, I heard movement from downstairs.

I sprang up from my seat.

“Ah! He must have arrived!”

I rushed down in one breath, wanting to quickly hear why he was so late today and what had happened, but…

“Huh?”

The scene I saw when I arrived on the first floor was different from what I had vaguely imagined upstairs.

Diana was standing next to Cedar. And the distance between them was very close.

As if the two of them were on good terms.

‘What’s going on?’

Looking at the two with trembling eyes, I carefully asked.

“Why are you two coming in together?”

In fact, it was a question I asked expecting Cedar’s answer.

But then Diana linked her arm with Cedar’s and, pressing her body close, said:

“Can’t you tell by looking, sister?”

I can’t tell.

I don’t understand anything.

My head felt like it was buzzing. All the numerous thoughts disappeared, and everything in front of my eyes turned black.

[Why would elder brother betray Nelly?]

Why am I remembering what Grisha said now?

To me, who was in a daze, Diana whispered with a nasty smile.

“This person now loves me, not you, sister.”

It felt like everything in front of my eyes was turning black.

[This is the timeline separator]

Hail, who received Cedar’s letter, rushed to Grisha’s hotel like an arrow.

It was natural, as the faster he went, the more time he could spend with his fiancée.

“Young master!”

“Sir Hail.”

When he knocked on the door, Grisha came out shortly after.

The room inside was dark. Even though it was daytime, thick blackout curtains blocked the windows.

Hail glanced at the dark room but didn’t think much of it.

‘I guess he was trying to sleep during the day? Well, they say many magicians have reversed day and night schedules.’

Grisha’s face looking particularly rough didn’t register in Hail’s eyes, who was excited at the thought of meeting his fiancée for a date.

Hail smiled brightly and handed over the letter.

“The captain asked me to deliver this.”

“I see. Thank you. Would you like some tea?”

“No, thank you! I have somewhere else I need to go urgently after this.”

Grisha didn’t seem to want to let Hail in anyway, as there was no sign of him trying to detain Hail who was refusing.

Grisha nodded readily and opened the envelope. The letter inside was extremely concise.

The moment he saw it, an unidentifiable disgust rose up. Finish the conversation?

‘It’s obviously about the title, I bet.’

Lady Briar would have already heard that even the Duke wanted to pass the dukedom to Cedar.

Yet, the reason for wanting to talk at the Granite Duke’s mansion was surely to gather the Duke and Grisha to make it clear that he had no intention of becoming a duke.

‘Disgusting.’

Even that action felt like cruel pretense to Grisha.

Am I supposed to gratefully pick up what he discarded because he doesn’t need it? Why can’t it be mine from the start?

‘Does he think it doesn’t matter anymore since Nelly chose him?’

One way or another, it just made his insides churn.

Grisha smiled cynically. Then he asked Hail, who was jumping up and down restlessly in place:

“…Did elder brother say anything else besides this?”

“No. He didn’t say anything else.”

Grisha bit his lip.

He had definitely handed over a love potion to Diana. It was solely because of what Diana said.

[If there was such a potion, I would give it to Cedar Granite. It would be nice to see Lady Briar’s face contort, the one who ruined me.]

Because she said she would seduce Cedar among all the people.

Just to see Lady Briar’s distorted face.

And that was Grisha’s wish too.

‘From the way she talked, it seemed like she would act on it right away. Surely she didn’t just take the love potion from me and run away?’

Such suspicion naturally arose because it was a potion with countless uses.

Grisha, who had furrowed his brow, soon shook his head.

‘No. That can’t be it. He must have written this letter before that.’

He would be able to see clearly with his own eyes when he went to the Granite Duke’s mansion tomorrow.

If Diana really gave Cedar the love potion, tomorrow’s decisive conversation would be about Nelly, not the title.

Grisha nodded.

“Please tell him I understand.”

“Yes! Then I’ll be going now!”

As soon as he heard the reply, Hail disappeared in high spirits.

Left alone in the dark space after closing the door, Grisha laughed senselessly like a madman.

‘Nelly, what will you do if that man no longer loves you?’

Nelly chose Cedar.

But that must have been because Cedar was luckily right by her side when she opened her eyes.

Grisha’s face, who had been comforting himself like that, suddenly crumpled.

‘…If you choose him even then, what should I do?’

If Nelly says she loves him even after Cedar’s heart has left, what should he do?

Feeling that his self-contemplating like this was too miserable, Grisha buried his face in his palms.

He wanted to disappear, sinking into this darkness.

How much time passed like that?

Even without sleeping, deep night came, and soon morning dawned.

The sun rose and the sky brightened, but it couldn’t reach Grisha who had covered the windows with thick blackout curtains.

Grisha, who had been lost in self-loathing for a long time without sleeping, got up.

Despite not eating, there was no problem in moving his body.

‘I have to see for myself what kind of state the great elder brother is in.’

It was too early to fall into despair. He hadn’t faced Cedar’s change or Nelly’s decision yet.

‘I hope that woman did well. If so, I’ll be able to see Lady Briar’s distorted face too.’

Grisha left the hotel with a ghostly pale complexion. And headed to the Granite Duke’s mansion.

“Young, young master?”

“Shh!”

Some servants were shocked to see Grisha’s deteriorated face, but Grisha didn’t even glance at them.

His only interest was one thing.

‘Cedar Granite.’

The man who had taken everything he wanted since birth.

A warm family, mother, the position of the eldest son of a swordsmanship family.

Now even his father and the woman he loves.

When he opened the door and entered, Cedar was standing in the reception room as if waiting for him.

Tall stature, tanned face, silver-gray eyes shining like mirrors looking down at him coldly.

Even that appearance, so strikingly similar to Duke Granite’s, tore up Grisha’s insides.

‘So it’s not my fault even if I use underhanded methods.’

Grisha’s lips slowly curved upward.

Ironically, a bright smile unfitting for the current situation appeared on his lips.

The worse he felt, the brighter smile he put on. Just as Nelly had noticed.

“…It’s been a while, elder brother.”

Cedar nodded lightly at Grisha’s greeting. Then he turned around swiftly and said.

“Let’s go.”

Grisha’s blue eyes flashed fiercely as he looked at the broad back.

‘Let’s see how long you can keep up that arrogant act.’

Instead of following Cedar who was leading the way, Grisha called out to stop him.

“Before that, there’s something I’d like to ask elder brother.”

Cedar turned to look at him with a cold face as if telling him to speak. Grisha asked as if probing his true intentions.

“Where is Nelly? I think Nelly can’t be left out to finish our conversation. She is elder brother’s wife, isn’t she?”

Now he hated Cedar too much.

To the extent that this hatred wouldn’t subside unless he saw his complete downfall.

[This is the timeline separator]

Diana spoke boldly.

“This person now loves me, not you, sister.”

At her words, I felt dizzy.

Even though my eyes were open, I couldn’t see properly in front of me. Having received a great shock, I staggered and barely managed to steady myself.

“Th-that can’t be.”

At my small rebuttal, Diana snorted audibly.

“What do you mean it can’t be? Can’t you see I’m linking arms with him right now?”

“Bu-but.”

Just until a moment ago, he had kissed me so tenderly? I couldn’t believe the situation had flipped in less than half a day.

Trembling from the great shock, I reached out a shaking hand towards Cedar.

“Cedar……”

But those light blue-tinged silver-gray eyes just looked at me indifferently.

At the completely different temperature in his eyes from usual, my whole body felt as if it had been hit by ice.

Facing him and in great shock, I focused my eyes and confronted Diana.

“What did you do to Cedar? That’s it, right?”

“What could I have done? I’m not even a magician.”

Diana snorted as if it wasn’t even funny and said:

“If you think he’s changed, maybe you didn’t read this person’s feelings properly, sister?””