Niel spoke in a calm voice.

“I want you to be selfish. In this life, don’t worry about things like world peace, just think about your own happiness.”

Her happiness. That was the only reason he was sending her to that man.

“You’ve always been a woman who doesn’t know failure. So this time too, show me how wonderfully you protect him. I’ll be cheering you on.”

At those words about cheering her on, Jella somehow felt a lump in her throat.

“…Thank you, Niel. For saving me. For bringing me this body. For allowing me to live once more in this world that I love.”

Jella composed her indescribable emotions and smiled at him as she spoke.

“I really wanted to tell you these words.”

“How cruel. Miss Jella.”

Niel smiled gently along with her.

“Knowing that what I want is not words of gratitude, but a different answer.”

Though he seemed disappointed, unlike before, his voice was now composed.

“I have a lot of accumulated work, so I should return now. When the Pope from the Holy Country arrives, I’ll send him here.”

It was Niel who first put an end to their conversation.

As he was about to turn away, Jella suddenly held him back.

“Um, by the way, Niel. Perhaps…”

It was a question that had been floating in her mind for days.

A question she would never be able to ask if not now.

But even in this moment of holding him back, she hesitated whether she should really ask this question.

Noticing her hesitation, Niel encouraged her in a gentle voice.

“Please speak, Miss Jella.”

“You said you brought Kim Ga-eul’s body. Perhaps at that time… did you know Kim Ga-eul?”

“…”

Niel stared at her face for a moment, then smiled slightly and answered.

“No, not at all.”

It was such a firm answer that it made Jella, who had asked the question, feel awkward.

“When I arrived in Kim Ga-eul’s world, she had just passed away. That’s why I could immediately bring your body that had lost its soul.”

“Ah… I must have been mistaken.”

Jella replied with an embarrassed face.

In her somewhat confused and vague memories from when her consciousness was invaded by Arne, she had felt as if he knew Kim Ga-eul.

But seeing Niel’s reaction, it seemed to be her misunderstanding.

‘Well, my consciousness wasn’t intact at that time.’

She felt needlessly disappointed.

“Now I really must go. May I say a final farewell?”

He asked, extending his palm toward Jella. Jella quietly placed her hand on his.

Niel looked at her small hand for a moment, then left a brief kiss on the back of her hand.

Just as the Duke of Alpenhayer who had escorted her by her side did long ago.

“May you perfectly protect your man.”

With those final words, he turned away.

His expression as he turned seemed calm at first glance.

With a face too static and quiet for a man who had just been rejected, Niel slowly walked away.

Step, step.

The soft sound of footsteps only stopped when he was about to leave her sight.

His serene face suddenly contorted.

Whack-!

Niel turned his body.

He looked in the direction where she should be, but she was no longer visible.

“…”

He moved his lips several times as if to say something, then clenched his teeth.

He wanted to run back to her right away.

And he wanted to shout.

Actually, I…

I…

Clench.

Strength entered his clenched fist and red veins burst over his eyes.

It couldn’t be done.

Just moments ago, hadn’t he been the one to draw a clear line?

In the end, he was that kind of man.

The princess who had been his entire life, His Majesty who had been his only sky, his fiancée who had never once looked back at him… he was the kind of man who couldn’t tolerate even a moment of her being troubled because of him.

Niel Alpenhayer’s love, marked by extreme consideration and respect for her, was always a love that sacrificed and remained silent where her eyes couldn’t reach.

So Niel swallowed the impulse rising within him with all his might.

“Ha…”

His prominent Adam’s apple undulated heavily.

He tried to let go of his lingering attachment with a hollow laugh, but his emotions, which had always moved under his control throughout his life, wouldn’t obey when it came to her.

“Haha…”

Feeling that it would never be easy to let go of this clinging attachment, he roughly rubbed his face.

“Hahaha…”

The meaningless laughter that kept bursting out was an unintended defense mechanism to hide his reddened eyes.

“Really…”

Nevertheless, to prevent the tears that had finally welled up from falling, Niel tilted his head back and looked up at the sky.

The day was exceptionally clear. That made him more sorrowful, and so more…

“I miss you, Kim Ga-eul.”

The moment his lips, which he had finally failed to control, uttered that name.

Drip.

Feeling the tears he had been holding back flowing down his face, Niel slowly closed his eyes.

In his pants pocket, the ring case he couldn’t give her felt especially heavy.

***

After that day, when the Grand Temple was thrown into chaos because of Arne, who had taken over Jella’s body.

Yuphe had recovered, but thanks to Johannes taking over the Pope’s duties, he was still resting.

However, unlike before, he wasn’t seeking alcohol and was just quietly secluded, which made Damian somehow afraid.

‘They say people change like that when they’re about to die… No, wait, His Holiness is already a dead body.’

Damian, who had come to tidy up Yuphe’s room, thought while looking at Yuphe sitting quietly by the window.

Due to that incident, Yuphe’s secret was spreading throughout the Grand Temple.

Although Johannes was trying his best to prevent troublesome matters from reaching Yuphe’s ears, the religious order was in quite a state of turmoil.

The content of the scripture they had absolutely believed in until now had all been distorted. On top of that, the death of Arne, whom they had worshipped as the main deity, and now the Pope, who had become a demigod.

In some quarters, groups were even emerging, saying that Yuphe should be worshipped as a new god.

“Ugh, that’s absurd…!”

“Stop being noisy and get out.”

When Damian shuddered and winced, Yuphe rebuked him with a frown.

Finally chased outside, Damian looked around Yuphe’s residence and shouted, timidly but boldly, in a voice that would definitely not reach Yuphe’s ears.

“Ha, that’s right! He is indeed the true god! The true evil god of this world!”

As Damian was walking away grumbling, he spotted someone running from the opposite direction.

It was a messenger from the imperial palace.

***

Not long after finishing her conversation with Niel, Yuphe arrived from the Holy Country.

“Jella!”

Yuphe, who had come straight to find Jella without meeting the Emperor, spotted her and ran toward her with a bright smile.

However, his gesture was immediately blocked by Cail.

“What’s this?”

“What are you doing?”

The two men glared fiercely at each other, engaging in a silent battle of nerves, but they obediently went underground at Jella’s words that this wasn’t the time for such behavior.

“Is this the dragon’s body sealed by Arne?”

Yuphe looked with curious eyes at Helasio’s body that had been sealed underground.

When he placed his hand on the thick iron chains, he could feel Arne’s power.

“Indeed. I think I can do something about it.”

Yuphe said with a slight smile.

“It’s an ancient sealing spell that can only be released by the caster.”

“Only the caster can release it? Then…”

“But since Arne’s divine status has now become mine.”

He muttered as he slowly drew out power toward the sealed dragon.

Golden light flowed from his fingertips and enveloped the dragon’s body, and simultaneously, a dark light shot out from the dragon’s body. It was the ancient spell that had been sealing the dragon.

The two energies seemed to be in a tense standoff, unable to mix with each other, when Yuphe slightly frowned.

In an instant, the dark light disappeared and the thick chains that had been tightly binding Helasio’s body melted away with a crash-! The seal was broken.

“Finally!”

Helasio flew like an arrow toward his body.

As the massive dragon’s body twitched, Cail suddenly clutched his chest.

Black energy erupted from his chest and rushed fiercely toward the dragon’s body.

Jella watched the scene with wide eyes.

Eventually, the closed eyes of the dragon opened with a flash, revealing bright red pupils.

“Helasio…?”

As she called cautiously, Helasio spread his massive wings and roared.

At that moment, Jella could tell.

Finally, the anxiety and fear of rampage that had bound her like a curse for so long had departed.

It was a very strange feeling.

She felt relieved, and uncharacteristically, like she might cry.

“Look at this! What did I tell you! My body is much more majestic and handsome than that Cail fellow’s!”

Helasio boasted, showing off his majestic body in front of Jella.

“Not particularly.”

“What? How dare you have such an insolent attitude after seeing this body!”

Helasio jumped up and down at Jella’s lukewarm response. The castle shook because of it.

“Stop jumping around, you crazy dragon! You’re going to make the castle collapse!”

But Helasio, who was excited, was undeterred by Jella’s scolding and soared into the air, flapping his wings.

“Look at me, Jella! I can even do somersaults in the air like this!”

Helasio giggled as he did somersaults in the air.

Jella smiled slightly as she watched the scene.

Brush.

A rougher and firmer man’s hand brushed against the back of her hand.

Just from the slight touch, she could tell who the owner of this hand was—the hand that had always been a firm support.

Jella slowly turned her head to look at Cail. He had been watching her for some time.

No words were exchanged between the two as they faced each other, but a warm color spread in the gaze that held each other.

Just as a subtle smile was about to spread across Jella’s lips as well.

“That’s good.”

Yuphe’s voice was heard from beside them.