How much time had passed?

By the time even his body, which had been embracing her and sobbing, was becoming covered with cold snowflakes.

Niel slowly rose to his feet.

The snowflakes that had accumulated on his body fell down with a soft rustle.

He couldn’t leave her in this cold place any longer.

He needed to take her somewhere warm quickly.

Niel walked while carrying her in his arms. His limbs creaked, perhaps from being exposed to the cold wind for so long.

When he emerged into the corridor, the head servant was waiting for him.

Niel looked at the head servant with empty eyes and asked.

“Where is Cail Aleret?”

His throat, hoarse from pouring out all his tears before her death, produced a rough, metallic sound.

“When we found him, he was collapsed alongside Her Majesty. We moved him to a room, but he hasn’t regained consciousness yet.”

“When he wakes up, please let me know.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Niel walked silently, looking straight ahead with an expressionless face, and thought.

He still couldn’t accept her death. He needed to ask Cail Aleret when he woke up. What exactly had happened?

At this moment, the head servant, following behind Niel, carefully said.

“I thought Your Grace no longer loved Her Majesty.”

“……”

“But I was wrong. This old man dared to misinterpret and misunderstand the heart of such a noble person.”

“……”

Niel slowly turned his head to look at him.

“You may think I’m speaking out of turn… but Her Majesty was a very lonely person during her lifetime.”

“……”

“Twenty years ago, I personally took the young princess wrapped in swaddling clothes to the Holy Kingdom. So I can confidently say that I’ve watched over Her Majesty for the longest period in this imperial palace.”

“……”

“Among those who ultimately remained in the palace instead of defecting to the rebels, there were certainly some who feared getting involved in complicated matters, but the majority stayed voluntarily to ease Her Majesty’s loneliness.”

“……”

He should say thank you.

He should thank these people who stayed by her side while he had isolated her and made her even lonelier.

Instead of answering, Niel looked at the wrinkled corners of the head servant’s eyes with numb eyes.

The eyes of that always-dignified man were also red and moist.

Outside, rumors painted her as a tyrant, but in reality… did she know that there were so many people who cherished and loved her?

That although you considered yourself evil, you were not…

That in fact, you were the person most suited to the brilliantly shining throne…

Niel blinked slowly.

He gradually awoke from his reverie.

Where he was now wasn’t the desolate castle without her, but on a carriage running through the capital’s streets, in a wonderful world where she had returned to life.

“And so, I will return to you the throne that was originally yours…”

Niel muttered while looking at the increasingly thick snowfall.

That freezing winter five years ago, when the cold snow fell as if it would freeze the entire world.

In the face of her death, Niel felt like he might collapse at any moment, but he was not someone who could afford to fall apart.

Only after two weeks had passed since her death did Cain finally open his eyes, but he suffered terrible agony as the price for accepting the dragon Helasio.

However, Cain’s pain was not Niel’s concern.

Niel grabbed the suffering man and asked if he had really killed her, and Cain couldn’t answer.

He raged and cursed.

That you killed her. That she died because of you. You filthy traitor. You ungrateful beast.

But he actually knew.

“It’s a big problem, Niel. We need Lord Cain’s help… Only Lord Cain, the heir of the Hersha clan, can kill the dragon.”

That both he and Cain were beings arranged for her death.

That her death was a well-crafted script carried out according to her plan.

Originally, he had refused to ascend to the throne.

Despite many people trying to persuade him, Niel remained unmoved.

After all, hadn’t he raised the rebellion to save her in the first place?

After her death, his world lost its purpose and drifted into dark obscurity.

What made him change his mind started with a single remark from the dragon.

[There’s one way to revive Jella, shall I tell you?]

Three things needed to resurrect the dead.

Body, soul, and the breath of God.

Cail Aleret contracted with the dragon and held her soul to the earth.

Yupheon Arne killed a god and stole its breath.

But her body that he had found on the snow-covered terrace was already…

At this moment, the smoothly rolling carriage wheels stopped.

“We have arrived, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you.”

Niel smiled gently as he stepped down from the carriage.

After reuniting with Jella, he was finally going to implement the plan that had been delayed by the interference of the two men and Yuria’s appearance.

Feeling people’s gazes upon him, he walked toward her pharmacy.

The pharmacy door was closed.

He pulled the bell cord hanging at the pharmacy entrance to ring the bell himself.

Eventually, she came down and opened the door.

“Niel Alpenhayer…?”

She opened her mouth instinctively upon seeing him, but then noticed the gazes around them and changed her manner of speech.

“Oh my, Your Majesty. What brings such a noble person to this humble place?”

“You still seem unfamiliar with the imperial language, Miss Jella.”

When he spoke with a slight smile, the corners of her eyes twitched slightly.

“Why are you suddenly being so formal again now?”

She asked in a disgruntled voice.

Niel looked at her face and smiled gently.

“It seems you’re still upset with me. How cute.”

“W-what’s cute?”

Jella felt goosebumps rise at his added remark.

“Are you sick somewhere? Did you come because you need medicine?”

It seems Niel Alpenhayer’s mind has gone haywire. Perhaps it’s an aftereffect of yesterday’s encounter with the assassin.

This is a problem. My pharmacy doesn’t sell medicine to fix haywire minds…

If such a thing existed, she would have sold it to Yupheon for a high price long ago.

While Jella was frowning with a serious expression, it happened.

“I came to confess.”

“…?”

“Ah, to be precise, to propose.”

Niel suddenly presented her with a bouquet and a ring.

In that moment, Jella jumped up in shock.

“What are you doing! You!”

At her reaction, Niel gave a languid smile and slightly bowed his head toward her.

Then he whispered so only she could hear.

“Accept it. It’s the empire I’m returning to you.”

At the low baritone voice settling near her ear, Jella’s eyes suddenly grew round.

“What do you mean by that…”

As she muttered in a perplexed voice, Jella paused at the sight of the pale green eyes gently curved toward her.

“The choice is yours, but the throne is for you.”

“You, could it be…”

“Abdication is impossible. Though your reputation has improved, revealing that you are the last emperor of Shunaibel is also impossible.”

“……”

“But imperial status can be given even without inheritance.”

Through the method of marriage.

He added quietly as he straightened his bent waist and stepped back.

The red eyes that immediately understood his intention were trembling beautifully.

Because he was the first emperor of Alpenhayer, through marriage, she would become the only imperial family member besides himself, and after his death, she would be the sole heir to the throne.

Since she had already opened a pharmacy in the capital and become acquainted with people, giving her a new identity had become difficult.

If possible, he wanted to give her noble status to minimize controversy, but at this point, it didn’t matter much.

Although there was no precedent for marriage between the imperial family and commoners, it wasn’t impossible, even if it would cause some commotion.

All these details were already formalized when he established the new Alpenhayer Empire five years ago.

After learning that she could no longer live in this world as “Jella Shunaibel,” Niel had to find a way to create a place for her to return to.

There was only one reason Niel ascended to the throne.

To return this empire to her when she eventually came back.

I have always terribly hated you as the emperor, but at the same time, I have always revered and loved you.

With the hope that in this life, you will be loved by everyone in that position you had to lose in your past life.

So if he made her part of the imperial family, and then disappeared at the most appropriate time.

Wouldn’t that be the perfect completion of the plan?

So, Jella.

“I like you, Miss Jella.”

Please pretend not to know the cowardly truth hidden in these words.

“Please marry me.”

Just take my hand.

“Please allow me to dedicate the empire to you.”

Become my emperor once again, not as the dreaded Shunaibel that drove you to death, but as Alpenhayer who will be loved by all.