Even though that person denied their own child with their own words, even though they probably couldn’t even imagine the child living under the same sky after being born, even though not once did they acknowledge him as the child’s father for a single day.

The fact that half of Rian’s blood came from that man did not change.

Rian resembled him too much.

If the modified antidote worked well, it meant their constitutions were similar too. And like him, Rian needed the irelaide flower.

Everything was just like back then.

Iren hadn’t neglected trying to obtain the flower. She even offered a premium price to merchants who dealt in herbs to get it.

But soon, the initially eager merchants soon returned her money, saying,

“We can’t get that flower. You’ll have to substitute it with something else.”
“You can’t get it? Has the flower gone extinct or something?”
“It might as well have. You know that flower only grows in Sirencia.”
“Yes. It blooms only in snowfields.”
“The lord of Sirencia has issued a decree that anyone who tries to export the flower out of the domain, regardless of their status or reason, will be put to death.”
“…Why? Is the flower so rare in Sirencia?”
“That doesn’t seem to be the case. One of the guys who went to get it said that the flower blooms profusely in the duke’s castle.”
“Then why…”
“Anyway, we can’t risk our necks just for a flower, can we? It’s unfortunate, but you should give up too.”

‘I don’t understand. Why would someone who doesn’t even like flowers do this.’

Iren pressed her forehead and closed her eyes. Her head throbbed. It was him who looked at flowers picked from the forest with disgust and crushed them.

And since then, he hadn’t even spared a glance for flowers, even those sharing his name. Why prevent their export now, and why plant them in the ducal castle?

It was incomprehensible.

Of course, Iren no longer wanted to understand him. She only needed the irelaide flower for Rian.

After all, he was of no help to her or her son.

“I’m sick of you, Irelaide.”

“You’re the one I’m sick of.”

Iren sighed deeply.

She had pondered all night as she patted Rian’s stomach, but she couldn’t think of a proper way to obtain the flower.

Even so. She couldn’t stay here any longer.

“…Looks like we have to go on a long journey, Rian.”

Iren murmured quietly, unable to hide her disappointment.

She thought she had finally found a place to settle down. When would she find a place where she and Rian could lay down roots?

Yet, Iren was quietly planning to leave this place in her mind.

* * *

“The Duke has returned!”

Flags bearing House Cardius’s emblem fluttered everywhere in the castle. Trumpeters with giant horns blew them in unison. The deep and heavy sound shook the ground.

The army that Lahart led was more majestic than the sound of the trumpets. Lahart, at the forefront of the great army, looked just as he did when he left.

Not a single drop of blood stained his white armor and cloak, and his posture overflowed with spirit. His eyes became sharper and more intense.

“Congratulations on your safe return!”

“Congratulations, Duke!”

“Long live Duke Cardius. Long live!”

Lahart’s return held a special meaning. It marked the annihilation of the ghosts of the old kingdom that had threatened the northern part of the empire for a long time.

The Emperor had already awarded him once for completely wiping out the forces threatening Sirencia and further, the empire.

There were rumors that after taking a rest, if he went to the capital, the Emperor would bestow upon him an even greater reward.

And that probably meant a suitable lady for the vacant position of Duchess. A lady with a strong background that would add wings to the soaring House Cardius.

Lahart dismounted his horse. Robben, who came to greet him, took his helmet. Lahart raised a hand, and the vassals trying to follow closely stopped in their tracks.

“I want to rest. Do not disturb me.”

“Ah, understood. Then shall we prepare a banquet to match dinner time……”

“Did you not understand when I said not to disturb me? Strange. Your head seems to be fully attached.”

The nobleman who suggested the banquet blushed at the cold response. Lahart didn’t even glance at them as he walked away.

Upon reaching his destination, he opened the door. A deep floral scent flowed from inside. Lahart entered, drawn by the scent, and then closed the door behind him.

As soon as the door closed, his strong physique that never faltered under any attack crumbled like sand.

“…Iren.”

It was another bedroom, decorated exactly like Iren’s bedroom. The furniture, carpet, wallpaper, even the flowers in the vase were identical as if they were simply copied and pasted there.

The only difference was the Irelaide flowers blooming profusely throughout the room.

To lay the flowers on the floor and treating them with preservation magic so they wouldn’t spoil, he had spent enough money that could buy a house.

“…Irelaide.”

Lahart collapsed over the numerous blooming purple flowers. When he clenched his hand, he felt the unique moisture of fresh petals tickling his palm.

He took a deep breath, feeling that vivid sensation. The smell of flowers was unfamiliar compared to the smell of blood floating on the battlefield.

Lahart’s brow furrowed. It was better than the smell of flesh burning but far from the scent he desired.

After all, the scent he desperately wanted to inhale had been long lost to him.

The scent of a woman that made his blood boil, made him feel alive, and made him understand what it was he earnestly desired was gradually fading even from his memory.

Yet he couldn’t give up, so he planted flowers around the castle in such a pitiful state.

It didn’t provide any consolation.

“Damn it.”

Lahart turned and lay down straight. It was noisy outside. It was the sound of soldiers sharing their joy in victory. Lahart, who led them to an overwhelming victory, felt no joy at all.

5 years. It was only 5 years. They boasted that they would endure until the empire collapsed, but they only lasted five years.

“Useless vermin.”

With this war over, there were no more enemies threatening the empire. This meant there were no more battlefields for him to revel in.

Who should I cut down now? Where should I go?

He thought over and over but found nowhere to go. There were monsters in the north, but they were never of a size worth his attention for a few years. If he personally took action, those things would be sorted out in 1 year, no, within 6 months.

Does that mean I have to stay here? In this castle without Iren?

“Ha…”

Suddenly struck by a thought, Lahart burst into brief laughter. What does it matter whether Iren is here or not?

It’s as if he had roamed the battlefield unable to bear her absence.

Iren was nothing more to him than someone he had to take revenge on. He wouldn’t deny that he once loved her. But she was the one who betrayed that love.

He had rescued her from the execution grounds for revenge and made her his wife. It was not affection but his body that had desired her. It was because of a severe thirst he felt that seemed unbearable unless he held her.

Yes, that’s all she was. There was no reason for his life to change just because such a woman died.

He was the master of this castle. It was not right for the master to leave the castle unattended for long, regardless of Iren’s presence.

“Annoying.”

Lahart brushed off the creeping thoughts and closed his eyes. Not to sleep, but because he felt that his eyes would rip out if he kept them open.

Even on the battlefield, where he pushed his body to the limits, he couldn’t sleep. He could only fall asleep by drinking a mix of sedatives and sleeping pills when exhaustion caused his muscles to cramp.

Even then, he would wake up after about 3 hours due to side effects.

Ah, found it. One use for Iren.

When she was around, he could sleep comfortably for a few hours each day. He missed that.

Lahart plucked a handful of flowers and brought them close to his face. There was a similarity to the fragrance left in his memory, but it wasn’t the same.

The petals crushed by his grip stuck to his palm and fingers. He hadn’t even applied much force. Just touching them caused damage. Were all things named Irelaide this fragile?

Lahart left his hand smeared with flower juice as it was.

* * *

It had been exactly 5 years since Lahart had settled into his office. Since Iren’s death, he had not stayed in the castle except for resupplying, so there hadn’t been a chance.

His aide, Kaman, almost shed emotional tears of emotion as he watched his lord flipping through documents with a bored expression.

With the duchess, who had been the pillar of support as the acting duke, gone, all the administrative duties Lahart threw away became his responsibility.

While Lahart rolled in the bloody battlefield, Kaman was drowning in a sea of ink-smelling documents. So, his lord’s return was indeed moving.

“With the Duke back, it’s only a matter of time before Sirencia regains stability.”

“Is it in a state that needs to regain stability?”

“…Did you just sign and send back the documents I submitted without looking at them?”

“I figured you wouldn’t want to get your head blown off, so I thought you handled it properly.”

Kaman felt dizzy for a moment. To think that he signed all those documents without looking at them for such an absurd reason.

Kaman missed the duchess since the moment Lahart abruptly left, but today he missed her even more. So much so that he inadvertently mentioned her.

“If the Duchess knew, she would be horrified. If she had been here in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened…”

“Your mouth.”

Lahart cut him off and stared at him intently. His slate-gray eyes, which had been dull with ennui, flashed with a chilling light.

“It has become lighter. During my absence.”

“I’m sorry. Something must be wrong with my head.”

“If it’s hard to control, let me help. Whether it’s your head or your mouth.”

“I’ll bear that in mind.”

Kaman bowed his head like a criminal. Lahart glared at him piercingly before averting his gaze.

He hadn’t forgiven him for casually mentioning Iren in front of him. It was just that he still saw some use in him.

Kaman’s description was mild compared to the state of Sirencia. It seemed he had chosen his words carefully not to irritate him.