“Now that I think about it, my lord… something doesn’t add up. When Lesta Ernel entered the labyrinth, she spoke to Dominic Blackwood as though they were old friends. And she did it casually.”

“Hello, Dominic. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

“And Dominic Blackwood didn’t even reprimand her for such disrespect. He simply… froze.”

That was true.

At the time, the marquis had been too caught off guard by Lesta’s sudden appearance to think much of it.

But looking back…

Dominic had been unnaturally pale.

“And then…”

“From now on, never let anyone else take credit for what you’ve accomplished.”

That was what Eldrian had said when Lesta tried to hand over the labyrinth ruler’s core without the slightest hesitation.

“He told her never to let anyone else take credit for her achievements again… as though she’d spent her entire life letting someone else claim them.”

“…”

“And finally, my lord… Lesta Ernel’s sword aura… It burned crimson, like flames.”

The Marquis of Isden shot to his feet.

“You fool! You should’ve told me that first!”

“I thought it would make for a more dramatic ending…”

“Hah! Hahaha… Hah!”

It was an astonishing story.

So absurd!

In fact, it was so unbelievable that one might suspect Genovar had fallen victim to a mind-clouding curse.

And yet…

It made an unsettling amount of sense.

The Marquis of Isden didn’t immediately accept Genovar’s theory.

It was convincing enough that several possibilities sprang to mind immediately.

House Blackwood was wealthy.

Military power.

And prestige.

Other great houses possessed comparable wealth.

Many also commanded armies of a similar size.

What truly made House Blackwood difficult to oppose was its prestige.

This was the prestige that Hero Dominic had built with his own hands.

Silver Mask dolls still sold remarkably well.

Young boys looked at them and dreamed of becoming knights.

Young girls looked at them and dreamed of romance.

Even adults were captivated by the Silver Mask.

They were symbols that inspired people to dream.

‘I want to become someone that strong.’

‘I want to stand beside someone like that.’

‘I want someone like that serving under me.’

As long as Hero Dominic existed…

House Blackwood would remain untouchable.

But now…

His own knight was telling him…

That Hero Dominic might be a fraud.

That the true hero…

Was a woman with crimson hair.

‘Ah… So that’s why the young Duke of Sunray keeps the Mercenary King by his side.’

Eldrian was such an exceptional young man that the marquis regretted he wasn’t his own son.

He had tried more than once to pair Eldrian with his granddaughter, who was about the same age.

But the young man had been as steadfast as a fortress, leaving no opening whatsoever.

“I should speak with the young Duke of Sunray first.”

As the Marquis of Isden looked ready to leave at once, Genovar spoke up.

“My lord. It’s already quite late.”

Between encouraging the soldiers and speaking with everyone afterward…

Neither of them had realized how much time had passed.

The marquis nodded without objection.

“You’re right. I nearly made a grave breach of etiquette. We’ll all get some rest tonight. You should do the same.”

That night…

Genovar was utterly exhausted.

Yet sleep refused to come.

Whenever he closed his eyes…he saw Lesta again.

Fearlessly facing monsters without hesitation.

He could still vividly picture the smile on her face as the crowd chanted Dominic’s name.

She simply said she was grateful that no one had died.

His chest grew warm.

***

The Marquis of Isden spared no expense when preparing the guest residence for his honored visitors.

Magical lamps powered by mana stones lit up the vast gardens all night long, making them as bright as day.

Lesta sat beneath a massive tree that looked as though it had stood there for a thousand years.

By the time they emerged from the labyrinth…

Autumn had already set in.

The leaves that had once been green were now a brilliant crimson color.

Leaning her head against the trunk, Lesta gazed upwards.

Beyond the broad, sprawling branches, the night sky stretched overhead.

Against that clear, tranquil sky…

She imagined Dominic’s face.

‘You really were pathetic, Dominic.’

From the moment she saw Ernel Village burning before her eyes… … Lesta had dreamed of the day they would meet again.

No matter how grueling the journey became.

No matter how lonely it became.

Even when her longing for Ernel burned through her heart as though it were ashes.

She endured it all.

She did it by imagining the look on Dominic’s face when he discovered she was still alive.

And at last…

She finally saw that expression with her own eyes.

The color drained from his face in an instant.

His eyes were wide open, unable to blink.

His breath caught.

His lips turning deathly pale.

The faint tremble of his fingers.

She engraved every detail deep into her heart, determined never to forget it.

‘You really were pathetic.’

The moment a faint smile tugged at her lips…

A sharp, stabbing pain shot through her side, just beneath her ribs.

Lesta pressed a hand against the wound and slowly steadied her breathing.

The truth was…

During the battle with the labyrinth’s ruler, she had sustained a deep abdominal wound.

As she struggled against countless roots, one as hard as steel had pierced her side before she could stop it.

By the time she cut it off with her sword, it had already torn through her insides.

She hadn’t told Eldrian.

If she had…

He would only lecture her again.

Whenever Lesta was injured, Eldrian reacted as though he himself had been wounded.

She found this both comforting and troubling.

The Blackwoods had regularly tortured her, insisting that she needed to grow accustomed to pain.

But no one ever truly got used to pain.

You simply learned to stop showing it.

She remained there for quite some time.

Then…

Soft footsteps approached.

From the sound alone, Lesta knew who it was.

She quickly lowered her hand from her abdomen and pretended nothing was wrong.

Just as she had expected…

Eldrian emerged from between the flowerbeds.

“Lesta.”

She usually liked it when people addressed her by name.

But somehow…

She liked it even more when it was Eldrian saying it.

His voice was low and warm.

Every time he said her name, it was as though she were being wrapped in a feathery blanket.

Still seated beneath the tree, she tilted her head back.

He was so tall that she had to crane her neck just to meet his gaze.

“Aren’t you tired?”

His eyes were violet.

Under the bright light of day, they were as vivid and beautiful as amethysts.

At night, like now…

They almost appeared black.

And somehow…

That suited him just as well.

“I am.”

In order for her abdominal wound to heal, she needed to sleep.

Even now, her eyelids felt unbearably heavy.

But she wanted to spend a little more time thinking about Dominic.

The moment he saw her…

An earthquake must have shaken the paradise he had created for himself.

Perhaps that earthquake had already begun to shatter the safe world he thought he had found.

‘What was the first thing to break?’

She enjoyed imagining it.

“Then you should be resting. Why are you still out here?”

“I just… wanted to think about it a little longer.”

“About what?”

Eldrian naturally sat down beside Lesta.

Close enough that their shoulders would brush if either of them moved.

“Dominic.”

As though savoring the name, Eldrian quietly repeated it.

“Dominic.”

“He was quite a sight today.”

“He certainly was. The moment he saw you, his face turned so pale that anyone could tell something was wrong.”

“Someone must have noticed. At the time, everyone was too distracted for it to matter… but now that we’ve left the labyrinth, they might start remembering just how pale he looked.”

“The marquis has probably received the report by now. Tomorrow he’ll want to speak with me about it. He’ll try to use it to his advantage.”

“Then let him.”

“I think it would be better if you came with me.”

“I’ll leave that to you, Young Duke. I have something else I need to do.”

“What is it?”

Dominic had been in such a hurry to leave…

That he had abandoned the woman he treasured most, leaving her behind.

Lesta was about to tell Eldrian about it when he suddenly frowned.

“Lesta… are you hurt?”

“Hm?”

“You look like you’re in pain.”

Lesta was caught off guard.

The pain hadn’t stopped.

But it wasn’t unbearable.

She hadn’t let a single trace of it show on her face.

‘So how did he know?’

Before she could answer, Eldrian turned to face her and reached out to her.

His palm gently cupped the side of her face.

His warm hand brushed aside the strands of hair covering her ear.

She could clearly feel his palm grazing her ear.

The instant his hand lightly brushed her ear…

A strange sensation unlike anything she had ever experienced before startled her so much that she flinched.

The sudden movement pulled at her wound.

Just as it had when she smiled earlier.

A sharp pain shot through her side.

Seeing her wince, Eldrian’s brows drew together.

“There. I knew it. You’re hurt. Where?”

After hesitating for a moment, Lesta lifted the hem of her shirt.

Eldrian froze in surprise when she exposed her abdomen.

But his embarrassment lasted only a moment.

Just off to the side of her flat, pale stomach…

was a deep wound.

It looked as though a hole had been punched straight through her flesh.

The bleeding had stopped.

However, the injury was so severe that he could see inside it.

“Lesta… this…”

Eldrian hurriedly searched his pocket and pulled out a vial of Hellos Healing Potion.

Just as he always did whenever he saw one of her injuries, he poured it over the wound without the slightest hesitation.

The shimmering medicine seemed to knit the wound closed a little.

But it was far too deep.

One vial wouldn’t be enough.

“This is the only healing potion I have left.”

“Wait here.”

“I’ll go get a few more.”

As Eldrian started to stand, Lesta instinctively reached out and caught his arm.

He looked back at her, silently asking why.

“Just… stay here with me, Young Duke.”

“Lesta, this isn’t the kind of wound you should be trying to save medicine on.”

“I like being with you, Young Duke.”

Eldrian’s eyes widened.

“I want to stay with you.”