Just before Miellin Castle was cut off from the outside, there was the sound of something breaking and shouting from the Imperial Palace.

“You insolent bastard!”

Vincent was furious. He threw the precious orchid pot he had been growing at Reizen.

With a sharp shattering sound, glass flew and left a cut under his eye. Reizen casually wiped away the flowing blood with his finger.

“You dare imprison my physician in the West Tower?”

Reizen was on his way to being dragged to the police bureau under false murder charges. After getting released by making Joffrey Roabel turn himself in with perfect timing, he entered the capital to appease the Emperor.

Since the promised month had passed, he planned to request returning to work in the capital.

However, the Emperor’s anger was fixated on an unexpected point. It was a past that Reizen hadn’t even considered.

“Horrux is my eyes! If you weren’t trying to do something behind my eyes, there would have been no need to imprison him!”

Were you locked up alone somewhere remote? I wonder if you’ve been reading the news.

Reizen returned to a calm expression while giving a bitter smile.

“Didn’t I order you to have a child! Was that order so difficult? Are you saying it’s that hard to get one woman pregnant?”

Really, that’s all you think about.

Vincent’s obsession with appearance grew worse by the day. Just the eccentric acts he committed during the month Reizen was absent from the Imperial Palace must number in the dozens.

From bathing in virgin blood claiming it would purify his skin, to eating animal brains raw by splitting open their heads while alive claiming it was good for virility, to inserting hoses into bears to suck out their bile, he’d heard.

If he had remained at the Imperial Palace, it wouldn’t have gotten this bad. He couldn’t forget the whispers and frightened eyes of the palace people that he saw and heard on his way here.

It was one month.

During the time he was burning with desire and suffering in Miellin territory, the lives that perished here would more than fill the Sanfrine Plaza if laid out in a line.

Reizen remembered Vincent’s fury completely.

Still maintaining his calm expression, as he came out of the audience chamber he happened to run into Selheim walking from across the way.

It was too perfect timing to be coincidence.

Selheim’s gaze went to Reizen’s wound where the Emperor had poured out his anger. Looking at the thin cut under his eye, he smiled languidly.

“Reizen.”

He tried to ignore and pass by even when his name was called.

“How’s our Mel?”

Every single thing was irritating so he grabbed his ankle.

Our, Mel, how is.

Every single word of this question.

Selheim wasn’t the type to back down after being beaten once. Since he was the kind of person who wouldn’t be satisfied until he made others kneel at his feet, Reizen expected him to counterattack soon.

Though he was a bit disappointed that the method was merely bringing up Melissa Grey.

Reizen decided to gladly accept it.

“For a woman who almost became my sister-in-law, of course I’m taking good care of her. She’s mine now after all.”

Selheim’s eyes grew cold hearing those words. Whenever Reizen saw Selheim’s cold eyes like that, he thought of him becoming a corpse someday. Then he could handle the murderous intent rising inside too.

“Don’t attach the word ‘our’ to what’s mine, Selheim. We’re not close enough to share anything, are we?”

To piss someone off, it’s effective to match exactly their level. And since Selheim hated having anything taken from him to death, it was the perfect provocation to stimulate him.

Selheim seemed to know this too as he raised just the corners of his mouth with a cold expression.

“Seeing things like this, we really must be connected by blood, Reizen.”

He lightly patted Reizen’s shoulder as he passed by.

“We know too well how to anger each other. That’s the problem.”

I’ll repay you.

Selheim who gave that brief greeting entered the audience chamber. Through the briefly opened door, the mess on the floor being cleaned up could be seen.

When Selheim looked back through the door crack and met eyes with Reizen, he waved cheerfully.

He really was insane.

Shortly after, when he returned to his office, orders to return to work had come down. Clearly Selheim who entered the audience chamber had tempted the Emperor and brought a bomb of work.

Sion silently pulled at his hair as if getting a headache while moving documents. After taking a while to steady himself mentally and physically, Sion looked at him sitting at the study desk and said.

“First, congratulations on returning alive.”

Reizen snickered.

“Put away the laughter and let’s deal with the aftermath first.”

Then Emerson also entered the office with new medicine. Saying it was too much strain on the body to keep taking so many drugs, she proceeded with vitamin supplements and regular checkups.

Meanwhile, Reizen was lazily lying down reviewing documents with one hand. Emerson made a disgusted expression seeing the man moving like a machine.

“Are you able to concentrate?”

“No. Not really.”

Emerson pushed up her glasses and pursed her lips.

“Of course not, with pain like this…”

“I keep thinking about it.”

“What?”

Emerson who was rolling up his sleeve to draw blood tilted her head wondering what he meant.

“I wonder if this is because of the brand too.”

When Reizen muttered as if talking to himself, Emerson nodded saying that could be possible.

* * *

Melissa wrote letters to Reizen with longing in her heart.

Since Erich visited the castle about every other day, they could be delivered quickly through him as messenger.

Once she sent a letter, she would stay up all night waiting for those two days. Since Erich might come at dawn, she deliberately checked outside through opened windows and even slept with the curtains undrawn.

While Melissa’s letters were over two or three pages, the replies that came back were extremely short.

Even those were delivered through Erich’s mouth rather than in writing.

“He said he’s glad the territory’s affairs are being handled well and passed along his seal. He said when the Tavania merchant group visits in a week, you just need to approve the documents.”

Melissa asked.

“So he can’t come even after a week?”

It was a delicate voice tinged with disappointment.

Erich who was opening the window to leave right after delivering the message paused to catch his breath before speaking.

“My lady.”

He turned back briefly and furrowed his brow with heavy eyes.

“His Highness already has many burdens on his shoulders.”

It meant that she shouldn’t become another burden for Reizen too. Melissa’s heart instantly dropped. She hadn’t thought of that. Even the slight flutter of anticipation she showed while anxiously waiting for him could be bothersome sentiment to the man.

She wondered if it was right to send such long letters to him who must be busy with his duties in the capital. She wrote the letters containing wishes for him to return quickly since things were going well. She wrote in detail about how work was progressing in the territory and how she was getting along with people.

She didn’t expect him to respond to everything anyway. Since he must be busy after all.

But she hadn’t considered that even letters written without expecting replies could be bothersome behavior…

“I’m sorry.”

Melissa hid the letter she was going to give to Erich behind her back.

“You have nothing to apologize for to me.”

Erich said curtly before disappearing into the darkness.

Left alone in the bedroom, Melissa quietly looked down at the crumpled letter. Erich was a shadow that only moved at night. So since she didn’t know when he would arrive, she preciously hid the written letters behind her pillow.

Then when she saw Erich arrive, she would immediately reach under the pillow to take out the letter. Since the time he stayed was very short at about a minute, she thought she should hand it over right away to not waste time.

But what use were such trivial plans and needless consideration.

As Erich said, the way for her to not be bothersome was to just stay still.

Whether Reizen returned from the capital or not, perhaps it would be most helpful to him if she just took root in place like this historic castle that had steadfastly guarded one place for over 200 years and slowly withered away.

From that day on, she didn’t write letters.

Erich still delivered Reizen’s words about every other day.

“He says he needs about another week.”

The longer the waiting time became, the more expectations bred disappointment. Though she received letters saying he couldn’t move since he was tied up in the capital and to please wait a bit longer, gradually even her upset feelings settled and sank.

Getting hurt and giving up on something, letting it go from her hands, was something Melissa had done countless times over the past 3 years.

A month passed since Reizen was taken away.

Now they had been apart longer than the month they spent together at the castle after marriage.

During that time, the north had become fully spring. The tulips that bloomed in the garden withered and other flowers bloomed.

The trees grew deeper in color and the wind became fresh. Since the rainy season when it rained heavily had passed, it was time for crops to grow.