The imperial authority had crumbled and the world had changed.

Was it a mistake to hand over the Emperor to the revolutionary army from the start?

From Selheim’s position of needing to maintain authority, he had been uncomfortable dealing with the Emperor directly and handed him over to the revolutionary army.

He expected that by letting the revolutionary army handle it without taking separate action, it would be easier to hold the coronation ceremony after winning over the pro-imperial nobles.

‘But because Reizen deliberately kept Father alive, I couldn’t ascend to the throne.’

The Crown Prince bound by imperial laws and the unrestricted Reizen had different limitations.

While Reizen could take the Emperor hostage without criticism from his revolutionary comrades, Selheim faced rebuke from pro-imperial nobles for neglecting his father.

It was around that time that noble public opinion supporting Selheim began to waver.

Reizen had waited for the right time. He walked a tightrope, suggesting he might spare the Emperor, watching for the right moment, then mercilessly cut off his father’s head when the time came.

Selheim laughed softly.

‘Cunning bastard.’

When timing is added to everything, the results change.

If the Emperor had died early on, it would have led to the Crown Prince’s ascension. But by killing the Emperor after imperial authority had somewhat broken and the commoners had tasted freedom, that death transformed into a people’s festival.

They say a true hunter doesn’t shoot multiple times. Even a lion watches its prey for a long time before rushing in to bite the vital point in one go, right? Yes, if you really intend to kill your target, this is how hunting should be done.

‘Though it’s quite unpleasant that I’m the prey.’

As Selheim smiled hazily with drunken eyes, Terion spoke with a sigh.

“Your Highness, even my domain is no longer safe. At my maternal grandmother’s Moritz house, commoners broke in and destroyed things, grabbing grandmother’s hair…”

His nagging had become so tiresome that it now felt like a lullaby. As he gradually drifted off to sleep, it vaguely reminded him of his mother’s nagging.

“What’s so special about that girl that you’d do this!”

In his hazy memories, he recalled Isabella throwing a vase in anger.

“Every word out of your mouth is Melissa, Melissa! I’m sick to death of that name!”

“Why are you so against it!”

“Do you really not know what Duke Grey did to us?”

I knew, but I liked her anyway.

I thought none of that mattered – not the circumstances around us or mother’s opposition – as long as I had you.

If you had just stayed by my side without any conditions, I could have protected you. I would have loved you until the end. Actually, you were all I needed…

“Mel.”

Did you hate me that much?

To choose death rather than be caught by my knights… did you hate me that much?

More than your death, I’m devastated by the fact that you tried to avoid me even through death.

I could have raised the child in your womb as my own. Even if it didn’t have silver hair like mine, if it resembled you even a little… I could have loved it all.

After crying for a long time in his dream, Selheim wiped his eyes even after waking.

“The mark… I need to find the mark.”

Hoping everything was a dream, he took off his clothes. But no matter how thoroughly he checked his entire body in front of the mirror, the mark remained cleanly gone.

“Where is it, it was right here. It was… right here…”

Feeling the emptiness in his heart, he collapsed in place, sobbing.

Unable to breathe through his tears, he grabbed a bottle of alcohol and downed it in one go. As he staggered toward the bed, he collapsed halfway there.

Thud.

His body fell heavily onto the carpet.

The gas lamp left on the table rolled across the floor. When the rolling lamp fell onto the carpet where alcohol had spilled, flames quickly spread.

The flames lengthened like twilight shadows and spread to Selheim’s bed, burning the lace. Watching the lace patterns burn black, Selheim chuckled while his fists trembled.

“Mel… I’ll go first. To your side.”

The hot flames devoured the bed like a blaze.

“I’ll go before Reizen.”

It stung like his eyes would go blind. With each breath, his lungs felt like they were shriveling, bringing waves of chest pain.

“I’ll, follow, you, to, hell…”

He crawled across the floor while tears streamed down his face. Then he grasped the cufflink that had fallen under the table. It was a gift Melissa had given him when she was twelve.

“Wait, I’ll… I’ll… you…”

In the flames, the man lay straight like one in a coffin, preciously covering the cufflink with both hands. The bright red flames burned the carpet vigorously, wrapping around him.

* * *

“That woman really drove multiple men crazy.”

That was what Whilton said when he came to investigate Terion’s mansion the next day.

“Watch what you say. Especially in front of Reizen.”

At Erich’s response, Whilton stepped on the curtain with a disgruntled face. When the half-burned curtain turned to black powder and floated up into the air, Erich covered his mouth with his sleeve and frowned.

“Are you going to keep being difficult?”

“I’m doing it because I’m tired, tired!”

“That’s why I said I’d come alone!”

“It’s more comfortable coming here!”

When Whilton snapped back sharply, Erich sneered with a pathetic expression.

“Did we make the revolution just to do comfortable things? Why. If you want to be so comfortable, why don’t you just stay home scratching your belly and peeling oranges? Your medal’s wasted, bastard.”

“Why you!”

An angered Whilton tried to grab Erich’s collar, but he smoothly dodged.

After attempting to grab his collar several times, Whilton breathed heavily, frustrated that Erich, who was a full span shorter, kept dodging so easily.

Erich picked up a cufflink from the floor and spoke casually.

“Take it easy, Whilton. I could have come alone, but I brought you along because you keep trying to fight with Reizen. Want to fight with me here too?”

“Seriously? One-on-one might be worth trying.”

“But it’ll be two-on-one when we get back, think you can win?”

“This is why it sucks having friends in odd numbers. There’s no pair, no pair.”

Whilton spoke half-jokingly, half-seriously while heaving a deep sigh. After sighing deeply enough to sink the ground, the man smoothed his short hair and stared at the blackened floor. Lost in thought for a moment, he took out a cigar from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and complained.

“You probably don’t know since you’re often out. Being stuck next to him, I feel ready to burst.”

Standing with a crooked posture, the man lit his cigar, took a deep drag, and continued speaking.

“The boss doesn’t sleep, doesn’t eat, doesn’t rest. On top of that, there’s a mountain of work he assigns, so I’m going crazy too.”

“…”

“I’m scared he might die tomorrow at this rate. He’s completely out of his mind right now, I’m telling you. Even during the war he got some sleep, but now he’s no different from a walking corpse.”

“Well, things are genuinely busy.”

“No matter how busy, there’s time to eat and sleep. We’re not even in a battlefield with bullets flying around anymore, and as you can see, the Crown Prince fled in this state, so he’s clearly not right in the head.”

Indeed, the threats had decreased compared to before.

If Reizen would just allow himself some peace of mind, he could definitely rest.

“But he won’t listen, won’t listen at all. He’s busy running the priests like dogs all day long. Even when Arthur comes about the capital reconstruction project, he won’t meet with him privately.”

“Is it certain that the madam has passed away?”

“That’s what they say. As soon as she got off the Tavania passenger ship, she was chased by Selheim’s knights and got separated from Arthur. Then contact was lost, and with the mark gone too, well… it’s 99 percent certain.”

Whilton exhaled smoke and spoke with frustration.

“Everyone’s saying she’s dead, but Reizen won’t believe it. Seems he won’t believe it until he sees it with his own eyes.”

He grumbled as he dropped his cigar on the burned floor and stomped it out. Watching this quietly, Erich rubbed his chin and said with serious eyes.

“Then let’s tell him to go see for himself.”

“What?”

“You said he seems like he’ll die otherwise. Just look at this state. Even the Crown Prince with his sky-high pride tried to take his life because of the madam, what if something happens to Reizen too?”

At Erich’s words, Whilton deeply furrowed his brow.

“Would he go? I bet he’ll say he’s too busy.”

Whilton was certain he would keep his head buried in documents and not leave his room, with the commoner’s parliament meeting just around the corner. However…

When they returned to the capital and brought it up, Reizen gave an unexpected answer.

“I’ll go.”

Whilton’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open.

When asked if he was sure, since traveling to another country would take quite some time, Reizen nodded without changing his expression.

“I’ll go and bring my wife home.”