Owen hurriedly supported her. Celian spoke whatever came to mind while shaking her head.

“I died today. Say I was shot and fell off a cliff. If you try to take me back, I’ll really jump off that cliff. Then it will be true.”

“Celian, what are you talking about……”

“I’m scared.”

“……”

“I’m scared of Izer.”

She had thought about it hundreds of times. Izer Chesterfield, who had cried saying he wanted to live, why had he chosen to walk into danger without saying a word to her?

No matter how many days she pondered, there was only one answer. Because she was a Berienne. For his wife’s honor, and for the honor of the child he so desperately wanted, he thought he had to step forward.

Because he loved her.

His words, whispered while moving his hips, muttered while licking away her tears, were always sincere. Izer Chesterfield loved Celian Berienne, now Celian Chesterfield — more than himself.

Celian sobbed.

“If I’m there, he’ll die……”

He was someone who felt ecstasy in tearing himself apart and offering himself to Celian. As if harboring the illusion that if he kept destroying himself, whether she accepted him or not, she would eventually embrace what remained of him when only dust was left.

And finally, he departed for certain death. As if k＊lling himself was a way to offer his love to her.

The noble word ‘sacrifice’ actually carried the most destructive and terrifying meaning. The horrible meaning of k＊lling oneself for another’s sake.

His love was that horrifying. Celian’s body trembled like an aspen leaf.

Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Jade’s voice lowered.

“I knew your marriage was unusual. My persistent attempts to meet you were driven by the hope that our ordinary marriage might have a positive influence on you both.”

“I know. Thank you. But……”

“Celian, Izer acted half-mad when he heard you were gone.”

“……”

“If there’s a misunderstanding between you two, resolve it directly. I can’t tell Izer you’re dead.”

“Then I’ll die.”

Without hesitation, Celian brought the dagger to her throat. It was what Winston had dropped. Owen, who had been trying to stop her bleeding despite their conversation, frantically grabbed her wrist.

“Celian, stop!”

“Jade, tell Owen to let me go!”

“……”

Pain filled Jade’s eyes.

Celian’s appearance was unfamiliar. With only her eyes gleaming from her gaunt body, she seemed out of her mind. While her judgment might be impaired from her recent ordeals, considering the old Celian Berienne, this unyielding attitude was also very much like her.

Perhaps that’s why he found himself bewitched into agreeing with her unreasonable demands. Jade asked, clinging to a thread of hope.

“What about Beth? What about your sister who lives only for you?”

Celian answered just as sharply.

“Izer isn’t heartless enough to ignore Beth.”

“And you’re doing this because you don’t know how that not-heartless person would react if you died?”

“This is still better.”

“……”

“This is the only way to draw Izer’s future.”

From the beginning, they were names that should never have been engraved on each other. Celian Berienne should not have wanted Izer Ren, and Izer Ren should not have been trapped by Celian Berienne. Since they couldn’t undo what had already passed, all she could do now was cut the tangled threads.

Celian Chesterfield would disappear from the world. Izer Chesterfield would be freed from Celian Chesterfield. Remove past connections from one who would live under an entirely new name, and let them live looking toward the future.

Owen opened his mouth while staring at the blue dagger. He was still holding Celian’s wrist.

“Captain, I’ll take responsibility for this lady. Don’t you have more important matters to attend to?”

Jade hesitated. Time was still passing. He needed to gather the command immediately to form a strategy.

He could say they heard about Grand Duke Letters’ death from a captured deserter, and as for what happened to the hostage, to Lieutenant Chesterfield……

Jade turned around.

“Return within thirty minutes.”

“Yes, Captain.”

His words contained nothing about how to handle Celian. Celian, who had been following her friend’s departing figure with her eyes, hesitantly raised her head.

Owen, who had been staring at her intently, released her arm.

“Follow the valley down and you’ll find an abandoned village. Change clothes there and return to Treven. If what you say is true, the civil war will end soon. Getting to Treven shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“……”

Owen pressed a small pouch into her hand.

“It has Father’s ranch address and money for immediate needs. Make sure to go to Father for help. You have no money or anything else right now……”

Owen’s voice began to shake.

“You don’t need to contact me. I won’t even ask for that. Just… when you arrive, when Father writes to me, have him write just one line saying you arrived safely.”

“How could I face the Doctor with what face……”

“If it weren’t for your father, Treven would have disappeared from the map long ago.”

Doctor Caleb’s generation remembered the dozens of large and small wars that had made Treven prosperous. Owen threw her bl＊＊d-stained clothing fragments down the cliff.

“Go, Celian.” 

 * * *

 What they thought was forest only applied to the inner part of the cliff. A few sparse pine trees standing on the rock cliff, eroded by bitter winds over thousands of years, indicated that this place was once a forest.

A massive waterfall poured down the left side of the sheer cliff. The rushing water stream over the smooth, worn rocks swept away every snowflake with a roaring sound as if refusing to allow even one. Water droplets sprayed up to the people standing on the cliff against the dim dawn light.

Fresh snow covered the soldiers’ footprints. A scout familiar with the terrain reported:

“It’s about a hundred feet from this cliff to the water surface.”

“……”

“From the current point, human access is possible up to twenty feet down, and twenty feet up from the valley. I searched along the cliff, and another search party moved toward the valley. If the weather cooperates, we could search a wider range using ropes.”

The scout ended his report there. He couldn’t bring himself to say that there was a slightly better chance of finding the body caught on the cliff than in the fierce valley below.

Even as the scout reported, Lieutenant Chesterfield kept staring down at the valley below.

As the silence continued, the soldier standing at attention right next to Izer carefully called out to him. He was assigned by Captain Schwenn with strict instructions to never take his eyes off the Lieutenant.

“Lieutenant, the search party sent down to the valley hasn’t returned yet. Once the sun fully rises, there should be good news.”

“……”

Izer’s eyes remained fixed on the white spray of water breaking against the dawn light below.

A hundred feet — horizontally, it wasn’t even half the length of the palace corridor. No need to compare it to the palace. Even the narrow side of the ducal garden was longer than a hundred feet.

The moment that small number was turned vertical, a hundred feet transformed into too high and dangerous a value.

A person cannot survive falling from a hundred feet. If they hit the rocks, their bones would be crushed to pieces, and even if they were lucky enough to fall into the water, the conclusion would be similar. What chance would a woman who couldn’t swim have of escaping the ice-cold rapids?

Behind him as he stood frozen, an urgent cry rang out.

“Lieutenant, the search party that went to check the valley has returned!”

“Report.”

The soldier standing beside Izer hastily took up the words. The search party, covered in wet grass, spoke in a dark tone.

“We couldn’t find her.”

“……”

“This was caught on a tree branch.”

With an apologetic expression, the soldier held out a piece of cloth about the size of two palms. Small pearls were embedded in the bloodstained lace.

“……It seems to be from a woman’s clothing. We believe it was torn off when caught on the tree.”

The small piece of cloth that the branch had desperately preserved for the deceased’s husband passed to Izer’s hands. He clutched the cloth and turned around to crouch down.

According to Jade, she had been fleeing while injured. After k＊lling the enemy soldier pursuing Celian, he had tried to take her away, but her foot had slipped at the edge of the cliff.

While listening to Jade’s surreal words that it had been too late when he rushed over, Izer denied the reality, saying it couldn’t be.

She couldn’t die. She wasn’t heartless enough to leave him behind. He wanted to believe that she would force herself to stay alive, if only out of pity for him.

But what came out of his mouth was the exact opposite of his wishes.

“She’s dead. No hope.”

“Lieutenant……”

“Good work everyone. Return to the main camp.”

Behind their superior who got up, dusting himself off and turning toward the forest, the soldiers frantically exchanged glances.

‘Is he really okay?’

‘Don’t know yet, don’t take your eyes off him.’

‘Watch his gun too, he might suddenly blow his own head off.’

Leaving the soldiers’ concerns behind, Izer walked at a steady pace. He moved away step by step even from the place where his wife had died.

It was then that he, who had managed to distance himself, turned back toward the cliff. The soldier under Jade’s special orders shouted and threw himself forward.

“Lieutenant!”

Three or four soldiers rushed at the man in officer’s uniform, engaging in a struggle.

“Lieutenant, please calm down!”

“Let go!”

Izer shouted and twisted his body. Hot tears fell drop by drop onto the messily trampled snow.