That year went down as one of the bleakest in the history of the Cremisa Empire.

First, the long-missing crown prince was exposed as a deranged murderer, sending shockwaves through a nation that had once supported the imperial family wholeheartedly.

Then the empress had a disastrous outburst when her son was taken to prison. Weeping and wailing, she screamed: “How could you do this to our Andy just because a few lowly women happened to die?!”

The Protector wasted no time. The article quoting her outrageous words spread like wildfire across the capital and every major city, adding fuel to the intense public outrage that was already brewing.

There were over fifty victims, ranging from impoverished maids to middle-class women who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Yet the Imperial Family had dismissed their deaths as ‘just a few lowly women’.

They showed no hesitation or remorse, only disdain.

If they regarded the deaths of those women so lightly, what would they say when soldiers began to die in battle?

Might they also be dismissed as ‘just a few soldiers’, rather than remembered as noble sacrifices?

Ultimately, the Imperial House was caught up in their son’s depravity.

Now that the expedition plans had been quietly shelved, the House of Lords — who had once been quick to condemn Kenneth — swiftly changed their stance.

Yet no one had expected Kenneth to succeed in pushing for Andrew’s execution.

“The real Duke Clifford… he’s terrifying.”

One rainy day, senators gathered in whispers, their unease plain to see.

Despite the Emperor and Empress’s desperate pleas, Kenneth saw it through to the end.

Andrew’s mutilated corpse, missing its limbs, was hung for days in the public square on a filthy rope for all to see.

Count Byron’s end wasn’t much different. Lady Theodora, once celebrated as one of the Empire’s most elegant nobles, was sentenced to death by firing squad.

According to standard procedure, it should have been a swift and merciful execution to the vital spot.

However, one of the executioners was someone whose lover had been a victim in the incident. Consequently, although Theodora was shot, the bullet missed its target.

She writhed in agony for a long time before finally dying.

As for the woman who was once loathed by all — the ‘one-day crown princess’ — she was now being revered as a saint.

Before Andrew’s execution, his confession had made one thing clear. She had been innocent from beginning to end.

Once condemned as the Empire’s most decadent and wanton noblewoman, she would now be remembered as a solemn, dignified figure—one who bore the Empire’s cruelty in silence.

Duke Clifford’s influence had certainly shaped that legacy.

But no one protested. No one dared.

Still, one young senator glanced around nervously and muttered:

“Do you think the rumors are true? That Duke Clifford… speaks to his dead wife—”

“Shh.”

An older senator quickly silenced him. After all, the duke had emerged victorious from the political chaos.

Recently, increasingly sinister rumours had been leaking from the Clifford estate.

People were whispering about voices in the duke’s study at times when nobody else should have been present.

At first, these rumours were easily dismissed. If the rumours had stayed within the estate, the duke’s staff might have been forced to remain silent.

However, there were others who had seen the duke turn his head and speak softly to thin air during travel or public appearances.

Once considered invincible in political warfare, Duke Clifford now seemed utterly indifferent to public scrutiny, and this terrified those around him.

“Come to think of it, wasn’t there an explosion in Duvris recently?”

“I heard about it. Apparently, some group sent a warning to the royal agency. Apparently, the death toll isn’t small this time…”

“The world’s going to h*ll.”

People sighed.

It was, without question, a most cursed and ominous year.

***

While the outside world grew darker and rumours grew wilder by the day, the ducal estate remained eerily peaceful.

Kenneth spent almost all his time with Ariana’s apparition, only summoning his aides when necessary.

As he reviewed the documents detailing the crises he needed to prevent that day, he felt a woman’s hand gently overlap his.

Looking up, he saw Ariana, her lashes lowered as she softly reprimanded him in a sad voice.

“It’s good to honour your promise to the saint, but you should rest a little.”

“…”

“At this rate, you’ll ruin your health.”

Sunlight streamed through the window, scattering golden flecks across her delicate features. Kenneth stared at her face in silence, then slowly pulled her into his arms.

‘Just for a moment.’

She had no weight. And yet he could still feel her in his embrace.

“Good. Talk to me, too. I have so many questions.”

It was absurd the way she spoke, as if she were the real Ariana and not just a figment of his imagination. It made him want to laugh.

But he couldn’t bring himself to say a word.

Ever since he discovered her innocence, he had been like this. It was as though he were underwater, weighed down by grief. So he clung to her apparition, trying to stop himself from drowning.

“…What are you so curious about?”

“First of all—when did you start liking me?”

“……”

“…You did like me, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did.”

“Then when did it start?”

Kenneth didn’t even look at the vision. He simply shook his head, feeling absurdly flustered as she played with his ear.

“…I don’t want to tell you.”

“Why not?”

“……”

It was all because of his pride. He might have gone mad, but his pride remained intact. There was no way he was going to admit that he had been attracted to her since the age of thirteen. He would never admit how anxious he had felt on the day of her debut into society either.

As he pressed his lips into a firm line and returned his focus to the documents, she pouted.

That pout was just another reason why he couldn’t stop taking the medication. Despite knowing Ariana all his life, he had only just realised how expressive her beautiful, delicate face could be.

“Then let me ask you this instead. You have to answer this one.”

“…What is it?”

“Did you ever hear about how my mother was against sending me to school?”

“……”

Kenneth stopped admiring her expression and silently clicked his tongue.

Of course. Since this vision came from his own mind, it knew all the little details he’d forgotten —fragments from long ago.

He hadn’t remembered any of it himself until she brought it up.

Seeing his reluctance, the vision tilted her head curiously.

“It wasn’t like her to change her mind so suddenly. She hated the thought of me acting like other girls. In fact, she would have kept me locked away at the Aberdeen estate.”

“……”

“Did you… maybe do something?”

“…I didn’t say anything directly to Josephina Aberdeen.”

At last, Kenneth surrendered—at least this once—and answered, rubbing his temple with a tired thumb.

“I just mentioned it to Quentin—told him that’s how most people handle things these days.”

“You told my brother?”

“Quentin himself thought it wouldn’t hurt to keep up with the times if he wanted to maintain appearances.”

“….”

“And your mother always listened to her son. Anything for her dear boy’s reputation, right?”

All Kenneth had done was make a casual suggestion during one of his brief visits to the Aberdeen estate after noticing Ariana studying quietly in a dim corner.

She rarely left the shadowed manor and never once met his gaze.

He simply wondered if allowing her to attend school and venture outside might improve her situation. There was no deeper motive.

Yet the apparition tipped her head, her features softening with disappointment.

“It would’ve been nice if you’d told me sooner. Why keep it a secret?”

“Why would I mention something so trivial?”

He asked in all sincerity. To him, such a small favour wasn’t worth mentioning.

After all, he hadn’t donated to the school in her name or given her a proper gift.

Boasting about something so minor would have felt ridiculous.

Ariana stared at him, then offered an awkward smile and tilted her head.

“You’re stubborn in the strangest ways.”

“I’m not sure why you think so… but I’ll concede the point.”

“Since you’re conceding, how about giving up the medication, too?”

“No.”

“But if you keep this up, you’ll only get sicker.”

It was typical of her to worry about him, even after her death.

He could no longer tell whether this was merely what he wanted to hear, or what Ariana would really have said.

Just then, a dry cough ripped painfully through Kenneth’s throat.

His back hunched involuntarily and a droplet of blood fell to the floor.

“Kenneth.”

“…I’m fine.”

He knew that this was just an illusion. The real Ariana had died a long time ago and been buried in the cold earth.

But if this was the only way he could see her again—

— even if it was a poisoned chalice, he would drink from it without hesitation.

No matter how much it hurt, he would endure it. And he would endure it again.

He must stop the ‘next threat’ that the saint had warned him about.

“You’ve stopped the Empire’s plans for now, but another threat is bound to follow.”

That threat was the Arlo Assembly. At first glance, they seemed to be nothing more than a ragtag group of armed radicals — revolutionaries in training.

But their ideology, which called for the eradication of anything and anyone associated with the nobility,

soon turned fanatical.

Once again, innocent lives began to be taken in large numbers.

When one of their members slipped into the southern provinces of the Empire, who had been keeping a close watch, they finally made their move.