Snow continued to fall. The unusually muted sound created a profound silence over the snow-covered sky of Nopthal.

‘I shouldn’t have let her go alone.’

Kaiden strode with more urgency than necessary, his brow furrowed in frustration. He hadn’t slept properly the night before, and even now, in the morning, he couldn’t focus on his work.

D*mn it.

His sharp, prominent eyes clearly showed his discomfort. Heath’s messenger pigeon had arrived safely, but it was little consolation.

The sky showed no signs of disturbance. What could have happened to the monster Rohana claimed to have seen?

He slammed the door as he entered his office. He carelessly shrugged off his cloak and unbuttoned his shirt.

The wide desk was piled high with documents. Sinking into the leather chair, he buried himself deeply into it.

Just as his sharp eyes began to scan the documents, there was a knock at the door.

Knock, knock.

“Yes.”

He wasn’t expecting anyone, but Iz poked her head in. Her usually tanned face was unusually somber.

“What is it?”

Kaiden narrowed his eyes, silently asking with his gaze, but behind her, he saw a familiar yet completely unexpected face. His scowl deepened.

What is this?

“It’s been a while.”

Kaiden’s face stiffened immediately. Iz bowed her head and withdrew.

“Duke.”

It was Aurelia.

“Why is the Empress here…?”

“Call me Aurelia again.”

“Not this nonsense again…”

Kaiden, trying to suppress his growing irritation, suddenly noticed something about her.

She was different. She wore a black cloak, something she would never have worn in Nopthal, and her face was deathly pale.

“I’m not feeling well… can I rest here for a moment before I go?”

As she removed her cloak, her disheveled golden hair spilled down her back. Though she tried to maintain her usual sing-song tone, her voice trembled slightly.

“What on earth…?”

His patience was already wearing thin, and he no longer saw any need to maintain pleasantries. He stared at her more openly, with an expression of honest annoyance.

Perhaps sensing the hostility in his sharp tone and gaze, Aurelia lowered her eyes in an uncharacteristic manner.

Suddenly, her large eyes filled with tears. Her golden eyes seemed even larger than usual.

And then, she collapsed without warning.

Before Kaiden could fully grasp what was happening, her small body crumpled onto the carpet. He rushed to her side and tried to wake her, but she remained limp and unresponsive.

***

“Could you all step out for a moment?”

“I don’t want to.”

Heath smiled prettily as he refused. Rohana’s eyes wavered.

As if he had no choice, Gregory shrugged and pulled out an old document from the envelope. The moment she glimpsed it, Rohana’s gaze froze.

Gregory’s snake-like eyes looked at her.

“Step outside, Heath.”

“I refuse.”

“Just go.”

Rohana’s eyes remained fixed on the document in Gregory’s hand. She eventually had to push Heath out.

The small door closed. In the room, which had no windows, only candlelight and a faint light seeped in to illuminate the two.

“You foolish girl.”

It was a document with the seal of both families. On the front were two pairs of Roman letters.

“Shut up.”

But the words only echoed inside her mind. Instinctively, she wanted to block out whatever was coming next.

“As you can see, this is a record of two individuals, processed by Edwin, the current emperor’s father, and me.”

The sound of paper rustling filled the silence.

“Dustin Delcliff and Yurie Rentworth.”

His voice, sinking ever lower, slowly froze her body from the toes upward.

“The parents of that husband of yours, the one you so proudly defend.”

The sharp truth stabbed at her like a needle.

“Can you picture it now, with that brilliant mind of yours?”

Gregory’s sneer gleamed even in the dim light. It was as if he had no regrets, already on a self-destructive train, and he didn’t seem to care anymore.

“Didn’t Delcliff tell you? Of course, he was probably too busy using that pretty face of his to fool your dumb little self.”

His voice dripped with derision.

“Didn’t you think it was strange that Kaiden Delcliff insisted on holding onto me and stubbornly pushed for marriage with you? Even as the Empire’s dog, he risked the opposition and fury of the Kark tribe, who will inherit half his domain.”

Kaiden’s shadow seemed to settle over her, weighing down her body. Rohana’s mind was numb.

“Didn’t you ever wonder why it had to be you?”

‘That night, we…’

The image of him as a child, rushing to save her at Pincheser, flashed through her mind.

“It was all for this.”

‘You didn’t know…’

“Revenge.”

Rohana fought hard not to let herself falter. Her heart pounded madly, but she kept repeating to herself that this was nothing new. Don’t waver. I expected this level of enmity…

“It’s not just a little enmity. Hanover and Delcliff are mortal enemies.”

Gregory shoved the document in front of her, shouting at her.

“Dustin Delcliff was framed by me and Edwin Rentworth. And Princess Yurie was killed by our trading company and dumped into the sea.”

Gregory, seemingly noticing the faint crack in his daughter’s expression, smiled with both satisfaction and self-deprecation.

“And now, I’ve discovered that Kaiden Delcliff was fully aware of this.”

‘Don’t waver.’

No matter how much she repeated it to herself, she couldn’t control the movement of her eyes. Gregory’s self-mocking smile and his hopeless sigh filled the silence.

“I didn’t think you’d be this foolish. You accepted the broken engagement with the emperor so calmly, I didn’t expect you to pull something this absurd.”

His voice trembled with fury.

“How do you know that he knows?”

It was the first time she had asked, and Gregory let out an incredulous laugh.

“You know about Kaiden Delcliff’s famous handling of the Axton execution with the Kark tribe, don’t you?”

Of course she knew. In the original story, he had gained the Empire’s trust by eliminating a key supporter of the Nopthal, earning the Kark tribe’s resentment in the process.

“There’s evidence that, just before Axton’s death, the Kark tried to use this truth to sway Kaiden.”

“What evidence?”

“That’s not for you to know right now.”

“So you knew this and still allowed my marriage?”

“What other choice did I have? If war broke out, I would simply save you again.”

That war would only happen if I died. Rohana clenched her fists, recalling the original story.

There must have been a greater reason why Kaiden Delcliff had used Rohana Hanover as a sacrificial pawn in the original tale.

“What do you actually know about Kaiden Delcliff?”

Gregory’s voice seeped into her ears like poison.

“In the end, you acted so arrogantly, pretending to be so clever.”

Rohana’s eyes flashed. She opened the door and called the Imperial Guards.

“Imperial Guards!”

The door burst open, and the guards stormed in.

“Well, go ahead and arrest me.”

His dark violet eyes, deeper than hers, ensnared her gaze. After glancing once at Rohana, his mocking smile still on his face, he willingly followed the guards.

As Rohana stepped out of the study, all eyes in the hallway turned to her.

Slowly, she shifted her gaze to Heath. Their eyes met and stayed locked for a long moment. His gray eyes had darkened. In that brief exchange, she knew.

‘You knew, didn’t you?’

At that moment, the loud voices of the royal guards could be heard. The murmuring nobles and staff parted like a receding tide.

The council meeting was being overseen by Bardi, so it was no surprise he had come to check on the situation. Rohana thought this indifferently, as if it were someone else’s business.

Bardi glared at everyone before gently grabbing Rohana’s elbow.

“My lady.”

Heath tried to approach, but Rohana stopped him with her gaze.

“Rohana, what do you want to do about Duke Hanover?”

Bardi lowered his voice, his bright blue eyes filled with uncertainty about her intentions.

Rohana took a deep breath.

“Let Emily live as she wishes without a trial.”

Bardi nodded briefly at her soft words.

“I’ve already dismissed the charges against Emily. We’ll find her a home and a job she desires.”

“As for Gregory Hanover, follow protocol.”

Just then, Bardi’s voice rang in her ears again.

“Rohana.”

Rohana looked at him with dead eyes. If she could, she felt she might kill something at that very moment.

“Aurelia has disappeared, and we’re searching for her.”

What? A bitter laugh escaped her lips. The dizziness made her stomach churn.

“If she’s gone, then we’ll just declare the marriage annulled. We’ll search for her as much as we can.”

Rohana slowly nodded.

“Then, I’ll be going now.”

She needed to go to Nopthal.

“Rohana.”

As she walked away, Bardi grabbed her wrist.

“Remember.”

His piercing blue eyes locked onto her violet ones.

“You can always come back.”

Rohana slowly pulled her hand free.

First, she needed to go to Nopthal.

Now. Immediately.

Her heels clicked loudly on the marble floor, echoing with each step.

***

Kaiden sat by the bedside where Aurelia lay, finally regaining consciousness. He leaned back in the chair, resting his head slightly, his furrowed brow catching the afternoon sunlight.

“Explain everything.”

At his cold, unforgiving voice, Aurelia let out a small, breathy laugh.

“Aren’t you going to ask if I’m okay?”

Kaiden frowned and repeated his question.

“When did you start working with R.D.?”

“Hmm… Once I got into the palace, they contacted me. Those bastards, saying they didn’t need me when I had no magic,” Aurelia said, gripping the cup of water with her slender fingers.

“Was Rohana the target?”

“Yes.”

As she met Kaiden’s furious gaze, Aurelia’s eyes reddened.

“Why do you hate the idea of getting rid of Rohana Hanover?”

Kaiden looked down at her for a moment.

“I don’t understand why you’re acting like this, Duke.”

Aurelia couldn’t figure out why Kaiden was behaving this way. Her trembling, reddened eyes revealed her inner turmoil, but Kaiden remained unfazed, only slightly furrowing his handsome brow as he continued his cold questioning.

“Why did you hand over the child Bardi?”

“He said he would annul our marriage.”

Their eyes met quietly. There was a strange tension in the air as Kaiden’s expression hardened. In a low voice, he repeated, “Annul?”

“Yes, as if it never happened. Just like with you.”

Aurelia tilted her head slightly as she looked up at him, her small lips whispering, “Like father, like son, isn’t it?”

Kaiden clenched his teeth so hard they seemed like they might crack. The irritation in his eyes had been replaced by fury.

“I ran away to survive. If I had stayed, I might have just ‘disappeared.'”

Suddenly, a sharp headache flashed through him.

“Just like you, Duke.”

Without realizing it, Kaiden closed his eyes tightly and then opened them again.

“Like father, like son… Would you be okay if something like that happened again?”

He glared at her with a fierce, hardened expression.

“Would you really be fine with that?”

His sharp, wolf-like eyes seemed to be staring beyond her, at something distant. Flashes of painful memories tore at his heart, moment by moment.

“You’re all I have now, Duke.”

Her voice, soft and desperate, reached him. Kaiden closed his eyes tightly once more, the stabbing headache making it hard to focus. The memories of the past refused to fade.

“Just like it’s always been.”

TL NOTE: Visit and bookmark the story at dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and updates of its latest release.