She couldn’t breathe. Fleeting memories passed through her mind, snapping the fragile thread holding her composure. Her attempts to break free were useless, trapped as she was in his grip.

She had been taught that in times of confusion, one should look at the situation, not the person. And the situation was clear: Aurelia had come here, Kaiden had no intention of sending her away, and ultimately, the Hanover family had fallen.

The situation was clear.

Yet, what she still couldn’t understand was…

“Was it really necessary to go this far? Truly?”

Her words came without restraint.

“Well, if this was your way of avenging yourself, I suppose I have nothing to say. After all, the guilty party here would be me, a Hanover.”

Her heart, fueled by resentment, held back her emotions with the last bit of patience.

Gregory had been right. I was foolish. Tears, once held back, flowed freely in the aftermath of her outburst.

How could Aurelia be here, of all places, at this exact moment?

Her body, which had been struggling to break free, weakened, and her knees gave out as she collapsed to the floor. Kaiden let go of her wrist and knelt down in front of her.

Kaiden’s low voice whispered,

“Stop it.”

“You could’ve just threatened me to cooperate.”

But she had reached her limit.

“Just tell me everything. You’ve won anyway.”

It was her surrender.

“Is this where the plan ends? Now you can live happily with Aurelia and wage war against the Arin?”

Kaiden’s brow furrowed.

His grip on her wrist slowly slackened.

“Is that why Aurelia has returned—because you’re done with me?”

His face crumbled as if something inside him had broken. He stared at her, disbelief etched into his features, which soon hardened into an icy expression.

‘Why does he still have that look in his eyes?’

‘Why!’

The scream in her head never found its way to her voice and just circled endlessly.

“Rohana, Aurelia is here only temporarily.”

A rough sigh escaped Rohana’s lips. She shook her head. She didn’t want to hear it.

“If she goes to the Imperial Palace now, she’ll die.”

“Die?”

Her lips twisted bitterly.

“Does someone die just because a marriage is annulled? What kind of world is that?”

At that moment, Kaiden’s eyebrows twitched.

His brow furrowed sharply, and his eyes darkened with a strong hostility. He opened his mouth as if to say something but then closed it, seemingly changing his mind.

Rohana exhaled, her brow creasing.

“You and Bardi Rentworth… are truly pathetic humans.”

“Rohana.”

She didn’t want to listen.

“You saw me run away too…”

She muttered. That day, the day of the imperial succession ceremony, the moment he had captured her was still as vivid as if it were yesterday.

“Even after our contract marriage, why did you have to resort to such underhanded methods? There were plenty of ways to threaten me. What would I have done if you’d simply said you’d kill me?”

Tears slipped past her chin, falling to the floor. Memories of fiery kisses that left burns, of fingertips and winter nights, still red and warm, tore through her heart.

And then, his rough voice broke through.

“I.”

How much time had passed? When Rohana finally lifted her head, there he was in her view.

“Can’t you even consider that I did it because I love you?”

For a moment, Rohana’s breath stopped. The words echoed in her ears, slowly settling in her mind.

“I.”

His low voice pierced her like a thousand painful needles.

“I did it because I fell in love with you.”

The tears that had been welling in her violet eyes fell silently to the floor. Her frozen breath escaped in a ragged exhale.

Kaiden looked as if even he couldn’t believe the words he’d just uttered, his expression dazed for a moment. Then a faint smile tugged at his lips.

“I went to the Imperial Palace after seeing Bardi take Aurelia. In the meantime, Gregory was preparing to sell you off to Shatonwell. So, I orchestrated the contract marriage. You already know that much.”

Rohana narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him. For the first time, there was a faint red tint in his deep eyes.

“Up to that point, I could say it was loyalty.”

Kaiden let out a dry laugh.

“Loyalty to the person who saved my life.”

Then, with a slightly tilted jaw, his expression hardened again.

“No, I don’t think it was even that.”

Having regained some of his composure, he let out a bitter smile of resignation.

“It’s not true that I planned the downfall of the Hanover family. If I really wanted revenge, I wouldn’t have been so kind about it.”

His voice was cold, just like when he’d commanded Iz earlier.

“Then what is it? What was all of this?”

In response to Rohana’s tired question, Kaiden paused for a moment.

“It’s as I told you before.”

“To check Shatonwell?”

Her tone was low, filled with disbelief, but Kaiden nodded in agreement.

“Despite Shatonwell’s persuasion and R.D.’s request, I refused to commit treason.”

“Why?”

“Because I had to stop the war.”

“Why?”

‘Aren’t you the mastermind? Haven’t you lived your whole life for war?’

“No matter how painful it was, personal grudges were my problem alone. Back then, stopping the war was the right thing to do.”

Kaiden furrowed his brow.

“And more than anything…”

His voice cracked slightly.

“I wanted you to be well, even if it meant living as Bardi’s empress.”

Kaiden gritted his teeth and continued.

“I have no intention of playing the pacifist anymore, though.”

His voice, initially sharp, sank back into a heavy tone with a sigh.

“When I saw you trying to escape that day, I felt a bit relieved. At least I wasn’t the one destroying your happy life.”

Kaiden’s thick fingers ran through his hair.

“I was glad I had something I could do for you. By becoming my wife, at least I could guarantee your dignity and safety—whether it was from the war or from Gregory.”

His enigmatic dark eyes locked onto Rohana’s.

“No matter what that memory is or what that feeling was.”

His low voice resonated.

“I’ve never once forgotten you. Maybe that’s how it ended up like this.”

“The person who did that to you back then…”

Rohana’s voice trembled. Even Kaiden’s hand twitched.

“Was it Gregory, too?”

A suffocating silence followed.

“No.”

At Kaiden’s answer, Rohana exhaled the breath she’d been holding.

“Then who was it? What happened?”

I can’t tell you that.

His firm dark eyes stared straight through her.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Rohana shifted the direction of her question. Her tired voice was hoarse.

“That your parents’ enemy was my father?”

Her voice was still weary and hoarse.

“Because I liked being close to you.”

But his eyes were filled with a painful tenderness.

“That’s why I didn’t tell you. Because if you knew, you’d surely avoid me—whether out of guilt or discomfort.”

One corner of Kaiden’s mouth twisted into a bitter smile.

“You were right. There were other ways. If it was about revenge against the Duke of Hanover… I didn’t have to do this. And I wouldn’t have done something as light as just taking their wealth and honor.”

He knelt before her, one knee raised, close enough to touch, but he didn’t.

“I didn’t want anything to interfere. I wanted to stay close to you in a normal way, at least until you left. So I didn’t say anything.”

With utmost care, his cold hand gently wiped away the tears pooling on Rohana’s chin.

“I did it because I love you.”

His low voice struck deep.

“Without even realizing when it started.”

The tears she had been holding in her wide eyes finally fell in droplets.

“And no matter how angry you are…”

As Rohana exhaled a shaky breath, Kaiden spoke again. His long fingers slowly touched her chin, lifting her head.

“I can’t even tell you that I’ll let you go now.”

His persistent, intense gaze enveloped her like it would swallow her whole. The tension was suffocating.

“It’s too late.”

A groan-like sigh escaped his lowered eyes.

***

Knock, knock.

The heavy knock broke the silence. With Rohana not responding, Kaiden slowly rose from the floor.

Heath stood at the door. His eyes flicked to Rohana and then back to his lord.

Kaiden stepped out, quietly closing the door behind him.

“Switch shifts with Iz.”

“Why is Aurelia here?”

“…She’s still the empress. Don’t give her any excuse. Keep her locked in her room. No exceptions. The moment Bardi mentions annulment, we’ll arrest her.”

“Arrest her for what?”

“For conspiring to murder the duchess.”

“Why not just send her back to the palace?”

Kaiden’s sharp eyes narrowed. Heath frowned, their gazes clashing sharply.

“If we go out of our way to hide her, it’ll only give the palace and the Arin clan more ammunition. The palace is looking for the empress right now, and we’re better off cooperating quietly.”

“I thought you were close with Aurelia.”

“Personal feelings don’t matter right now.”

Heath was confused by Kaiden’s uncharacteristic decision. Normally, even if Heath tried to stop him, Kaiden would coolly do what needed to be done.

But why go to the trouble of hiding Aurelia, even while unsettling Rohana like this? It would all be resolved with an annulment anyway.

“Why are you helping Aurelia?”

Kaiden’s gaze sharpened, detecting something in Heath’s eyes and tone.

His face shifted to one that wouldn’t give any answer, and with a cold expression, he walked past Heath.

Kaiden sat at the desk in his study, pressing his temples. The mountain of paperwork before him painted a clear picture of the future.

Various reports of damage. The delicate balance they had barely maintained was collapsing. And far too easily.

The fact that Arin clan’s Rohana Hanover was in danger alone had divided the two factions, creating an immense chasm of hatred.

War was imminent.

He wanted to at least be a small piece of good in her life. How did things get so messed up?

“I’ll make sure you can’t live as a proper human being.”

The chilling voice from his past triggered a sharp migraine.

Kaiden knew it well.

He knew that holding onto her out of selfishness was wrong, that he didn’t have the right to do so.

But even those thoughts were pointless. There was no way he could ever let her go.

Kaiden covered his face with his large hands and pressed on his throbbing temples. Stacks of documents related to military supplies, strategies, and scenarios piled high on his desk.

He slid open the drawer beneath the desk and grabbed a bottle of pills. Ignoring the doctor’s orders to take no more than one, as usual, he tossed three or four into his mouth.

As he rubbed his eyes, the marriage contract caught his gaze.

“The marriage will end by Midsummer.”

Just until then.

Kaiden repeated to himself as he put the document back.

Just until then.

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