She could meet Calix.

The chill in his tone lingered in her mind, but it didn’t seem as though Callios was lying.

“Promise. You’ll keep it.”

Selina spoke as if pressing down her emotions, seeking certainty from him.

“For now, it would be wiser to think about how to keep yourself alive.”

After letting out a light sigh, Callios seized Selina’s wrist.

“Until then, stay quietly in your room.”

He then led her out of the room. The grip on her shoulder was unusually rough.

‘Is he angry with me?’

The thought had crossed her mind, but she still didn’t want to retract her words. In truth, the idea of meeting Calix still felt unreal. Rather than imagining what he might look like, she had spent far more time worrying about whether he would agree to see her, a prospect that made her uneasy.

‘It’s fine. Just confirming that Calix is safe will be enough for me.’

To be honest, she would have been fine without having to face Calix directly. In fact, it would probably be better to see him from a distance and then leave. After all, Calix would hardly be pleased to encounter her.

She shouldn’t expect too much. She should simply be grateful for the chance to see him again.

Resolved, Selina stepped into the cold prison cell.

After locking her in, Calix made his way back to his own quarters. Though he appeared calm, his thoughts were restless and tangled, far beyond what his composure revealed.

‘Is it only now that she’s begun to wonder?’

Since Bryson had assigned him to watch over Selina, he had never once heard her mention Calix. She had behaved as though her sole focus was on earning merit, to the extent that anyone would have nodded and agreed that she was indeed Bryson’s daughter.

Yet, having come all this way, the first thing she asked about was Calix’s whereabouts.

‘Why now, of all times?’

His reaction to the unexpected question revealed his confusion. Having unwittingly shown a crack in his composure, Selina probably noticed, which is why she asked him more questions about Calix’s whereabouts.

‘Did she suddenly feel guilty, after all this time?’

Or had she suddenly come to mind when he heard that she might die?

No, the intensity of his feelings was too great to be dismissed as a passing thought. Besides, she was still wearing the moonstone bracelet he had given her.

To believe that Calix was alive simply because the stone had not lost its light would be the reasoning of a child.

And yet, Selina believed it without a shred of doubt.

If she had truly come all this way believing that Calix was alive—

‘If that’s the case….’

Questions that had lain dormant at the back of his mind for a long time began to resurface.

If Selina had indeed betrayed Thalia, why was she so sure that Calix was still alive?

‘She could suspect it. If someone like me were alive, I would stand in the Empire’s way.’

But if that was all, was there any real reason for her to risk her life to come here?

She had rescued Alter from an underground prison and travelled all this way under the pretense of rescuing him — risking her life in the process — just to ask about Calix.

In that moment, all of Selina’s actions began to arouse suspicion.

Perhaps even her conduct while serving among the Knights of the Sun had not only been to earn merit, but also to trace Calix’s whereabouts.

If it had not been for the Empire, then perhaps…

Knock. Knock.

The unpleasant sound grazed his ears, snapping Callios out of his thoughts. He turned sharply, unable to hide the irritation spreading across his face.

“I’ve come because there’s something I need to say.”

The man who lowered his hood to reveal his face was one of the officials who had attended the previous meeting. He was Count Hollein, Karen’s father.

When Thalia began its descent into ruin, he was among those who surrendered without hesitation in order to survive.

Since then, countless rumors had circulated about why he had chosen to support Thalia again. Some claimed that he knew Calix was still alive and harbored hopes of Thalia’s restoration. Others said that, as a Thalian noble, he had realized he would never achieve the desired rank within the Empire, so had switched sides with fox-like cunning.

Whatever his true motives, Thalia now needed allies above all else. This was why Count Hollein and his daughter Karen had been accepted back.

But…

“Have you come because you believe the punishment I imposed on Karen was unjust?”

Callios asked, already knowing the answer.

Karen is currently confined for disobeying orders. The reason was obvious: she had sent Selina into the underground labyrinth without authorization. She had been instructed to bring Selina to Callios when someone came for her, but she failed to comply — a serious offence.

And so Karen accepted the punishment without protest. But what if her father had been unable to endure it and had come here himself?

Just as Callios’s brow was about to furrow—

“How could that be? It was clearly Karen’s fault.”

Hollein shook his head as though the notion were absurd, then moved on to the true reason he had come.

“However, it seems there is something you are unaware of, and I came to inform you.”

He then produced a single letter from within his robes.

“A letter Karen obtained through a spy some time ago.”

Callios knew that Karen had planted a spy among the Knights of the Sun. If it concerned the Order, however, Callios would certainly know about it — he was even more thoroughly informed about Selina’s every movement. Until now, there had been no need for him to concern himself with it.

“It is said to be a letter Selina exchanged with Waldemar.”

Just as expected.

It was undoubtedly a letter filled with worthless content.

“It likely contains talk of the two of them marrying soon, doesn’t it?”

“H-how did you—!”

“There’s no need to read any further.”

It was something he had already heard.

Hearing the unpleasant matter raised again made his stomach churn. Trying to suppress his discomfort, Callios attempted to dismiss Hollein.

However, Hollein stood his ground as though he had more to say and thr*st the letter forward once again.

“Then you should understand even better. Please read what’s written inside!”

He pressed the issue so forcefully that it would have been awkward to refuse. Callios took the letter and unfolded it. This is what it said:

[I am worried that rumors and slander about us might circulate during the upcoming wedding. If Alter, the former commander of Thalia’s Knights, is allowed to live, I fear he could cause problems in the future.

Commander Waldemar, you once served Thalia particularly well. Should you therefore not take special care in handling this matter?

If you are worried that killing him outright might cause resentment among the Thalian factions, I am open to considering an alternative method.]

“It was clearly written by Selina! I was told the letter was taken from her quarters!”

Hollein spoke with eyes blazing as he hurled accusations at Selina.

“What—she claims she wants to help us rescue Alter? Why would that woman volunteer for such a dangerous task? Obviously, she has another motive. Didn’t you find it suspicious as well, Elder?”

“……”

“Now that you’ve seen this letter, you must understand! That woman has no intention—none whatsoever—of standing on Thalia’s side. All she wants is to side with that Waldemar bastard who ruined Thalia and live in comfort—”

“I’ll take the letter into consideration.”

Callios lightly cut him off and brought the conversation to a close.

From Hollein’s perspective—having expected Callios to react with even greater fury—the response was baffling.

“Pardon? Take it into consideration…? This is a matter of life and death. If things go wrong, we could all be killed!”

“And yet, that doesn’t mean we can change the operation.”

“That’s exactly my point. It’s not too late even now. We should cut that woman’s throat and revise the plan!”

“There’s no need for us to be the ones to do that.”

Callios replied calmly.

“Even if she goes to rescue Alter, Selina has virtually no chance of surviving.”

“That’s—”

“Even if she were to scheme behind our backs, she wouldn’t be able to harm us. She won’t know what we’re truly doing while she’s busy rescuing Alter.”

What Callios was referring to was the operation to retake the grand ducal castle.

Hollein knew that as well, and so he shut his mouth.

“So you intend to use a dangerous woman as bait?”

“Even so, we can’t sacrifice innocent Thalian soldiers.”

When Callios spoke with a faint smile, Hollein said nothing more. Had he been mistaken to worry that Callios still harbored feelings for Selina?

‘If that’s the case, I needn’t have gone through such a troublesome effort.’

Hollein thought to himself, hiding his smile from Callios. The letter that he claimed Selina had exchanged with Waldemar was, in truth, a fabrication. Enraged by the punishment imposed on his daughter Karen, he had devised a scheme to frame Selina.

While his distrust of Selina had played a part, it was his desire as a father to protect his daughter that had driven him more than anything else.

“…Very well. Then I’ll take my leave.”

Leaving behind the letter meant to frame Selina, Hollein exited the room.

Callios said nothing as he looked down at the letter.

***

The promised time arrived.

Selina slipped quietly out of her room and headed for the garden where she had agreed to meet Callios.

‘He said to come to the garden at midnight.’

She had realized this earlier in the day, but there was no one else around in this vast castle. The only reason there had been people around earlier was because officials had gathered for an important meeting; ordinarily, the place seemed completely deserted.

Nevertheless, Selina’s sense of being on the run made her move carefully, taking care not to make a sound as she headed outside.

Before long, she reached the garden.

‘There.’

In the distance, she could see Callios’s back, a lantern in his hand.

“I came, as promised. Where is Calix?”

Selina approached him and asked.

Callios turned to her, his face expressionless, and replied.

“Follow me.”