Once she was back in her room, Selina sank to the floor and began to write. It was a letter intended for one specific person.

Not finding any writing paper, she tore the robe that had been given to her earlier that day into makeshift sheets and used a spirit’s power to fashion a pen. Barely any moonlight filtered through the small window, so Ari’s faint glow was all she had to light her hands.

She remained crouched there for a long time, steadily filling line after line, until at last she stopped.

There was so much she wanted to say, but far too little space. There was nowhere near enough space to contain everything she longed to put into words.

‘Still, this much should be enough.’

With a flick of her hand, Selina transformed Ari, who had taken the form of a pen, back into his original state. She folded the letter neatly and tucked it away. Then, sitting motionless on the straw, she hugged her knees.

‘Holchester Prison….’

Suddenly, fragments of her childhood resurfaced.

Although she had spent much of her early life in a monastery, she had actually been born in Holchester Prison.

Her mother had been imprisoned there.

There was no way of knowing whether this had happened before or after Selina’s birth. However, since Selina had been born within those walls, one thing was certain: her mother had been imprisoned there for a considerable amount of time.

Perhaps it was because she had received the favor of Selina’s father, the man who wielded real power in the empire. Although she was still a prisoner, Selina’s mother was kept in solitary confinement, where she gave birth to and raised her.

Even if it could be called a privilege, the room was cramped and perpetually dark, leaving Selina with terrifying childhood memories.

The things that remained most vividly in Selina’s mind were her mother lamenting her miserable life and claiming that giving birth to Selina had cost her everything, and the fates of the other prisoners, who did not possess even the meagre privileges granted to Selina’s mother.

True to its grim reputation, Holchester Prison was an utterly terrifying place.

Once someone entered its walls, they never left alive — and this was no exaggeration. Countless prisoners had attempted to escape, only to fail. The prison was an impregnable fortress, and those who were recaptured always paid dearly for their defiance.

Selina once witnessed a woman trying to flee, who was then recaptured and beaten to death.

Selina never found out what crime the woman had committed. All Selina knew was that the woman had been around her age, and she still remembered her struggling desperately, driven by nothing more than the will to live.

‘…Holchester Prison is far more dangerous and horrific than people think.’

Selina slowly closed her eyes and pictured the place in her mind. During the day, a sea route opened up, but at night, the path closed and the surrounding area became open sea. To escape the island, one had to wait until daylight.

However, evading the tight security and hiding for that long was almost impossible.

This meant that, to act as bait and buy time, one had to charge in, prepared to die.

‘I could die….’

As Selina formed this thought cautiously in her mind, Ari, now in the form of a firefly, floated closer and tickled her nose. Perhaps sensing that Selina was trying to remain calm despite her lingering fear…

“It’s okay. It’ll be okay. Right?”

Selina gently cupped Ari in both her hands. She was grateful to Ari, who understood her better than anyone, even without words.

Knock, knock, knock.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

“S-Selina?”

The person who had come to her room was Calliope.

“You came at just the right time. Come in.”

Selina welcomed Calliope warmly. Calliope glanced around awkwardly, then noticed Ari and murmured in wonder,

“What is this? A f-fairy?”

“More accurately, it’s a spirit—but it’s similar to a fairy.”

Selina placed Ari in Calliope’s palm. Calliope couldn’t take her eyes off the luminous light moving within it.

As she watched, Calliope turned into a child before her eyes. Selina smiled warmly, then turned to the matter at hand.

“Thank you for coming, Lady Grand Duchess.”

“Mm.”

Under normal circumstances, she would have insisted that she wasn’t a grand duchess.

However, Calliope was completely engrossed in Ari and seemed not to pay much attention to Selina’s words.

“Please make sure to deliver this to the elder.”

Selina took out the letter she had tucked away and handed it to Calliope. It was neatly folded and tied with string.

Calliope tilted her head in puzzlement as soon as she had it in her hand.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a letter. A letter for the elder.”

“For the elder…?”

After staring at the letter for a while, she suddenly puffed out her cheeks, looking sulky.

“What about me? Is there no letter for me?”

Calliope sulked because she didn’t have one of her own. Selina smiled calmly, as though she had anticipated this, and placed something in her hand.

“There’s no letter, but there is a gift.”

It was the violet hairpin that Selina used to wear in her hair. When Calliope saw the beautiful gem shimmering with a soft glow, she couldn’t help but smile.

“I thought it would suit you, so I wanted to give it to you as a present.”

“Mmm.”

“So, Lady Grand Duchess. Please be sure to deliver this letter to the elder.”

“Mmm!”

Calliope quickly tried the hairpin in her hair, and perhaps feeling pleased, nodded at once.

At that moment, Selina looked straight at Calliope and spoke as though impressing it upon her.

“But you mustn’t give him this letter right away.”

“Why?”

“The elder will be facing something important tomorrow. Please give him this letter when he returns safely.”

“When—when I see Callios again?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

When Calliope understood at once, Selina nodded, looking proud.

That much was easy enough.

Pleased at the praise, Calliope grinned like a puppy and burrowed into Selina’s arms.

“I’ll do that.”

“Thank you, Lady Grand Duchess.”

“I’m not a grand duchess.”

“To me, it’s like a nickname. A term of endearment.”

“…I was told nicknames are only used for people you love.”

“How much do you think I love you, Lady Grand Duchess?”

Selina said this as she gently brushed Calliope’s hair. Perhaps embarrassed by the touch, Calliope averted her gaze and closed her eyes. However, the fact that she didn’t shy away from Selina’s hand suggested that she didn’t dislike it.

“Thank you. Truly.”

Selina whispered softly as she carefully untangled Calliope’s matted hair. Nevertheless, she was grateful for the opportunity to spend time with her before she left for Holchester Prison.

The day of the decisive operation soon arrived.

Those gathered within the fortress divided into two main groups. The first group comprised the troops assigned to retake the Grand Ducal Castle. The second group was the team tasked with rescuing Alter.

Despite being split into two groups, the rescue unit numbered only five in total, including Selina, which made it clear that the majority of the forces had been committed to reclaiming the castle.

Having reverted to his Callios appearance and donned the ring, Calix’s expression was unusually cold and restrained. Even as he explained the layout of the Grand Ducal Castle and organized the troops, his gaze repeatedly wandered off in the opposite direction.

It would be a lie to say it did not trouble him.

In fact, it troubled him relentlessly, to the point of driving him to the brink of madness. Because of this, he had passed the night without any real sleep.

The person who had occupied his thoughts all night, haunting him without respite, was Selina.

‘She hasn’t changed at all—then or now.’

He clenched his teeth tightly, forcing himself not to let his emotions show.

Taking the carriage won’t be difficult. The real challenge will be deceiving the boatman. If he realizes who we are, we could end up as fish food in the middle of the ocean.”

He nearly lost his temper when he heard a calm voice drifting over from a distance.

Who were they to speak so calmly about the possibility of dying? For this rescue operation to be a complete success, Alter had to be saved, and you had to return alive.

“Even if we manage to deceive the boatman, there are still hurdles to overcome. Once we reach the island, we’ll split into two groups. One person will stay behind on standby while the other four infiltrate the island and rescue Alter. His location can be identified using the map. The problem is finding the key…”

Without realizing it, Calix found himself listening closely to Selina’s explanation, muttering absently.

“The role of staying behind would be a perfect fit. Going along would be useless anyway.”

“Was that meant for me to hear?”

Zenfri asked, having been silently observing Calix. Faced with such a penetrating gaze, Calix jumped and shook his head.

“What are you talking about? My thoughts just got tangled, and something slipped out.”

“The one who tangled Your Highness’s thoughts seems to be over there.”

With half-lidded eyes, Zenfri pointed toward Selina, who was calmly issuing instructions to the team.

“Nonsense.”

“I wouldn’t call it nonsense, but it’s certainly reckless behavior on Your Highness’s part. If you’re that worried, why don’t you tell her not to go?”

Say something that makes sense.”

“Why doesn’t it make sense? Aren’t you the type of person who would easily change what you said in the morning by noon?”

Zenfri spoke calmly, as though he could see right through Calix. Realizing that he had been read far too easily, Calix was at a loss for words and changed the subject.

“That’s enough of that. I have something to ask of you.”

“What is it?”

Their conversation continued in a tense atmosphere for some time.

How much time had passed like that?

“Elder.”

Someone approached him silently and spoke. Startled, he turned around to find Selina standing there.

“What is it?”

Beside him, Zenfri mouthed that this was the moment, but Calix deliberately ignored it and composed his voice, asking calmly.

Selina lowered her eyes and spoke in a steady tone.

“I came to offer my final farewell.”

At that moment, Calix’s eyes turned cold.