“Um, miss… Where are we going?”

Maya asked Selina cautiously, clearly sensing that something was off.

“We’re probably heading to the city gates… No, we are going there.”

Selina caught herself about to use a formal tone and quickly corrected her speech.

“But why are we going to the gates at this hour?”

“…They say the Thalian army is out there.”

“Oh. I heard about that, too… But what business do we have there?”

Maya looked as though she wanted a better explanation, but, unfortunately, Selina couldn’t provide one. This was just another one of the Marquis’s whims.

Suddenly, she recalled his last words.

“Do you even know how monstrous those Thalians really are?”

Shouldn’t the Thalians be telling her father about that? After all, he tried to have her wedding guests assassinated.

He must have believed that he could cope with the consequences if things went wrong.

Is the Marquis the type of person who would plan for situations like this?

‘I can’t help feeling uneasy…’

At the time, she’d brushed off his words, but now they struck her as strangely ominous. There had been something unsettling in his eyes.

‘…Still, this is the imperial palace. Surely nothing dangerous could happen here.’

Yes. It was probably just wedding nerves making her anxious. Maybe he only meant for her to be wary of Thalia before the marriage.

Setting aside her worries, Selina followed after the marquis.

“The Thalian forces are just beyond, sir.”

The aide pointed to the city gates and said something. Voices could be heard from behind the tightly shut gates.

The hostile murmurs directed at Thalia caused Selina to tense up unconsciously, her throat going dry.

“Look at their shameless behavior.”

The marquis said to Selina.

“The man who’s to be your husband is nothing more than a bloodthirsty fiend—a madman who slaughtered imperial citizens without mercy.”

The moment she heard the marquis’s voice, dripping with contempt, she felt her last bit of fragile hope plummet.

“You never know when that man’s sword will turn on you, so never let your guard down. Never.”

Had she really allowed herself to hope, even for a moment, that Calix Silas was the same boy who had once been washed up on a faraway island? Just because they happened to share a name?

Regret washed over her like a wave, only to recede just as quickly.

At that moment, the Marquis ordered the gatekeeper to open the city gates.

“I heard you suffered a terrible ordeal on your way here.”

He called out, his face utterly composed as he addressed the people beyond the gates.

Selina narrowed her eyes, trying to make out their faces, but she could only see silhouettes in the darkness. There were torches burning around the gate, but not enough light to see their features clearly.

“You seem to be in one piece—what a relief. I was worried something dreadful might have happened to you.”

The very man responsible for that “ordeal” stood there, feigning concern with flawless ease. Anyone who didn’t know the truth would be utterly fooled by his performance.

“So, what brings you here when you’ve come all this way yet still refuse to go in? His Majesty the Emperor is extremely worried.”

“It’s been a while, Marquis.”

At the sound of that low, breathtaking voice, Selina instinctively held her breath. It was a voice that conjured up the darkest night, when not even the moon dared to show itself.

The man cut the Marquis off before he could finish, seizing control of the conversation with ease.

The Marquis hated being interrupted, especially while he was speaking. Everything had to revolve around him — his world, his rules. She braced herself for the onslaught of sharp, venomous words that always followed, just as he had done countless times before.

“…You seem to be in better shape than I expected.”

“And why is that?”

“What do you mean by that, Your Grace?”

“On the way to the Empire, we encountered assassins sent by the marquis. I thought perhaps you’d hand-picked only your best for the job, but honestly, their skills were so poor it was hardly worth the trouble.”

A faint laugh colored the end of his words—a laugh directed at the marquis, who wielded the empire’s second-greatest power, just below the emperor himself.

“A-assassins? They were just a few knights who deserted from my lands!”

The marquis spat, his temper flaring at the insult. Even now, when he should have been apologizing, his outrage was directed solely at being mocked.

“I’m relieved.”

“W-what are you relieved about?”

“I almost wondered if the marquis had finally lost his mind.”

But while the marquis raged, the man’s voice remained utterly flat—so devoid of inflection that it was almost impossible to gauge his emotions.

“The Empire has its own laws, you know.”

For a moment, that monotone voice took on a chilling edge.

“If you cause harm, you must pay for it. That’s how it is.”

“Exactly! So, did you repay him in kind?”

“I intended to. But… he died during the interrogation.”

He spoke about killing someone with unnerving calmness, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

In that moment, Selina was certain that this man could not be the same person as the Calix she had known. The Calix who had promised to come for her had been like sunlight in early summer — a gentle boy who was warm enough to thaw the coldest winter.

The Calix she remembered could never have been this cruel.

“But I want to uphold imperial law.”

The boy she knew would never—

“So, shouldn’t the master bear responsibility for his servants?”

He wasn’t the kind of person to push someone into a corner like this.

“If that’s truly your wish, Your Grace, then I have nothing more to say. I fully acknowledge my responsibility for what happened in my own domain…”

But she was truly surprised by the Marquis’s response. She’d expected another outburst of anger, but he spoke as if he’d prepared his words in advance, putting on a show of remorse.

“I do acknowledge it. Is that all?”

“Of course not.”

“Then—”

Calix folded his arms and looked down at the Marquis. Even in the dim torchlight, he cast a long shadow; he was at least a head taller than anyone else. His slender frame made the marquis appear even smaller in comparison.

From his lofty vantage, he sneered down at the marquis.

“Kneel before me, and perhaps I’ll let it go.”

“…What?”

“Who knows? Maybe then I’ll play along with this filthy little wedding charade you’ve planned.”

Hearing such unbearably arrogant words, Selina’s conviction only deepened.

‘There’s no way that man could be Calix.’

There was nothing of the boy she remembered in him. His voice was much deeper, he was much taller, and most of all, the aura he exuded was completely different.

And yet, it was strange. Despite knowing it couldn’t be him, she felt an inexplicable urge to see his face up close. It was as if a compelling force was pressing down on her, making it impossible to look away. Selina took a step forward, needing to confirm it for herself.

It was then—

“So. You want me to take responsibility, is that it? Then I suppose it’s only right that I do.”

The marquis reached for Selina.

“This woman is the wife of the runaway knight.”

Startled, Selina recoiled, but fortunately, he hadn’t grabbed her. Instead, he seized Maya.

“W-what?! M-my lord, what are you—?!”

Maya’s eyes filled with terror as the Marquis gripped her by the hair. Overwhelmed by her master’s sudden violence, she was unable to resist, and could only weep.

“Maya. Your husband is Hans, isn’t he? Hans was once a loyal knight of our domain, but he defied my orders, deserted, and attacked the Grand Duke. Am I wrong?”

“D-don’t tell me, my lord—you sent my husband to die?!”

“Me? What nonsense! He told you everything before he left, didn’t he?”

“I—I don’t know anything…!”

It was only then that Selina understood why the marquis had brought Maya along. Sensing that the truth was about to come to light, he’d chosen her as a scapegoat.

“The Empire has its own laws. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. If an enemy tries to kill you, you’re free to kill them in return. But that law doesn’t apply to the master—it applies to the family.”

“…Ha.”

“If Hans is dead, then I’ll give you his wife in his place.”

The Marquis threw Maya to the ground. She hit the floor with a dull thud and curled up, begging for her life.

Perhaps because of the growing commotion, onlookers began to gather, curious about what was happening. As the crowd grew, the Marquis finally flashed a serpentine smile.

‘Didn’t you say that yourself? Someone has to take responsibility.’

Those who arrived too late to understand what had happened looked on accusingly, assuming that the Thalian army was about to attack an innocent woman.

‘So this was why he brought Maya.’

Seeing the marquis’s lips curl upward, Selina clenched her fists tight.