“Did you not hear me?”

Marquis Bryson glared at Calix as he spoke.

He hated Calix. After years of war, it was only natural that the two men disliked each other. Nevertheless, the Marquis had a particular hatred for the young man who had become the Grand Duke of Thalia.

‘He’s nothing like his father—he’s far too cunning.’

Calix’s father was the epitome of cowardice; he fled from war at the first sign of danger. People said he was too narrow-minded to bear the weight of a nation. Ultimately, he abandoned his wife and child to run off with his mistress — a decision that would prove fatal. Following this, Bryson was certain that Thalia would soon fall into imperial hands.

‘But to think that brat would grow up like this…’

Bryson remembered what had happened three years ago.

He’d been certain that Calix was dead. Thalia had tried to keep it quiet, but the Marquis had planted spies of his own who discovered the truth: Calix had disappeared after sustaining severe injuries in the war, and no trace of him had been seen for more than a month.

‘I should have hunted him down and killed him myself!’

The fact that he hadn’t managed to kill Calix himself still bothered him.

Being forced to join hands with the Thalians, whom he had always considered inferior, was a deep humiliation.

Of course, he had set another trap in motion, one designed to claim Thalia completely. But that would take time. For now, he had to maintain a clear balance of power: the Empire on top and Thalia on its knees.

“What will you do?”

His plan to have Calix killed on the way to the capital had failed. Nevertheless, the Marquis knew there was an opportunity to turn this crisis to his advantage.

“Didn’t I tell you to follow the ‘imperial law’ you’re so fond of?”

He acted unfazed, but Selina could see right through him. Her father was revelling in forcing Calix into this situation.

Poor Maya was trembling, but the Marquis hardly cared about something so trivial.

“Weren’t you the one who insisted I take responsibility? Why are you refusing now when I’m giving you exactly what you asked for? Or is it that the person you truly wanted to kill—”

A dry, amused laugh escaped Calix’s lips.

“…What’s so funny? I’ve offered you the very person you sought vengeance against, just as you asked. So isn’t it time you took responsibility for your own words?”

“Ah. That’s right.”

He drew the sword from the belt of the guard standing beside him. The cold ring of steel set everyone on edge, and Selina couldn’t help but flinch at the sound. But that was only the beginning.

“There’s a problem, however.”

Sword in hand, Calix turned to Selina—and in an instant, the blade was at her throat.

“I don’t believe that knight acted on his own in this matter.”

The razor-sharp edge pressed close enough that it seemed it could slice her delicate neck at any moment. Instinctively, Selina squeezed her eyes shut. The oppressive weight of his presence made it impossible to open them.

“According to imperial law, the family shares in the punishment, isn’t that so?”

To the man holding her life in his hands, Selina seemed to be nothing more than a helpless insect. Her whole body trembled in terror, but Calix’s voice remained flat, as if he were completely oblivious to her fear.

“Judging by the gravity of the crime, I’d say the Marquis’s daughter is far more culpable. Don’t you agree?”

With that, he flipped the sword and used the flat of the blade to tip up Selina’s chin. Her head tilted back, and before she knew it, her eyes had flown open.

In that moment, her gaze met the Grand Duke’s for the first time, no longer hidden by shadow.

“……!”

For a moment, Selina’s memory of the boy she once knew overlapped with the chilling face of Calix Silas. Selina’s heart plummeted as though it had been cast into the depths of the ocean.

“That’s enough.”

The Marquis said, finally intervening. He drew his sword, and immediately every palace guard in the hall raised their weapons at the Grand Duke.

“If you dare push this any further, I won’t pretend to welcome you anymore. Is that what you want? For me to stop at nothing to see you dead?”

Dozens of blades were now pointed at Calyx’s throat. He simply looked around at the soldiers with disinterest, then let his sword drop to the ground.

“I’ve overstepped.”

At last, he turned his head toward the marquis. As he did, for a brief moment, his eyes met Selina’s.

‘It really is Calix.’

Her heart swung wildly, as if caught on a pendulum. Selina couldn’t say for sure what was causing it—but the feeling wouldn’t stop.

Selina was certain now—Calix Silas was the very boy she had waited for all this time.

And yet, she couldn’t say for sure whether what she felt in that moment was joy or despair.

‘Did he recognize me?’

Despite herself, a faint hope bloomed in her heart—only to fade away just as quickly.

‘No, that’s impossible. Calix never saw my face.’

Throughout the time she had cared for him and remained at his side, Selina had kept her hood up. The Marquis had forbidden her to show her face to anyone, so she even wore her robe when collecting rations. But there was more to it than that.

It was because the boy shone too brightly.

Her limbs were thin and frail, her hair was always tangled from lack of care, and her skin was grubby no matter how often she washed it. She couldn’t bear to show herself to someone as radiant as him, so she used an alleged skin condition as an excuse to hide beneath her robe.

Although she told herself she had no hope left, her heart still thudded in her chest as if wanting to announce her presence to Calix.

“And one more thing.”

But if Calix recognized her at all, he gave no sign. He turned his head away without a second glance.

“Hans was a loyal knight. Even at the very end, he never revealed his master’s identity. Also…”

He bent down and helped the crumpled Maya to her feet, adding,

“Whatever rumors you may have heard—”

Then, in a voice low enough that only those nearby could hear, he murmured,

“There was never any item bearing the Ilios family crest in the first place.”

“You little—!”

The marquis’s face flushed hot with rage.

“You dare try to deceive me?!”

He shouted in fury, but Calix remained perfectly calm as he answered.

“Mind your tongue, Marquis. With so many people listening, you should watch what you say…”

Calix deliberately stepped into the torchlight, making sure his lips were clearly visible.

‘You could really end up dead.’

The meaning was unmistakably chilling.

“Deliver this message to His Majesty the Emperor: I have no intention of forming any alliance with someone who treats his subordinate’s wife so cruelly.”

With those words, Calix turned and walked away.

“You think everything will go as you wish?!”

“I’ll give you until tomorrow. Make your decision.”

Ignoring the marquis’s outburst, Calix added.

“Either bring me the princess as my bride, or call off the peace treaty altogether.”

Without so much as a backward glance, Calix strode toward his camp, his retainers following at a leisurely pace.

“Aaaaagh!”

Watching him go, the marquis let out a furious howl. He screamed like a madman, his rage sending people scattering in fear. One by one, the onlookers slipped away, leaving only Selina and Marquis Bryson standing in the empty courtyard.

Realizing they were alone, the marquis’s anger turned, as always, on Selina.

Whack!

Without warning, his heavy hand struck her shoulder. The force of the blow knocked her back, but his rough grip reached for her again.

“Do you know why I brought you here?!”

His fury lashed out at Selina for no reason at all. He deliberately struck only where the marks wouldn’t show, raining blows on her with calculated cruelty.

“Your father is being humiliated, and you just stand there and watch?!”

“I—I’m sorry.”

His hand tangled in her hair, nearly pulling her off balance. All Selina could do was apologize—because no matter what excuse she gave, no matter how she tried to defend herself, harsher violence was all that awaited her.

“If this marriage falls through, do you know what’s going to happen to you?!”

“I’ll… I’ll be sent back to where I came from.”

The marquis let out a humorless laugh, his anger still boiling over.

“You really think you can live as you did before, after the world knows you’re my daughter? No—there’s no way I’d parade a wretched bastard like you in front of everyone.”

“…What?”

“You’ll spend the rest of your life locked away in the mansion’s cellar, never seeing the light of day. Just like your mother did—until she died.”

The image of her mother, dying alone in that dark, cramped room, flashed through Selina’s mind, sending a shudder through her whole body. That memory still haunted her, as vivid and nightmarish as ever.

“F-Father, please…”

Selina tried, her voice trembling, to plead with him. But before she could finish, the marquis released her hair with a sharp, punishing hand.

She instinctively flinched, bracing herself for another blow—but instead, he only snatched the cravat from her hand.

Suppressing his boiling rage, he looped the cravat around his neck and tied it tight.

“If you carry even a drop of my blood, then use that worthless body of yours and do something with it—anything at all.”