Calix stood before her, drenched in blood.

For an instant, the image of the first time she had met him at the monastery flashed through her mind. It was a sight she had never seen again since that day.

Selina reached out toward his collar with a trembling hand. But, mercifully, there was no sensation of flesh beneath her fingers.

‘It’s a hallucination.’

Realizing that this battered, broken figure was not real eased her heart—if only slightly. And yet, the sight before her was far too horrific to dismiss as nothing more than an illusion.

“You clung to me, begging for help—and in the end, you betrayed me.”

The hallucination dragged up the guilt Selina had buried deep within her heart.

“N-no, that’s not true. I wanted to save you.”

Perhaps because of the drug, her mind felt hazy. Even knowing this was a hallucination, Selina found herself desperately trying to explain.

“I never once wanted to hurt you. I never even tried to find your weakness. I only— I just wanted to stay by your side…….”

Her disordered excuses slowly dissolved into sobs.

What excuse could possibly justify anything before him? The fact that she had deceived him all this time was undeniable.

From the moment she received the marquis’s order to uncover Calix’s weakness, Selina had not slept properly for even a single night. She had resolved not to obey—but the guilt of deceiving him had never left her.

Because of that, she had never once been able to stand before him with a clear conscience.

Even when she confessed that she loved him, the same question lingered in a corner of her heart.

‘Do I even have the right to love Calix?’

Calix had said he felt the same way. She had been nothing but grateful and overwhelmed to receive his love—but at times, anxiety crept in, whispering that their relationship had been wrong from the very beginning.

The Selina Calix knew was nothing more than a shell.

The Marquis’s cherished daughter. The Empire offered her as an alternative to a princess — she was considered less valuable than a true princess, but still an acceptable substitute.

However, strip away the façade and the truth would be clear.

Inside, there was nothing but ugliness.

In reality, Selina had never been loved by anyone — not even by her father or the mother who gave birth to her.

People said that love naturally went to those born into wealth, cherished and adored from the start. Selina was far removed from that ideal.

Those who had never experienced love clung desperately to even the slightest hint of affection. A single kind gesture was something they held onto for the rest of their lives.

Before Calix, she had tried to pretend that she wasn’t clinging to his affection. But the truth was that she was drowning in an endless sense of emptiness and was desperate for him to reassure her again and again.

The Empire had never offered Calix anything of value in return. They had given him nothing more than a chess piece that they could discard at any moment, while concealing their intention to swallow Thalia whole one day.

What would happen if Calix learned the truth?

What if Selina Silas had always been worthless—and would always be so? What if she was a calamity; a woman who drained the life force from everyone around her simply by standing at their side?

“Please…”

Selina clung to the illusion before her, her voice breaking into sobs.

‘Please… don’t abandon me.’

She did not believe that Calix would continue to love her after learning every truth. What Selina wished for was far more modest—only that he would not cast her away completely. That he might, at the very least, allow her to see him from time to time.

As she wept miserably, a flicker of light appeared near the doorway, as if responding to her sorrow.

“…Ari?”

It was a presence that she had not seen for a long time. The creature that had always appeared whenever Selina was sad, faithfully lingering at her side, had finally revealed itself again.

Just as Selina carefully reached out a hand toward Ari—

“And who might Ari be this time?”

A low, displeased voice cut through the air.

Startled by the chilling sensation—utterly different from the hallucinations she had heard earlier—Selina flinched and stumbled back.

“The more I learn, the more I realize how much there is that I don’t know. Isn’t that right?”

Through her dim, shadowed vision, brilliant golden hair emerged into view. Selina stared blankly at that radiant figure shining even in the darkness, then broke into a soft, foolish smile.

“Calix.”

Calix froze, his hand halting midway as he instinctively reached out to her.

Even on ordinary days, Selina’s smile was his weakness—but tonight, her face looked almost angelic in its purity, and the thought of touching her felt strangely frightening.

“…What’s got you so happy?”

He spoke deliberately curtly.

“Are you happy because your father is here? I’m sorry, but even if he’s a good father to you, he’s an uncomfortable presence to me.”

He had been about to say that even if she looked at him like that and asked him to let the marquis stay a few more days, it would change nothing.

After all, the marquis—who had originally been scheduled to depart tomorrow—had suddenly sought him out and requested to remain for just one more day.

“At dawn tomorrow, I’ll send him back. You may not realize it, but visiting a foreign country without prior notice is a far more serious matter than you think—”

At that moment, Selina stepped straight into Calix’s arms.

“It doesn’t matter.”

She murmured with her face buried firmly against his chest.

“It’s fine even if you send him away tonight. As long as I have you, that’s enough.”

“…What?”

The hand that had been idly threading through her hair faltered.

This was not something Selina would normally say. She was not someone who revealed her feelings easily.

So why was she being this honest now?

Was it because of the alcohol?

Suddenly, he recalled the moment she had downed a glass of strong whiskey in one go. When she had unexpectedly snatched his glass, he had wondered if curiosity had gotten the better of her—if she had wanted to know what alcohol tasted like.

“So promise me.”

Selina clutched his lapel tightly as she whispered.

“…That you won’t get hurt.”

“That’s the most pointless promise in the world.”

“Even if it’s pointless… I saw you almost die…….”

Her voice was small, muffled against his chest.

‘Almost die?’

Calix turned her words over in his mind, but they were too vague to grasp clearly. In the end, he dismissed them as an exaggeration—her fear magnifying the injury he had once suffered at the hands of a monster.

After all, there had only ever been one time when he had truly hovered on the brink of death.

The incident that occurred on the Day of the North Wind, which came once a year.

There was no way Selina could know about that day. Thinking so, he let it pass without question.

“So promise me. Promise…….”

Perhaps the effects of the drug were finally fading. Selina’s consciousness began to blur. As the heat that had flared through her body cooled rapidly, the drowsiness she had been holding back came crashing down all at once.

Nestled in Calix’s arms, she spoke like a child seeking reassurance.

“That you’ll never get hurt…….”

“…All right. I promise.”

Watching her for a long moment, Calix gave in and made the promise.

“Then you make one promise, too.”

Soon after, he brushed his fingers through the hair of Selina, who had already fallen fast asleep in his arms, and said.

“From now on, drink only when I’m with you.”

***

The next day came.

Calix coldly turned away the marquis, who insisted on seeing his daughter before leaving.

“It’s fine even if you send him away tonight.”

If Selina had not said those words the night before, he might have allowed the man at least a brief meeting.

But through her tone, Calix had gained a vague certainty about something he had only ever suspected.

Selina was uncomfortable around the marquis.

‘Most likely because he uses his children as tools for his own purposes.’

Marquis Bryson was certainly capable of such cruelty. After all, during the hunting festival, he ordered Calix to give chase, knowing that his son would be in danger.

When Calix realized that Selina had probably suffered a similar fate, he could no longer see the Marquis as his father-in-law.

The fact that the Marquis had arrived in Thalia with Waldemar only hastened this decision. Calix had no intention of giving a dangerous man any more time in Thalia than was necessary.

“Has the marquis left the castle?”

“Yes. We’ve confirmed that he’s departed.”

Lady Lily replied.

With the marquis dealt with, it was time to address the problem that had arrived so abruptly in Thalia.

“Then summon the knight commanders.”

“They should already be on their way. I sent word as soon as I got up.”

Zenfri, Calix’s aide, replied with evident confidence.

“Good. Then you may take your leave, my lady.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Once Lady Lily had left the room, Calix turned to Zenfri with a grave expression.

“I’ve heard the movements of the nobles near the border have been suspicious.”

“Yes, I’ve heard the same. Among them, the movements of the border marquis who guards the frontier with the Empire are said to be the most suspicious.”

Zenfri handed over the documents he had brought. They detailed how the border marquis had recently been meeting with Richardt’s close associates.

“Is there a chance the border marquis was the one who hired Libero?”

“Highly unlikely. The border marquis injured his leg during the war—he needs a crutch every time he moves.”

“Then what about the possibility that he used subordinates?”

“It’s possible, but nothing is certain. The surest course would be for us to meet the border marquis ourselves and inspect the frontier directly.”

Calix stroked his chin as if deep in thought, then slowly spoke.

“Then we’ll have to move up the plan.”

“Yes, I was thinking the same. How about advancing the schedule from five days from now to tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

A displeased look crossed Calix’s face, and Zenfri replied at once.

“Yes. Didn’t Your Grace say it yourself? That matters like this must be dealt with decisively, all at once.”

“…….”

“But the reason you suddenly wish to delay—could it be because of the madam?”

As if he could read Calix’s thoughts as easily as flipping his palm, Zenfri narrowed his eyes and glanced meaningfully at the Grand Duke.