‘So the antidote is finally complete.’

Selina accepted the green vial with trembling hands.

“How reliable is it?”

“It will exceed your expectations. It doesn’t merely treat the poisoning temporarily—if taken consistently, it can cure it completely.”

A cure!

Selina’s violet eyes flashed with astonishment. She had known from the moment they first met that he was capable, but never to this extent.

She had first met him six months ago.

The Empire had hosted a grand banquet, inviting nobles who had surrendered from Thalia. Selina had also attended, hoping that someone there might know whether Calix was alive or dead.

However, there was no one notable, and just as her disappointment deepened—

“Ah. The swan mask….”

That was when she first encountered Lucas.

Though Selina had not recognized him, Lucas claimed they had met before—at a masquerade ball.

“A masquerade ball….”

For Selina, that day was unforgettable for entirely different reasons.

The moment the memory of crimson eyes staring at her—eyes blazing like a heat bloom—surfaced, Selina wanted to avoid everything connected to that night.

“So we’ve met before. It’s a pleasure. Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

She tried to avoid him, but Lucas stopped her.

“My lady… no, not my lady anymore. Do you not need my  help anymore?”

By that time, Selina had already been given an antidote by her father, which she had taken. However, a man like him would never willingly hand medicine over to a daughter he despised.

The Marquis only gave her the medicine through Iden, and each time she received it, she had to endure countless humiliations.

“I can help you, Duchess. As you know, I am a genius—one who can discern a patient’s condition simply by taking their pulse.”

Back then, it felt as though Lucas knew something.

As if bewitched, she had spoken with him.

“Who would have thought that the apothecary the Grand Duchess intended to introduce would turn out to be Lucas.”

Lucas hadn’t mentioned these details because he was aware of the specifics of Selina’s condition.

All he knew was that she had been the Grand Duchess and had summoned him via Calliope.

However, after taking her pulse, he realized that something was wrong and said he had only asked the question on a whim.

“If not then, I thought I’d never have another chance to get close to you, my lady.”

In the end, it had simply been a line tossed out because he wanted to befriend her—and Selina had walked straight into it.

“Well, it worked out nicely, didn’t it? I have a tight mouth, and you’ll become a valuable connection for me in the future.”

Although Lucas had said it jokingly, the truth was that Selina should be grateful for their closeness.

Without his support, her condition would never have improved and she might have deteriorated further in this stifling environment.

It also helped that Lucas valued money and status. He never once asked why Selina needed the antidote or why she had commissioned it in secret.

“A client is just a client! I protect my clients’ secrets thoroughly—so long as the payment is sufficient.”

He had laughed brightly as he said it. Seeing such blatant materialism was oddly reassuring.

“Thank you. I knew Sir Lucas could do it.”

A gentle smile curved Selina’s lips.

Lucas stared at that smile for a moment before turning his gaze aside and muttering,

“Well… I did tell you, didn’t I? I’m a genius…”

A faint blush spread across his clean skin, matching the warmth of his honey-colored hair. Fortunately — or perhaps unfortunately — Selina failed to notice, her attention being entirely focused on the vial.

Lucas hesitated before carefully asking,

“Do you intend to take it right away?”

“No, not yet. There’s something bothering me.”

Selina’s eyes narrowed.

Not long ago, the Marquis had sent her an antidote through Iden. But this time, it was noticeably paler.

‘If he deliberately gave me one with weakened detoxifying properties…’

Maybe the Marquis was testing her.

If she was taking another antidote in secret, a diluted version would have had little effect. Sending her a weakened version could have been his way of finding out if she was getting more from elsewhere.

“I actually have another favor to ask. Could you check the concentration of this first?”

Selina handed Lucas the antidote she had received from the marquis.

“Hm. It feels like its efficacy would be quite low.”

“So you think so too.”

“Yes. When you know, you know.”

While Lucas was shrugging his shoulders—

“Deputy Commander.”

A deep voice came from beyond the tent.

At this hour? Selina frowned in mild confusion, then remembered the order she herself had given.

“Oh. Have you brought the siblings?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Have them wait for a moment.”

She then shot Lucas a meaningful glance. This was a signal that if he were seen by others, unpleasant rumors might start to circulate, so it would be better for him to hide.

After looking around briefly, he slipped neatly under Selina’s bed.

‘Of all places…’

A groan almost escaped her, but there was no time to chase him out.

“Let them in.”

At Selina’s permission, the tent flap opened.

“……”

The siblings she had seen earlier came in looking fearful and wary. Perhaps to prevent any trouble, their arms were tightly bound with rope.

“Yes. It’s you two.”

Selina deliberately curved her lips higher, forcing a smile that looked unmistakably cruel.

“How should I punish children who don’t know their place and dared to spew nonsense at me?”

Hic. Hic.

The girl was clearly terrified, beginning to hiccup uncontrollably. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she was too scared to let out a sound.

‘And the boy…’

Unlike her, he looked no different from before—his expression bristling with defiance.

“I’m the only one who did anything wrong! My sister has nothing to do with it!”

At least he wanted to protect his sibling. Unlike Iden, he seemed sensible.

Selina suppressed the faint stir of approval within her and spoke in a cool, even tone.

“You seem not to understand what collective punishment is. In the Empire, when one person commits a crime, their entire family pays the price.”

The boy glared at her as though he meant to kill her. If his hands hadn’t been tied up, she had no doubt he would have lunged at her.

For a child, that kind of ferocity was both impressive and dangerous. No matter how brave a child might be, they were still just a child. When a truly malicious adult chose to act, it was always the weaker party who was crushed. Selina knew that better than anyone.

‘Wouldn’t it be better to send them somewhere safe?’

A land ravaged by war was no place for children. But what about agricultural regions in need of labor? Those places were always understaffed. Even if the boy had a bad temper, he would still be useful there.

Yes. That would be better.

“Sending you to the Empire’s borderlands to be put to work wouldn’t be a bad option.”

Selina said, deliberately adopting a threatening tone, as though the decision had already been made.

The boy immediately shouted back.

“We’re not going anywhere! If we wait here, our brother will come get us!”

“Your brother? You have other family?”

“Yes! He’s an incredibly strong and amazing knight! Once our brother comes, someone like you—”

He was about to hurl another insult, but he glanced at his sister and stopped himself. Thankfully, he had learnt from being punished once before that his words could harm her as well as himself.

“I see. So your brother is that remarkable. Then tell me—if he’s so great, why did he abandon you in the castle and flee on his own?”

“Our brother didn’t run away…!”

“Then where is he now?”

“Th-that’s…”

The boy hesitated, unable to answer.

Selina had encountered children like this many times during the war. Someone had promised them that they would come back alive, but they probably never did. Or rather, they couldn’t.

‘That’s why they cling so desperately to the belief that he will return.’

Just as she was about to dismiss it as the naive faith of a child who knew nothing of the world—

“H-he really did come….”

The girl, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up in a small, trembling voice.

“Our brother came a month ago. He said he’d come back to take us away after ten nights. He’s probably just late because he’s busy.”

The children truly believed their brother would return.

Seeing that unshakable faith made Selina’s resolve waver, just a little.

“Our brother is… really strong,” the girl continued softly. “There’s no way he’s dead.”

The children wholeheartedly believed that their brother was still alive.

For a moment, the scene before her merged with her memory of endlessly searching for Calix. This realization brought a painful lump to her throat.

“…I see. If you believe that strongly, then he must be alive. I was mistaken.”

When Selina readily admitted her mistake, the children’s faces lit up immediately. All she had done was acknowledge their belief that their brother was alive, yet that was enough to soften the formerly hostile gaze of the boy as he looked at her again.

As the tension eased, the girl also seemed to relax. Smiling shyly, she spoke in a quiet voice.

“You must know our brother too, Grand Duchess.”

Grand Duchess.

How long had it been since she last heard that title?

A quiet ache welled up in Selina’s chest as she asked gently,

“Do I? Then who is your brother?”

She was just beginning to think that their brother must have been a member of the knightly orders—

“Alter!”

The girl answered with a bright, innocent smile.

“Our brother is Alter!”