Selina decided to seek out the elder. It was the only way to secure Alter’s safety—there was no other option left to her.

However, acting immediately was difficult. With the impending marriage to Waldemar causing such a stir, moving carelessly would only draw unwanted attention. For several days, Selina carefully gauged her surroundings, behaving no differently than usual.

“How would a month from now sound?”

In the midst of that, an unexpected opportunity arose.

“I mean your wedding to Waldemar.”

Duke Bryson spoke to his daughter with an untroubled expression.

“Since it’s not your first marriage, I don’t see the need to drag out the preparations.”

To her father, marriage was little more than another form of transaction. And like any transaction, he believed it was best concluded as quickly as possible—hence his haste.

“There are some who whisper about you marrying twice, of course. But tell me—was the first one even a proper marriage? There’s no need to concern yourself with what others think.”

His words felt grotesque.

He likely had no idea what consequences his choices had brought about.

“Yes. I think so as well.”

Still, Selina answered calmly.

“I believe marrying Commander Waldemar carries a different meaning. It will allow our family and Waldemar to strengthen our ties even further.”

“Heh. To think you’d see things the same way I do. You’ve grown.”

“I’ve learned a great deal. Much of it thanks to your guidance, Father.”

With an unchanging expression, Selina continued to speak words that ran counter to her true feelings.

The duke seemed quietly impressed, as though admiring how his daughter had grown into someone who shared his values.

Appeasing him to obtain what she wanted was not difficult. He was perceptive, but his arrogance ran deep; he believed everything unfolded according to his design. Rather than suspecting her words, he would surely think that his daughter had finally come to understand her father’s heart.

“Yes, yes. Now we’re finally speaking the same language.”

As expected, he smiled with clear satisfaction.

Her father looked to be in an unusually good mood, and Selina instinctively realized that now was the moment—a time when even a somewhat unreasonable request might be granted.

“Father.”

She studied Bryson’s expression and spoke carefully.

“There is something I wish to ask.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“I would like to visit Mother before the wedding.”

“…Your mother?”

The duke’s brow creased sharply.

“With a celebration ahead, is there any reason to seek out the dead?”

His displeasure was obvious.

“Lately, Mother has been appearing in my dreams quite often.”

Selina steadied her voice and delivered the answer she had prepared long in advance.

“At times, she appears only to hurl curses at me. There is an old saying that misfortune follows when the dead are not properly tended. I wondered if perhaps I have been dreaming so because I have not visited her in so long.”

It was a convincing explanation—for a duke who placed considerable weight on superstition.

Bryson fell silent, mulling it over, before muttering.

“Honestly. Even in death, she has a talent for troubling others.”

“…As you say, Father, with such an auspicious occasion ahead, I would rather not carry unease in my heart. I believe it would be best if I paid her a brief visit.”

“Hmph. It’s doubtful what a dead spirit could do in the first place—but if you insist….”

The duke stroked his chin, lost in thought, then finally spoke.

“On one condition. You must not draw anyone’s attention. Under no circumstances can anyone discover that you are not my legitimate daughter, but a bastard.”

It seemed he feared that someone might notice Selina while she went to visit her late mother.

Until now, everyone believed Selina to be the duke’s frail legitimate daughter—even Waldemar himself—so, in that sense, his concern was only natural.

“I won’t tell anyone. I’ll go quietly, alone.”

She answered without hesitation, as though she had been waiting for this moment.

Only then did the duke’s expression soften.

“Very well. Then go.”

“Thank you.”

After offering the duke a formal bow, Selina left his study.

“I intend to step down from my position as vice-captain for a while and take some time off.”

She went straight to Waldemar, her superior, and got to the point without delay. Waldemar, who had been watching her with his chin propped on his hand, curved his lips into a faint smile.

“At this point, wouldn’t it be better to quit altogether?”

“I have no such intention.”

“Do you plan to keep working even after marrying me?”

“I don’t believe fulfilling my role within the order has much to do with marriage.”

“You’ll understand once you experience it.”

Waldemar replied in a flat tone, then accepted her request.

“Very well. Taking some time off sounds reasonable. A chance to sort out your thoughts, too.”

“…Yes.”

Selina answered quietly and left his office.

Whenever she spoke with Waldemar, she felt an oppressive pressure, as though the air itself grew heavy. She had thought that feeling might fade with time, but it remained unchanged. Still, once she stepped out of the office, she finally felt able to breathe again.

‘Ah. Come to think of it, I never told Lucas either.’

She thought of Lucas, who was likely caring for Alter’s younger siblings at this very moment.

“You said I was the only one you trusted! Then why won’t you tell me a single thing?”

She hadn’t told him she was heading to see the elder—only that she would be leaving on a short trip.

Sharp-witted as ever, Lucas had flown into a rage.

“So you don’t trust me, is that it? I’m not just good at making medicine—I’m good at plenty of other things, too. There has to be something I can help with, so at least try relying on me.”

He had even worn a seriousness she had never seen on him before.

‘It’s not that I don’t trust Lucas.’

The reason she hadn’t told him was because Selina knew all too well just how dangerous what she was about to do truly was.

The journey to seek out the elder was perilous in itself. Being discovered along the way would be dangerous enough—but even after meeting the elder, the risks would not end.

It was no different from stepping straight into enemy territory of her own accord.

‘If I ask him to save Alter… will he even believe me?’

The thought struck her suddenly, practical and sobering. But it wasn’t something she could afford to dwell on now. All she could do was act—act for the sake of saving Alter.

Still, she could not drag anyone else into a plan this dangerous.

‘Especially not Lucas.’

Lucas was someone who had risked his life for Selina—someone who had even gone so far as to create an antidote for her. Protecting him as much as possible was her true intention.

And so, without asking anyone for help, Selina followed the route Callios had told her about and set out for the place known as the elder’s fortress.

The elder’s whereabouts were not only distant but lay beyond a brutal path that required crossing ravines again and again.

‘How did Callios even learn that there was a fortress in a place like this?’

Once again, she found herself impressed by the reach of his intelligence.

‘And to hand over such high-level information… That’s not like Callios at all.’

He was a man obsessed with claiming merit. Someone like him would never pass up the chance to capture the leader of Thalia, whose rank alone made them an invaluable target.

‘If he knew I came here to save Alter using information he provided… what kind of reaction would he have?’

He was frightening enough as it was, with an expression that never seemed to change. She could easily imagine him looking even more ruthless.

‘Ugh. Is it because I pictured that face? It suddenly feels colder…’

Selina wrapped her arms around herself.

Whether the temperature had truly dropped or not, the mountain path exuded a sharp chill as she climbed higher. Once the sun set, the cold would only worsen.

She tied her horse to a tree, then gathered fallen branches. It would be better to light a fire here, spend the night, and continue once daylight returned.

After making her decision, she set fire to the pile of branches and sat down.

‘Come to think of it, Callios must be off attending to his original duties by now.’

Perhaps because he was the one who had told her the fortress’s location, thoughts of him kept surfacing.

It might have been because the man who had always lingered around her like a shadow, watching her every move, was suddenly gone—and that absence felt strangely unsettling.

“I don’t know. He’ll manage on his own.”

She had only just begun to breathe easier now that her watcher was gone, yet the fact that she found herself thinking about him now that he truly was absent felt odd.

‘What I need to do is save Alter. That’s all.’

‘This time, no matter what, I will save him.’

Faces of precious people she had failed to save in the past flashed through her mind.

She never wanted to experience that dreadful feeling again.

Selina was willing to sell her very soul if that was what it took to save Alter.

Just as she steeled her resolve and tried to fall asleep—

Tap, tap, tap, tap—

Footsteps echoed through the previously silent forest.

Selina’s eyes flew open as she focused on the sound.

‘Don’t tell me… someone else is here?’

The thought that she might be being followed crossed her mind.

She quickly pulled her robe over herself and whispered softly.

“Ari.”

A silvery light shimmered in her hand, and a sword formed from pure light took shape. As if responding to her grip, the blade trembled faintly.

Clutching the sword, Selina turned her head toward the direction the sound was coming from.

‘Did Waldemar notice? Or Father?’

If she were discovered here, every plan she had made to save Alter would be ruined.

Judging by the footsteps, there was only one person—two at most.

‘If it’s that many, I can deal with them.’

Having reached her conclusion, Selina stepped forward into the darkness—

“Is—Is anyone there? Please, someone… save me!”

A voice rang out, breathless, as though it might stop at any moment.

Selina flinched and looked toward the sound.

From within the dark thicket surrounded by trees, a woman was being chased by a massive monster.

‘That woman…’

The moment Selina recognized her features, she doubted her own eyes.