How long had it been since I last saw Jeremy?

I tried to count the years. We had lost contact for about a year, at least. As someone who had watched him grow through his youth, I could clearly see how much more mature—more man—he had become compared to the last time I saw him.

If my husband was dark, rough, and sharply defined—Jeremy was the opposite.

Fair, radiant—his presence soft, like sunlight.

After bringing him into the drawing room, I dismissed all the servants. But as the tea set before us slowly cooled, I found myself unable to speak, fidgeting with my hands.

I was ashamed.

I had used my sacred power for a corrupt royal family—and in the end, that family fell anyway.

Reduced to clinging to the commander of the revolutionary army just to survive, married off without a choice.

This pathetic version of myself…

At the very least, I didn’t want Jeremy—my friend—to see me like this.

Because he was the last person who truly cared about me.

“I’m really sorry for cutting off contact. I just… didn’t have the capacity to reach out.”

“I understand. When Estante—no, the Estantian Republic—was unstable, the Platina Road was blocked. Even I couldn’t enter the country. Still… seeing you safe with my own eyes puts me at ease.”

He accepted my hesitant apology with warmth.

“I was worried about you. I even tried to find a way to get you out, but the Supreme Commander—your husband—is not someone easily dealt with.”

That sounded like him. He was clever enough to ensure that the Reyal Theocracy and other nations could not interfere in domestic affairs.

“How have you been?”

There was so much to say, I didn’t even know where to begin.

“…Your health. Are you alright?”

At that, I slowly shook my head.

This, at least, I could answer honestly.

My body was growing weaker with each passing day.

Jeremy would probably sense it anyway, but judging by the amount of sacred power I had left…

Three years, at most. Four, if I was lucky.

“…There’s no way to save you, is there?”

“…Not as far as I know.”

“You say that so calmly. As if it’s someone else’s problem.”

Jeremy let out a disbelieving laugh.

As an exceptional Holy Knight, he already understood the truth—that unlike other saintesses, my immense healing power came at the cost of my own life.

Of course, he didn’t know why I had been forced to use that power for the royal family.

That was the one secret I most wanted to keep hidden.

It was Jeremy who had first helped me estimate how much time I had left—comparing the strength of my power back then to what remained now.

“Come back to the Reyal Theocracy, I’ll prepare a place where you can live out your days in peace. And we’ll look for a way to extend your life… together.”

His offer—almost a plea—filled me with gratitude.

But I only lowered my head and shook it.

Of course I wanted to return.

That place had been the only time in my life when I felt truly at ease—truly happy.

“But I’m not even allowed to leave the country…”

“If necessary, I can find an unofficial route. You’d become a fugitive—but it would still be better than staying here.”

I didn’t want to drag Jeremy into this, turn him into an accomplice just for my own comfort.

And I didn’t want to put the Reyal Theocracy in a difficult position either.

“Then… what about telling your husband the truth? If he knows his wife is dying, wouldn’t he change his mind?”

“That’s impossible. If I told him I’m dying, he would—”

I paused, imagining his reaction.

He might be pleased.

…Or perhaps he’d be furious.

If I confessed now, he might accuse me of deceiving him—of entering this marriage under false pretenses while hiding something so critical.

He would resent me.

And if he learned the truth…

He might not even wait for my life to fade naturally. He might k*ll me himself.

“I know my own body. I can’t live any longer.”

“Sienna!”

“Just… let me end my life quietly in my homeland. Let me at least atone.”

At my firm answer, Jeremy let out a deep sigh, running a hand through his silver hair in frustration.

But soon enough, that familiar, gentle smile returned to his face as he accepted my decision.

“Sienna… I’m on your side. My offer will always stand, so think it over. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here.”

“Thank you.”

Even just for that—for caring about someone as pathetic as me—I was grateful.

“Sienna… did you see your brother, Crown Prince Ludwig, die?”

I had witnessed my father’s execution with my own eyes.

As for Ludwig, he had fallen in battle against the revolutionary army.

Confused by the sudden question, I answered with what I knew.

“Yes… I saw him get shot. I didn’t see the body, though.”

Jeremy’s expression turned grave.

“There’s been a rumor lately… that someone saw the Crown Prince alive.”

That’s impossible.

I frowned, unable to believe it, as the memory of Ludwig’s final moments resurfaced.

During the last naval battle, he had stood atop a coastal cliff, facing the revolutionary army.

A bullet had pierced straight through his heart and he had fallen into the sea below.

The currents had been too strong to recover his body.

No matter who it was… no one could survive that.

“Of course, it could just be a rumor. But if he is alive, you’d likely be the first person he contacts. Be careful. I’m worried people might suspect you of being involved. You and Ludwig were quite close, weren’t you?”

‘Close…?’

A quiet, bitter laugh echoed in my mind.

If my brother were alive, it would not be a blessing for me.

Crown Prince Ludwig. He was just like our father.

Cruel.

He never bothered to hide that nature, even from his own sister.

And I…

If Jeremy, a foreigner, knew of this rumor, then my husband certainly knew as well.

He was far quicker with information than anyone.

And yet, he hadn’t told me.

Because he must have thought that having even one family member alive would be a comfort to me, something worth keeping from me for my own sake.

Even if there had been a chance to save Ludwig when he was wounded, I would never have done it.

Even if it meant I would die in his place.

“My lady.”

Knock, knock.

The head butler called from outside the drawing room.

“Yes. What is it?”

“The master has returned.”

…My husband?

There was still plenty of time before he was meant to be back.

Startled, I rose abruptly. In the three months since our marriage, he had never returned early—if anything, he was always late.

Jeremy was simply an old friend I hadn’t seen in a long time, nothing more. There was no reason to feel guilty.

And yet, it felt as though I had been caught doing something improper.

“Jeremy… I think it would be best if you left now—”

“…My wife.”

That voice—it could almost be mistaken for gentle.

But I knew better.

It was the defensive calm he wore when his mood was at its worst.

My husband entered the drawing room slowly, removing his coat and hat and handing them to a servant. His familiar scent brushed past me, carrying with it the chill of the autumn air.

“I didn’t realize my wife had ties with Commander Linzer.”

Unlike his usual neat and composed appearance, his hair was slightly disheveled.

What could have made him return in such haste?

“Since the two of you are reunited, I trust you won’t mind if I join you for a moment?”

His lips curved faintly.

“You’re not discussing anything I shouldn’t hear, are you?”

***

One hour earlier.

Reinhardt was on his way to the intelligence bureau for an emergency meeting.

According to recently acquired information from the National Intelligence Department, Crown Prince Ludwig had been sighted—not near the borders, but in the vicinity of the capital, Pyrran.

“That mangy mutt—fangs pulled, limbs torn off—where does he get the nerve?”

Reinhardt clicked his tongue, his expression darkening.

Even if the Crown Prince had returned, it wasn’t a serious problem.

He would simply put another bullet through him and send him back to hell.

But the real issue was the rumor.

That Sienna had been the one to save the dying Crown Prince.

And along with it, the growing argument within the government—that if Saintess Sienna were to join Ludwig’s faction, she could become a significant threat to the Republic, and that decisive action might be unavoidable.

Sienna.

His thoughts were filled with nothing but her.

Not everyone within the government supported her.

In fact, the opposition was stronger.

That was why Reinhardt had spent all this time keeping them in check—buying off those who could be bought with money, granting positions to those who craved power.

But one obstacle remained.

Imelda Freimer.

The Speaker of the Assembly.

A former war correspondent and now one of the most influential figures in the country, she could not be swayed by money, nor did she have any exploitable weaknesses.

If he could bring her to his side, shaping legislation and public opinion in Sienna’s favor would be easy.

“…Sir. There is something urgent you need to know.”

The rapid flow of his thoughts came to a halt at a single remark from his adjutant.

“The Commander of the Reyal Holy Knights—Jeremiah Linzer—has arrived at the estate.”

“What?”

“They believe he is a longtime acquaintance of Lady Sienna.”

‘D*mn it… utterly useless.’

Grinding his teeth, Reinhardt muttered a curse under his breath before abruptly turning on his heel and heading for the exit.

“S-Supreme Commander, sir! The meeting is about to begin!”

His pale-faced adjutant called out after him from a distance, but—

“You’ll attend in my place. Just say that when Crown Prince Ludwig was killed, Sienna was already in my custody and had nothing to do with it.”

With that, Reinhardt left.

He returned to the estate in haste, without even taking the time to fix his disheveled hair or straighten his uniform.

When he stepped into the drawing room—his expression eerily composed—he saw them.

A man and a woman, speaking together with quiet familiarity.

He had thought he had severed all of Sienna’s ties.

And yet, something like this still remained.

The Holy Knight, born a prince, was everything Reinhardt was not.

Pale. Immaculate. Radiant. Refined.

Flawless.

Noble by birth. Blessed with sacred power.

Reinhardt had clawed his way up through blood and death just to stand at a similar height, to hold comparable authority. And yet this man possessed it all from the very beginning.

That alone was enough to ignite the inferiority and resentment simmering deep within him.