“Ha!” 

The Duchess of Viasteus let out a mocking laugh, as if she found it absurd. 

“Who is destroying whom? You, destroying me? Who do you think you are?” 

Grinning at Ariel as if she were an immature child, the Duchess continued. 

“You think you’ve won just because I look like this? But what are you going to do? Even if I were to be executed here and now, I would never bow to you. I have no regrets. Not for killing your father, nor for trying to kill you.” 

“……” 

“Oh, of course there is one thing I regret.” 

Thud. 

The Duchess placed her bound wrists on the table and leaned forward towards Ariel. 

“Not killing you. Who would have thought your life would last so long… I should have killed you with my own hands a year ago. If I had…” 

“You seem to think you showed me mercy that day. 

“I spared your life and even gave you the means to begin again. If that’s not mercy, what is?” 

A mocking smile played on Ariel’s lips at Melish’s composed words. She looked at Melish’s dishevelled appearance and replied, 

“To anyone listening, it may sound as if you really did me a favour. But that’s not the truth, is it? That day you summoned me to ruin my life because you were afraid Kylance wouldn’t leave me.” 

“……” 

“But in the end, things didn’t go your way. When I was gone, he left you instead.” 

Even as Melish’s expression hardened, Ariel continued in a soft tone. 

“So even if you had killed me that day, nothing would have changed. Kylance’s choice was never you – it was me.” 

As the last trace of laughter faded from Melish’s face, Ariel smiled with satisfaction. 

“In the end, Kylance would have stabbed you in the back, just as he has now.” 

“What do you mean, ‘just like now’… What…?” 

Ariel fixed her gaze on Melish’s faltering eyes, her expression calm but sharp. 

“I told you, didn’t I? That I came here to destroy you. I’m here to tell you what Kylance Seyerd, the man you loved so much, has done to you.” 

Yes, Ariel’s weapon was Kylance. 

Unlike the Emperor, Melish Viasteus was a true monster. 

There was no way that Melish would suddenly feel guilt or remorse for the murders she had committed. But even a monster like her had a weakness. 

And that weakness was Kylance. 

The fear and terror etched on Melish’s face as she held the blood-spewing, collapsing Kylance in her arms – it had been real. 

These emotions had not been invented. From the beginning, Melish had clung to Kylance, obsessed to the point of control, trying to keep him under her thumb. 

“Facing you like this, it feels just like that day. Though unlike then, everything I have to tell you now is the truth.” 

Melish, as if to hide her growing unease, raised her voice instead. 

“I have nothing to hear from you! This whole plan was Kylance’s plan to kill you!” 

“Do you really believe that?” 

Ariel’s calm question, devoid of any tremor, made Melish falter. 

“No, you don’t believe that. You’re not that stupid. Maybe you were too shocked to think clearly when Kylance collapsed, but you must have realised one thing.” 

“……” 

As Ariel’s gaze dropped, she saw Melish’s fingers tremble slightly. 

Sensing Ariel’s recognition of her trembling, Melish clenched her hands into fists, but it was too late. Ariel let out a cold, mocking laugh. 

“That Kylance deceived you. That this wasn’t a plan to kill me, but a trap to bring you down.” 

“……!” 

At last, Melish’s facade shattered completely. 

Ariel watched in silence, calmly observing her as she crumbled from within, piece by piece. 

Finally, with a single tear running down her cheek, Melish screamed, 

“Kylance… he’s my son. I fed him, clothed him, raised him! He would never…!” 

But Ariel’s voice, firm and icy, cut her off without hesitation. 

“Exactly. How disgusting and horrible it must have been.” 

In a low murmur, Ariel fixed her gaze on Melish’s wild, black eyes and spoke. 

“Kylance found out before I did. That you were the one who killed the late Archduke.” 

“!!” 

Melish, as if struck dumb by the shock, remained frozen, unable to speak. But Ariel continued calmly, her lips moving steadily.

“Why are you so surprised? You must have suspected it when you found out that Kylance had betrayed you. Ah, though it might surprise you to know that he discovered the truth before I did.”

“When… did he find out…?” 

“Well, I can’t say for sure. But judging by the secret message he sent before the boat trip…” 

“……” 

“He must have been preparing for a long time and with great care.” 

“When do you think it started? …Kylance has been sharpening the blade of vengeance for a very long time.”

Suddenly, Ariel remembered the words Melish had spoken to her in the past. 

Hearing them back then had completely shattered her. What kind of expression had I worn then? 

The thought flashed through Ariel’s mind. 

She couldn’t quite remember the look on her face, but she knew one thing – she hadn’t been as miserable as Melish was now.

“Ahh! Agh! How could he betray me after all I did to raise him? I gave him everything… everything!” 

Bang! Bang! 

Melish hit the table with her bonds, screaming hysterically. 

“How dare he! How dare he!” 

At that moment, Ariel grabbed Melish’s wrist. 

Thud! 

She pinned Melish’s hand to the table, holding it down with such force that it couldn’t move. Her expression was cold and unyielding. 

“The words ‘how dare’ do not belong in your mouth. You dared to kill the late Archduke. You dared to kill my father. You’re nothing but a filthy murderer.” 

“You little… ugh!” 

Melish tried to lift her wrist, but Ariel’s grip was stronger. Besides, the bonds were designed to tighten further with resistance, making any struggle futile. 

“How foolish. As the Emperor’s only sister, you could have lived in luxury until the end of your days. But you couldn’t let go of your greed and lost everything in the end.” 

Ariel released her hand from the tightly secured restraint. 

“For a position you gained by abandoning even your mother and brother, your end is truly pathetic. Almost pitiful.” 

Melish’s face twisted into a grotesque expression. She was disintegrating as Ariel had intended – completely and pathetically. 

“What do you know to speak so carelessly? The one who left me first was…!” 

That was as far as she got. 

Ariel rose from her seat and looked down at Melish with cold disdain. 

“You’re right, I don’t know. And frankly, I have no desire to know. The past of a vile murderer means nothing to me.”

“So save your excuses for the execution platform.” 

Ariel added the last words coldly and turned away without hesitation.

A loud crash echoed through the room behind her. 

Melish, who had jumped to his feet in an attempt to attack Ariel, was thrown sideways by the magic of the restraints. 

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you, you wretch, argh!” 

Her screams, a mixture of rage and pain, did not faze Ariel. 

She didn’t want to see any more of the monster’s misery. 

Without a trace of regret, she opened the door and stepped out of the annex. Even in that final moment, as she crossed the threshold, Ariel never looked back. 

It was the final end of a long and bitter enmity. 

* * *

At the same time as Ariel’s carriage left the Imperial Palace, the atmosphere in Archduke Seyerd’s household was deeply sombre. The Archduke, still unconscious, showed no sign of waking. 

Seoden furrowed his brow as he checked Kylance’s condition once more. 

“Everything seems stable, so why…?” 

He turned to the tower master, who was sitting by the bed, watching over Kylance. 

“Could it be that the poison… hasn’t been completely neutralised? After all, he ingested an excessive amount…” 

Aster shook his head. 

“No. If it had, you’d have noticed. Besides, the Archduke is a transcendent. Even if he drank poison all day, he wouldn’t succumb so easily. And…” 

“Does it really have to go this far?” 

“It is the only way His Majesty will give up. And it will ensure that I am brought to justice.” 

Aster remembered the conversation he’d had with the Archduke. 

Yes, that was it. The Archduke had unfinished business. This wasn’t the time for him to be lying here.

“Then why…?” 

Seoden’s face was marked with confusion, but Aster remained silent, unable to answer himself. 

It had been three hours since he had arrived at the Archduke’s residence. As time passed, the furrows in Aster’s face deepened. 

With a sigh of frustration, Aster let out a heavy breath. 

Just then he felt a slight vibration in his chest. 

He froze, his expression hardening. 

“Wait, just now…” 

As Seoden looked at him with wide eyes, Aster reached into the inside pocket of his coat and pulled something out. 

A silver pocket watch. 

The precious heirloom of the Blante Marquisate – the very watch that had saved Ariel’s life. 

And now, for the first time since it had stopped after saving Ariel, magic began to flow from the watch. 

As if it were trying to move again.