“From the moment I took your hand out of fear of being left alone, everything went wrong. I realised it far too late – only after I had lost what was most precious to me…”

Melish clenched her hand, still floating in the empty air, as if trying to hold onto something that wasn’t there. She swallowed a shuddering breath and spoke.

“You blame me, don’t you? Well, blame me if you must. If it can bring you the slightest bit of peace, I will gladly bear your resentment…”

“No, I do not resent you.”

He met Melish’s trembling gaze and continued, his voice steady.

“I’ve already told you – it’s all my fault. And I mean it. All this tragedy stems from my failure to refuse your hand that day and my inability, even as an adult, to see that your pursuit of vengeance was wrong.”

“……”

“You simply lived your life according to your beliefs. I have no reason to resent you, nor do I have the right to condemn your beliefs as flawed.”

“No, I don’t want to.”

Kylance’s silent addition made Melish’s heart sink.

Then she understood with painful clarity.

Kylance had not forgiven her. He did not intend to forgive her.

He intended to sever their ties completely.

That… couldn’t happen. She couldn’t allow it.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Melish stiffened, her expression hardening. Just as Kylance began to speak, she cut him off.

“I think if we continue this conversation, it will only heighten our emotions.”

“Aunt.”

Kylance’s brow furrowed, his displeasure obvious, but Melish feigned ignorance, turning her head away as if she hadn’t noticed. 

“Yes, I understand now. Your heart must still be in chaos and once again I’ve been too impatient. The search isn’t even over yet… but I was so worried about you that I couldn’t think straight.”

This time Melish avoided looking at Kylance as she spoke.

“Then I’ll be on my way. Take care of yourself. I’ll also pray that Lady Blante is found as soon as possible.”

Without waiting for an answer, Melish turned and left the tent.

Kylance watched the tent flap flutter in her absence and let out a deep sigh.

He knew she had left to avoid hearing from him again.

Though she had raised him as her own, he was not really the child of Duchess Viasteus.

In fact… had she ever really treated him as her own?

The thought suddenly occurred to him.

It was true that she had looked after him and taught him many things. But in all those memories, he couldn’t recall a single moment when he had felt truly happy. 

It was Ariel who showed him what it really meant to be happy. 

Before her, his life revolved around revenge – finding those who killed his parents and taking revenge. Strengthening the northern territories until they became the most powerful city in the Empire, untouchable by anyone. 

As a child, he had thought it was all for his own good, a way to make him stronger. But now… he wasn’t so sure. 

Was it ever really for him? 

He had hoped to resolve everything today, to finally bring clarity and closure. 

But seeing her leave so abruptly was proof – she wouldn’t let him go that easily. 

Still, he couldn’t ignore Duchess Viasteus. 

In the eyes of the public, she was the one who had made him the capable Grand Duke of the North. 

Even the Emperor shared that opinion. 

Despite being her cousin, and despite her brother’s involvement with traitors, Duchess Viasteus continued to receive special treatment.

“Damn.”

Kylance muttered, frustration spilling out as he realised nothing was going as planned.

“That’s not the priority right now…”

His relationship with his aunt could be dealt with later. The first priority was to find Ariel.

He pulled out his pocket watch and looked at the time – it was almost noon.

Still, there had been no response from the Tower.

No confirmation that mages would be sent, not even a refusal. Just silence.

According to Lowell, the mention of Lady Blante had been made unmistakably clear. 

Why had there been no news after more than an hour?

Kylance’s patience was wearing thin – he couldn’t wait any longer.

He decided to leave the tent and contact the tower directly.

That was until Deryl suddenly entered.

An unusual note of unease shadowed Deryl’s expression.

Kylance didn’t hesitate.

“Has the tower finally responded?”

“Well… not exactly a response. They’ve come in person.”

“What do you mean, they came in person…? Don’t tell me…”

As realisation set in, Kylance’s expression hardened. Without waiting for further explanation, he brushed past Deryl and left the tent.

Outside, he was greeted by the sight of a large group of mages gathered on the beach. 

There were well over a dozen mages present, but the one he sought was not among them. 

Kylance scanned the area, his gaze finally settling on a single spot – at the top of the cliff. 

Standing there was a man with golden hair, his long locks swaying gently in the sea breeze. 

The man, who had been staring out at the vast ocean, lowered his gaze to meet Kylance’s. 

Their gazes locked, golden eyes piercingly clear even from a distance. 

“The Tower Master.” 

He had come to the Pentium Empire in person when he heard the news of Ariel and openly revealed his status as Master of the Tower. 

To think he’d come himself. 

Kylance had expected some help, given the man’s obvious interest in Ariel, but he hadn’t expected him to appear here directly. 

It was almost unheard of for the Master of the Tower to personally attend to a request, unless it was a national emergency.

This made the situation highly unusual, enough to cause murmurs among the soldiers and knights.

Without taking his eyes off Aster, who was standing at the top of the cliff, Kylance gave an order to Deryl, who was standing behind him.

“Delay the news of the Tower Master’s arrival as long as possible. Increase the secrecy of the search party and tighten the access restrictions.”

If it became known that the Tower Master was involved in the search for a missing noblewoman, it would undoubtedly lead to endless rumours. Delaying the news was crucial.

Ideally, it would be best if the information didn’t get out at all.

“Understood.”

Deryl moved quickly to carry out the order while Kylance made his way to the cliff, heading for where Aster stood.

Even when Kylance reached the top, Aster remained at the edge, his gaze still fixed on the sea. Kylance paused, hesitant.

For a brief moment, the image of Ariel standing in this very spot flashed vividly in his mind. 

“You have achieved perfect revenge, Kylance.”

“Don’t ever forget this moment. Remember how I died before your eyes.”

“Goodbye, Kylance.”

With these last words, Ariel had thrown herself off the cliff.

The horrible scene replayed itself in Kylance’s mind, his chest tightening as if an invisible hand were crushing his lungs.

His mind began to spin again. He clenched his fists and forced his blurred vision to focus.

‘You don’t even deserve to feel this pain.’

As he cursed himself, the sound of approaching footsteps broke through his confusion. The Tower Master was coming towards him.

Kylance lifted his head. The Tower Master stood before him, his stern gaze fixed on Kylance.

Quickly, Kylance forced his darkened expression into composure and spoke. 

“I never expected you to come in person. Thank you for responding so quickly – it must have been a difficult request.”

The gratitude was perfectly expressed, but the Tower Master’s lips curled slightly, almost in contempt.

“How surprising. Genuine gratitude instead of mere formality.”

“What do you mean…?” 

Kylance’s brow arched at the subtle sarcasm in the words, but the Tower Master cut him off before he could continue.

“You even went so far as to assign someone to watch me. I was under the impression that the Grand Duke didn’t particularly care for me.”

His words were blunt, without any pretence or effort to soften the statement. There was no context – no when, where or why – attached to his statement.

But Kylance understood immediately.

For the Tower Master’s accusation was true. 

When Kylance had recognised the Tower Master, disguised in another form, approaching Ariel, he had instructed Deryl to keep a close eye on him.

He was curious to know why the Tower Master had come to the Empire. More importantly, he wanted to know why he was looking for Ariel.

It turned out that the Tower Master had been aware of the surveillance all along. At the time, blinded by jealousy, Kylance hadn’t considered this possibility – but in retrospect it made perfect sense.

The Tower Master was an Archmage who had transcended human limitations, while Deryl, skilled as he was, remained a knight bound by mortal limits.

Though momentarily unsettled by the mention of the incident he’d almost forgotten, Kylance didn’t deny it.

After all, the Tower Master had been far more to blame in that particular situation. 

“It is true that I had you under surveillance. At the time, however, you entered the Empire without following proper protocols and approached both the Marquis’ estate and Lady Blante without…”

Before Kylance could finish his explanation, the Tower Master interrupted him.