“No. I’m refusing. So I think it’s best if you return to the imperial palace.”

I refused again this time. She was too valuable a talent to waste as a knight in this remote northern region. She seemed like she should be playing in bigger waters.

“I’ll use this room then.”

But Mary stubbornly insisted on working as a knight of House Suffolk, picked out a room she liked on her own, unpacked her things, and settled right in.

I should have refused and said no, but her attitude was so shameless yet natural that I found it amusing, so I appointed her as a knight of House Suffolk.

Just having Mary here made the empty Ventus Castle feel full.

Probably because it was filled with the sound of her chattering, but thanks to that, I felt like I could forget the feeling of loneliness for a while.

After finishing the urgent matters I needed to handle at Ventus Castle, the first thing I did was apologize to the families of those who had died unjustly because of Father and me.

Since Father’s wrongs were my wrongs, I had to take all responsibility.

Along with an apology for being late, I gave them appropriate financial compensation.

Of course, I knew financial compensation couldn’t replace their sadness. That’s why when I first met them, they looked at me with resentful eyes.

But after learning about my circumstances—that I too had fallen to slavery, suffered, and only recently returned—they understood me at least a little.

Now that I’d put out the most urgent fire, next came financial management.

Everything started when the minerals owned by House Suffolk ran out. That’s why Father, feeling rushed, had done such unreasonable things.

Knowing that greed brings great disaster, I chose to maintain what wealth I had instead of earning big money. Since there was quite a bit coming in from the territory I owned, as long as I wasn’t greedy, I could make a living.

Deon Roden came to visit me occasionally. Since he’d deceived me several times, even though I’d forgiven Kalian, I didn’t want to forgive him. The annoying feeling still remained.

But.

“It’s really unfair. With His Majesty’s usual personality, he would have abandoned you without a second thought. But when it came to you, he kept creating unpredictable situations, which troubled me too. Still, I saved your life, so won’t you forgive me?”

He complained to me like he was truly wronged. He was so frustrated he kept pounding his chest.

“Fine.”

I’d had no intention of forgiving him for life, but seeing him apologize and cling to me several times, I thought there was no reason not to forgive him. Perhaps because my heart had become more comfortable, I seemed to have more room in my heart too.

“Ah, His Majesty is living well with his temper much subdued. Of course, being a warmonger, he’s resolving his longing for you by personally subjugating barbarians.”

When it was time to go home, he told me news of Kalian.

Since I hadn’t asked once throughout the entire conversation, his awkward way of suddenly acting like he’d just remembered and telling me about Kalian was quite comical.

“If he asks, tell him I’m doing well too.”

I chuckled.

“He asks every single day, which is troublesome. You’re not planning to never meet him for life, are you? Every time I see his eyes soaked in madness, it’s chilling. So he needs a sedative…”

Deon Roden trailed off while gauging my reaction.

“Well. Isn’t it good if a warmonger relieves stress through war with barbarians?”

I left him with an ambiguous answer. Then he smiled bitterly.

I did plan to meet Kalian eventually, when my heart gradually stabilized and all the knots in my heart were untangled.

I didn’t know when that would be, but for the time being, I decided to maintain a peaceful life.

* * *

Starting six months ago, carcasses of animals like hawks, foxes, and deer began appearing in front of Ventus Castle once or twice a month.

Since animals were rarely seen in the snowy northern region, someone was deliberately leaving them.

“Oh my goodness. Some truly simple-minded someone must be hunting nearby and leaving them on purpose. At least we won’t starve to death.”

Mary smiled meaningfully every time she moved the game. Though she didn’t specify who, she seemed to already know.

“Seems like it. We’ll feast tonight, won’t we?”

I knew too, but pretended not to.

The culprit was probably Kalian.

When I looked out the window, I’d occasionally spot a familiar silhouette. And on those days, animal carcasses would definitely be left, so I couldn’t not know.

“Kalian…”

I murmured his name quietly.

During the past year without him, time had flown by frantically, and in that time, Ventus Castle had changed a lot.

I’d never imagined the atmosphere would change depending on who owned the castle.

Now that I was the owner, this place was no longer a gloomy, desolate space. Though it was still cold, it had now transformed into a space with a quiet yet antique atmosphere.

Part of it was because I’d changed the dark furnishings to bright colors, but the bigger reason was that the atmosphere flowing through the castle itself had completely changed.

I, who’d always found happiness in small things, tried to feel happiness in everything. For example, I tried not to lose my smile and tried not to grumble.

When I, the castle’s owner, changed, the expressions of the people working there also began to brighten. Of course, I couldn’t change it alone. Mary, with her naturally bright personality, also played a part in changing the castle’s atmosphere.

I also began interacting with other nobles in the northern region.

Though the distance wasn’t far, the roads were rough and difficult to travel, so we hadn’t been able to interact before. But shortly after I came to Ventus Castle, when the imperial family began building new roads, paths opened up here and there, making it possible.

As a result, the road from the northern region to the capital became shorter. Thanks to that, a distance that took over three days was reduced to just under two days.

It was a gift from a certain someone, with the sentiment that I should come to the capital anytime.

Next to arrive at Ventus Castle was a sturdy, large carriage.

‘A gift from His Majesty.’

Deon Roden came to see me, leading the carriage Kalian had gifted.

“…”

Kalian was subtly pressuring me to the point where my words about breaking up seemed meaningless. To come see him anytime.

‘No. Send it back. It’s too burdensome to accept. I already have a carriage, so I don’t need it.’

I tried to send the carriage back immediately, but

‘Then at least accept this. Think of my hard work having to bring a carriage to this cold place with howling snowstorms. Okay?’

Deon Roden stubbornly insisted he couldn’t go back to the capital with such a wronged expression, so I had to accept the carriage gift.

When I refused all other gifts after that, game he’d hunted began appearing in front of the castle.

Not only could I not send them back, but they were also a sign that he’d stopped by nearby.

Instead, he absolutely tried not to run into me. It meant he was waiting until my heart was completely healed.

“Do you still have knots remaining?”

Mary asked me while carrying a lion draped over her shoulder. She deliberately kept hovering in front of me conspicuously.

“…”

I couldn’t answer Mary’s words. I too missed Kalian as time passed. I wanted to jump into his arms and be held, to feel his body temperature, his scent.

But something still bothered me like a thorn stuck in my throat. It was that I still couldn’t forget the sight of people who’d died unjustly before my eyes.

The sight of them dying still remained vivid in my mind. That’s why I kept hesitating.

‘Grand Duke Suffolk, how about you put down the burden on your heart now and find happiness? Actually, you did nothing wrong. Just because you’re his daughter, you don’t need to feel this guilty. You’ve apologized, so how about becoming a bit freer from that incident now?’

Then rather, the bereaved families of the deceased said words that lifted my guilt.

Could I really do that?

After hearing their words and agonizing over them, I finally decided to put down some of the burden on my heart and now move as my heart directed.

* * *

“Just how long will you leave the empress position vacant?”

“That’s right. If you keep it empty like this, when will you have an heir?”

At the government council meeting, they should have been discussing matters related to state affairs, but it kept going in a different direction every time.

They wanted the empress position that had been vacant for so long to be filled first, so they kept pressuring Kalian.

Since Lady Sylvia’s conduct had been poor, Kalian had used that excuse to leave the empress position vacant until now. But as time passed, even that excuse no longer worked.

“It’s urgent. Don’t you need to have an heir?”

“That’s right. Even if not an empress, shouldn’t there at least be an imperial consort?”

Everyone clung to Kalian pleadingly. Knowing his temperament, they couldn’t force him and could only beg.

An imperial consort? That was ridiculous. For Kalian, there was only one woman.

“Did she not attend today either?”

He asked Deon about Grand Duke Suffolk’s attendance. Then he shook his head with a pitying look.

‘Just how long must I wait like this?’

Returning the Suffolk family name to Elena was because it was originally hers, but also to create an excuse to see her face by having her attend government council meetings.

Though its authority had fallen considerably compared to before, since she had the position of grand duke, she could attend anytime if Kalian permitted it.

Since he had to listen to Elena’s words, they had to have a brief separation, but because he wanted to see her face, Kalian had used his head in his own way.

But Elena seemed to have no intention of ever appearing before him. He waited every time for her to appear, but every time the government council meeting ended in disappointment.

At least Elena wasn’t dead, so Kalian was enduring and bearing it. But as days went by, it became increasingly harder to endure.

So he broke his word to her and occasionally visited House Suffolk to see her face from afar.

He was withering day by day, but Elena seemed to be doing well without him, which left a corner of his heart bitter.

Surely she wasn’t planning to never see him for life?

While listening to the ministers’ words arguing over the empress position with one ear and letting it out the other, a sigh naturally flowed from Kalian’s mouth.

That’s when it happened. A knock sounded at the meeting room, and welcome news came from the mouth of the servant who came to deliver a message.

“Grand Duke Suffolk has arrived.”

Grand Duke Suffolk? 

Color instantly returned to Kalian’s face. It seemed the wait had been worthwhile.

He rose from his seat and walked toward the door with quick steps before Elena could come inside.

“Your Majesty?”

Surprised by Kalian’s unexpected action, some of the gazes of those who’d been arguing turned toward him. Kalian extended his hand to the person entering, paying no attention to their gazes.

“Your Majesty?”

Elena’s steps, about to enter, stopped. She looked at Kalian with wide eyes. She seemed not to have expected him to walk all the way to the door.

Kalian quickly took her hand and brought her before everyone.

“I’ll marry Grand Duke Suffolk. Then the headache from today’s meeting will be resolved.”

Though his tone was gentle, a voice close to a threat flowed from his mouth.

At that moment, the noisy meeting room instantly became quiet, and everyone’s gazes turned toward Kalian. He felt Elena’s gaze too.

When he heard no particular words of opposition, Kalian met Elena’s eyes. Then he slowly knelt down.

“Oh, my.”

“Your… Your Majesty.”

Words unable to hide their bewilderment flowed from around them, but nothing reached Kalian’s ears. Only Elena was visible in his eyes, and only her voice reached his ears.

“Elena, marry me. Let me stay by your side for life and repay the debt in my heart. Give me a chance to atone.”

Kalian took out the ring he’d been carrying in his pocket and showed it before Elena.

He was blind to everything else right now. Since it had been such a long time since they’d met, he absolutely didn’t want to let her go anymore.

That’s why Kalian proposed in front of everyone. For the sole reason of wanting to leave a mark that she was his.

“This is too sudden. We’re seeing each other’s faces for the first time in a year, and you’re asking me to marry you. Is it okay to act so arbitrarily?”

Elena, surprised while looking at the ring, asked in a small voice while gauging those around her.

“So what. I’ve been living in hell for the past year. If you’re worried, I can ask again.”

The gaze that had been on Elena shifted to the others.

“Is there anyone who opposes placing Grand Duke Suffolk in the empress position right now?”

A coldly descended voice instantly made the meeting room atmosphere chilly.

When red eyes filled with killing intent threatening enough to freeze people slowly looked around the meeting room, even the air pressed down heavily.

Surprised by his momentum and intimidation, the nobles couldn’t say anything and only slowly shook their heads left and right.

“There isn’t. Then you’ll marry me, right?”

When a satisfactory answer came from the ministers, this time he asked Elena almost forcefully.

“I, I will.”

Elena, who’d blinked her surprised eyes several times, nodded. Soon after, her clear violet eyes like transparent glass beads looking up sparkled like facing the person she loved most in this world.

Kalian smiled with satisfaction, slipped the ring onto Elena’s finger, then held her in his arms.

Finally. You’ve become mine.

Only now did he feel like he’d been compensated for all his hardships and gained the whole world.