“I would have thrown this damned Federico into h*ll and ended my life.”

Marian’s face froze. Such things…… she had never imagined such stories. She didn’t know what had happened to Abel after she died before the regression.

“You were…… planning to die?”

“What would be left for me after that? After revenge? Did you think I would burn this world?”

Abel snapped.

The darkness he had been harboring was deeper and heavier than anyone had expected—more than Marian could have imagined.

Without reservation, Abel unleashed everything he had tried to keep hidden.

Abel, who had shone like a burning sun, had been consuming himself all along.

“I endured those filthy and painful times and desperately crawled out into the world to burn Federico! After losing that goal, what was I supposed to live for?”

“Abel!”

Sparks flew in his eyes.

“You’re the one who broke my resolve and made me live as a person, not a beast! And now you say you’re going to die?”

Abel laughed softly.

His eyes gleamed like those of a madman.

“And after you leave me, then what about me? Poor Marian. You really don’t know me at all. If you saved a beast, you should take responsibility until the end! Shouldn’t I be the one getting angry? If that’s how it was going to be, if you were going to die and leave me, if that was your filthy intention! You shouldn’t have saved me!”

Marian stared at Abel, her face pale.

Her fingertips trembled as she tried to step back, but Abel’s hands desperately held onto her.

Abel lifted the corners of his lips.

“You can’t escape. If you die, you die with me; if you live, you live with me.”

It was a terrible tangle of emotions. Marian read intense obsession in Abel’s eyes. It made her insides shudder.

“Abel……”

“You started this, Marian.”

Abel whispered gently.

“It won’t be me who’s left alone in this world, it will be you. That’s the punishment I give you for deceiving me, Marian.”

Marian’s punishment wasn’t over.

Abel had given her a new guilt to bear.

With a pale face, Marian moved her lips, but only a wordless groan escaped.

“Don’t die and live. In my place.”

Abel laughed.

“Remembering me and honoring me for the rest of your life.”

Abel’s large hand gently caressed Marian’s belly.

In contrast to his harsh words and gaze, his touch was tender.

“You’ll live with this child, Marian. This child will inevitably resemble me. Looking at the child after it’s born, remembering me, and loving only me until the day you die.”

Abel laughed softly.

“Then I…… think I can be truly happy.”

Only now did she realize his terrible obsession and madness.

Abel hadn’t been fine in that h*ll—he had just been hiding it. He had been truly insane.

This was Abel’s true self.

Marian let out a short breath as she was pulled into Abel’s arms.

“Abel……”

Marian tightly closed her eyes.

**

An unprecedented silence flowed between Abel and Marian.

They were on their way back to the capital after the child had stabilized. Marian needed to go to that position before the empty imperial palace caused more confusion.

It was the last inn they were staying at on their way to the capital. Tomorrow they would arrive at the imperial palace in the capital.

Albrecht, Liebe, and Rosette sighed as they watched Abel and Marian silently going up to the bedroom.

“They’ve never been like this before. Why are they acting this way?”

“It’s because they’re too similar.”

Albrecht clicked his tongue as he spoke.

He had accidentally overheard the details of Abel and Marian’s argument.

“Their thoughts are similar too.”

“In what way?”

“In the way that the other is more important than themselves. It’s just a lovers’ quarrel. It will pass if we watch over them.”

Albrecht shook his head.

Liebe and Rosette nodded as well.

“It would be more productive to focus on security rather than worrying about that.”

Both agreed with Rosette’s words. It was common to get caught in the crossfire when meddling in lovers’ quarrels.

**

As soon as Marian sat on the bed, Abel handed her a glass of water.

She glanced at him before accepting it and taking a sip. Since their argument, Abel had become strangely awkward.

They had thought they understood everything about each other’s depths, but they discovered there was something even deeper.

She also realized how much Abel had been holding back.

Marian chose to remain silent—not out of anger, but because she didn’t know what to say.

Abel was someone with no attachment to life. It was Marian who had made him continue living. According to Abel, she had saved his life.

In contrast, Marian was someone full of desire for life. She had countless things she wanted to do and countless responsibilities she needed to fulfill. But she had been forced into a situation where she had to give all of that up.

Selfishly, Marian had thought Abel would take over after she was gone.

Though she couldn’t directly manage it, she believed Abel, who understood her better than anyone, would handle it for her.

In the end, their conflict stemmed from the fundamental difference in mindset between someone who wanted to live and someone who wanted to die.

‘But he said he would live if I’m there.’

Marian bit her lip firmly. From a consequentialist perspective, Abel had given her the life she desperately wanted. She just needed to suppress her guilt, accept it, and pretend not to notice.

She couldn’t keep up this silent protest forever. If someone had to reach out first, this time, it had to be her.

Marian moved her lips and gently stroked her lower abdomen.

“……Have you thought about a name for the child?”

Abel stared intently at Marian, meeting her gaze.

They didn’t just share thoughts and the darkness within—they shared the same look in their eyes, as if stamped from the same mold.

It was the look of someone who had taken lives. Abel thought of it as a mark placed by God—a fateful mark binding the two of them together.

Though not a romantic, Abel felt a desperate need when he looked at Marian. He wanted to forge any connection with her, to tie her to himself.

What truly angered him was the sense that Marian didn’t feel the same way, that she was preparing to leave him.

But when she approached him with such a defeated expression, Abel couldn’t help but yield. The tension in his shoulders eased.

Abel sat down next to Marian.

“……We don’t even know if it’s a girl or a boy yet.”

“What name would be good for a girl?”

“Let’s give her a cute name. The most adorable name in the world.”

Abel said firmly. A smile settled on Marian’s lips.

“It should also look strong. If she takes after you, she’ll surely be stronger than anyone.”

“Titania?”

A smile also appeared on Abel’s lips. Just thinking about a child resembling Marian made his heart feel soft.

“……I like that too.”

“How about Lobelia?”

“That would suit her too.”

Abel laughed. It was amazing how they could reconcile with just a few words after such an intense fight. Abel himself thought so. How he became so soft in matters related to Marian.

“Then what if it’s a boy?”

“……Well, maybe Benjamin, or Leo.”

“Abel?”

“He’ll be a child who resembles me. That child will live well no matter what he does, so there’s no need to worry.”

Marian shook her head. Thinking it was truly like him to say that.

**

Just past 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

Leoni welcomed them. Under her command, the collapsed castle walls were being repaired, and all situations had been resolved.

The traitors were executed and disappeared like dew, and the Empress’s head had also fallen.

There was no one left who could threaten Abel and Marian anymore.

Marian looked around the imperial palace with a face full of emotion. She never thought she would return like this, in this form.

Marian thought that when she returned here, it would be right after she had resigned herself to death.

‘They say life is unpredictable.’

Marian had gained a new life gifted by Abel. Last night, she promised him,

‘……I’ll live for you. I’ll never take this life you’ve given me lightly. I won’t think about leaving you behind ever again.’

Abel smiled as if that was enough.

Marian felt she could do at least that much. Leoni came before her and bowed her head.

“Your Majesty the Emperor.”

Those words made her heart swell. Marian unconsciously took a deep breath and turned her head to look behind her.

Liebe, Rosette, and Albrecht were guarding her back.

She then turned her head again, this time fixing her gaze on Abel.

Abel stood firmly by her side, protecting her.

He nodded, as if to assure her that everything was fine.

“……The nobles are waiting for Your Majesty the Emperor now.”

Marian’s magic field spread slowly throughout the imperial palace.

She smiled as she watched it rise like a shimmering heat haze.

In her previous life, Marian had been abandoned more miserably than anyone else and had lost her life unjustly. But now, Marian was the ultimate victor.

She had survived alone, and she was here—strong and unshaken.

No one could threaten her anymore. The magic field that had once felt cold and gloomy now radiated like a beautiful jewel.

Marian began to walk slowly. With each step she took, the world transformed, blooming in vibrant hues.

At the end of that path lay Marian’s world and the Federico she would create.

**

Late at night.

Court physicians were summoned at Abel’s insistence. It seemed all the court physicians who had been working at the imperial palace were called. He was worried that the long journey might have harmed Marian and the baby.

The court physicians who checked her pulse all tilted their heads in confusion as they stepped back.

Rosette pressed her lips together with an anxious face.

Abel also fidgeted with his fingers impatiently, and Liebe swallowed hard. Only Marian had a calm face.

Then the five court physicians gathered together and whispered among themselves.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Abel spoke.

“What on earth is going on? Is there a problem with Marian and the child?”

“That’s not it…… May I check the pulse once more?”

Marian obediently extended her hand. After the representative court physician examined her once more, the court physicians bowed their heads.

“Both the child and the mother are safe.”

“And?”

“It seems there’s not just one child, Your Grace.”

Abel raised his eyebrows.

“Congratulations, Your Grace. It appears Her Majesty the Emperor will give birth to two children! Both children are healthy!”

“Ah.”

At those words, people let out sighs of relief. Marian looked at Abel and burst into laughter.

“It seems we need to think of one more name each?”

Abel’s smile deepened.

They had one more reason to live in this world. The two of them would probably be fine.

As long as they were together!

— The End —