Leliana came out of the room after whispering sweet nothings with Beatus as always.

“Hmm, seems like I’ll return to my original position soon.”

She needed to get what Beatus wanted. Though Leliana felt somewhat anxious, it didn’t matter.

What she worried about was Selvia having the child of prophecy. But Beatus hadn’t even consummated with Selvia.

In the end, it was just needless worry.

As she was fixing her disheveled hair while heading to her room, she saw a familiar face.

“……Ian?”

He couldn’t possibly be here.

Leliana followed the person who looked like Ian.

“Ian Devorsel!”

When they reached the garden, he stopped abruptly.

He had definitely responded to the name.

Leliana quickly approached him with certainty and grabbed his shoulder to turn him around.

Sure enough, it was him.

Ian, still with his beautiful features, smiled brightly at her.

“Why are you here?”

Leliana’s suspicious eyes quickly scanned him. But seeing his blue eyes, her wariness naturally softened.

“Don’t tell me you came looking for me after hearing I was here? Secretly?”

Her slender fingers traced his sharp jawline and moved downward. However, Harwin grabbed her hand emotionlessly and removed it.

“Hmm, you’re still the same. Rejecting my touch.”

Leliana frowned while holding her stinging wrist.

Though she was glad to see his face, it would be quite troublesome if he appeared here.

If Beatus were to learn of his existence……

‘Just when I was about to find my place.’

Leliana glared at Harwin while clenching her fist.

She had heard through her father how much he had taken when he broke off their engagement, despite being from a humble family with only his high pride.

Just thinking about that incident made her head throb.

“I have no intention of breaking off the engagement. Since the Flandre family demanded it, I should receive all appropriate compensation.”

They say he took everything with a kind smile on his face.

For her future, her father had no choice but to give what he could without straining their finances.

‘One thing that bothers me is that he specifically took a woman’s necklace.’

That was the former Duchess’s—Selvia’s mother’s—keepsake anyway, so it had nothing to do with her.

The necklace was old, its jewels had lost their luster, and it was too rusted to fetch a proper price.

Harwin smirked, watching Leliana’s complicated expression.

“Don’t misunderstand—I didn’t come looking for you, my lady.”

“Then why are you lurking around here? I remember our relationship ended the day you took that necklace.”

“Ah, yes of course. We should each go our own way. It wouldn’t be good for you if my presence became known, so be careful.”

Leliana ground her teeth at Ian’s words.

He was still as proud as ever. A man with no backing or anything else going for him except his face. He’s so beautiful it made her feel regretful.

‘If he had just been more docile, I would have even kept him as my lover.’

She clicked her tongue remembering Ian who had already disappeared from her side.

* * *

Harwin grimaced as he wiped his jaw where she had touched him with a handkerchief.

“What about the diplomatic request to the Kingdom of Delpheron? We’ve gone to them, now it’s their turn to visit.”

“It’s been sent. Shall we go?”

He dropped the handkerchief he had used to wipe his face on the ground and got into the carriage.

He regretted that his good mood from meeting Selvia had vanished.

The carriage bearing the Karina Empire’s imperial seal quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Harwin stepped out of the carriage after reaching the Karina Empire, which seemed closer to darkness than light, as if swallowed by it.

“You’re late. It’s troublesome when you disappear from your post like this after working us so hard.”

Belrocan frowned and grumbled at Harwin.

“Isn’t that why I put you in that position?”

“I know that, but isn’t this too harsh?”

Harwin waved his hand at those words. It meant don’t bother him.

“The letter seems well written and sent too. How do those two seem? You sent the gifts properly too, right?”

“Of course. We’ve deceived them well, so there shouldn’t be any way to detect it.”

“It’s amazing they haven’t collapsed yet with palace security in that state.”

Harwin ran his hand through his hair as he sat in the chair.

He had been busy preparing gifts for Selvia.

Since ordinary things probably wouldn’t satisfy her, he planned to do his best to catch her eye.

Harwin scratched his chin as his eyes sparkled. Seeing this, Belrocan sighed with uneasy eyes.

“What do you want now?”

“Me?”

Belrocan has the wrong idea. It’s not something I can have just because I want it.

“I want her to want me.”

“……You mean her?”

Instead of answering, Harwin just raised the corner of his mouth in a smirk.

He soon took out the prophecy scroll from his possession, unfolded it, and tapped the table.

“You still have that necklace, right?”

“Yes, should we send that too?”

“No, it’s too early.”

It was his final means to draw her in.

“It’s all troublesome—what do you think about just crushing the Kingdom of Delpheron?”

What nonsense.

Belrocan shuddered remembering how they had struggled with the Kingdom of Delpheron.

And now he wants to do something even worse?

Even if they need the child of prophecy…

“Have you lost your mind?”

“I have gone mad. Just in a different way.”

Harwin recalled Selvia’s wavering eyes.

If what she wanted was the throne, he was prepared to reveal all his cards.

“Something interesting will happen soon.”

“Your Majesty!”

Belrocan cried out with a dumbfounded expression.

Harwin chuckled as he looked at his palm.

“Just think of it as repaying a debt of gratitude.”

“……This is excessive.”

Harwin lightly ignored Belrocan’s words and looked at the crystal ball.

The reason he participated in the delegation was to plant this.

He needed to capture and present images of Beatus and Leliana.

“I really don’t know if this is okay.”

“What’s not okay about it? We’re the ones showing mercy. Don’t forget that.”

The Karina Empire is known for loving peace.

Even in history books, it was recorded as an empire that expanded its territory peacefully without war.

However, the reality was different.

Their enemies naturally submitted to overwhelming power.

Harwin was ‘one who wields the power of god.’

He had the power to make others submit just by facing them, without doing anything.

However, his power didn’t work on Selvia.

So he doubted whether she was the child of prophecy. And finally got confirmation.

Harwin looked at the scar remaining on his hand.

Indelible wounds were carved all over his body.

Harwin closed his eyes tightly as he recalled memories of struggling to survive.

Their first meeting wasn’t at the Flandre duchy.

At that time, Harwin was in a dark alley. He was trembling looking at his body soaked in blood.

‘This is something I don’t want to remember.’

However, the vision that had already unfolded wouldn’t disappear. At the same time, he saw a face he missed.

“Are you in danger?”

She was a girl with flowing black hair and dazzlingly beautiful golden eyes.

The moment Harwin faced her, his heart dropped.

With her dazzling smile, she remained unchanged from childhood until now.

Selvia readily reached out her hand to him who was trembling in fear.

“……Go away.”

“I can’t do that. Because you look like you need help.”

She said such things despite seeing him for the first time.

Then she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her.

Harwin, who stood up in confusion, burst into tears at the warmth he felt from her fingertips.

‘If she knew what I did with these hands, she would be horrified.’

He was ten years old at the time. At that young age, Harwin awakened his power.

He immediately killed his siblings in the Karina Empire and became the only heir.

Being in a relationship of killing or being killed, the only way to survive was to kill everyone. Even if it was truly barbaric.

“It seems like there are people looking for you, shall I hide you?”

Selvia held Harwin’s hand tightly with a bright smile.

Because she saw Harwin’s slow nod.

At that moment, a black curtain fell around Harwin.

Selvia told him to simply say, “I can go now,” whenever he was ready.

When he spoke the spell Selvia had told him after reaching his desired location, amazingly, the curtain lifted and disappeared.

Harwin opened his eyes that he had closed in contemplation. Belrocan, who had been watching this, carefully said.

“We still need the power of light, don’t we?”

“Yes, that’s right. We’re not free from the same prophecy either.”

The same prophecy had been given to the continent.

Interest in the Light family grew, and because of this, other countries were secretly monitoring Selvia who had become queen.

“Be careful.”

“Are you worried about me? You’re doing something unnecessary.”

Belrocan gave a bitter smile looking at Harwin.

“Yes, I know. That it’s the most useless worry in the world.”

Though he said that, Harwin cared for him. Because he was the only completely loyal ally he had left.