Contemplating Ariel’s cold demeanor, Marquis Louis had come to the conclusion that his daughter would not accept his apology and had been avoiding her all along.

However, today he finally came to find her, driven by the belief that his daughter’s marriage should not be delayed any longer. He sat in front of her, apprehensive of the possibility of being rejected.

Marquis Louis anxiously swallowed and fidgeted with his hands.

“…I was anxious because I thought you wouldn’t come back. You grew older… but still, I shouldn’t have done that. I’m truly sorry for lying to you.”

Marquis Louis struggled to open his mouth while fiddling with his twitching hands.

He believed that his daughter’s lively personality had completely changed since that day.

“I’ve been waiting to hear those words.”

Ariel finally looked straight at her father.

“You want me to attend the victory celebration, don’t you?”

“Yes, yes! If you go, it will be a nice change of pace for you to meet different people.”

“Father, I will attend as you wish, but please don’t hold any high expectations.”

“Yes, Ariel. I don’t want to burden you. Just go and have some fun.”

A warm smile appeared on Marquis Louis’ lips. He wished he had expressed his feelings like this earlier. The time that had been spent in discomfort suddenly felt despicable.

“Yes, father.”

Ariel captured his delighted expression with her own eyes.

It wasn’t as if Ariel didn’t understand the reasons that compelled Marquis Louis to lie.

But for Ariel, his apology was the last thing she expected. It was a small hope that would help restore trust in his father.

Since that expectation has been fulfilled, it would be acceptable to grant his small wish.

‘As for Leopold, I can avoid him by myself. There’s no one in high society who would recognize me. I’ll go with a light heart.’

Ariel shrugged, as if it were nothing.

At that time, she didn’t know yet. That in her abyss, as pitch-black and silent as the universe, a gentle ripple would occur.

***

When the volcano of Mount Peu exploded, which served as the dwelling and forge of the dwarves in ancient times, the dwarves lost their homeland.

Then, the Kingdom of Macglier took in the displaced dwarves without any conditions, and in return, the dwarves annually provided the kingdom with their meticulously crafted weapons.

These weapons contained magical power and unleashed explosive destruction.

Having witnessed the power of those weapons, Atlan also wanted to obtain the dwarven weapons for themselves.

But the dwarves flatly refused, citing that they only made weapons for the Kingdom of Macglier.

Hearing this, the Empire of Atlan declared war on the Kingdom of Macglier.

This war was an endless war.

The Atlan knights had exceptional individual combat capabilities, but they couldn’t defeat the Macglier soldiers wearing magical armor.

The battle remained at a stalemate.

Since the time of the First Emperor, Atlan had invested vast amounts of war materials and soldiers, but they couldn’t surpass the dwarven weapons.

Conquering Macglier had been Atlan’s ambition, so as soon as Leopold ascended the throne, he stood at the forefront of the imperial knights with only a longsword in hand.

The imperial knights mocked him. They said that the unlucky crown prince seemed to have no attachment to his own life.

But Leopold cut down the dwarven weapons held by the Macglier soldiers with his sword, rendering them useless.

Once it became known that Leopold was a swordmaster, the Kingdom of Macglier quickly declared surrender.

The war that had dragged on for a long time finally came to an end, thanks to Emperor Leopold. As Macglier became a vassal state of Atlan, they were freely supplied with dwarven weapons.

Because of this, a victory celebration was held on such a grand scale that it would be recorded in history, and all the nobles of the empire attended.

The banquet hall was decorated with colorful flowers, and catering by the imperial head chef was provided during the ceremony.

The music of the imperial orchestra resonated throughout the banquet hall.

‘How boring.’

With a solemn expression on his face, Leopold rested his elbow on the armrest of the throne and rested his chin on his hand.

His narrow eyes glanced down at the people who were attending the celebration. They were either dancing to the music, drinking, or engaging in loud conversations without ceasing.

‘This is a war I fought and won, so why are these people so excited about it. I simply don’t understand. Ah, they’re Atlan nobles. They are nothing more than swine who flattered and satisfied their own ambitions under the incompetent emperor.’

When uncomfortable emotions surged within him, a cold breeze swept through Leopold’s red eyes.

With his head held still, he moved only his eyes to examine the interior of the banquet hall.

But his shoulders twitched, and his gaze became fixed on one spot. His sharp, dazzling eyes widened. His slightly opened mouth, which had remained closed throughout the party, gradually widened further.

At the end of his gaze was Ariel, who was standing still.

‘How can this be… That woman!’

She was undoubtedly the girl he had met about ten years ago in the imperial garden.

Due to the passage of time, her physique and aura had changed significantly, but Leopold could recognize her at a glance.

‘Where has she been until now? Could this possibly be a dream?’

Leopold rubbed his eyes with his hands as though he found it hard to believe, then looked at that spot again.

Fortunately, he wasn’t seeing things.

She stood alone in a corner of the banquet hall.

She was far away, so he couldn’t confirm the color of her eyes. But her milky skin, golden hair, large eyes, and reddish plump lips indicated that she was the same girl he had encountered ten years ago.

When they first met, she exuded a lively and energetic atmosphere. But now, something must have happened, as her face was dominated by a melancholic sadness.

It looked like she had no interest in anything.

She paid no attention to the curious gazes of those who were curious about her identity. She seemed to be waiting for the time to pass and for this banquet to end.

Leopold questioned her condition, but he was glad to have met her again.

He tried hard to calm his thumping heart.

His butt tingled as he desperately wanted to confirm the color of the woman’s eyes before him.

‘If her eyes are emerald green, it must be her, without a doubt.’

But he was the emperor.

Even if she was standing in a corner of the banquet hall, all eyes were inevitably drawn to him as he made his move.

Leopold waited for the right moment. The moment to grasp that charming woman in his hands.

Perhaps, she kept a stern gaze to prevent others from approaching her.

Fortunately, apart from the maidservants carrying trays filled with champagne and moving around the banquet hall, no one approached her.

‘No one probably approached her because of that extremely indifferent attitude.’

Or maybe they were repulsed by her empty champagne glasses piled up on the windowsill. But why am I so delighted? All she does is lean against the wall and sip her drink.

Leopold faintly smiled.

That smile was a smile that seemed almost expressionless, except for those closest to him.

But soon, even that faint smile disappeared from Leopold’s face.

Unable to control her body properly, Ariel stumbled and stepped out onto the balcony.

‘What if she falls? Ah, I can’t send anyone to help her.’

Leopold, feeling anxious, looked around, turning his head from side to side.

The festive atmosphere was in full swing, and it seemed that no one was paying attention to the emperor.

“Your Majesty, do you need anything?”

Richard, standing up from his seat, asked Leopold.

“I feel a bit suffocated. I’ll go out and get some fresh air.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll accompany you.”

When Richard followed him, Leopold raised his arm to prevent him from approaching, with a very determined look in his eyes.

“No, it’s not necessary.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Before he could finish his answer, Leopold had already put on his invisibility cloak and disappeared.

‘She must be drunk.’

Worried, Leopold’s footsteps quickened.

Thud.

He entered the balcony where she was and quickly closed the door with magic.

“Uh… Huh!”

‘Just as I suspected, she was about to fall. My prediction was not wrong.’

Leopold ran towards Ariel, who was about to fall backward.

At that moment, his invisibility cloak slipped down.

But Leopold paid no attention.

He wrapped one hand around Ariel’s slender waist to hold her back, while his other hand braced the back of her neck.

“You should be careful.”

Ariel opened her tightly closed eyes.

Her emerald pupils bored into Leopold’s eyes.

Leopold exhaled heavily, surprised.

‘I finally found you.’

He exerted strength in the arm that was wrapped around Ariel’s waist.

His grip tightened around the nape of her neck like a beast not wanting to let go of its prey.

Missing you once was enough.

“Now you can’t escape.”