Just like when she was sucked into the book, Merrien was pulled out by a black hand made of text.

While crying profusely.

Perhaps that was why.

“…Merri, why are you crying?”

Ariel, who had suddenly appeared before her, reached out to Merrien with a serious face.

He hadn’t opened the door, nor had he come through the window.

He had teleported and suddenly appeared before Merrien.

Ariel, who had appeared like that, seemed particularly surprised but simply patted her back.

Meanwhile, Merrien cried her heart out. Until her tears soaked Ariel’s chest.

By this point, Ariel’s patience should have run out, but he waited silently.

He didn’t even say a word until Merrien spoke.

Instead, he discreetly rolled his eyes toward the desk.

Judging by the situation, [The Tower Master and the Mistreated Saint] was lying open haphazardly on the desk.

So that was so moving.

Merrien’s shoulders still shook, unable to contain her sadness.

Eventually, Ariel brought a tissue and held it to her nose.

Go ahead, blow.

At this smooth action, Merrien was about to blow her nose but stopped.

What’s with this childish treatment?

“…Am I a child? If anything, you’re the one who’s always acting spoiled.”

“Merri made me that way.”

“When did I ever…”

“You indulged me when I was sick.”

“That’s because you were a patient…”

Seeing her teary glare, Ariel couldn’t resist and ruffled her pink hair.

“Since you saved this patient, now you can indulge me all you want.”

Ariel took Merrien’s hand and placed it on his neck.

The dog collar he had worn before flashed in her mind.

“…Hey.”

“What? Should I wear the collar again? While we’re at it, I’d like you to make a leash too.”

Merrien pulled away his hand as if she’d been electrocuted.

He really has no filter.

She glared at him once before approaching the desk.

It was fortunate, if anything, that Ariel’s nonsense had dried up her tears.

“……”

On the desk lay [The Tower Master and the Mistreated Saint], which had lost its light after fulfilling its purpose.

Merrien stroked the book once before slowly closing it.

The image of Han Ji-an disappearing with the words “be happy.”

…It looked as if she was taking on all the unhappiness herself.

Though she had just stopped crying, Merrien tightly closed her eyes as tears threatened to well up again.

Soon, Ariel’s frivolous words from earlier naturally came to mind. Thanks to that, she began to calm down again.

No, it meant she was happy being with Ariel.

Though her nose still sniffled with lingering sadness, laughter escaped her lips.

But Ariel didn’t give her time to be lost in thought.

“Merri. They say if you laugh after crying, your bottom turns red.”

“……”

Was he trying to say horns grow on your bottom?

Merrien’s upturned lips dropped. She couldn’t think serious thoughts anymore.

When she opened her eyes in disbelief, her vision was filled with the man smiling brightly right in front of her.

‘…I have to share my future with this guy?’

Haah, it seems the life ahead won’t be smooth…

Merrien wanted to rub her face, but there was no more time to delay.

‘If the hidden feature I saw earlier is like this…’

Recalling the “hidden feature” mentioned by the system before she escaped from the book, she had no time to waste.

Inwardly sighing, she took out paper and a pen and hurriedly wrote something down.

How strange must this look to Ariel?

Someone who had just been soaking his chest with tears was suddenly writing something.

Perhaps thinking she was a bit strange, Ariel narrowed one eye.

“What are you writing, Merri?”

“You said you’re going to restore the northern lands soon, right?”

Though she asked seriously, Merrien’s nasally voice from crying was quite funny, but neither of them laughed.

“Yes.”

“What I’m writing. Make sure to give it to Forcite.”

“…What?”

“You must give it to him. I’m correcting my mistake.”

For the only unhappy person in the novel I wrote.

***

Because of the remnants left by magical beasts, the air in the north was so cold it felt like it would freeze.

Seren tightly wrapped his outer garment.

His breath came out as if it would turn into icicles at any moment.

“There was no need for the Tower Master to come all the way to the north.”

“Merri has something she wants delivered to the Second Prince.”

“…The Saint?”

Ariel said nothing even after seeing Seren’s shocked expression.

Forcite’s exile was in name only; he was placed in such a harsh environment that it was remarkable he was still alive.

From the dilapidated hut to the handcuffs on his wrists, the thin clothing that made one wonder if he could survive the cold north, and the extremely poor quality food.

It wouldn’t be the Emperor’s doing. All of this must have been secretly arranged by those who held grudges against him.

Ariel, who hadn’t revealed his destination to anyone except Seren, quietly found Forcite’s hut.

“Forcite de Vergne.”

However, Forcite didn’t turn around at the voice calling him.

His noticeably emaciated back looked like a walking corpse, as if he had already given up on life.

“I have a gift for you.”

He didn’t move even at the mention of a gift. Perhaps he had given up even on death.

“It’s from Merri.”

“……”

‘Merri.’ At that name, Forcite finally turned his head slightly.

But there was no expectation in his eyes.

Because he had already accepted that the Merrien he knew no longer existed in this world.

Ariel handed him the letter that Merrien had given. Consisting of several pages, it almost looked like a thin book.

Ariel turned around without hesitation.

“I hope what you want is in there.”

It was the mercy of an unfortunate—no, formerly unfortunate person.

Creak-. After the door that was so old it was about to crumble closed, Forcite picked it up.

[The Illegitimate Child and the Saint]

For some reason, the title reminded him of someone.

“…A book.”

And when he opened the book without any emotion.

A large light extending from the book enveloped him.

[You have inherited the system.]

[Would you like to move into ‘The Illegitimate Child and the Saint’?]

***

“Merri, I delivered it.”

Merrien, who had been reading a romance book, felt disgruntled when she saw Ariel landing gracefully through the window.

“Good job… But do you have to make such a grand entrance?”

“It’s cool, isn’t it?”

In what way?

Merrien looked him up and down as he leaned confidently against the window with his legs crossed.

His long legs? His confident expression? His hair fluttering in the wind?

“……”

Come to think of it, it was all true, so she turned her head back to her romance book.

Perhaps her thoughts were clearly visible on her face, as Ariel sat down across from Merrien with satisfaction.

Then, resting his chin on the table, he looked her over.

In the sunlight streaming through the window, her pink hair shimmered lusciously, and her orange eyes were so vivid that the text she was reading seemed to be recorded directly in her pupils.

Though she appeared to be seriously reading the book, her slightly reddened cheeks and the page that wasn’t turning.

Even her hands trembling slightly from tension.

Ah, this languid and peaceful daily life. How happy it is.

Suppressing a strong desire to cover her hand with his own, Ariel spoke.

“Will the Second Prince leave?”

“Probably.”

Merrien replied promptly, the words ready on her tongue.

And as soon as she spoke, the system window that had always been present in a corner of the air suddenly began to crackle.

Then.

[Hidden feature – System succession completed.]

With that phrase, it completely disappeared from Merrien’s view.

It meant that the system window would never appear before her eyes again.

‘As I thought… the hidden feature has been activated.’

That would mean Forcite had completely left.

It also meant that Merrien could never escape from this place.

But Merrien wasn’t bitter at all. She simply drank the steaming hot tea with familiarity.

“I can never go back now. So you have to support me for the rest of my life.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Though she had thrown it out half-seriously and half-jokingly, what came back was a voice dripping with obsession.

At this, Merrien became embarrassed and couldn’t look at his face for a while.