A massive cloud of dust rose and filled the cave. As I coughed and tried to cover my mouth, Leopold wrapped his arms around my head and pulled me into his embrace. Although the dust wasn’t completely blocked, I felt somewhat better. We waited quietly for the dust to settle. Once the noise faded, only our breathing remained.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

The awkward thumping of a heart resonated in my ears. I hadn’t misheard. With my mentor’s hints, there was no need to question him further. I slowly began to speak.

“You have a problem with your heart. You know that, right?”

Leopold flinched, released his hold, and pushed me away. Then he stood up and turned his back on me. Fortunately, the cave was small, so there wasn’t much room for him to retreat.

“With that loud noise, it won’t be hard for them to find us. If they have any sense, they would have followed you all the way here.”

He mumbled dryly, avoiding my question. How long did he plan to keep this up? I warned him.

“Stop dodging the issue.”

Leopold slowly turned back around, leaning against the cave wall, and looked at me with cold, steady eyes.

“By now, you should have figured it out.”

“What did you say?”

His indifferent face, chilly voice, and accusatory tone… It was the Leopold of the past, whom I could never get close to. My heart quickly filled with anxiety. When I asked again in confusion, he sighed as if to make sure I heard.

“It means I don’t want to talk about it. Don’t you understand? You already know I’ve been hiding it.”

I felt a surge of emotion. How could someone change so drastically in an instant? Or was this his true self, simply showing his real face? Which side was the act? Would I ever truly know his feelings?

I wanted to confront Leopold. But this wasn’t something to handle emotionally… I needed to persuade and calm him to heal him. I gritted my teeth, repeating this to myself like a mantra.

“It’s not a problem that ends just because you say no.”

“No, the problem disappears if you stop caring.”

“Why do you keep avoiding it? Are you going to act like a child?”

I asked accusingly, but he only exuded coldness.

“You’re the one being stubborn. I’ve clearly stated my position. Just as I disappeared from your sight as you wanted, why don’t you respect my words too?”

“Leopold!”

His logic left me speechless, and I ended up raising my voice.

How much pain had I gone through to say goodbye, without him even knowing my feelings? Why did he speak so recklessly, as if picking a fight? A wave of sorrow crashed over me like a storm.

“Ugh.”

Perhaps due to the intense emotions, pain suddenly struck me. I hadn’t finished treating the injury from earlier. Clutching my abdomen, I tried to ease the pain by bending forward, but strangely, my magic wasn’t working at all.

“…Hazel?”

Leopold seemed startled by my condition and took a few steps closer. I grimaced, unable to steady myself.

“The healing… isn’t working.”

“What…?”

Fear was evident in his brief response. He seemed to be thinking the same thing as I was. The fear of magical power fading, leading to death. My body trembled more with fear.

I could feel the power, but why couldn’t I control it…?

“I can’t… control the power…”

I struggled to speak. I couldn’t die yet… My consciousness was slowly fading.

“Hazel!”

Leopold called out to me urgently. Before I knew it, he knelt in front of me, meeting my eyes. His gaze was filled with anxiety.

“Just wait a little, just a little longer.”

He went to the cave entrance and extended a hand toward the pile of earth. Suddenly, a strong wave of power was felt, and a red flash sparked across the earth like lightning.

“Leopold…?”

The scene before me pulled me back from the brink of unconsciousness. He ignored my call and continued to exert his ‘power.’ The entire mound of earth began to shake slightly, and cracks started to form. However, that was as far as it went.

Leopold stood at the entrance, moving his hand as if trying to confirm something. Then he turned around and spoke calmly.

“Your power hasn’t disappeared. It just seems like there’s a problem because of this cave. For some reason, it seems to weaken magic.”

“How can you say that with such certainty…?”

Buried suspicions and doubts began to surface. Leopold lowered his gaze, appearing to contemplate before speaking.

“…My power doesn’t work at all.”

Facts I hadn’t pieced together before rushed through my mind—my mother’s leg, the power that supposedly disappeared in childhood, the way he defied the rules, the awkward sound of his heartbeat.

‘A force that harms someone, a kind of destructive power, can perform forbidden acts. In other words, it can destroy the existing order.’

‘Those who go against the natural order are never forgiven by the gods.’

Alendia’s advice and my mentor’s warning echoed in my mind.

“That red light… is it your power?”

“…Yes. It’s my magic.”

Finally, Leopold confirmed it.

“The problem is that the longer this goes on, the greater the physical burden on the caster. In severe cases, it could even be fatal.”

I was momentarily speechless. If he had turned back time out of guilt for me, and that had caused his heart problems… I looked at him, dazed.

“You lied… again.”

“It was a necessary lie.”

His words were confident, yet his voice sounded resigned. Pursuing his evasive gaze, I managed to ask a difficult question.

“Are you… the caster?”

Leopold met my eyes very slowly, then stared at me for a while. His gaze was like a deep, unfathomable swamp.

Eventually, he seemed to regain his composure and spoke coldly.

“…Hazel, that’s not important right now. You’re not in good condition, so it’s better to stop talking. Let’s wait a little longer until people come to rescue us.”

“No… I need to know now…”

I still couldn’t shake off the confusion. However, Leopold was firm.

“No. You’ll never know anything. Once we’re out of this cave, you’ll return to D’Agnon. Or go to the capital. I’ll announce our divorce immediately.”

“That’s not it! …Ugh.”

Whether it was the cave’s influence or not, the paralysis had completely worn off, and I felt the pain fully. I needed to calm down, but I couldn’t.

“Here, over here!”

“Madam! Duke!”

“Dig quickly!”

Fortunately, I heard the voices of knights outside. Leopold silently picked me up in his arms.

***

When I opened my eyes again, it was morning. I remembered coming out of the cave but seemed to have lost consciousness afterward. It was likely due to injuries from the fall and the cave’s effects. Thankfully, while I was asleep, my magic had worked properly, healing me completely. I quickly sat up and rang the bell on the bedside table.

“Madam, are you alright?”

The first to rush in was none other than Jayden. Peter and a maid followed behind him.

“I’m fine. Where’s Leopold?”

I asked urgently, and Jayden replied with a hint of dissatisfaction.

“He looked perfectly fine. He said he was going out to patrol and headed back into the forest. Are you sure he’s really sick?”

I felt anger rising again. Why was he acting this way? Healing wasn’t difficult. Was he embarrassed because I discovered his lie? But imagining Leopold feeling ashamed was hard. Regardless, even if he avoided me, I wouldn’t just leave now that I’d come this far.

“Yes. Jayden, find Leopold and bring him here. It’s urgent.”

“I’m not sure if he’ll listen to us. Anyway, understood.”

Jayden nodded obediently and added a short remark.

“By the way, do you remember the cave from yesterday? It’s the one you and I used to hide in as kids. If it weren’t for the landslide, it would have been a pleasant surprise.”

It was an unexpected revelation. It was too dark to recognize, but I didn’t expect it to be such a small cave.

“My goodness… So that’s why I didn’t recover well from colds.”

“Weren’t you just frail?”

“Frail? I’m quite sturdy.”

“Sturdy enough to faint often…”

Jayden teased me with a mischievous grin. I wanted to play along, but I had no room for humor.

“Jayden, don’t you have a task to do?”

“Yes, I’ll be off. Get some rest!”

After finally getting rid of the playful Jayden, I turned my attention to Peter.

“Search his study, bedroom, and any secretive-looking places. Bring anything suspicious, especially anything that looks like a medicine bottle. I trust you’ll follow through if you truly care about his health.”

“Yes, Madam.”

If my guess was right, Leopold was likely taking forbidden substances, possibly with my mentor’s help.

Despite his prompt response, Peter didn’t leave immediately. Seeing my puzzled expression, he spoke cautiously.

“There is a patient in the mansion’s underground prison. It seems like a mild cold, but the Duke instructed us to care for them, so I’m informing you.”

I was surprised to learn there was an underground prison in the mansion, let alone a patient. However, given the timing, I had a rough idea of the situation.

“Underground prison? Are you talking about the natives from the Ice Land?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Alright. I’ll prepare and head down.”

“Yes, I’ll wait outside.”

With a polite bow, he withdrew. I began changing clothes with the maid’s help. I had always thought we drove the natives away, so I couldn’t fathom why Leopold would imprison them.

Once I finished preparing quickly, I headed down to the underground with Peter and two knights. I steeled myself against the ominous atmosphere the word “prison” conjured. However, my wariness soon turned to bewilderment. As I descended the stairs, the sound of cheerful singing and whistling grew louder and clearer.