The Zerdium Empire was governed by the Emperor, with eight families responsible for the eight cardinal directions of the territory forming the Council of Elders.

The Council of Elders, which had begun meeting several days ago, had been deliberating for days on end to understand and resolve the situation of rumors spreading throughout the empire under the name of “divine oracle,” but there was no clear solution.

At first, all eight great families stepped forward to suppress the rumors, but it only increased the side effects. The more they intervened, the more the rumors spread exponentially, like someone was deliberately spreading them further.

Foolish people who believed only the rumors and caused disturbances were also being discovered from time to time.

Even in the meeting just earlier, Count Increble, responsible for the northwestern border, reported that the movements of Benekierpf, which faced his territory, were unusual.

In fact, it wasn’t just the northwest. The entire continent was stirring at the strange rumors beginning to spread throughout Zerdium’s territory. 

Not only the Astour Empire seeking to seize continental hegemony and hostile nations, but even kingdoms that claimed to be allies had their eyes wide open, seemingly ready to pick up any crumbs that might fall in this chaos.

Even amid such turmoil, the Emperor who heard the rumors was transforming exactly like the rumors, for all to see.

Now even the Empress’s efforts, which had served as the last stabilizer, were useless. 

Recently, another attendant had been carried out after the Emperor, unable to control his rage while shouting at the top of his lungs to reveal who fabricated the false oracle, swung his sword wildly.

It seemed likely that the Emperor’s abdication would be formally proposed at tomorrow’s Council of Elders meeting.

Richard Arhena—in truth, he was never fit to be Emperor.

The incompetent Emperor, excessively cruel and full of ambition, had essentially maintained his power over the years by exploiting the weaknesses of Hebrandt and Chatré.

Hebrandt escaped the Emperor’s interference through marriage to Demir, and Chatré escaped Richard’s grasp by evacuating their weakness, Iris, to the Kingdom of Patagon. 

In fact, if not for their friendship with Hebrandt and Empress Monica, Duke Chatré might have long ago settled the southeastern front and returned to the old Duchy of Chatré, washing his hands of the Empire.

Eventually, even Marquis Naden, the head of the Emperor’s faction, gave up defending the Emperor. 

With this, not a single family remained to protect the Emperor, who was only becoming a stain on the Empire.

And historically speaking, Richard should have stepped down from his throne of his own accord. 

Hadn’t he himself set the precedent of pulling down an Emperor fallen into madness and enthroning a legitimate successor?

But when Hebrandt and Chatré, who everyone expected to lead the charge in pulling down the Emperor, remained silent instead, the other families also held back.

Hugh, who arrived at the carriage platform together with him, asked casually.

“Are you just going to watch?”

Claven looked back at Hugh with an indifferent expression.

“What else would I do? The moment I mention abdication, I’ll become the ringleader of treason.”

“…That’s true.”

“Never step forward first and stay still. The atmosphere is unusual.”

“Atmosphere?”

“Soon the Crown Prince will return to the homeland with his guests.”

“Guests? Ah!”

After thinking briefly, Hugh soon recalled the group the Crown Prince had befriended while staying in the Neutral Territory of Grendeli. Just as Hugh was about to ask more about them, a carriage arrived before the two men.

As Claven climbed right into the carriage that arrived before him, Hugh also tried to follow quickly.

“Hey, give me a ride too. I heard sister-in-law arrived in the capital today?”

In truth, Hugh had been watching for an opening ever since Claven arrived in the capital.

He had so many questions about his cousin and his wife, and about Iris’s son she was raising. 

Hugh simply couldn’t understand why Claven, who everyone thought would marry Iris as soon as she returned after the war in the Kingdom of Patagon ended, had suddenly reunited with Demir, whom he’d divorced two years ago.

And what about the stories that came with it?

Sorry to his sister-in-law, but Hugh also found it hard to believe. 

The rumor that Claven loved his sister-in-law, whom he’d treated so coldly after abandoning Iris who’d even borne his child, more than anyone in the world.

There were even stories going around questioning whether the Grand Duke had gone mad.

On top of that, seeing Claven so haggard with his own eyes made him even more suspicious.

Had his sister-in-law really used some wicked trick on Claven, like people suspected?

Hugh stuck close with determination to definitely get answers from Claven today, but Claven showed no openings today either.

“I have somewhere to stop by.”

“Where?”

“Sorry.”

Claven coldly shut the carriage door right in Hugh’s face and departed.

Hugh’s head tilted as he watched the departing carriage in bewilderment.

“What on earth is going on?”

Somehow his cousin’s atmosphere seemed very precarious. His eyes were dark underneath like he hadn’t slept at all, and his complexion was so bad it wouldn’t be strange if he collapsed at any moment.

That made sense. Claven, who’d come up to the capital not long after recovering from the accident, had been working nonstop without rest.

In his appearance, Hugh couldn’t find even a trace of a man in love, no matter how hard he looked.

Rather, like Hugh himself had been two years ago, it was the face of someone who’d lost love. 

He’d eventually ended even his year-long engagement with Charlotte and gone on a business trip that was more like fleeing overseas.

Hugh really wanted to ask Claven just this one thing.

‘So, do you still love Iris?’

* * *

Claven’s eyes snapped open in surprise from where he’d briefly closed them.

His spine went cold at the thought that he’d almost fallen asleep without realizing it.

It was already the third day without a wink of sleep. Not insomnia—he was deliberately enduring to avoid falling asleep. Because if he fell asleep, he’d see the sins he’d committed over the past time in his dreams.

The past he’d learned about was the worst yet.

He’d been telling Eisha, who came with the intention of divorce, that they couldn’t divorce. Bringing up the condition the Emperor had set—an ‘heir.’

How could he pay for the despair his wife must have felt then?

But Claven understood himself from that time. Even if he returned to that moment, he would probably act the same way.

He had to hold onto Eisha by any means necessary. To prevent her from leaving his side and her life being endangered, and to meet their child in the distant future, there was nothing he wouldn’t do. Even if it meant becoming the most despicable trash in the world.

In any case, after that, he became too afraid to sleep. He didn’t have the confidence to watch what other sins he might have committed against her.

“We’ve arrived.”

At Fino’s words, Claven pressed his tired eyes once with two fingers before getting out of the carriage.

The sun had set long ago. It was time for all the shops to close, so only the streetlamp lights illuminated the dim streets.

Among them, only one shop had its lights brightly lit. Waiting for the big spender called Grand Duke Hebrandt, the richest man on the continent.

The owner of ‘Baton,’ the largest jewelry store in the capital, personally greeted Claven. Jeweler Baton delivered his emotional impressions along with his greeting.

“This day has finally come. It’s already been five years. Even when Your Grace placed the order with me, Baton, it felt like a dream.”

“…?”

“The time has finally come for Aishika’s Tears to shine.”

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

“What are you talking about?”

“What? Ah! I mean, I’m moved that you’ve come to pick up the ring you left with me…”

“I ordered a ring five years ago?”

At the Grand Duke’s attitude of knowing nothing about the ring’s existence, Baton’s eyes widened as he asked back.

“Oh, you forgot? Ah…”

Coming to his senses at Claven’s cold gaze, Baton had to swallow back the rest of his words: ‘So that’s why you haven’t come to pick it up until now.’

“Explain what you’re talking about.”

At Claven’s single sentence, Baton quickly explained in detail what happened five years ago.

It was a day still vivid in his memory, as it had been the most impressive day of his life.

Claven, who visited the jewelry store with Iris, had ordered wedding rings.

“That day, Your Grace secretly told only me, without Lady Iris knowing: ‘This is a ring to be used when marrying the woman I’ve loved all my life. Make it so beautiful that the price looks shabby.’ Ah! It was such a moving statement I’ll never forget in my lifetime.”

Of course, it was also because it was the largest transaction of his life, but it was also a day when he’d burned with a sense of mission that he was contributing to the completion of the century’s love story.

And on the order form with an amount large enough to move merchant Baton, Claven’s signature remained prominently.

“Wedding rings…”

At Claven’s darkening expression, Baton appealed earnestly with a somewhat anxious look.

“Of course, I’ve kept the non-disclosure clause we made with Attorney Rolling in attendance perfectly.”

That tremendous amount had included an implicit instruction to keep the secret.

“…”

“Now Lady Chatré will return too, and you just need to hold a grand wedding.”

Baton had been counting the days waiting for his life’s masterpiece to be known to the whole world. And finally, permission fell from the Grand Duke’s lips.

“Bring the ring.”

Though it was a somewhat frightening voice, Baton excitedly retrieved the ring from the safe. 

As he placed it on the table before the Grand Duke with a nervous heart, both his hands trembled.

The Grand Duke, soon to be a groom. How moved would he be seeing the ring?

It was a masterpiece he’d poured his whole heart into creating, one he wouldn’t be ashamed to show anywhere.

But Claven’s reaction shattered Baton’s expectations.

With a cold gaze like looking at trash, Baton kept peering at the ring, wondering if something was wrong. However, the ring boasting a tremendous price couldn’t draw even a hint of emotion from Claven to the end.

He simply shoved the ring that came into his hand carelessly into his pocket.

‘I shouldn’t have stepped forward…’

He deeply regretted making a fuss by stepping forward first. It felt like his shop would have to close as of today, having fallen out of Grand Duke Hebrandt’s favor.

But Baton, about to see Claven off with tears in his eyes, ended up shedding real tears at the casual remark the Grand Duke tossed as he left the shop.

“Send this season’s most expensive ring and all the jewels that match it to Bondrake Manor.”

Getting into the carriage right away, Claven gave instructions to Fino.

“Fino, as soon as day breaks tomorrow, visit Attorney Rolling’s office and investigate that contract I supposedly made five years ago.”

“…Yes. I’ll look into it right away.”

After finishing his answer, Fino watched Claven, who had his face buried in both hands. Worried sick that he might collapse.

Eisha’s guess that going to the capital would restore Claven’s memories was half right and half wrong.

The memories hadn’t returned. Rather, after coming up to the capital, Claven was going through the process of facing true reality and straightening out his memories.

It was clearly the right thing to do. He couldn’t turn away from the truth forever.

This was exactly what Fino himself had wanted.

Yet somehow his heart felt complicated watching his master like this. Because Claven’s days were such despair that even he, indifferent to others’ emotions, felt this uncomfortable.

He wished Claven would at least cry out loud, but watching him endure stubbornly made Fino sometimes think skeptically. Whether they really needed to restore his master’s memories to this extent.

In the gap between his current love for Eisha and his past love for Iris, Claven was floundering in a swamp of despair whose depth couldn’t be known.

As the darkened Bondrake Manor began entering his view, Fino quietly sighed. And he brought Eisha, who would have arrived today, to mind. 

Then Fino’s mind began working busily as he looked again at his master, who couldn’t get a grip.

* * *

Claven, who’d finished showering, opened the connecting door to his bedroom and furrowed his brow sharply.

Though the couple’s bedrooms had separate spaces for each person, they were connected as one by a connecting door. 

But though he’d definitely received a report that Eisha arrived in the capital today, his wife’s room was completely empty.

Right away, Claven set out to find his wife.

The attendant on night duty immediately followed at the commotion of the master searching rooms everywhere in the dead of night, but couldn’t dare speak up in his deadly atmosphere.

“Ray?”