Lively laughter and music filled the ballroom.

However, where Marcel sat, an aura of darkness seemed to radiate, as though it existed in a different world from the cheerful atmosphere.

Ever since Julia had been imprisoned, Marcel had been in a perpetually foul mood. His friends, who couldn’t help but gauge his mood, tried to engage him in various conversations.

But Marcel rarely smiled, and the men quickly changed the topic with forced laughter.

“Come to think of it, it’s been over ten days since Alec departed for the North.”

“We should assume he’s already dead.”

“If others failed, what makes anyone think Alec could succeed?”

Only then did Marcel manage a faint smirk.

The only thing that could bring him joy now was the certainty that Alec and his wife had perished in the North.

More than anyone, Marcel fervently wished for their deaths.

‘If not for them, Julia would never have been thrown into the imperial prison…’

Marcel ground his teeth in frustration.

All of this happened just because he failed to kill one woman, Louise. Now, he would never see Julia again.

The imperial prison had forbidden any further visitation with Julia.

‘If you had wanted to kill Louise, you should have just told me.’

His eyes blazed with fury as he clenched his fists tightly.

Although he had been angry with Julia during their last meeting in prison, he now desperately wanted to see her again.

It would have been better to confine her to his own mansion rather than a place as impossible to return to as the imperial prison.

He knew full well that Julia had shared her affections with other men.

But as hatred mixed with affection, his feelings for her grew stronger. He could neither abandon his hatred nor his love for her.

‘Julia, don’t worry. Alec and his wife will be in the afterlife before you.’

Had Louise still been in the capital, he would have undoubtedly avenged Julia.

No matter how unfaithful Julia had been, as her husband, it was his right to repay that wrong.

Marcel lifted his glass of strong liquor and downed it in one gulp.

His companions laughed and joked about Alec’ inevitable demise, but Marcel had no desire to join in the conversation.

Such was his intense disdain for Alec and Louise.

It was the first time in his life he harbored such deep resentment toward anyone.

While Marcel simmered with bitterness, the ball carried on, growing more harmonious and joyous.

The nobles who had been gossiping about Alec and Louise quickly moved on to other conversations, their laughter echoing through the hall.

Everyone looked blissfully happy, as if they were part of a serene, idyllic scene.

Off to the side, the Marquis Brooks Heitz sipped his drink with a serious expression.

Would Alec and Louise simply be forgotten?

What had Alec wanted to tell him when they met privately about two weeks ago?

Unfortunately, he never got to hear it, as the incident with Julia attempting to kill Louise had overshadowed everything that day.

Unlike the others, Brooks sincerely hoped that Alec and his wife would return alive.

Not only had he never harbored ill will toward them, but also because of something the emperor had said to him out of the blue.

“Ah. Come to think of it, why don’t you start preparing, Brooks?”

“What? What do you mean—?”

“If Alec doesn’t return in three months, won’t someone else have to go to Wiltsbrook Castle in his place?”

“…”

“That bastard…”

Brooks cursed under his breath without realizing it, then quickly composed himself, startled by his own reaction.

His hands trembled, and his heart pounded.

Why had the Emperor considered him as the next candidate for lordship?

Until now, he thought he had served loyally as a flawless administrative assistant.

He didn’t want to die such a futile death.

If he had to die, he would rather leave his mark on the Emperor’s neck before going down.

As he mulled over the possibility of someone else being sent as lord of the North if Alec didn’t return, Brooks took a deep drink to steady his nerves.

But he couldn’t deny that the chances of Alec returning alive were extremely slim.

“Damn it.”

With his mood ruined, Brooks stood up from his seat.

He looked around for his wife but then decided to leave without her.

He planned to return home early.

The lively music and the joyful laughter of the people around him, like the breaking of sunlight, had never sounded so grating.

As Brooks made his way out of the hall, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

His body froze without him realizing it, and he couldn’t breathe.

“…!”

He had desperately wished for their return, but he hadn’t truly believed he would see them alive again.

Brooks blinked his eyes twice, unable to trust his own vision.

Was it the dazzling light from the chandelier? Or were they ghosts standing before him?

Two figures, arm in arm, radiated light as they entered the hall.

“…Louise? Alec?”

The disbelief in his voice made Brooks mutter their names unconsciously.

The small murmur caught the attention of those nearby.

One by one, people turned their heads to stare at the entrance of the hall.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

The once-obtrusive bright music faded into the background.

“…Louise! Alec!”

Unable to contain himself, Brooks finally shouted their names loudly.

The entire hall echoed with his voice.

He wasn’t close enough to address them so casually, but he couldn’t suppress the shock and joy he felt.

Nearly every pair of eyes in the room was now fixed on the two of them.

Because of his loud call, Louise and Alec turned to look his way, and Louise gave Brooks a slight smile.

That smile made Brooks feel as though his heart had stopped.

They weren’t ghosts or illusions.

“They’ve returned alive—like a miracle!”

Brooks screamed inwardly.

He wanted to rush over, embrace them, and jump around in excitement.

“Ahh!”

A scream pierced through the ballroom, reaching the high ceiling.

“Who is that?”

“My goodness, it’s Louise and Alec.”

“Am I seeing things?”

“This can’t be real.”

The crowd’s murmur grew louder.

At last, Louise and Alec stopped in the center of the hall.

***

The reaction was even more intense than I had expected.

I took a deep breath as I looked around the ballroom.

People were staring at Alec and me as though we were zombies risen from the dead.

Everyone in the hall was utterly shocked as they gazed at us.

“How is this possible?!”

With a booming voice, Brooks marched straight over to Alec and me.

Brooks was the Emperor’s closest aide, but I knew he had been instrumental in testifying against Julia, leading to her downfall.

“Marquis Heitz,”

Alec addressed him as he acknowledged Brooks.

Brooks looked back and forth between Alec and me before exclaiming loudly once more.

“Am I really seeing Alec and Louise before me?”

His voice echoed with the same desperate disbelief shared by the rest of the onlookers.

Was it really so hard to believe what they were seeing?

I smiled faintly and answered.

“It’s good to see you again, Marquis Heitz.”

“This can’t be!”

Many others, just as shocked as Brooks, covered their mouths or clutched their chests, gasping in astonishment.

It was understandable; the Emperor had made it clear that if Alec couldn’t find Wiltsbrook Castle, he shouldn’t bother returning at all.

Whether we had found the castle or not, our mere return was a surprise.

“Did you really visit the North?” Brooks quickly asked again.

Alec responded calmly.

“It’s been a while, Brooks. We arrived back in the capital late last night after returning from the North.”

I followed up after him.

“We found Wiltsbrook Castle and stayed there for several days.”

“My God… You really went to Wiltsbrook Castle? Is it even possible to go there?”

“No, it wasn’t easy. We had to break through mountains and rocks, you know, that sort of thing.”

I smiled playfully as I made up the story.

In truth, I hadn’t done any of the hard work.

The ballroom was already gripped by shock.

“This is unbelievable!”

The sudden exclamation made me turn toward the voice.

It was Damian.

Behind him, Marcel sat glaring at me and Alec with an expression as if he had something foul in his mouth.

Damian approached a little closer, his face harsh as he spoke.

“Where do you get off telling such obvious lies? Did you even go to the North? Do you think the Emperor’s decree is a joke? Just because we don’t have business in the North, you thought everyone would be fooled?”

“…”

As expected, nothing he said was surprising.

To be honest, I didn’t really care whether they believed us or not.

‘It’s not like we went to the North on Damian or Marcel’s orders, anyway.’

At that moment, Alec’s indifferent voice broke through my thoughts.

“Shall we extend the first invitation to Wiltsbrook Castle to Marquis Damian Wells?”

“What?”

Damian’s brows furrowed deeply in irritation.

I couldn’t help but give him a slight smile as well.

“I hope you’ll come. Now that I think about it, isn’t Count Andrew Mondely supposed to arrive soon? He hasn’t shown up yet.”

I shrugged lightly as I spoke.

Andrew had come with us, but he had complained of a sudden stomachache and told us to go ahead without him. It seemed he was a bit too nervous about meeting people again after so long.

“Andrew?”

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories