My head throbbed as if it would split, and my entire body ached as though I’d been beaten.

Inside, it felt as though thorns had ripped through me, leaving me in agony. My consciousness and memories were shattered and fragmented.

Despite the intense pain that had made me lose consciousness, when I opened my eyes again, my body felt refreshed, as if nothing had happened.

I blinked a few times, and my mind cleared, as if I had just woken up from a deep sleep.

Then, a familiar voice reached my ears.

“Louise.”

I turned my head and looked in that direction.

Alec was gazing down at me with a serious expression, clearly worried and having waited for me.

“You’re awake now.”

“…Alec.”

“Are you alright?” Alec asked, his brow furrowed with concern.

At his expression, something swelled inside me, and I nodded.

“Yes, I’m fine now.”

He was holding my hand.

Had he been by my side all this time?

I could tell without him needing to say it that he had healed me.

With a slightly hoarse voice, I asked again, “But what about Marianne?”

“She’s safe.”

“Truly?”

“Yes. She had internal injuries and lost consciousness. If we had been any later, she might not have survived.”

“I see. That’s a relief…”

I was more relieved that Marianne hadn’t died than I was about my own survival.

There was nothing I could bear less than someone dying because of me.

“What time is it now? Where is Marianne?” I asked, sitting up slightly.

“It’s the night of the next day. You’ve been asleep for a full day. Marianne slept in the guest room and returned home in the morning.”

“It’s already the next night? Is it alright for Marianne to be moving around?”

“Yes. She’s fully recovered, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you…”

What a relief.

Since I was already familiar with Alec’s healing abilities, I felt a bit of my burden lifted.

I gazed at Alec with gratitude, feeling a lump in my throat, and he looked at me with concern.

I could sense his guilt, but without him, I would have certainly died.

I vividly recalled the Empress’s appearance from last night.

It was such an unexpected event that it felt like a dream.

“What happened to the Empress?”

“…”

“That woman… she wasn’t an ordinary human.”

From what I heard from the Empress, the Emperor seemed to be even more extraordinary.

No wonder he ruled with such fearlessness and tyranny.

While I could have accepted the Emperor’s power, I never imagined the Empress, too, would be hiding such otherworldly strength.

Alec stroked his chin slightly before answering with a serious expression.

“It must have been the Emperor’s doing.”

“The Emperor? Ah…”

Now that I thought about it, I recalled Olivia mentioning that she had received her power from the Emperor.

“And the Empress… she’s dead.”

“…Dead?”

I had been wondering what had happened to her, and now to hear that she died…

It wasn’t particularly surprising.

The last time I saw her, she seemed as fragile as a thread about to snap at any moment.

Even so, hearing of her death made me feel both relieved that she would no longer be able to threaten innocent people like Marianne and me, and somewhat empty because she hadn’t paid the price for trying to kill us.

“How did she die?”

At my question, he frowned slightly in thought before replying.

“I’m not certain. I didn’t want to escalate things, so I returned her to the palace. If she were found outside, the Emperor would have questioned what happened. But I couldn’t kill her on the spot.”

“…I see.”

“There were many complications. Marianne and you might have been suspected, and that didn’t seem like a fair punishment for her crime of trying to kill you.”

“You did the right thing.”

“But this morning, news came from the palace that she died of an illness. When I last saw her, she was still barely breathing, but it seems she died not long after.”

“I think I understand what might have happened…”

I suddenly remembered the Empress’s words about being abandoned by the Emperor.

Could it be that she tried to kill me because she had already resolved to lose her life?

But the Empress was dead, and Marianne and I were safe, so I no longer wanted to dwell on her.

I decided to ask the question I had been holding back.

“Did you already know that the Emperor had powers like yours?”

At my question, he hesitated slightly before answering without reluctance.

“Yes… I knew. But I didn’t realize the Empress had powers as well. Since she received her magic from the Emperor, it must have gone unnoticed. Her power was far weaker compared to his.”

“…I see.”

I lowered my head in worry.

I had thought the Emperor was just a tyrant, but he possessed transcendent abilities.

When I was attacked by the Empress, I had been terrified, as if paralyzed by an invisible force in the dead of night.

But to hear that the Emperor’s power was even stronger…

The goal I had set of overthrowing the Emperor now seemed far more daunting.

Still, given how things had turned out, I felt I needed to steel my resolve even more.

I looked at Alec again with a slightly wistful expression.

“…Alec.”

I wrapped my other hand around the back of his, which was holding mine.

“I feel so relieved and reassured that you’re here.”

“…”

“If you hadn’t changed like this, I wouldn’t have had any hope.”

“Louise…”

“I’m so glad I could be part of your journey to becoming stronger. It means I can help in some way.”

“That’s…”

Alec opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again.

Finally, he let out a faint sigh, stood up, and brought something from the table. When he opened the box, I recognized the object inside.

“…Oh? That’s…”

It was the same red hairpin I had thrown at the Empress.

Had he bought a new one in that short time?

“I’ll give you a new one.”

He leaned toward me and personally pinned it in my hair.

As his hand gently touched me and our proximity increased, my heart began to race for no reason.

After securing the pin, he softly pulled my head into his chest.

His embrace was warm and comforting. In the voice I had always wanted to hear, he spoke.

“…From now on, I’ll make sure you never have to use this again, Louise.”

I wrapped my arms around him tightly.

“…Thank you for saving me.”

* * *

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