After returning to her quarters with Ruben, Elliope fell seriously ill.

“My lady!”

“Someone fetch some medicine!”

“My lady! Please wake up!”

Unaware of the truth, she had spent years believing that this was something she absolutely had to do…

Now the weight of those lost years came crashing down on her.

She saw her mother in her dreams.

The mother she had resented for leaving so soon, for abandoning her to face the world alone, standing quietly in the corner of her dreams, wearing a faint smile.

She had been there, in the corner of the room, when Elliope had been adopted into the Imperial family by the Empress.

She had sat opposite her in the carriage when she had been sent away as a future grand duchess.

And she had stood by the bedside, by the very wall Elliope had leaned against as she watched in silence as her husband became entangled with his mistresses…

Between the years, Kallian was always there, standing silently, holding the same small coffin.

Sien and Emma hovered anxiously by her side, unable to hide their concern.

“My lady, are you all right?”

“Ruben, we have to call the doctor again. Her fever won’t go down.”

“The damned Imperial Knights won’t let anyone through.”

“There must be a way! We must do something!”

“My lady, please open your eyes. My lady.”

Elliope wanted to, but her consciousness kept slipping in and out.

In the depths of a long, dark corridor, she ran through endless nightmares, only to find Kallian at the end. No matter how many times she approached, the dream never changed – he was always there, cradling a lifeless child in his arms.

“My lady, why have you become so ill?”

“……”

“You must shake it off and get up soon.”

As the words were spoken, she felt Dylan’s gaze on her – sombre and filled with quiet sadness.

And it made her heart ache even more.

“If possible, I would like nothing more than to care for and serve the young lord and lady of the house.”

She knew the old man’s heart – he had long wished to hold and cherish the child she and Kallian would bring into the world.

It felt as if countless tiny blades were slicing into her skin.

When Elliope finally recovered after days of illness, she absentmindedly ran her hand over her stomach and let out a long sigh.

There was nothing she could do about what had happened so long ago.

‘I have to face him and talk to him.’

In the end, she had run away without ever hearing Kallian’s answer.

‘Whatever answer he gives me, I must not hold it against him.’

With that in mind, she asked Dylan to summon Kallian.

And it was then that she realised something new.

“…Kallian has gone to the border?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“How long have I been ill?”

“About two weeks.”

‘Two weeks.’

While she had been bedridden all this time, Kallian had been sent to the border.

Dylan opened and closed his mouth several times before finally forcing out another sentence.

“Actually… there have been disturbing rumours circulating lately.”

“……”

“They say that as soon as Lord Kallian arrived at the border, he was caught in battle… and taken prisoner.”

“That’s…”

“I, too, find it hard to believe such rumours.”

Dylan swallowed hard, moistening his dry throat before continuing.

“A few days ago, there was a real battle with Seor. According to the villagers who happened to be passing by and got caught up in the skirmish… at some point in the middle of the battle, Lord Kallian was nowhere to be seen.”

“…….”

“Considering how he disappeared, people are speculating that he may have been captured. Miss Marte has been actively spreading the rumour.”

A sudden headache throbbed in her head.

‘I shouldn’t have collapsed like that.’

Ruben had gone to the trouble of creating an opportunity for her and she had failed to take it.

‘I should have talked to Kallian.’

Before he left, even once, I should have held him – and let him hold me. We should have talked about what to do next.

“In that case…”

Before Elliope could finish, Ruben entered the room with firm, precise movements. As he approached, he knelt in front of her.

Behind him, Sien and Emma entered the room, each carrying packed bags.

The bags contained Elliope’s belongings.

Ruben spoke firmly, his tone unwavering.

“Don’t worry too much. If it were anyone else, perhaps, but we’re talking about the viscount himself.”

“That’s true, but…”

“For now, it would be best if you left this place.”

Ruben continued, his voice calm. Sien and Emma, however, had a tense expression on their faces.

It was then that Elliope noticed that Emma, who was similar in build to herself, had changed into a noblewoman’s dress.

They were probably planning to use Emma as bait to help her escape.

“You want me to run?”

“Yes. The Viscount has made arrangements so that if there is a threat, you will be the first to escape.”

As she glanced at Dylan, the old man nodded slightly. Then Elliope turned back to Ruben.

“But the Imperial Knights guard the outside.”

“That doesn’t mean there isn’t a way to smuggle you out.”

“Now that I’ve recovered, they’ll call me in for questioning soon.”

“We just need to buy some time.”

“What if they find out that I’ve escaped? What if they find out that someone helped me to escape?”

Ruben couldn’t answer right away.

Elliope folded her hands in silence before finally asking,

“What did Kallian say to do in that case?”

“He said… he would handle it himself…”

“My husband is far away, facing who knows what, and you want me to flee alone?”

Elliope wondered when exactly Ruben had received this order.

Had Kallian changed his mind after learning of her infertility?

But before he could take back his command and cancel the plan, had he been sent to the border?

Of course, if Kallian had accepted Leanne’s proposal, then instead of these disturbing rumours, the news would have been that Kallian was on his way to the capital.

‘But perhaps Theodor hadn’t allowed it.’

She didn’t know what discussions had taken place between Theodor and the Imperial family. It was possible that Theodor had refused to hand Kallian over to Leanne at the last moment.

‘What had really happened? How had it come to this?’

In her current situation, there was little she could uncover. Just coming to terms with the truths she had learned was overwhelming.

But one thought remained in her mind.

‘Kallian cannot be left in danger like this.

Whether he still considered her his wife or not was no longer important.

He had saved her countless times.

From the beginning, even when he knew that she had only come to him to escape Theodor, he had accepted her and held her in his arms without hesitation.

To protect her, he was willing to stain his hands with blood.

To make her happy, he didn’t hesitate to throw himself into the water.

And when he realised she was in danger, he didn’t care if his hands burned and tore – all he cared about was saving her.

He loved her so much.

So much that she had no choice but to love him in return.

He had already done his duty as a husband.

‘But what if he wanted a divorce?’

Even if it tore her heart apart, she had no right to refuse him.

Elliope’s eyes went unconsciously to a corner of the bed.

There, sitting quietly, was the black stuffed dog the maids had placed at her bedside while she had been ill.

Elliope gazed at it for a long moment, then slowly turned to face Ruben.

“Ruben.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“I will not simply run away.”

“But…”

“Emma, can you faithfully take my place for the time being?”

Elliope, already determined, asked Emma, who was disguised to look like her. Emma nodded firmly, determination written all over her face.

“But, my lady…”

“There is somewhere I need to go first.”

In this situation, there was only one person who could be her ally again – someone who also had enough influence over Seor.

Only one person.

***

A small piece of ash from the cigar fell between the man’s lips.

“D*mn.”

Seor’s ambassador, Cylon, couldn’t hide his tension as he repeatedly ran his hand over the back of his head.

Outside the window, knights stood guard, watching him closely.

It had been three days since he had been forcibly removed from the Seor embassy and locked up in one of the outbuildings of the Grand Duke’s residence.

“What the hell is going on?”

After gathering the supporters of Seor’s second prince and ensuring that Ilmos’s hunting dog escaped trial, the Imperial Family had suddenly dispatched Princess Leanne to the Grand Duchy.

‘I knew they had some kind of agenda.’

There had to be a reason for sending Princess Leanne at this time. Most likely, they had made Theodor of Ilmos an offer that was compelling enough to change his mind. That was exactly what he had been looking for. 

“And now, out of nowhere, they’re calling it a Seor attack?” 

No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t make sense. 

Blaming Orr wouldn’t do the Empire much good. If someone really had something to gain by starting a war…

‘Could the Crown Prince of Seor also be involved in this?’

True or not, this situation provided justification for both sides.

For the Imperial Family and the Grand Duchy, it gave them a reason to blame Seor and send Ilmos’ loyal dog to the battlefield.

On the other hand, it gave Seor the justification to retaliate and officially declare war.

‘From the perspective of the imperial family, they couldn’t care less how much destruction the Grand Duchy suffered from the war.’

If anything, the more the Grand Duchy fell into ruin, the easier it would be for the Imperial Family to suppress it – to their advantage.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince of Seor, who had always waited for war, would surely welcome the opportunity.

The problem was Theodor of Ilmos.

“What the hell does he have to gain by agreeing to this?”

Only one reason occurred to him.

A woman who always seemed melancholy, yet looked at him with eyes stronger than he expected.

Elliope Elsen.

‘Could it really be… just because of one woman?’

Just as he ran a hand over his mouth in frustration—

Knock, knock.

A tapping sound came from the window opposite the knight’s post.

The moment the ambassador turned towards it –

“……!”

The window opened without warning.

Someone unexpected was standing on the balcony.

The very person Cylon had just been thinking about.

“Viscountess?”

He spoke in stunned disbelief.

At that moment, a brown-haired knight leapt down from the roof and landed beside Elliope.

Elliope Elsen slowly raised her head and looked up at the ambassador.

“I’m going to get you out of here, Ambassador.”

“……”

“In exchange.”

In the still air, she ran her hand along the wall, pressing something unseen.

“Send me to the Seor border.”