Arthur had once proudly displayed the ring, crafted from the finest diamond, but now it rolled across the floor with a faint clatter.

He discarded it as though it were no more valuable than a cheap trinket from a roadside stall.

Staring at the ring, which now felt like a pair of shackles, Dearlin suddenly felt as though she could finally breathe again.

“You abandoned me for that kind of ring?”

Perhaps he could not tolerate her gaze lingering on it for even a moment, because Rian immediately grabbed her chin, forcing her to look back at him.

“You’ll be coming with me to the Empire.”

“…What?”

“Of course, your title will no longer be the daughter of a count. You’ll become the queen of a defeated kingdom instead.”

In other words—a criminal.

“Are you planning to k*ll me along with Arthur?”

“You know me better than that, Dearlin.”

“……”

“How could I ever k*ll you?”

‘It’s not as though Rian never had other women after we broke up…’

Rian never replied to any of the letters she sent him.

Since he hadn’t tried to find her in all those years, she had convinced herself that he had lost interest in her a long time ago.

A man who could abandon the promises they had once shared so coldly seemed more than capable of killing the lover who had left him behind.

And yet—Dearlin found herself thinking that should Rian k*ll her, she would probably accept it without resentment.

“I spent a long time thinking about how I should take revenge on you.”

No matter what he did, it would still be kinder than what she had endured in the Kingdom of Orva.

“I wondered if I should start by tearing apart the king of Orva—the man you loved so dearly.”

“…Do whatever you want.”

‘You foolish Rian Sinaster.’

He didn’t know, of course, why she had no choice but to leave.

She had never told him.

Nevertheless, the pain in her chest remained unbearable.

Even if she told him the truth now, he wouldn’t believe her.

So, Dearlin merely looked up at him and bit down hard on her lip.

“Aren’t you afraid?”

“……”

“I’m not going to let you die so easily. I’ll make you suffer as much as the betrayal, rage, and vengeance I felt because of you.”

Rian gripped her shoulders tightly.

It hurt.

But not enough to leave bruises.

Even that restraint was probably intentional.

“So even if it hurts, stay by my side.”

“Rian Sinaster…”

“Because I have no intention of ever letting you go.”

Rian’s golden eyes gleamed with unsettling clarity.

He was like a beast preparing to hunt.

His obsession and possessiveness were so suffocating that it was like being dragged into a swamp with no escape.

‘This isn’t normal…’

Overwhelmed by a complicated mess of emotions, Dearlin squeezed her eyes shut.

***

Rian Sinaster.

Her former lover was clearly far more insane than she had ever imagined.

“Get in. And if you don’t want to see something unpleasant, stay inside.”

The fact that he had brought such a large, four-horse carriage with him during wartime made it clear that he intended to take her with him, come what may.

Even the knights escorting the carriage seemed incredulous.

“Ha…”

As though it were the most natural thing in the world, Dearlin took the hand Rian held out to her and climbed into the carriage.

“Stay quietly inside, Dearlin.”

“…………”

Rian gave her one last warning before closing the carriage door.

In response, Dearlin turned her face away.

She could not bear to look at him.

Rian did not say another word.

Instead, he stood there silently watching her for a long moment before finally closing the door.

Through the slightly open window, which had been left ajar because the air inside the carriage was stifling, she heard him order them to depart.

So she could really leave this kingdom behind that easily after all.

Beyond the window, the ruined royal castle of Orva slowly drifted farther into the distance.

For some reason, the sight left a hollow feeling in her chest.

“You must return to the Empire no matter what, Dearlin.”

The faint echo of her late father’s voice lingered in her ears.

Until the moment he died, he had wanted to leave the Kingdom of Orva behind.

It was a choice he had made to protect his daughter.

Even if he were given another chance, he would probably have made the same decision.

Nevertheless, regret was unavoidable.

Thinking of her father, Dearlin rubbed the corners of her reddening eyes and took a slow, deep breath.

‘Should I at least be grateful that I’m able to return at all…?’

The royal castle gradually receded into the distance, shrinking until it was nothing more than a tiny speck on the horizon.

Dearlin tried to distract herself by looking out at the passing scenery, if only for a moment.

But the knights’ lingering stares made that difficult, too.

She quietly drew the curtain shut over the window.

She could sense both curiosity and dissatisfaction in their gazes.

Only then did she fully understand what Rian had meant when he warned her not to come out if she wanted to avoid seeing something unpleasant.

After all, it was only natural for them to resent seeing the queen of a defeated nation travelling in such luxury, which was usually reserved for royalty and high-ranking nobles.

‘Honestly… it might be easier if they simply treated me like a proper criminal.’

Dearlin pressed her hand against her throbbing forehead and shut her eyes tightly once more.

Perhaps if she slept for a while, more time would pass.

How much time had passed?

When she opened her eyes again, the carriage had already stopped.

“I’m coming in.”

It was Rian’s voice.

“Ah? O-Okay…”

When Rian stepped inside the carriage, he was no longer wearing bloodstained armor.

Instead, he had changed into a neat tailcoat.

“We’ll be staying here for the night.”

“Alright.”

“And food?”

Seeing him like this made him seem strangely similar to the Rian she had known.

Of course, he was much colder now, but the fact that he still made sure she ate brought back memories of the Rian Sinaster Dearlin had once known.

“I don’t really… feel like eating.”

Perhaps because thinking about the past had softened her a little, her answer came more naturally than before.

“I see.”

Without saying another word, Rian simply closed the carriage door and walked away.

Watching his retreating figure through the window, Dearlin could not stop a bitter smile from spreading across her face.

In the past, he would have fussed over her endlessly.

He would have asked if she was unwell and why she was skipping meals, coaxing her to eat and doing everything he could to make sure she did not go hungry.

The Rian she remembered and the man standing before her now were completely different people.

She understood that well enough.

But no matter how hard she tried, it was far more difficult than she had expected to separate them in her heart.

‘You already know what you are to Rian now… nothing more than a former lover he’s come to resent.’

Having missed him for so many years, she was overwhelmed by emotions she could not begin to explain when she met him again after five long years.

This meant she needed to steady herself even more firmly.

Wishing things could go back to the way they were was nothing but a fantasy.

It was a foolish, empty hope

“Don’t waver anymore. Don’t let yourself waver, Dearlin Shuvachen.”

***

Late that night.

When she looked outside through the window, everyone appeared to be asleep.

Carefully, Dearlin opened the carriage door and stepped outside.

“I heard earlier there’s a lake nearby… I’ll just wash quickly and come back.”

Rian’s warning echoed endlessly in her ears—“Don’t move around. Please stay still.”

But she had no choice.

Having climbed into the carriage without changing her clothes, the sickening scent of blood clung stubbornly to her.

No matter how hard she tried to ignore it and fall asleep, whenever she caught the metallic smell again, it felt as though the horrific scene she had tried so hard to forget was unfolding before her eyes once more.

Taking the spare clothes that Rian had prepared for her, Dearlin quietly slipped into the forest.

The cold night wind and the distant cries of wild animals occasionally made her flinch, but she continued forward cautiously, keeping a careful eye on her surroundings.

“Wow…”

The knights had told the truth.

She had not walked far before a vast, crystal-clear lake came into view.

Bathed in the silver light of the moon, the shimmering water looked almost ethereal.

like the sacred lake in ancient myths where the moon goddess would descend to bathe.

Dearlin tore off her wedding dress, threw it aside and stepped into the lake.

The freezing water made her entire body tremble violently, but she did not care.

If it could wash away the stubborn scent of blood clinging to her skin, enduring the cold would be worth it.

“Hngh…”

A weak whimper escaped her lips as she struggled to endure the cold.

Frantically immersing herself in the water, she heard a faint sound coming from nearby.

In the darkness, she could not tell whether it was a person or an animal that had made the sound.

“W-What do I do…?”

The rustling sound gradually grew louder.

Steady footsteps could be heard mixed in with it.

They sounded human.

Startled, Dearlin hurriedly climbed out of the lake. Due to the approaching presence, however, she barely had time to cover herself properly, ending up shielding her body awkwardly.

‘If I get caught, it could cause trouble for Rian too.’

Dearlin quickly hid behind the largest tree she could see and held her breath as much as possible.

The person who finally emerged from the darkness was a knight carrying a torch.

‘I absolutely cannot get caught.’

The thought made her heart pound wildly against her chest.

“…Who’s there?”

It seemed that she had not concealed her presence as well as she had thought.

The knight lifted his torch in her direction and, as he slowly approached, asked her sternly what she was doing there.

Perhaps it would be better to step out on her own than to be found hiding like this.

Though only a few seconds had passed, she desperately weighed up her options before finally deciding to step out from behind the tree.

But at that exact moment, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her backwards.

Startled, she was just about to scream when the person quickly covered her mouth with one hand.

“Shh… Quiet.”