Derek was the first to rise from his seat after the long silence between them. The room had grown dim as dusk fell, and his shadow seemed heavier against the fading light.

But Etia didn’t look at him. She didn’t want to see him, no matter what expression he wore. The door to the bedroom creaked open and then closed again, slowly. 

Only after Derek had left did Etia finally turn her gaze toward the door. It was then that she truly realized how heavy her heart felt.

* * *

The Imperial Palace was bustling with activity, the chaos of preparing for war evident everywhere. Derek arrived with a heavy heart, his face darker and colder than usual. As he crossed the palace grounds, his steps halted when he spotted the Crown Prince in the distance.

“What brings you here at such a late hour, Duke?”

“His Majesty summoned me.”

“Ah, I see. He must be quite anxious. You have my sympathies for all the hard work you’re doing.”

“It’s nothing.”

Unlike before, the Crown Prince was surrounded by his attendants, servants, and guards as he strolled through the palace. The sight was almost laughable, but Derek’s mood was far too grim to find any humor in it.

“It’s a shame I won’t be able to join the expedition this time either. It seems His Majesty still doesn’t trust me. I’ve been training diligently, yet the result is always the same. It’s rather embarrassing.”

“…”

“I wonder if I’ll ever stand alongside you on the battlefield, Duke.”

Derek had stopped out of courtesy, but he had no desire to listen to the Crown Prince’s whining. He suppressed the anger rising within him and bowed politely.

“I must take my leave to see His Majesty. I beg your pardon.”

Without waiting for permission, Derek turned and left. That was the maximum courtesy he could offer in his current state. 

Watching Derek’s retreating figure, the Crown Prince let out a faint, deflated laugh. It was one of the rare moments he had seen the usually composed and rational Derek so visibly agitated.

For the first time, the Crown Prince felt as though he held the upper hand over Derek.

“Your Majesty, you summoned me.”

“You’re here. Sit down.”

When Derek arrived at the Emperor’s office, several knights and officials involved in the war effort were already present. He took a seat at the table, his emotions carefully controlled, and waited for the Emperor to speak.

“It seems we’ll need to expedite the deployment. Reports from the reconnaissance team indicate that the Land of Fire is in a precarious state.”

As soon as Derek sat down, the Emperor began speaking, as though he had been waiting for him. The room murmured with unease at the news.

“How serious is the situation?”

“With the arrival of spring, the monsters that had been in hibernation have awakened and are advancing toward Sylvester Territory in large numbers. On top of that, the Kingdom of Tordo has broken their promise and already deployed their forces, which seems to have further provoked the monsters.”

“Then Sylvester Territory is…”

“It’s in a difficult position. However, I’ve sent relief supplies to the territory, so there’s no need to worry too much.”

The Emperor’s reassurance did little to ease the tension in the room. The knights from Sylvester, in particular, wore grim expressions, and none more so than Derek. 

The Emperor noticed the atmosphere and tried to offer encouragement, but his words had no effect.

“When will the deployment begin?”

“The morning after tomorrow.”

The announcement that the deployment had been moved up caused another stir. The knights and officials responsible for managing supplies all looked troubled, but since the matter concerned war, no one dared voice their complaints.

Derek, however, felt the most conflicted. 

When he had a week left, he had clung to the hope that he could resolve the misunderstandings with Etia despite his busy schedule. But with the timeline shortened, that hope now seemed impossible.

Tomorrow, he would have to spend the entire day reviewing and rechecking every detail to ensure nothing was overlooked. 

As the commander of the allied forces, Derek had no room to maneuver or escape his responsibilities.

He swallowed the sigh threatening to escape. He had thought he would never feel this powerless and frustrated again, but here he was. It felt as though his blood had turned cold.

“Everyone is busy, so let’s end the meeting here.”

With the meeting adjourned, Derek rose from his seat and headed to the training grounds with the knights. 

As they walked, they reviewed their plans, finalized schedules, and discussed the time it would take to reach the Land of Fire. They moved with relentless urgency, knowing there was no time to waste.

“This expedition will be unlike any before. Not only will it take place in the unknown terrain of the Land of Fire, but it’s also a war fought by an allied force. Maintaining the chain of command will be the top priority.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Monsters are fundamentally different from humans. Train the most capable soldiers to lead others in moments of crisis. Minimizing casualties is critical.”

“Yes, sir. Understood.”

No matter how hard they worked or how efficiently they moved, there was simply too much to do. Compressing a week’s worth of preparation into a single night was an impossible task, but they had no choice.

Time flew by, offering Derek no reprieve. After the Emperor’s orders, another day passed in a blur. By the time dawn broke on the day of deployment, Derek finally returned to the Duke’s manor.

* * *

It had been a full day since Derek left for the Imperial Palace. His promise to return quickly had evaporated, much like his earlier promise to take her to the pub. During that time, Etia had done nothing but stay in her room.

As another night arrived and moonlight streamed into her room, Etia found herself replaying their conversation from the day before. Regret, resentment, and emptiness all swirled within her.

“It feels like everyone is pushing me to divorce him. And to think, this wasn’t even a marriage I wanted.”

The more Etia reflected on the path that had led her here, the more hollow it all felt. She had never wanted to marry Derek. 

She had expected their political marriage to be nothing but a suffocating chain of obligations. But none of her expectations had come true.

Somewhere along the way, she had given him too much of her heart. Sylvester had become more comfortable to her than Valère, and she relied on Derek more than her own blood family.

This situation was the result of her giving too much of herself. It was an extreme and one-sided conclusion, but Etia couldn’t escape the thought. Lowering her expectations seemed like the easiest way to avoid disappointment—much like her abandoned dinner plans with Derek.

Creak.

Just as she was drowning in her thoughts, Derek appeared, as though he had stepped out of a dream. Etia turned her head slowly at the sound of the door opening. There he stood, his face haggard from just a single day.

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

The first thing Derek said was an apology. He remained by the door, not stepping further into the room. His dark expression matched hers as she silently watched him.

When she didn’t respond, Derek felt the need to say more, but he wasn’t sure where to start. 

Any explanation for his lateness would sound like an excuse, and he didn’t know how to pick up the conversation they had left unfinished.

“I have a question.”

It was Etia who broke the silence. Her voice was hoarse, cracked from a day of not eating or drinking properly. She didn’t care, but Derek was alarmed. He immediately stepped toward her.

As he drew closer, the details of her appearance came into focus. She looked even more worn than he did, and his heart felt like it was shattering all over again.

“I want to have a child.”

“…”

“Do you not?”

He wanted to summon the servants who had left her in this state, but he couldn’t. She looked too fragile, and more importantly, she had just asked him a question he couldn’t answer.

“Since our wedding night, we’ve never shared a bed. Not once.”

“…”

“At first, I thought it was because you were uncomfortable with me. But eventually, it became normal for us to sleep in separate rooms.”

“…”

“Looking back, it feels like you did it on purpose. Because you don’t want children.”

“…”

“Am I right?”

The more she spoke, the more Derek’s heart sank. His expression hardened into something unrecognizable, even to those who knew him well. 

His jaw clenched so tightly that the muscles in his face twitched. He stood there, frozen, unable to say a word.

Because this time, Etia wasn’t wrong. He didn’t want children, and that was why he had avoided sharing a bed with her.

At first, he had told himself it was out of consideration for her. He had thought it would be cruel to force intimacy after their wedding night, which he knew had been difficult for her. 

Even later, when she had tried to seduce him after drinking, he had convinced himself that it would be wrong to take advantage of her vulnerability.

But as their relationship deepened, Derek became afraid. He feared letting her get too close. He feared wanting more from her. And that fear made him realize something he hadn’t considered before: he didn’t want children.

He had always meant to tell her. He believed it was important to respect her feelings and to explain his own without causing misunderstandings.

But it was too late. 

The chaos of the monsters, the reconnaissance missions, the rumors about the Crown Prince, and the looming war had left him no time to address the issue. And now, here they were. Derek couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

“You hide so much from me.”

Etia’s voice trembled with pain. Derek’s silence hurt her more than any words could. She felt lower than ever, as though everything was slipping through her fingers.

“Do you want to divorce me?”

“No. I don’t. There will be no more talk of divorce between us. Not now, not ever. Please believe me on this.”

“Then give me a child. Our child.”

“…Etia.”

“You can give me that much, can’t you?”

Etia clung to him, her voice filled with desperation. After everything she had been through, she could no longer deny her feelings. She loved him, even if he didn’t love her back.