“Not just try—you must definitely make me an Imperial Knight. That’s why I’m risking my life too, right?”

“I’ll be in your debt.”

“If you’re sorry, then repay me!”

Edwin and Chloe looked at each other and smiled.

Their plan was this: approach the monster core while minimizing their presence. Easy to say, but practically impossible to execute.

Monsters lacked intelligence but possessed great strength. Two people facing countless monsters was absurd. But at this point, they had no other options.

Edwin acknowledged Chloe as his partner because he knew her skills matched his own. Together, just the two of them, they succeeded in approaching the location of the core.

However, neither was in good condition. Both were covered in blood and could collapse at any moment. Despite this, they managed to reach the core through sheer determination.

The core, containing both their life forces, exploded, and just before dying, Edwin wished to save Diana. When he opened his eyes, he had returned to the past.

As a side effect, the number of monsters he needed to deal with increased—a karmic burden Edwin had to bear.

In this life, determined not to repeat the same mistakes, he assigned mercenaries and Chloe to alternately watch over the Winchester household. It was a task Chloe volunteered for after he decided to break off his engagement.

While trying to protect Diana from afar, he was shocked when the Emperor proposed that he marry her. The future shouldn’t change so easily.

Edwin believed the future changed because he had restricted Clive’s actions, preventing him from approaching Diana.

Though he interfered in Diana and Clive’s relationship, he couldn’t shake his uneasiness.

Edwin gave Diana a dagger to carry with her. Then he arranged for Charlotte to leave for another empire with a womanizer.

He tried to prevent history from repeating itself, but ultimately tragedy struck anyway, leaving him heartbroken.

The only consolation was that he had saved the lives of the Winchester family members. That he hadn’t lost her this time. That alone mattered.

* * *

Diana couldn’t help but shed tears upon hearing the entire story. What reason could Edwin have had to sacrifice so much? Who was she to deserve this?

“Why did you go so far? Why…”

Why did you sacrifice your life? There was no need for that. 

Unable to continue speaking, tears flowed down her face.

“Then and now, you are the only one in my heart. I couldn’t bear the guilt of failing to save you.”

“But did you need to sacrifice your life for that? You could have lived your own life regardless of my miserable death.”

“I didn’t want to live in a world without you.”

“But I married another man. Wouldn’t it have been better to forget someone like me and meet a new woman?”

“That would have been impossible for me.”

Diana felt both joy and sadness. Gratitude and guilt. Her heart ached thinking about Edwin’s struggles for her sake.

But gratitude outweighed the pain. Thanks to him, her parents’ lives and her own were saved, and she could witness Clive receiving punishment with her own eyes.

“Thank you. And I’m sorry. I should have trusted you…”

These were the only words Diana could offer. What else needed to be said?

Why had she misunderstood everything all this time? Why had she denied his love despite receiving so much of it?

Why had she misinterpreted past events, doubting his love based on her own misconceptions?

She felt ashamed for constantly feeling insecure despite receiving overwhelming love from Edwin. She had failed to believe him even when he expressed his feelings.

“I apologize too. If I hadn’t hidden my feelings, your life might have been different.”

Edwin also offered his apologies to Diana.

“You don’t need to apologize. That was my fate. You and Lady Queensberry changed it.”

“It was atonement for failing to save you.”

“Don’t think of it that way. I was foolish not to notice their schemes. Thanks to you, my parents and I survived… The future isn’t easily changed, yet it did change. I’m sorry for misunderstanding and doubting your relationship with Lady Queensberry all this time.”

Diana felt she needed to pour out everything she had been unable to say. Unable to look Edwin in the face, she bowed her head deeply.

“I wanted you for myself. But I was anxious. It felt like I was stealing someone else’s destiny. That’s why I forced physical intimacy and tried to demand your heart. I’m sorry for everything.”

It was all because of her own inadequacies.

“No. I was actually grateful. The truth is, if you hadn’t approached me first, I would have given up on you in this life too.”

“What? You were going to give up on me? After sacrificing your life, why?”

“I am a sinner. How could someone like me make you happy? I planned to watch over you from afar in this life too.”

“For such a trivial reason?”

Diana couldn’t understand Edwin. Wasn’t it natural to want to be close to someone you love?

No. Thinking about his past life, she realized this was typical of Edwin. If he had been more assertive, they wouldn’t have missed each other in their previous life.

“Yes. But I realized my thinking was limited. Thank you for taking the initiative. Because of you, I found the courage to desire you.”

“Is that why you’ve been so eager for my body all this time?”

Diana looked at Edwin with a pouty expression.

“Once I had experienced all of you, my desire only grew. I never thought I would be such an impatient man. That makes me a bit regretful.”

“About what?”

“I thought I had expressed my affection in my own way, but it seems it didn’t reach you.”

“What?”

“My desire to become one with you was always sincere. Diana, whenever I see you, I’m always like this.”

Edwin reached out and took Diana’s hand. He placed it on the firm bulge in his pants, causing her eyes to widen like a rabbit’s.

So swollen, and he had been restraining himself all this time?

“Then why… why didn’t you touch me after our engagement?”

“Everything has its proper order. I wanted to preserve your purity until marriage. I didn’t want to burden you with my personal desires.”

Burden? How could that be?

“I wanted to cherish you. But I held back because I feared my touch would hurt you. I had no intention of losing you now. I thought I had made that clear last time, but it seems it wasn’t enough.”

At that moment, Edwin’s eyes were filled with desire.

“I’m sorry. I should have trusted you.”

Trapped in her previous life. Consumed by jealousy, Diana had imagined absurd scenarios and failed to trust Edwin. She shouldn’t have done that, but she did.

She approached Edwin and gently caressed his cheek.

“I’ll trust you now. I’ll never let you go. So can you continue to love me too?”

“Of course. I have loved only you until now, and I will continue to love only you in the future.”

“Me too. I will also love only you forever.”

“I had planned to marry after dealing with the monsters to some extent, but that won’t do. We need to hurry. We can’t let something like this happen again.”

Edwin knelt on one knee and, pressing his lips to the back of Diana’s hand, said:

“Will you marry me?”

“That’s what I’ve been hoping for.”

When Diana extended her hand, Edwin kissed the back of it.

To meet Edwin. That’s why she had come such a long, winding road. Diana finally felt she had found her place.

The two smiled at each other. Dazzling sunlight poured through the window, blessing them. Warm energy enveloped them, and everything around them sparkled in the light. 

It was perfect weather for a proposal.