“My goodness, Olivia!”

“You came to the temple alone? They say the capital and the square are overflowing with foreign troops right now!”

“One of the knight escorts led me through the forest path. Thanks to him, I made it here safely in hiding. Everyone’s all right, aren’t they?”

“Of course! The temple and the hospital are the safest places even during civil war.”

As the priests each reached out to check that I was unhurt, someone suddenly ran up and threw their arms around me.

“Olivia!”

“Johan?”

It was the little boy I had saved back in the village.

“You said you’d come see me!”

As I stroked his hair while he whimpered, he burrowed even deeper into my arms.

“Johan’s been waiting for you a long time.”

“High Priest.”

“You’ve suffered much. We’ve already heard the general situation in the citadel.”

“High Priest…”

Like a child, I buried my face in his chest and wept. Not even when I had first arrived at the temple at five years old had I cried like this.

“Do not be afraid. The citadel will not fall so easily. Remember who Prince Edmund is.”

“Yes… he’ll win, won’t he?”

“Come. Let us pray to our God.”

But the god of this world would never hear my prayers.

I stared blankly up at the carved figure that was meant to embody Him. The gentle smile, the solemn eyes—why did it make me think of Edmund?

Ah, Edmund… are you still alive now? Did Fakel and Felix succeed in leading you to safety? Or did you stand and face them willingly?

Within the temple, the citizens of the Empire prayed earnestly for the war to end. Yet as though deaf to our voices, the sound of gunfire continued to thunder outside.

An hour or two later, the outside grew quiet.

“Has it… stopped now?”

“It does sound quiet out there.”

People whispered anxiously among themselves.

“Do you think it’s safe to go out?”

“But what if the foreigners have taken the citadel?”

I couldn’t stop worrying about Edmund. Was he safe? Still alive?

While the others hesitated, I slowly pushed open the temple doors.

The world outside was unnervingly still. The street lay deserted—not a soul in sight, not even an ant.

Lifting my head, I saw it—the black smoke rolling thick across the sky. A fire? At that scale… surely not—

“Ed… please…”

Please be alive.

Ignoring the voices telling me to stay, I ran toward the citadel.

When I reached it, I saw the foreigners encamped around its walls. At least it hadn’t fallen yet. That meant Edmund might still be alive.

But there was no way I could force my way inside. Should I go back? Or try the back gate I had slipped through?

Just then, one of the foreigners spotted me.

“Hey, who’s that woman?!”

“Isn’t she the one? The aide who works in the First Prince’s office.”

“She looks like her.”

Their whispers carried, and a soldier dressed in the garb of the Iojix Kingdom grabbed my arm.

“This is the Prince’s aide?”

A hundred hostile eyes turned on me, and I could only bite my lip.

‘I made a mistake. I should have waited. What if I only end up a burden to Edmund now?’

“Wait! Release this lady! She has done much for us.”

The one who stepped between me and the soldier was none other than Rowell, the leader of the conservatives.

“But she’s the Prince’s aide! There’s no reason to spare her!”

“That’s right—kill her!”

Their muttering grew louder. Ultimately, they reached a conclusion.

They meant to kill me.

“Don’t hold it against me.”

One of the foreigners stepped forward, his weapon raised high above me.

That sensation again—time stretching thin, as though the world had slipped into slow motion. A Puglish foreigner, famed for strength and muscle beyond compare, swung down a weapon as thick as his own thigh, right before my eyes.

What would happen if it struck? Would Mephisto intervene again, as he had with Ecla? Or would he simply say that, with less than a month left on the contract, it was time to let go—that my soul was his to claim?

That wouldn’t be the worst fate.

I had confessed my feelings so clumsily. If I never saw Edmund again, what words could I possibly speak when we did meet? Let’s love each other? Let’s marry? No—such things could never pass my lips.

But if the last sight before my eyes had been Edmund, I would have been content. Not this scorched, lifeless grass. Not the citadel. But you—the one I could paint from memory with my eyes closed.

Bang. Bang.

Two gunshots cracked through the air. The giant foreigner collapsed instantly, like a balloon suddenly deflated—like Baron Schurhatz before him.

“Olivia!”

Ah. Perhaps this was a vision before death. Hearing Edmund’s voice, seeing his face in the echo of gunfire.

From atop the citadel wall, a shadow gleamed—those beautiful crimson eyes flashing, black hair like silk whipping in the wind.

It couldn’t be. Edmund couldn’t fire a gun. He had always said he feared them.

“Olivia, are you all right?!”

But he wasn’t an illusion. Edmund leapt down from the wall, dropped the pistol he’d held, and seized my arm. Strength coursed through both his hands.

“Your Highness?”

His eyes—like noble rubies, glimmering in the morning sun—reflected me within them.

“Haa…”

The moment Edmund confirmed that I was safe, his grip slackened. His hands trembled as the strength drained from them. It was as though he could not quite believe that he had pulled the trigger himself. His gaze darted between his hands and the fallen foreigner.

“I gave it to you, but I never thought you’d actually use it.”

Felix, who had jumped down after him, picked up the pistol he had lent him.

“You’re not hurt, are you? It must have been a terrible shock.”

“I’m fine.”

The words slipped out almost automatically. Even so, I could hardly believe it—Edmund had fired a gun.

The fact that he had overcome his trauma for my sake filled me with happiness… and with a heavy weight.

“You should have stayed at the temple. Why did you come all the way here?”

“I was worried. I hadn’t heard any more gunfire, and the fire looked so ominous that I thought…”

I thought Edmund had died. I thought something had happened to him. Just the memory of it made my body tremble.

“Ah, that fire. It was something, wasn’t it?”

“Something? What do you mean by that?”

“Wait. This isn’t the place to talk about it.”

He was right. This was no time for conversation, not while surrounded by enemies.

I nodded. We had to get back inside the citadel as quickly as possible.

As I stood up, I felt my body lift off the ground of its own accord. It was Edmund.

With ease he picked me up and issued his command to Felix and the knights.

“Guard us.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Wait—put me down!”

“No. We need to return to the citadel quickly. Hold tight.”

“B-but my hands have no strength right now…”

The air was thick with the stench of blood. Screams and the clash of steel against steel battered my ears.

Would we even make it back alive? Through this chaos? If Edmund hadn’t come for me—if he hadn’t risked himself—none of them would be in danger now.

Seeing my body tremble, Edmund tightened his hold around me.

“Then stay still. I’ll hold on for both of us.”

“As if that’s possible—!”

Bang. Bang.

“Kyah!”

The soldiers on the wall returned fire in support.

“If you’re afraid, then listen only to my heartbeat. Shut everything else out.”

“But… what about—”

Right beside us, men were fighting and dying for our sake.

At that moment, one of the enemy soldiers lunged forward with his sword raised. Felix only just managed to block the blow — it was that close!

War. Death. Here, such things had long since become part of daily life.

Seeing my fear, Edmund quickened his pace.

“Olivia, there’s nothing out here worth seeing. Better to close your eyes. If you can’t, then look only at me. I’ll protect you—whatever it takes.”

The way he said it, with such conviction, made me want to cry. I nodded slowly.

The supporting fire from the walls had made all the difference. Thanks to it, the knights suffered no serious injuries and we all made it inside the citadel.

But it wasn’t only soldiers and palace staff who had gathered within the walls.

“Huh? Those people…”

“They’re villagers.”

“Villagers? But when I escaped earlier, the citadel was already surrounded by the enemy.”

At my question, Edmund gave a soft laugh. His smile drew murmurs from the villagers.

“Your Highness.”

“A few hours ago it was Ed… and now it’s Your Highness?”

“Put me down, please. This is… really embarrassing.”

As I averted my gaze, Edmund sighed as if conceding, and carefully set me down—as gently as though he were laying down a melting snowflake.

“You’re not hurt anywhere?”

“Of course not. But are you truly all right, Your Highness?”

“Of course.”

Edmund pulled me into a cautious embrace.

“I’m sorry I sent you away alone. Were you afraid?”

His gloved hand slid slowly through my hair. Although the touch was comforting, it left me feeling flustered.

Felix cleared his throat loudly, and the other knights quickly turned their eyes aside. That only made it more embarrassing.

“Your Highness. Let’s go inside and talk. Tell me what happened. There are too many people here… so please, let go of me for now.”

At my words, Edmund glanced around, clicked his tongue in displeasure, and finally nodded.