Meanwhile, Saena was watching an old memory.

More precisely, it might be more accurate to say she was observing.

Like any other time, at a banquet she had attended reluctantly despite not wanting to go.

Forcing a smile and hovering around various groups was still something she couldn’t do. After enduring as much as she could, Saena grabbed a wine glass and headed to the lounge.

Around this time, Saena had developed a taste for alcohol and was quite dependent on it. With no joy in life, the alcohol she sipped was what helped her pass time and kept her going during those days.

Though she deliberately sought out the most secluded lounge, there was already someone there.

『Ugh! Urk!』

A woman whose back was visible held a bowl and retched.

That bowl was meant to be decorative, used for holding fruits and such…

‘She must have drunk too much.’

Even so, if she needed to vomit, she should have gone to the ladies’ room, why in the lounge…

Thinking she must have been in quite a hurry, Saena was about to turn back—

『Sa– Saena?』

She suddenly met eyes with the woman who had turned around.

『…Elizabeth?』

Somehow, her complexion turned pale immediately upon seeing Saena, wearing an expression as if caught in a scene that shouldn’t have been witnessed.

Was she worried about rumors spreading that the Duchess was vomiting in the lounge?

『Are you alright?』

Though they had grown distant and barely spoken for years after their respective marriages, when face to face like this, words came naturally like they were back to the time when they were friends.

『If you’re not feeling well, should I call someone?』

『What brings you here?』

Elizabeth asked hurriedly while wiping her mouth.

Perhaps due to showing such an awkward state, her voice was rather sharp.

『I came to rest for a moment–』

『Don’t you know you should find another lounge when there’s already a guest? Don’t tell me you don’t even know such basics?』

Saena was momentarily stunned by the sudden criticism, then quickly felt incredulous.

Just because she felt embarrassed, there was no need to treat others like this.

『I know that much, but how could I tell when there was no sign outside?』

Usually, when someone doesn’t want company, they turn the doorknob outside to indicate there’s a guest, but this room had no such sign.

『I don’t have the ability to distinguish without seeing.』

Saena remembered clearly because she had turned it when she came in. At these words, Elizabeth frowned and muttered.

『…I suppose I was in such a hurry. Hah.』

Then she added, waving her arm, annoyed.

『Fine. Go.』

『…What?』

『Can’t you understand what I’m saying? I said go.』

『……』

‘I shouldn’t have pretended to know her.’

She had asked if Elizabeth was alright because she looked unwell, not because Saena particularly wanted to act friendly. She knew they were no longer close enough to exchange such words.

After becoming a Duchess, Elizabeth had deliberately flaunted her rank and never acknowledged knowing Saena.

『And.』

When Saena was about to leave, simply accepting this, Elizabeth added.

『Though we may have known each other once, I’m now a Duchess and you’re a Viscountess, so what’s with that attitude?』

『……』

『Mind your manners.』

Saena’s body stiffened.

『…I apologize.』

『Be careful from now on.』

Though Elizabeth’s words weren’t wrong, her tone seemed deliberately meant to humiliate, which quite displeased Saena. Perhaps that’s why she said something she normally wouldn’t.

『The Duchess might want to be careful too.』

『…What?』

At first, she had thought Elizabeth was emptying her stomach from drinking too much, but now looking at her, her complexion was normal.

Elizabeth was someone whose face would turn red with just one sip of alcohol, so she rarely drank at events like banquets. It would mar her beauty.

Moreover, the bowl she happened to glimpse (not that she wanted to see someone else’s vomit) surprisingly had no vomit in it.

So she came to this conclusion.

『With such a tightly laced dress and late-night activities, it might not be good for you now.』

『…What are you talking about?』

『Since you seem to have conceived a noble’s seed, shouldn’t you be careful in everything?』

『……』

At Saena’s words, Elizabeth’s expression turned excessively pale.

‘Did she not want the pregnancy?’

That’s what it seemed like.

Normally, she should be happy since having the Duke’s heir would strengthen her position, right?

Something felt strange, but it wasn’t Saena’s business.

『Then I’ll take my leave.』

Saena left the lounge first, leaving behind Elizabeth who had frozen like a statue.

Though she felt somewhat strange about the stare that seemed to bore into her back, she dismissed it, thinking Elizabeth must have been quite upset by her presumptuous comment.

That was Saena and Elizabeth’s last meeting.

It was also the last banquet Saena attended.

The memories after that were chaotic.

Images seemed to pass by in a jumbled mess.

Below the terrace. The Duke.

Her weakening body, coughing blood, death.

Yuri, Sage, and her Father wailing.

The white handkerchief she carried to every banquet just in case.

The funeral. Elizabeth unexpectedly coming to pay respects. Her lips murmuring something while bowing her head and placing flowers before the name Saena Hollander.

Yuri. Young Yuri. Middle-aged Yuri.

The Duke. Middle-aged Duke smoking tobacco.

Middle-aged Yuri receiving the black diamond from the Duke.

Yuri immersed in some research. Gray hair.

Demonic beasts, demonic beasts. The Duke slaughtering the overflowing demonic beasts. Blood, blood, blood.

Dark skies, blood-soaked earth.

The Southern Allied Nations crossing the border, Northern barbarians. War, war, war.

Duke Kramer gazing at Saena’s portrait.

Lake, hidden island on the lake, ruins.

Black diamond, light rays, pillar of light.

Yuri. Yuri Debov. Violet eyes.

Yolly. Giant wolf.

“Saena… please… come back…”

His voice calling for her.

‘…Ah!’

Saena’s eyes snapped open.

It was the moment of awakening.

* * *

‘Caligo!’

Constantine, who had entered through the cave, nearly plunged headfirst into the ground but landed using his Guardian Spirit’s power.

Who knew how deep below they had descended.

He never imagined such a deep space would exist beneath the relic site’s lake.

‘Where does this connect to?’

He couldn’t tell if it was some strange spatial distortion or if such a space truly existed under the lake. However, surprisingly, he felt neither the smell of water nor humidity.

Moreover, it was strangely bright. Though it appeared to be a deep cave-like structure with no visible light source anywhere, it wasn’t completely dark—enough to distinguish the surroundings.

‘…It seems to get brighter as we go deeper.’

And as they went deeper, it began to feel more artificial. He could see the change from natural cave to something that seemed carved and shaped by human hands.

Constantine drew out Caligo’s energy and shot it forward. To detect if he could sense Saena’s energy, and to scout for any potential dangers in the surroundings.

— Eeeeek! Master… can’t we leave right now? Here, here is too…

But Caligo’s tone seemed somehow weak. Even using power felt strangely resistant in the air.

“What’s there?”

— Everything just feels bad… I feel powerless and want to leave quickly…

“Just tell me what’s ahead.”

— Let’s leave quickly, Master. Please?

“The faster you do what I tell you, the faster we can leave.”

— But it feels so bad…

“Hah.”

Constantine summoned Morev with an irritated sigh.

— No! I don’t want to…!

Then he overlaid Caligo’s power onto Morev and sent it forward.

After some time passed, he summoned Morev back. It was a kind of workaround to share Morev’s vision, but due to the side effect of severe dizziness akin to extreme motion sickness, it was a technique he rarely used unless absolutely necessary.

“Ugh!”

As soon as he absorbed Morev’s memories, a terrible headache hit him and he had to lean against the wall. Along with the dizziness came the sight of water.

Had the water that disappeared above collected here?

He learned there was a small pond ahead. And that water was giving off a faint light that illuminated the surroundings.

Other images passed through his mind. And when the interpretation of memories finished, he felt the back of his neck go cold.

“…A woman?”

He saw a woman lying ahead. But it wasn’t Saena.

Constantine ran forward in an almost dazed state.

The space that gradually began to widen soon became like a plaza. The smoothly finished interior was circular with a pond sunken in the center.

The pond had a strange shape. Like a black diamond, in the form of a marquise cut.

A woman lay in it.

Either the water itself was shallow or the woman seemed to be floating.

Who was this woman?

Very long silver hair that reached past her hips to her knees floated on the water’s surface, partially covering her face and parts of the woman’s n*ked body.

“……”

Though he was momentarily flustered at suddenly encountering a strange woman’s n*ked form, he quickly regained his senses.

Whoever she was, he thought he should check if she was dead, and if not, wake her to ask if she knew Saena’s whereabouts.

“Hey. You…, huh?!”

Constantine was startled as he brought his finger near her nose to check if she was breathing.

Upon getting closer, the woman was…

“S-Saena?!”

Saena, it was her.

It was definitely her face.

Constantine stepped into the water in shock. He hurriedly lifted the woman and brought her to shore.

“Saena!”

Thankfully she was breathing, but why had her hair become like this?

Silver hair? And why had the length suddenly become so long?

Though it was definitely her face, she seemed like a different person.

It wasn’t just because her hair color was different. The energy she gave off… her whole atmosphere was completely different.

“Saena!”

He called out urgently.

Even though he held her in his arms, he felt as if he had lost her.

He desperately hoped she would open her eyes and recognize him. He even began to think he had felt this kind of feeling somewhere before.

The feeling of her not knowing him while he alone was anxious.

The feeling of hoping pointlessly while knowing there wasn’t a shred of hope.

It was different from when he met Saena at the debutante ball and tried to win her.