“I need some research funds.”

Yuri’s request was blunt, almost brazen, but Constantine’s expression did not change much. He simply smoked a cigar and stared at Yuri for a long time.

“Very well.”

Without asking for an explanation, the duke agreed. He did not ask how much was needed or why it was needed.

‘Hmph. The duke must have something to feel guilty about, so he has no choice.’

While he had been nervous before the duke’s response, once he got the agreement, Yuri felt it was only natural.

Furthermore, he requested to see all the ancient documents in the Kramer estate.

It was an outrageous request, but the duke agreed just as easily.

‘I might as well move my research here.’

With the funds provided by the duke, Yuri bought the last book from Bellua and gathered all his research materials, heading to the northeastern Kramer territory.

Prince Gillian, plagued by the delusion that the dukes might try to usurp his throne, had closed the warp gate building in the imperial palace.

As a result, the dukes had to ride their Guardian Spirits to the imperial capital when necessary. Of course, with the empire in turmoil, they were busy guarding their territories and rarely had a reason to visit the capital.

In any case, Yuri, unaware of the existence of the warp gate, considered overland travel the norm.

The duke provided Yuri with ample guards, and despite the arduous journey, he arrived safely.

Yuri then settled into the tower of the Kramer territory.

The tower, filled with memoirs of the previous heads of the Kramer family and possibly records of the family’s secrets, was a secret space accessible only to the head of the family. However, Constantine did not seem to care and opened it to Yuri.

He was not particularly bound by the family’s past secrets, nor could he guarantee the future of the Kramer family. Thus, the duke did not feel a strong obligation to protect the secret space.

But there was another reason.

It would have been too much trouble to fetch and bring the ancient documents to Yuri every time he requested them. The duke was already busy dealing with the endless emergence of demonic beasts in the vicinity.

Thus, Yuri became a resident of the tower.

* * *

Elizabeth died after giving birth to a son.

She did not die during childbirth but suffered for a long time before passing away.

Upon further investigation, it became clear that Elizabeth’s misdeeds were not limited to Saena’s death.

From their first meeting to the circumstances that led to George Hollander, to the reasons why Saena had to get married—Elizabeth had been involved in all of Saena’s misfortunes.

Yuri’s anger was immense. To him, death was too lenient a punishment for Elizabeth.

Surprisingly, it was Duke Kramer who provided the assistance.

The duke used the power of a Guardian Spirit to create a shadow prison, where Elizabeth was confined and made to suffer daily from intense fear, gradually driving her to madness.

“Still, she was Your Grace’s wife, wasn’t she? You’re rather heartless, aren’t you?”

“Do you want me to release her?”

“No, that’s not what I mean.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“Just that, I think you must have hated her even before I asked.”

“Not exactly.”

“Then, did you feel betrayed because she had an affair?”

“Not really.”

Yuri sometimes crossed the line or asked quite rude questions, but surprisingly, the duke never reprimanded him and often answered without hesitation.

“…Why did you get married in the first place? Just picking someone off the street would have been better than this.”

“Perhaps.”

“……”

Despite his cold demeanor, the duke seemed to have a rather lenient personality.

Or perhaps he was lenient only with Yuri.

This attitude did not change even after Elizabeth’s death, when Yuri suddenly appeared and demanded research support, settling into the tower.

“Sometimes you look at me with such a chilling expression, why is that?”

“…What?”

“I’m not interested in men, you know?”

“Neither am I.”

“But why do you keep looking at me with that wistful, nostalgic, or whatever look?”

“……”

Yuri shivered as if he were creeped out.

“…I just thought you look a lot like your sister, that’s all.”

“Saena? Of course, we’re twins.”

What did the duke mean by saying he had seen Saena? They had no known connection.

If the duke had seen Saena’s face, it must have been……

“—Have you seen the portrait in my study?”

“……”

Silence was as good as a yes.

Yuri had not hidden the portrait, as the duke had never visited the tower before, but it was clear that he had seen it.

“Man, what a weird guy. Why would you—”

“I’ve seen her before.”

“…What? Saena?”

“Yes. I met her at a party and had a brief conversation.”

“…You’ve never mentioned that before.”

“There was no particular reason to.”

It was just once.

He had expected her to cry, but her violet eyes did not.

When he learned that Elizabeth was causing trouble,

When he discovered that she was one of the victims,

Especially when he found out that she had died because of Elizabeth…

‘Are you feeling guilty on her behalf?’

No, that was unlikely. The duke was not the sentimental type.

Then why?

He didn’t know. Sometimes, he just thought of those eyes. He couldn’t explain why.

It was true that he had met Saena at a party.

But it was also true that he had avoided the question about the portrait of Yuri’s sister.

He had seen the portrait by chance.

Since the tower itself was a secret, he had instructed the butler to personally bring Yuri his meals.

When it was mealtime, the butler would leave the food basket near the boundary of the tower’s barrier, and the duke’s commander would bring it inside.

Yuri would take the basket, eat, and then return it the same way.

One day, the butler urgently sought out the duke, who had just returned from a hunt.

‘There seems to be something wrong with the person in the tower.’

‘…What?’

The basket was not being taken in, nor was it being returned.

The only one who could enter and exit the tower’s barrier was the duke, and since he had been absent, he had just received the report.

Since then… what could have happened?

‘I’ll go check.’

‘Yes.’

When the duke entered the tower, he found Yuri ill.

He carried Yuri out of the barrier to a guest house and called a doctor to treat him.

‘You’re showing signs of malnutrition. You’re also overworked.’

‘Malnutrition?’

‘Yes. Your physical strength and immune system are very low, making you susceptible to developing pneumonia from a simple cold.’

‘Huh.’

Malnutrition. The duke was taken aback.

If he had returned any later, Yuri might have died alone.

After Yuri recovered, the duke sternly declared:

Eat your meals on time and go for a walk and exercise every day at a set time. If you don’t, you’ll be kicked out of the tower, and your support will be cut off.

Yuri seemed to take this to heart, as he started taking better care of his health while continuing his research.

In any case, when the duke came to the tower to fetch Yuri, he saw the portrait of Saena for the first time.

From then on, he began sneaking into the tower at night to gaze at the portrait.

He didn’t know why.

Occasionally, when he felt mentally exhausted from dealing with Caligo, or when he couldn’t sleep due to the constant noise, he would want to see the portrait.

While staring at the portrait, he felt that Caligo’s voice seemed a bit more distant.

The raven-black hair, the violet eyes.

The girl in the portrait looked younger and more innocent than when he had met her in person, and most importantly, she looked happy.

The portrait captured her happiness in a way that made her smile seem to warm the heart just by looking at it.

Her face must have changed over time.

Through the schemes of his late wife……

When he met her, she already had the weight of life deeply etched on her face.

She was tired, haggard, and depressed, a stark contrast……

He didn’t know.

The empire was now in a state of irreparable decline, with far more unhappy people than happy ones, yet the only thing that wouldn’t leave his mind was the pale complexion of a woman he had met on a terrace.

Had he been subconsciously brainwashed by all the stories Yuri Debov had told him about his sister?

In fact, he never really thought Yuri Debov’s research would succeed.

Supporting Yuri was not a difficult task for Constantine Kramer, and Yuri simply continued because he wanted to.

But now, he felt differently.

‘I hope he succeeds.’

There was only one reason.

He had a strange longing to see the woman in the portrait smile at him just once.

* * *

Duke Kramer did not remarry after Elizabeth.

Yuri never married at all.

Over a long period, as Yuri received support from the duke, a peculiar relationship developed between them.

They were neither friends nor colleagues, but they were strangely close and knew quite a lot about each other.

If asked whether they were close, both would certainly shake their heads, maintaining a comfortable distance.

This strange relationship became even more peculiar with the addition of another person.

It happened about two years after Yuri settled into the tower.

While taking a walk, as per the duke’s condition to improve his health, Yuri saw a child and was shocked by the child’s appearance.

The child looked almost like an animal. The neglected hair was matted and dirty, and the whole body emitted a foul odor. The child was so thin and small that it was impossible to guess the age.

Even the dog in the backyard was in better condition.

How could the people of this castle be so cruel? To starve and *buse a child.

“Who is this child? How can you be so cruel to a child!”

Yuri confronted them in anger, but the servants only looked perplexed.

“It’s……”

It turned out to be Elizabeth’s child.

A child whose father was unknown.

A child born to an enemy.

The child was barely kept alive in the Kramer castle, neglected and left to fend for himself.

Since the child was born, no instructions or measures had been given, leaving the servants at a loss, and they had been neglecting the child.

It was awkward to hate the child, and it was burdensome to take care of the child actively.

The child lived a meager life, eating scraps and sleeping in a dilapidated shed.

Was it even right to call it living?

A more accurate description would be that the child was barely surviving, emaciated and not quite dead.