She would leave anyway—couldn’t he have waited just a little longer? He wouldn’t have lost anything if he had stayed still and could have parted ways with his troublesome burden effortlessly.

It would have only taken a moment. Just a moment.

In her relationship with Gopher, the emotions had always been one-sided. While she accepted it as natural, there were moments when it stung. Perhaps that lingering resentment was why she had hoped that it would feel entirely like her own decision if she left him behind.

But he had been diligent, following her to the hunting competition, boldly declaring: I will abandon you. I don’t need you.

In the end, she became the pitiful one, abandoned and leaving.

“…”

Bleria raised her crossbow, aiming at Gopher’s chest. He didn’t move an inch.

Because I’ve never handled a crossbow before? Or because he thought I wouldn’t shoot anyway?

Bleria bit her lip and placed her finger on the trigger. If she pulled it, the arrow would fly, tearing into Gopher as it had gouged the tree earlier.

But her hand, poised on the trigger, froze. Her fingers trembled. Then her arms, her shoulders, and soon her entire body felt unbearably heavy. Even her rain-soaked hair clung limply to her skin, weighing her down.

In the end, she lowered the crossbow without firing.

“…Bastard.”

He had told her to trust him, that he wouldn’t abandon her.

He had said he liked her more than anyone else and thought marrying her would be good. And now, this?

Really, now?

Ah.

“You’re a real son of a b*tch, Gopher.”

She’d been taught never to use profanity.

Yet as she spat out the words she’d been suppressing, Bleria felt a strange sense of liberation. It was like a massive dam within her had collapsed, washing away her bottled-up emotions. She felt both refreshed and overwhelmed, tears welling up. She wanted to cry like a child, to sob uncontrollably.

Gopher’s eyes widened. He reached out to her but stopped midway. Bleria didn’t need to ask why—she heard it, too.

Another noise came amid the sound of rain: a commotion mixed with urgency, the clatter of hooves, and voices shouting.

“Why are Heaven’s knights…?”

Gopher’s murmured words sent a chill down her spine. Thump, thump, thump. Her heart pounded like a drum. The knights of House Heaven had come after her. Did they find out about her deception? Did they know she planned to flee? Or perhaps—

Lucy must have said something.

Her erratic behavior must have tipped Lucy off, prompting her to report everything.

Gopher bit his lip so hard it drew blood, then extended his hand again.

“There’s no time. They’re still a ways off, so hurry—”

Her reflexive slap sent a sharp sound into the air. Gopher’s face darkened, but the action brought Bleria back to her senses. This wasn’t the time to tremble in fear.

“Get a grip. You’re upset, but you’re not planning to die, are you?”

“Whatever I plan, it’s none of your business.”

“Bleria!”

“Who are you calling, Gopher?”

It felt absurd even as she recognized the name was spoken out of habit. Her lips twisted into a bitter smile.

“I don’t need your help, not as Bleria.”

“Even if—”

“Even if I die because of it.”

With that, Bleria raised the crossbow again.

She stepped back, keeping it aimed at Gopher, widening the distance between them. Thankfully, he didn’t try to rush her. When there was enough space between them, Bleria tossed the crossbow aside and turned to run.

Not east, where Gopher had prepared people to help her, but north—toward the direction she had chosen, where her own ally awaited.

“…Bleria!”

She heard him call her name belatedly, but the rain quickly drowned out the sound.

The thunder of hooves grew louder instantly, and a group of riders soon appeared. Standing motionless as if rooted to the spot, Gopher stiffened at the sight of their uniforms.

The Nemesis Knights.

House Heaven’s elite knight order, and at the lead was their commander. Nearly ten knights rode swiftly through the rain-soaked mountain path.

Their presence was even more formidable than Gopher had anticipated. As they drew closer, tension rippled down his spine.

The commander halted her horse upon seeing him.

“Excuse me, Lord Gopher. Have you seen Lady Bleria?”

“I haven’t, but what are your orders?”

“I apologize. The duke’s orders are urgent, so I’ll explain later.”

Without waiting for his reply, she spurred her horse onward. The knights surged past him in a rush. Bleria had fled on foot, so they would catch up to her soon enough. Yet Gopher stood still, watching their retreating figures.

Lady Bleria, is it?

It’s not the kind of title you’d use for a fugitive.

He relaxed, letting his hand fall away from his sword. It seemed Bleria’s actions had struck a nerve with the Duke of Heaven, triggering some deep-seated trauma. Perhaps this would take an unexpected turn.

If the duke insisted that Bleria was his daughter, neither Eos’s claims nor the capital’s rumors could override his conviction. Negotiations with Stella might reopen, and then, perhaps—

Gopher swept back his rain-soaked hair. He should have headed back, but his feet felt heavy, and he was reluctant to move.

She seemed angry, didn’t she?

“Who are you calling, Gopher? I don’t need your help, not as Bleria.”

“Even if I die because of it.”

Bleria hadn’t bothered hiding her emotions. She had raged, cried, and, in the end—

Did she smile?

Not a smile in the usual sense, but more of a sneer. Still, she smiled. And it wasn’t the same as Eos Liche’s smile.

The feeling unsettled him. Like a long-suppressed emotion suddenly rising to the surface, it left him with a heavy ache in his chest. Gopher pressed a hand against it, trying to steady himself.

If everything were to return to its original state—if the Duke of Heaven was stubborn enough to retract Stella Allnight’s decision to break off the engagement—then perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to treat Bleria a little differently.

He let out a faint sigh, lowering his head. That was when a distant shout reached his ears.

“L-Lady Bleria has jumped off the cliff!”

***

The unexpected news turned the capital upside down.

It all began when Bleria Heaven suddenly appeared at the hunting grounds.

Those gathered at the time whispered that Bleria was provoking the Duke of Heaven in a desperate attempt to escape her predicament.

Her reputation had become utterly tarnished. What was once praised as a noble demeanor was now seen as a frantic effort to hide her flaws, and her quietness was interpreted as arrogant ignorance of her place, earning her mockery.

Those gleefully gossiping soon heard the next piece of news.

“The Duke of Heaven has dispatched knights to Mount Egle.”

It was like pouring oil on a fire.

Speculation ran wild: the duke finally came to his senses, and Bleria Heaven was now destined to stand trial. Those who had previously slandered Eos Liche even sent gifts to Allnight, hoping to smooth over past offenses.

And then, the most shocking news arrived: Bleria Heaven had jumped from a cliff at the hunting grounds.

“Good heavens, suicide…!”

At the peak of their malicious gossip, the atmosphere suddenly shifted.

The Duke of Heaven, whose health had reportedly declined recently, personally appeared at the hunting grounds. Was it to confirm whether the criminal had indeed died? He wouldn’t have wept at the cliff’s edge if that were the case.

“No, Bleria, my child! Where have you gone, leaving me, Bleria, my dear child!”

The duke grieved with heartbreaking sorrow at the spot where Bleria Heaven had fallen.

Only then did the gossipers and certain newspapers fall silent, now watching the situation cautiously. Even though pretending as if nothing had happened wouldn’t erase all traces, the Heaven household deferred any retribution against them for the time being.

Instead, with the cooperation of the Kesio family—though it was more like coercion—a search of the area commenced. Compared to Mount Prune, Mount Egle was much smaller, so results came quickly.

Not long after, word spread that the body of a silver-haired woman had been found washed down into the valley waters. A knight who discovered her promptly reported it, and Damian Heaven arrived.

He gazed at the body silently before recovering it and returning.

Not long after, the official position of the Heaven family was announced.

The Heaven household would accept Eos Liche into their family. However, she would not use the name Bleria.

Those who heard the announcement were utterly baffled.

“What on earth is going on?”

***

Gopher Allnight was no less confused.

Bleria Heaven had jumped from a cliff, and her body had been found downstream. Only a few of Heaven’s loyal knights and Damian Heaven himself had seen the body, so little information leaked.

The only tangible clue Gopher’s informant could obtain was a few strands of pale hair found at the site. The hair, dampened by water and then dried, looked terrible—just like the hair Bleria had always been so meticulous about.

It might not even be her.

Faking a body is a simple task. One could use another corpse and dye the hair, damaging it and leaving it in such a state.

Though it was impossible to confirm who was behind it, there were undoubtedly suspicious individuals whose actions raised questions.