“I will live without a trace, like the wind. I will pay for my sins that way, so please release me.”

“T-that can’t be.”

“May Your Majesty’s unfulfilled love find peace from now on.”

Nian spoke in a calm tone.

Dade stood blankly for a while before hurriedly leaving the bedroom.

Watching Dade’s back, Nian finally burst into tears.

‘When you’re going to leave like that.’

When he would leave so coldly as soon as he heard her story.

It was just like a child playing with a toy outside who runs away without looking back when his mother comes to get him. Leaving behind the toy that had entertained him during his boring time.

* * *

Dade rode his horse at full speed. He had considered summoning Cain, but feeling he couldn’t bear the waiting time, he rushed directly to Cain’s residence.

Cain ran out to the unexpected visitor, but seeing Dade’s expression, he seemed to have anticipated this and led him inside. When Cain brought out herb tea that he had once received as a gift from Nian, Dade’s face hardened even more coldly.

Even at this moment, he was quite displeased that Cain possessed something touched by her.

“Where is she?”

“Where is the Empress?”

“I asked where she is.”

“Did you make her cry again?”

“Shut up and answer. Where is she!”

Cain glared at Dade with an angry expression.

“I don’t understand why you’re acting like this now.”

“What? Reason?”

“Even I, a mere count, found her quickly after spending just a little time searching, but what have you been doing all this time?”

“……”

“Why didn’t you find her a little sooner?”

‘Then, before Ilena fell in love with you, she would have returned to me.’

Dade bit his lip.

He had simply lived believing she was dead. Though his suspicions were strong, there was no way to find material evidence, and he couldn’t punish the Empress and a Duke’s family based on mere suspicion.

Instead, he had planned to punish the Empress in his own way. By making her live as an Empress in name only, ignored for the rest of her life. Of course, that was a foolish thought.

Far from ignoring her, he had given her his entire heart long ago. As Dade lost his words, Cain stared at him with resentful eyes for a long time before tossing a thick stack of documents onto the table.

“Originally, I planned to bring her to the palace once the Empress left, but Rachel refused. She seemed to know that Your Majesty was wavering. Read this. These are the details I’ve uncovered about the Baron’s family incident. Go through it all—then choose. Her or Ilena.”

“……”

“If you choose Rachel, please let Ilena go cleanly. I will take care of her.”

“Who decides that.”

“Everything will happen according to Your Majesty’s will anyway. But shouldn’t Ilena be happy now too? Surely you weren’t planning to keep Ilena by your side even after Rachel became empress?”

Dade finally closed his eyes tightly. He found his own reaction to the request to let Ilena go immediately flaring up so abhorrent.

He was like a greedy child clutching his doll possessively to prevent it from being taken away. Not even realizing that the toy in his hand was already broken.

As Dade picked up the documents with trembling hands, Cain headed toward the door and said.

“Rachel is on the second floor.”

Dade read and reread the thick stack of documents.

‘Ah. Ilena.’

His eyes reddened and filled with tears.

Ilena was innocent, but it was ultimately done by her family. As a result, Nian became Empress, and Rachel lost everything. Though Cain told him to choose, there was only one path.

He couldn’t abandon Rachel, who had lost everything, including her family, because of him. Above all, he didn’t have the strength to watch Nian reject him anymore. That sorrowful, empty face devoid of emotion.

He opened his clenched fist.

Yes, if I just let go, Ilena, you can finally be happy with the one you love. Dade finally decided to release his hold on Nian.

The cruel one would soon fly away into the arms of her beloved.

It was painful, but there was nothing he could do now. The regret and lingering attachment were his alone to bear, foolish as they were.

* * *

Azel had frantically informed Nian that he had returned, so she was waiting outside the Main Palace.

He must have finally met her.

Though she felt this was no longer her place and had come out, she had nowhere to go once outside. The East Palace was no longer a place permitted to her, and she had burned the herb garden with her own hands. It struck her painfully that she no longer had a place anywhere in the imperial palace.

So she decided to just stand in front of the Main Palace. Endlessly.

The day had been cloudy since morning, and as they approached the imperial palace, it began to rain. Dade quickened his pace in the rather heavy raindrops.

Rachel observed Dade, who had seemed in a bad mood since their reunion. Though he had always been reserved and rarely expressed emotions, his demeanor was excessively dry considering their dramatic reunion.

Rachel felt she knew the reason. She just pretended not to. She gathered her courage and took his arm. With an affectionate smile, she said to him.

“Your Majesty. It’s getting chilly with the rain.”

At her words, Dade loosened his tight lips into a small smile and took off his coat to place it over Rachel’s shoulders.

“Let’s hurry.”

Perhaps due to the cool weather prompting them to quicken their steps, the two soon reached the Main Palace. However, upon seeing Nian standing in front of the Main Palace, Dade finally closed his eyes tightly.

Nian had been in the rain so long that white steam rose from her body. The light rain soon grew heavier and soaked her completely. Her rain-soaked body quickly grew cold in the rather chilly weather.

Her lips turned blue and trembled, but Nian never sought shelter from the rain, instead facing it with her whole body.

After all, there was no longer any place in this harsh imperial palace that would shield her from the rain. But Nian deeply regretted standing in this rain.

She shouldn’t have.

If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have had to see him walking affectionately with his lover. She wouldn’t have had to feel this pain.

Whether it was rainwater or tears, something flowed endlessly down her cheeks.

With each step Dade took, bringing him closer to Nian, his entire body tensed.

Barely suppressing the urge to run to her and embrace her, he finally reached Nian’s feet. He deliberately took Rachel’s hand, which was linked through his arm, and looked at Nian.

Nian, completely drenched, looked back at him. Afraid his tone might reveal his regret, he spoke with forced strength.

“You were right, Ilena. Everything has finally found its rightful place.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Nian felt like she might lose consciousness at any moment, but she barely held on. She didn’t want to collapse in front of his lover. She was already pathetic enough.

Nian smiled bitterly.

“So now you should find your place too.”

He spoke coldly and walked past her.

Nian collapsed to the ground.

The rain poured down. As the raindrops soaked her entire body, Nian wished she could melt away like this.

If only she could dissolve without a trace and seep into the ground.

Nian cried.

In the falling rain, she cried with utter sorrow.

‘Damn it…… Ilena.’

After seeing Nian standing completely drenched in front of the Main Palace, Dade felt his blood rushing backward.

Why. Just when he had finally steeled his heart, why was she standing there like that?

Like an abandoned puppy. Like someone injured and abandoned, unable to leave the front of their home even while being rained on—a pitiful and heartbreaking sight.

Why.

As soon as he entered the Main Palace, Dade urgently called for Azel, unable to hide the tremor in his voice.

“Did you just watch her get to that state?”

“Well…… she was stubborn no matter how much I tried to stop her.”

“Then you should have dragged her away!”

He shouted, uncharacteristically losing his composure. Azel knelt in terror.

“I-I’m…… sorry, Your Majesty. Please forgive me.”

“Take her away immediately. Go and warm her up. Feed her something…… If a doctor is needed.”

As Dade grew anxious, Rachel, who had been silently watching beside him, approached and took his hand.

“Your Majesty. Calm down.”

At Rachel’s voice, Dade took a deep breath and barely regained his composure. After sighing heavily enough to make his chest heave, he spoke again.

“Quickly.”

Only then did Azel grab her trembling legs and leave the Main Palace.

The next day, Cain, having heard the news, came to the palace to take Nian away, and thus Nian finally gained her freedom. On the day she left the palace, Dade remained in the Main Palace all day.

If he happened to see Nian’s retreating figure, he felt he would truly run after her and hold her back.

If he could, he wanted to. He wanted to capture her and confine her in his domain, binding her tightly so she could never escape again. Yet despite this, he didn’t.

‘Shouldn’t Ilena be happy now too?’

Cain’s words came to mind.

‘May Your Majesty’s unfulfilled love find peace from now on.’

And Ilena’s words too.

Finally, Dade set down the wine glass he had been holding. Finding it insufficient to drink from a glass, he picked up the bottle and drank straight from it.