“…”

“I heard Kant’s winter is just as brutal as Zahar’s. Cotton is a blessing that helps people endure that harsh season.”

Sighs of admiration erupted from the ministers here and there.

“However, cotton seeds are difficult to obtain. Zahar isn’t a cotton-producing nation either, is it?”

“We obtained them. With difficulty. And we plan to cultivate this and make as much profit as we did with sugarcane.”

“My word.”

“So persuade Ruby well. That way, Kant—and all of you—will gain much more.”

He’d played his final card. The ministers would pressure Ruby even more now. Only her choice remained.

After sending the ministers away, William, left alone with Lucas, sighed and asked him.

“Lucas, Ruby will accept us, won’t she?”

“Who knows.”

“I’d be really sad if that doesn’t happen. What about you?”

“…”

Sometimes Lucas found things tedious. Before Ruby returned to Kant, William at least went along with him to some degree, but after parting with her, he wouldn’t even do that much. 

William’s feelings for Ruby were sincere too, but perhaps Lucas’s feelings for Ruby ran even deeper.

“Lucas, what do you like about Ruby?”

“…”

“I like Ruby’s beautiful golden hair, her lovely br*asts, and those moist eyes whenever she looks at me.”

“…”

“And… I like seeing Ruby sleeping soundly. I even like her when she’s doing absolutely nothing for me—that’s the only time she doesn’t.”

After a long silence to William’s question, Lucas turned his gaze toward the window where rain had begun pouring again and spoke.

“I love even Ruby when she resents me. I’m confident I can stay by her side while swallowing all that resentment, all that anger.”

“Ah, I still can’t match you.”

Lucas turned at his words.

“No, you’re the same, aren’t you? That’s why you created all this and put it into action.”

William lifted his cup to drink the cold tea sitting before him.

“Anyway, I hope our feelings reach Ruby.”

“…”

The weather was perfect. The rainy season seemed to have passed. There was no longer any reason for William and Lucas to remain here using the rainy season as an excuse. All she had to do was tell them to leave.

But Ruby couldn’t do it, not even when the sun set and night fell. And she fell asleep in her bedroom.

“Mmm…”

Ruby, who had fallen asleep, tossed and turned. She furrowed her brow, trembled her lips, and moaned several times before her eyes snapped open and she sat up.

“Haa, haa…”

She’d had a dream she hadn’t had in a while. Ruby shuddered and sat up, sighing at the fact that it was still dark night.

“…”

Ruby, who had been tossing and turning, lowered her hand between her legs. Confirming she was soaking wet, she bit her lip with a deeply furrowed brow and got up.

“I can’t forgive…”

Her eyes blazed like fire.

Ruby left her bedchamber and arrived with rough steps at the palace where William and Lucas were staying. They were flustered by her sudden appearance.

And Ruby began throwing everything she could grab at them. William and Lucas helplessly took the objects flying at them along with her sharp, harsh screams, and only when she had nothing left to throw could they properly look at Ruby.

“Ruby?”

“Sob.”

“What’s wrong? Can you tell us why you’re doing this?”

At William’s words, Ruby glared at him with a sharp gaze. He flinched at her look.

“Everything, all of it is because of you.”

“…”

“Day after day, I’ve never had a peaceful night. Because of you!”

Ruby lifted her skirt and exposed what was between her soaked thighs to them.

“Like this… I’ve become like this! You torment and violate me like this even in my dreams!”

She collapsed and began sobbing. Flustered by the unexpected situation, William and Lucas looked at Ruby crying before them, not knowing what to do.

“Ruby…”

“I hate you so much. I despise you for making me like this!”

“Ruby… I’m sorry… We…”

“Sob, you, you made me like this, you destroyed me like this, and now a state marriage? You’ll become my consorts?”

Ruby laughed while glaring at them.

“Fine, a state marriage. Let’s do it. Become my consorts. Right now!”

“…”

“If you want to become my consorts, then do it. Come on, satisfy me now. Isn’t this what you wanted to do as my consorts?”

Riiip!

Ruby began tearing off her own clothes, undressing herself.

“Ruby!”

Both men rushed to her simultaneously.

“Let go! You want to have me, don’t you? Take me, take me!”

Unable to calm her excitement, she eventually began harming her own body. William embraced her tightly.

“Calm down.”

“Sob…”

“I’m sorry. I, we didn’t know we’d ruined you this badly. No, I’m sorry for ruining you…”

Lucas embraced Ruby from behind.

“This time too, we only pushed our own greed. Even knowing… we couldn’t stop it. I’m sorry, Ruby.”

Ruby calmed down, but tears still flowed endlessly. The two helped Ruby sit on the bed.

“…Haah.”

Ruby sighed, brushing away Lucas’s hand that was carefully wiping her tears.

“I’ll leave. If you’re suffering this much, I’ll leave.”

William, who had been pouring water, paused but didn’t object to his words. Ruby shifted her gaze to Lucas.

“I—and William—forgot that our existence is like a nightmare to you.”

“Sob.”

“I’m sorry, Ruby. It seems we can never do anything but apologize to you.”

She didn’t push away Lucas, who embraced and comforted her again. William put down the cup and left.

Coming outside, he leaned against a pillar. He began to feel ashamed of himself. He’d never felt such a thing before, but now that Ruby had brought him to the point of self-loathing, he clenched his fist and struck the pillar.

Thud!

His pale, fine hand began to stain with blood. But he didn’t care about that at all.

With this, he had to completely give up his feelings for her. He hadn’t thought this entire plan would work out. He’d been confident he could change her heart. 

But when he actually faced Ruby, she had erected a wall as solid as an iron fortress, and her resentment toward them was truly tremendous.

Even if they got hurt and broke, he had no intention of stopping.

Just one thing—William had to admit his mistake. He hadn’t considered that Ruby would break and get hurt again like this.

“D*mn it.”

He could no longer be greedy. Had he not wanted to believe she’d been destroyed this badly? William had thought he could find Ruby again.

“Haha.”

When all the things he’d planned came to nothing, he felt empty and heartbroken. The moment he admitted he couldn’t start over with all the things he thought he could restart, William felt as hollow and sad as though he’d lost everything.

“Ah, so this is how it ends. In the end, in the end, I have to let you go.”

That night, Ruby fell asleep in their bedchamber. Lucas endlessly comforted her, exhausted in body and mind, and apologized until she fell asleep from exhaustion.

And the next day, morning.

Ruby woke up startled by the fact that she’d fallen asleep in the palace where William and Lucas were staying.

“Good heavens…”

Ruby, startled, hurriedly got down from the bed and was overcome by a feeling that something was missing.

The negligee she’d torn to shreds had been replaced with a new one, and the floor that had been a mess from thrown and broken objects had already been cleaned up.

“…”

And realizing that they, who should be here, were gone, Ruby hurried outside. Her maids were waiting for her to wake.

Ruby ran to the nanny bowing to her, grabbed both her hands, and asked urgently.

“Those people?”

“…”

“Where are those two now?”

“They have already left the palace grounds.”

At those words, Ruby loosened her grip on the nanny’s hands.

“That can’t be…”

“They said this state marriage is cancelled, and told me to give this to Your Majesty.”

What the nanny handed her were cotton seeds.

They had given Kant the cotton they’d obtained with difficulty, with no conditions attached, and left. She didn’t know if it could be cultivated in Kant, but with Zahar in crisis, the only card to escape that crisis was cultivating this cotton. 

Cotton wasn’t something that grew well in fertile land. In Zahar’s barren land, it was one of the crops that could be easier to cultivate than sugarcane.

“Wh-when did they leave?”

“…”

“Nanny!”

“It’s been about fifteen minutes since they left. They went on horseback, so they’ve already passed the palace gates…”

Fortunately, it wasn’t too late.

When Ruby ran, all her maids chased after her. She ran and ran like mad. The still-wet path squelched. She didn’t care at all about mud splashing on her clothes and legs. She was out of breath and her throat stung. But Ruby couldn’t stop.

She had to catch them. No, she must catch them. That was all she could think about right now.

“Haa, haa!”

In the distance, she saw two figures on horseback waiting for the palace gates to open.

“William! Lucas!”

Ruby grabbed her aching throat and called their names with all her might, raising her voice.

Cough!

Blood burst from her throat. It was something she absolutely shouldn’t strain. Ruby coughed up blood and collapsed. The maids following behind called to her in shock, and Lucas, who heard Ruby calling him, turned his horse around.

“Ruby!”

William also turned his horse and shouted with a face gone deathly pale, seeing Ruby collapsed and coughing up blood.

“Ruby!”

“Your Majesty!”

Everyone rushed toward Ruby.

“Cough!”

Her throat hurt terribly. Even as Ruby’s face turned deathly pale and she coughed up blood, she had to confirm whether Lucas and William had left or not.

“Haa, cough! The, the two of them…”

“They’re coming, they’re coming this way!”

Only at the nanny’s words did Ruby relax and smile, closing her eyes.

“Your Majesty!”

The nanny shook the unconscious Ruby and cried out. Lucas and William dismounted and rushed to Ruby in an instant.

“Ruby, Ruby!”