Even though he had suggested a duel, Pinion was secretly taken aback when Iscallion charged at him more fiercely than expected. But he skillfully blocked his attacks swiftly.

The outcome was decided by a narrow margin. Though their age difference was only two years, the Crown Prince was more experienced. Above all, Iscallion was overly agitated.

“Damn it…”

Iscallion cursed as he stood up.

The aftermath of the duel left the place in shambles, as if a typhoon had passed through.

Covered in dirt and bleeding, the Crown Prince still maintained his usual upright posture.

“Your skills are quite impressive, but you’re still not enough to defeat me.”

“Shut up. It’s not over yet.”

Iscallion glared at the Crown Prince, spitting out the blood pooled in his mouth.

“Isn’t it bad enough that you’ve ruined the garden, do you intend to injure innocent people as well?”

The Crown Prince gestured towards the banquet hall with his chin. The music had stopped, and people, startled by the sudden loud noise, were running outside one by one.

“Let’s stop before we embarrass ourselves any further.”

Before Iscallion could protest, the Crown Prince left without hesitation. Iscallion tried to block him but stopped when he felt a sharp pain.

Only then did he notice his surroundings. Precious trees had been cut down, and the flower beds, once filled with carefully nurtured flowers, were now an unsightly mess.

But the most disheveled was Iscallion himself. His face and body were covered in wounds and blood. He bit his lip and disappeared from sight.

Heading straight to the bathroom, he poured cold water over his dirty body. The water stung his open and torn wounds, but it calmed the excitement that seemed about to burst.

“Pathetic…”

Iscallion let out a sneer, not knowing who it was directed at. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a complete defeat, but even that was a first for him, making it painful and humiliating.

And his opponent was the Crown Prince, the last person he wanted to lose to.

More than anger and shame, he felt sadness. Perhaps the person he wanted to beat the most was himself.

— I love you.

Even amidst all this, Lou’s voice confessing her love to the Crown Prince echoed in his ears like a hallucination.

The young Iscallion finally realized that love wasn’t always sweet.

He thought that despite the different intensity, their feelings were the same. Everything had been a delusion. Iscallion leaned his head weakly against the edge of the bathtub.

Looking back, she had always been kind, as if she would give him anything, but at crucial moments, she always took a step back. So, he never knew what was in her heart.

He thought that if he obeyed her, Lou would love him.

In front of Lou, he always felt like a child. Even now, he felt like crying out loud like a lost child.

Unable to contain his frustration, Iscallion wandered aimlessly.

[You look pitiful, like a puppy caught in the rain.]

That voice came as expected.

Iscallion tried to ignore it as usual.

[It’s not complicated. If you lock her up where no one knows, she’ll never leave your side.]

If it hadn’t read his mind as if looking into his head, he might have done just that.

His face, which looked like he was about to cry, suddenly twisted into a menacing expression.

“Shut up.”

[Isn’t that why you lured her to Pontos?]

“Lured?”

Iscallion repeated the word with a displeased look.

“Establishing diplomatic relations with the Empire was planned back when I was in Arcadia. It wasn’t because of what you said.”

Choosing diplomacy over war was all for Lou.

Imagining her joy, he swallowed his pride, assembled the fastest envoys, and sent them to Kebrenia. He even prepared plenty of gifts for the Emperor and the Crown Prince. And as he had hoped, Lou came running to Pontos.

[Then why are you worried about her leaving?]

This time, Iscallion couldn’t help but hesitate.

Sensing his hesitation, the voice sneered.

Determined to get rid of it, Iscallion walked boldly towards the source of the voice.

When he came to his senses, he was standing in the underground prison.

Frowning at the disgusting smell, he suddenly realized something strange.

The prison should have been locked, so how did he get in without a key? And the summoning circle he had ordered his subordinates to erase was still on the floor.

At that moment, someone emerged from the darkness.

It was his subordinate, who had been unusually absent recently.

The once ordinary but kind-looking face had changed significantly.

His eyes were so black that the pupils were indistinguishable, and hideous scales had sprouted on his pale face.

[You finally found me.]

Iscallion immediately recognized who had taken over that body.

It was the filthy, disgusting water snake that the foolish girl from the Poel Duchy had summoned.

“Ha, so it was you all along. I thought I killed you, how did you crawl in here?”

[It was your mistake not to confirm the kill.]

“Well, it doesn’t matter. You’re going to die anyway.”

Iscallion swiftly lunged at the snake and grabbed its throat. Even though he wasn’t in perfect condition, he was more than capable of dealing with such trash.

[I thought you were just a brat crying over a girl, but you’re tougher than you look.]

Despite being strangled, the snake showed no sign of fear.

Its mockery made Iscallion’s eyes flash with rage.

[If you wish to have that girl, I can help you.]

Even though he knew it was nonsense, Iscallion felt a strong temptation.

The snake, feeling the grip on its neck weakening, whispered seductively.

[Though I may look pitiful now, I once served your ancestor, the great wolf.]

“What do you want?”

[A new king.]

The snake’s black eyes flickered with desire.

[You are the descendant of the wolf, so you are fully qualified to be my master. If you wish, I can help you gain his power.]

Iscallion tilted his head.

“Is the wolf that powerful?”

[Of course.]

Iscallion pondered for a moment.

In truth, he wasn’t particularly interested in his ancestor or the monsters that followed him. But he was tempted by the wolf’s power.

He wanted to become stronger. He wanted to kill the Crown Prince and possess Lou entirely.

Even if she hated him, as long as she stayed by his side.

“If I gain the wolf’s power, can I kill the Crown Prince?”

[Naturally. You could even have the entire continent.]

“What about the King of the Underworld?”

[That too.]

Iscallion hesitated for a moment.

The snake patiently waited for Iscallion’s answer.

The time it had spent dreaming of the wolf’s resurrection was so long it couldn’t be measured in human years. It could certainly endure a bit more hesitation.

Moreover, this time, luck was on its side. Everything needed was right here.

The wolf’s descendant, an almost completed summoning circle, and sacrifices filled with holy power.

In particular, obtaining the summoning circle without much effort was a significant gain.

It seemed someone had attempted to borrow the wolf’s power but failed. And now, all of this belonged to the snake.

It was as if someone had prepared it all in advance just for it.

The snake’s eyes gleamed with greed.

“She hasn’t said she’s leaving me yet. So, I don’t need to listen to your stupid words.”

[It can’t be helped. I won’t rush you. Eventually, you will follow my advice.]

Despite his refusal, the snake wasn’t too disappointed. After all, it was easy to manipulate a young man who was struggling over a mere woman.

“I said no!”

Iscallion exploded with anger. The snake quickly escaped before he could strangle it.

Only Iscallion’s rough breathing echoed through the empty prison.

* * *

In the end, I stayed up all night.

I was tired, but lying down only brought more gloomy thoughts, so I left the bedroom aimlessly. The morning sunlight was unusually warm today.

I saw the priestesses gathered in the hallway opposite. Unlike me, they looked full of life.

The priestesses, noticing me, approached with quick steps.

Even though I had seen them drinking heavily at the banquet yesterday, they seemed full of energy without any signs of a hangover. As expected of those blessed by the gods.

“Oh, lady?”

I waved weakly at them.

“Where are you going?”

“Just taking a walk.”

“I see. We’re on our way to breakfast. If you haven’t eaten yet, why don’t you join us?”

After a moment of hesitation, I accepted. It seemed less pathetic to force myself to be around people than to mope alone.

“Lady, you’re not eating much.”

“I don’t usually eat much in the morning.”

With no appetite, I barely touched the watery soup, prompting Lucia to express her concern.

But it was obvious that I wouldn’t regain my appetite by lunchtime or dinner.

Thinking about the kisses with the two male leads, especially Pinion, made me lose my appetite entirely.