Tervan’s direct approach momentarily caught Ryan off guard.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Ryan quickly acknowledged Tervan’s statement. There was no point denying it, since Rachel was undoubtedly the only common interest between them.

“May I ask what you wish to discuss?”

Ryan took a deep breath and exhaled slowly in response to Tervan’s formal demeanor.

“It seems to be an established fact that Rachel contracted with the Time Demon Creon because of you. Isn’t that so?”

“…”

It was a question Tervan had anticipated, and a painful one at that. He remained silent with his head bowed before eventually nodding.

“It appears that way.”

Despite his acknowledgment, the weight of this truth pressed so heavily on his shoulders that he couldn’t bring himself to look up.

Tracing back the events, it became obvious that Rachel’s transformation began precisely when Tervan decided to join the monster subjugation team.

Moreover, Rachel, whose primary magic had been supportive in nature, experienced a dramatic improvement in her magical abilities from that moment on.

While magic wasn’t exactly a conventional discipline, such sudden improvements without any warning signs were virtually unheard of. Until now, everyone had accepted the explanation that Rachel had simply been concealing her true abilities.

Who could have imagined that she had contracted with the Time Demon and reversed time?

Now that they knew more about her, they could better understand the tremendous effort Rachel must have endured to reach her current level of skill.

The person Rachel had wanted to save was Tervan, whom she had loved unrequitedly for a long time. To save him, she must have desperately pushed herself to become stronger, enduring and experiencing death multiple times.

Tervan was tormented by the knowledge that she had repeatedly faced death for his sake. Every time he saw how emotionally numb she had become after these repetitions, he was overwhelmed with guilt.

At the same time, he felt pathetic for developing feelings for her so belatedly.

“Even if I shared my pain with someone else, that person would never be you, Tervan.”

Rachel’s past words echoed in Tervan’s mind. They had mercilessly crushed any hope he might have harbored that there was still a chance for them, however slim.

Yet Tervan couldn’t bring himself to say anything to Rachel. He knew better than anyone that he was the primary reason she had grown so cold. The only thing he could do now was to avoid causing her any more pain, which meant he needed to kill his feelings for her.

It was agonizing, but he had to endure it—especially knowing someone who had been doing exactly that for nearly ten years. In the end, he had brought this upon himself.

“Rachel must have had feelings for you in the past,” Ryan continued, having roughly deduced the relationship between Tervan and Rachel. “But I think you know that’s no longer the case.”

“…”

Ryan’s words stabbed Tervan’s heart like a dagger. Unable to refute them, he clenched his teeth tightly, causing his jaw to twitch.

After observing Tervan’s guilt-ridden expression for a moment, Ryan spoke again.

“I intend to formally confess to Rachel soon.”

“…!”

Tervan’s gaze, which had been fixed on the floor, shot up to meet Ryan’s. Though he had sensed the unusual atmosphere between Ryan and Rachel, he hadn’t expected such a direct statement.

“By confess, you mean…”

Tervan’s voice trembled slightly. Ryan was declaring his intention to do the one thing Tervan could never do for Rachel.

“I mean I’m going to ask her to be my empress,” Ryan replied calmly.

Tervan’s eyes wavered continuously.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Do you really not know?”

Tervan’s trembling voice betrayed his emotional state, but Ryan feigned ignorance and turned the question back on him.

Tervan had already guessed why Ryan would have this conversation with him privately. From Ryan’s perspective, Tervan’s presence beside Rachel was uncomfortable.

Tervan repeatedly opened and closed his mouth before fixing his gaze back on the floor. Many words rose to the back of his throat, but strangely, none made it to his tongue. After swallowing his words over and over, he finally managed to speak.

“If you’re concerned about my relationship with Rachel, you needn’t worry.”

“…”

“Rachel’s feelings for me are already gone. And I… I think of Rachel as a friend.”

The lie tasted bitter. Tervan wanted to take back his words, but he couldn’t. Instead, he continued to say things he didn’t mean.

“Rachel probably tried to save me because I’m her friend. I’m sure she would have done the same if it had been Viola instead of me. So there’s no need to worry about anything between Rachel and me.”

Ryan sensed the disconnect between Tervan’s words and his expression. They were completely at odds with each other. Despite reportedly being an outstanding knight from a young age, it seemed Tervan had never learned how to lie effectively.

Nevertheless, Ryan decided to accept Tervan’s lie rather than press him further. Even if Tervan had honestly revealed his feelings, Ryan had no intention of giving up on Rachel.

“I see. That’s a relief then. Thank you for telling me.”

“…It’s nothing.”

“Then it seems I’ve detained you unnecessarily. You may go ahead.”

“Will Your Highness be staying here?” Tervan asked hesitantly, finding Ryan’s response puzzling.

Ryan nodded. “Yes. I plan to wait until morning before returning. There’s nothing urgent requiring my attention anyway.”

Tervan immediately thought of Duke Bermund. With the capture of the treasonous duke, it was obvious that Ryan, as Crown Prince, would have numerous matters to attend to. Even Tervan knew that starting to handle these tasks now would prevent them from piling up later.

Yet Ryan had set aside all these duties, prioritizing Rachel above everything else. He hadn’t left her side for a moment since she had been carried unconscious to her bedroom.

Even Count and Countess Pluret had been so moved by Ryan’s devoted care that they had given him space to tend to Rachel comfortably.

“Your Highness truly loves Rachel.”

“Yes.”

Ryan answered without hesitation. The certainty in his tone made Tervan clench his fist tightly.

“I understand. I’ll take my leave now.”

Realizing that continuing the conversation would only make him feel more miserable, Tervan stood up, bowed respectfully to Ryan, and promptly left the reception room.

The door closed with a thud. Ryan stared at the door through which Tervan had departed.

He wasn’t foolish enough to believe Tervan’s claim that they were just friends. But he didn’t press the matter further.

Ryan had specifically called Tervan aside to test him—to gauge the feelings of the man Rachel had been willing to risk her life to save before Ryan himself confessed to her.

Rachel certainly seemed to have moved on from Tervan. However, Tervan clearly hadn’t been able to let go of his feelings for her. Ryan had been reluctant to insert himself into such an ambiguous relationship, and had been prepared to firmly step back if Tervan still harbored feelings for Rachel.

But after seeing Tervan’s reaction, Ryan felt his concerns had been unnecessary. Based on what he’d witnessed today, it was obvious that Tervan would never reveal his feelings to Rachel. Or perhaps he already had and been rejected.

The image of Tervan’s dejected expression remained vivid in Ryan’s mind. In a way, it was fortunate. Ryan couldn’t bear the thought of watching Rachel struggle with conflicting emotions because of Tervan—it would drive him mad with jealousy.

Even for someone like Ryan, competing with someone Rachel had been willing to die for seemed daunting.

With a small sigh, Ryan rose from his seat and headed to the guest room provided by Count and Countess Pluret. The guest room was located not far from Rachel’s bedroom—a thoughtful arrangement by her parents out of consideration for Ryan’s concern for her.

Sitting on the bed, Ryan gazed at the moonlight streaming through the window. Though the night was deep, he felt sleep would elude him tonight.