Rachel waited until Erika calmed down. Her sister had been crying for quite some time, releasing all her pent-up distress before finally quieting down. The emotional outburst seemed to have drained her energy, as Erika’s eyes were now drooping with fatigue.

“Erika, go lie down on the bed and rest,” Rachel suggested gently. Erika looked up at her with anxious eyes and asked in a trembling voice, “Does this mean I can’t leave here?”

Those few words clearly conveyed all of Erika’s anxiety and fear. Rachel gazed down at her sister silently for a moment. There was no immediate way to extract Erika from this place, and volunteering to create the Tears of Licorice right now would be dangerous.

If that approach became necessary for Erika’s rescue, ensuring her sister’s safe extraction would need to take priority over creating the Tears. But now wasn’t the right time—the circumstances weren’t favorable.

“Just hold on a little longer. I’ll rescue you soon, I promise. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely get you out of here,” Rachel whispered.

Though meant to reassure Erika, her words didn’t seem particularly effective. Despite having cried so much already, Erika’s eyes welled up with tears again as she looked up at Rachel.

“Really? You won’t abandon me, will you, sister?”

“Of course not. Never.”

When Rachel nodded in response, Erika’s lips quivered slightly. She seemed to have many things she wanted to say but couldn’t bring herself to voice them.

“Alright. I’ll believe you because you said so,” Erika finally conceded, offering Rachel a smile despite her teary eyes. The sight of her smiling through tears was heartbreaking.

“Thank you, Erika.”

Rachel felt both grateful and apologetic toward her sister who was willing to trust and wait for her despite being frightened.

“What a touching reunion,” Duke Bermund, who had been watching the sisters from behind, remarked with apparent boredom.

“Despite the bars, she’s receiving the finest treatment. So there’s no need for excessive concern.”

Rachel instinctively turned to glare at the Duke. As soon as their eyes met, he approached her with his arms crossed. Frightened, Erika slowly backed away.

Rachel stood up and faced Duke Bermund squarely.

“Have you finished your confirmation?” he asked.

“You claimed it wasn’t abduction, yet you’ve imprisoned that child behind iron bars,” Rachel retorted accusingly.

Duke Bermund glanced briefly at the cage where Erika was. “It’s a safety measure.”

“Safety? Do you honestly believe that makes sense?”

“Why wouldn’t it?”

“Because—!” Before Rachel could counter, Duke Bermund cut her off.

“I was concerned someone might try to influence Lady Pluret’s decision by threatening her sister. Keeping her in the safest place—away from me—could also be considered a safety measure, wouldn’t you agree?”

“How absurd!” Rachel raised her voice in disbelief.

Duke Bermund placed his index finger against his lips. “You’re being quite loud. You’ll frighten your young sister. Shall we move elsewhere?”

Rachel bit her lower lip repeatedly as she looked back and forth between Erika and Duke Bermund. Not only was immediate rescue difficult, but she questioned whether it was appropriate to continue this heated exchange in front of Erika. Though reluctant to leave her sister behind, Rachel nodded in agreement, recognizing that speaking with the Duke was the priority.

“Fine. Let’s move elsewhere.”

“Very well, then.” Duke Bermund gestured toward the exit.

Before following him out, Rachel turned to look at Erika one last time.

“Are you… leaving?” Erika’s frightened expression caused Rachel to exhale softly. Leaving her sister behind wasn’t easy for her either.

“I have to go for now, but I’ll rescue you soon. Don’t worry too much,” Rachel whispered to Erika, whose face was contorting, on the verge of bursting into tears again. It was all she could say for now.

Erika swallowed her sobs and eventually nodded. “I know you’ll keep your promise because you’re my sister. So I’ll be brave and wait, even though I’m scared.”

Rachel was moved by her sister’s courage despite her young age. She reached out and gently stroked Erika’s hair.

“I’m sorry, Erika.”

The thought that Erika was suffering because of her filled Rachel with remorse.

“It’s okay. I can wait. Just make sure you come back.”

“I will.”

Rachel memorized her sister’s face with her eyes before removing her hand from Erika’s head and departing. Even after leaving the room, Rachel felt no relief. Instead, her chest felt heavy and constricted, as though a stone had been placed upon it.

“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

Rachel confronted Duke Bermund, keeping her voice low to prevent Erika from overhearing.

The Duke received Rachel’s gaze with nonchalance and simply shrugged.

“Well, if you had accepted my proposal from the beginning, none of this would have happened.”

His casual attitude left Rachel too drained to argue further. After slowly regulating her breathing, she fixed her gaze on Duke Bermund with a somewhat less furious expression.

“It’s impossible right now,” she said, her voice devoid of strength.

She should have spoken to Ryan or Tervan earlier to protect Erika. The problem was that she had been too complacent, assuming her sister would be safe in the academy with its strong security. Rachel recognized that she bore some responsibility for Erika’s current predicament.

“Why do you keep saying it’s impossible?”

“Because it is. If you check with your source of information, you’ll learn this is my final life. Since the contract is complete… I can’t cross over to another timeline.”

“I see,” Duke Bermund muttered with apparent understanding as Rachel looked up at him.

The Duke had misinterpreted Rachel’s reason for refusing his proposal. In reality, she had refused before knowing that regression was no longer possible, but Rachel didn’t bother to correct him.

“So you still won’t do it? That’s problematic for me. Even if Lady Pluret’s contract conditions have been fulfilled, you still need to create the Tears of Licorice, don’t you? If you’ve received your reward, then the Time Demon should receive his payment as well.”

Duke Bermund was right. Now that Rachel’s wish had been fulfilled, it was time to grant the wish of the demon who had lent her his power.

[No, don’t. I can break the contract at the final moment, so you don’t need to feel bound by it.]

Creon interjected as Rachel struggled with her decision. His voice was gentle and kind. Even though this was the first time in nearly a thousand years that a contractor had completed their wish, Creon was suggesting that breaking the contract would be better.

Rachel felt sorry for Creon as well. Realistically, there was nothing she could do for him.

“Besides, as you know, I simply don’t have enough time to create the Tears of Licorice right now.”

Duke Bermund stroked his chin thoughtfully at Rachel’s words. After a long moment, he tilted his head and spoke.

“I see. However…”

“…”

“Do I really need to know all these details?”

“What?”

Duke Bermund responded bluntly to Rachel.

“Don’t you think? Why should I consider such circumstances? They’re not my concern after all.”

Rachel felt stunned, as though she’d been struck hard on the head. The Duke was right—as someone blackmailing her, he had no reason to accommodate her circumstances.

What Duke Bermund was doing wasn’t negotiation. It was one-sided coercion. Using Erika’s life as leverage, he wasn’t magnanimous enough to listen to Rachel’s detailed explanations and wait patiently.

If he had been that kind of person, he wouldn’t have taken Erika hostage in the first place, nor would he have plotted to devour the Empire.

Rachel bit her tongue, belatedly realizing her mistake. Duke Bermund continued to smile comfortably before her.