Late at night.

Ahazan lay beside Clodine, who was fast asleep, and for a long while, he simply watched her under the soft glow of the moonlight, gently stroking her.

Then, quietly, he rose from the bed and stepped outside.

Because Clodine, who insisted he do nothing but lie still and rest, had been watching him too closely, he hadn’t been able to properly check on the matters unfolding around him all day.

Even as he stepped out, Ahazan kept his sharp gaze fixed on her until the very last moment, making sure she did not stir awake.

Only then did he silently close the door.

“Your Majesty, we’ve found the woman.”

As if he had been waiting, Cal approached at once, speaking in a slightly urgent tone as he reported the most pressing matter first.

“Report. In order. And in detail.”

Ahazan slipped his arm into the long outer coat Cal handed him, and the two of them moved as if by prior agreement, walking down a narrow path beside the house, disappearing into the thick trees.

A temporary tent had been set up in the nearby forest so Ahazan could carry out his duties at night, away from Clodine’s watchful eyes.

“I’m speaking of Pellier Sanderson. She’s alive. And remarkably clever. She concealed her identity, went into hiding, and followed our trail all the way to the Aselda territory. That’s why we couldn’t confirm whether she was dead or alive until now. We never imagined she would risk her life like that, moving through an unfamiliar empire after nearly being killed so brutally.”

“So she’s been trying, in her own way, to reach Clodine.”

“It seems so. That’s why I couldn’t wait for Your Majesty’s permission and had to inform Valoran Lord of the situation first. The knights and I are bound to Your Majesty’s command, we cannot act without imperial orders. But we couldn’t send just anyone to her either… and the situation was too urgent to wait any longer.”

“Ahem.”

It seemed Ahazan’s earlier instruction, not to disturb his time with Clodine, had weighed heavily on Cal.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Ahazan gave Cal’s shoulder a light pat, as if to reassure him.

“So Valoran… he went to retrieve her?”

“Yes. Once I explained that Pellier Sanderson was alive and that we needed to bring her here safely for Her Majesty, he volunteered immediately. He said he knew her well and showed great willingness to take on the task.”

Ahazan sat down in the chair inside the tent, resting his elbow on the cluttered desk and lightly stroking his chin.

‘Pellier Sanderson.’

One of the three maids Yuri had supposedly killed.

The one whose corpse had been so mutilated that her face could not be identified.

And yet—

she had survived.

The ring that had been found on the swollen corpse’s finger… had clearly been part of a crude and careless scheme to pass off that body as Sanderson’s.

“Has there been any movement from the other side? Anyone searching for her recently?”

“No, Your Majesty. None at all.”

Ahazan quietly considered Cal’s answer.

At last, the suspicions he had long harbored settled firmly into certainty.

“Yuri clearly has no idea that she’s alive…”

Leaning back in his chair, Ahazan tilted his head upward, staring at the ceiling as he continued.

“Then who was it that lost track of her? Clodine’s younger sister… or Tomas Orlandor?”

The ones who had been used to kill Clodine’s three maids were soldiers from the Ramier family.

The most likely one behind it was Clodine’s younger sister, Cecilia Ramier.

But whether she had personally been involved in the killings—or had merely lent her family’s forces to Tomas Orlandor, Yuri’s agent, remained uncertain.

“For now, bring her quietly to the Termann territory. I’ll meet her first, before she sees Clodine.”

“Termann territory? That’s our next destination, isn’t it?”

“Yes. We leave tomorrow.”

Cal looked concerned, as though he had expected Ahazan to remain here a few more days to fully recover.

“You haven’t completely recovered yet, Your Majesty.”

“This is more than enough.”

Ahazan rose from his seat with ease, rolling his shoulder as if to prove his point.

He wanted to discuss more, to think further ahead but he was already worried that Clodine might wake and begin searching for him.

“I still think it would be best if you rested here a little longer.”

At Cal’s stubborn insistence, Ahazan let out a quiet laugh and looked at him.

Had it already been so long since the war ended that Cal had forgotten how he once roamed the battlefield day and night, even while wounded?

To Ahazan, it was almost amusing.

“All the more reason to rest in Selva. They’re on our side.”

The people of the Kingdom of Selva, now residing in the Termann territory, had once risen against their own royal family during the war, sparking a civil rebellion.

The Selva royal family, obsessed only with expanding their power while ignoring the suffering of their people, had ultimately met their end, not through conquest, but by the hands of those very people.

Afterward, Selva had naturally surrendered in the imperial war.

And the Empire had willingly accepted them.

“Then promise me this once we arrive, you’ll rest properly.”

“Honestly, I don’t know why I’m surrounded by nothing but nagging people.”

Ahazan shook his head as if exasperated, but there wasn’t the slightest hint of genuine annoyance on his face.

No—

how could there be?

Especially when one of those ‘nagging people’… was Clodine.

The people of the Selva Kingdom had decorated the Termann territory as if it were a grand festival, welcoming the imperial entourage with great splendor.

From the very entrance of the territory, countless flowers stretched out in a beautiful path, making it clear just how long they had awaited this moment and how sincerely they had prepared for it.

The Termann territory lay along the border between the Selva Kingdom and the Van Helsing Empire.

During the war, Selva had shifted its stance from a rebel state to a supporting ally, and as such, it had been granted treatment unlike that of other nations. Even now, they were allowed to move freely between the territory and their homeland beyond its borders.

In other words, rather than being confined within Termann, they had been given the privilege of living peacefully in an expanded kingdom gradually erasing the scars of civil war.

The people of Selva, far from resenting the Empire’s post-war measures, were filled with gratitude.

And that sentiment shone clearly in their bright, smiling faces.

“Welcome, Your Majesty the Emperor and Your Majesty the Empress.”

As Ahazan and Clodine stepped down from their carriage, a woman with glossy crimson hair, neatly draped over one shoulder, greeted them as if she had been waiting.

She bent deeply at the knees in a formal curtsy.

Her name was Fiona Viverdi.

A leading figure who had played a decisive role in overthrowing the Selva royal family and guiding the people’s rebellion to victory, she now stood as the representative of the noble council in the post-war era.

“You must be weary from your long journey. From here on, we will ensure your comfort.”

Fiona and her attendants led the imperial party to a crystal palace situated beside a stunning lake.

As they had to cross the entire territory to reach it, the palace’s location could, strictly speaking, be considered part of the kingdom itself.

The Crystal Palace was renowned not only within the Empire but across continents for its extravagant beauty.

Though its size was modest for something called a palace, every inch of its walls and ceilings was embedded with pure crystal, making it no less magnificent or imposing than any grand imperial palace.

Holding Ahazan’s hand, Clodine followed Fiona inside.

A radiant, shimmering light cascaded down over them from above.

Clodine gazed in quiet awe as a faint rainbow shimmered across the white lace gloves on her hands.

“Now that we are hosting such esteemed guests, this extravagant palace finally feels as though it’s being used as it should.”

Fiona said this while looking up at the high, glittering ceiling.

She explained that the Crystal Palace had once been a villa built by the royal family that was later purged.

They had constructed this luxurious retreat solely to host an annual masquerade ball only to visit it once every two years at most.

“If it were me, I think I’d want to come here every day.”

Still captivated by the dazzling lights, Clodine spoke without thinking.

Ahazan immediately turned to look down at her.

“Do you like this palace, Empress?”

The way he asked it made it seem as though he would build one just like it for her at once.

Startled, Clodine quickly waved her hands.

“No, Your Majesty. I didn’t mean it like that.”

Ahazan let out a small chuckle at her firm refusal, as if she were warning him not to even consider such extravagance.

“My, my. Contrary to the rumors, it seems you two are enjoying quite the romantic newlywed life.”

Fiona covered her mouth lightly, her expression genuinely surprised.

Given how widely talked about their marriage had been, it wasn’t difficult to imagine what kind of rumors she had heard.

While Clodine simply responded with an awkward smile, Ahazan answered with a bright, unabashed grin.

“It’s more than romantic it’s downright ideal. I’d appreciate it if you helped correct those rumors.”

“Of course. From this day forward, we shall make it our family’s lifelong duty, Your Majesty.”

Watching the two of them exchange words so effortlessly, as if they had known each other for years.

Clodine found herself smiling along with them, her expression bright and unguarded.