“Tell me properly. What exactly did Her Highness say?”

“……”

“I’m asking what she said when she permitted you to go with her.”

Pressed for an answer, Cadel finally muttered,

“She just told me to come along.”

“Yes, but how?”

“That was all.”

“…Pardon?”

“I said that I was blessed to have such a beautiful woman as my wife. She put her fork down with a loud clatter and said, ‘Come with me to the Grand Temple tomorrow.’ She added that she would get up early, and then she left.”

As Cadel recounted this, Adil’s face twisted once more.

“How, in any possible way, did my advice work?!”

From the outset, when Adil urged him to make Her Highness understand that he cared for her, he did not mean for him to pay her shallow compliments about her beauty.

He wanted Cadel to reveal his feelings plainly and directly, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

He wanted Her Highness to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that, despite the many rainy nights they had spent under the same roof, he had no feelings for Violet. For Cadel, there was only one woman: his wife, Jaina.

Adil had also warned him that sincerity requires effort.

Yet this obtuse superior of his had behaved no differently since he was first given that advice.

‘The road ahead is long. Far too long.’

Cadel had never experienced true love before. So it was only natural that he would find it difficult to open up.

He was a taciturn man by nature, and he became even more reserved in front of his wife.

Adil had once told him that if he showed the Grand Duchess even half the warmth and ease he displayed towards him, the distance between them would disappear in no time.

Cadel had frowned and asked whether a wife and a subordinate were the same. But the truth was simple: for two people meant to share a lifetime together, being true to oneself was the most important thing of all.

And, from what Adil could see, Cadel was still hiding his true self from his wife.

‘Then again… perhaps openly showing that stubborn streak, that quick temper, and that tendency to sulk or snap over the smallest things wouldn’t be such a good idea either.’

Adil nodded to himself inwardly. If Cadel attempted too much honesty at once, he might only drive her further away.

‘Truly, the relationship between a man and a woman is profound and complicated.’

Even as he tried to advise his lord, his own thoughts wavered back and forth.

Love, it seemed, was far more difficult than any book had suggested.

“In any case, she agreed to let me go. Isn’t that enough for now?”

Cadel shrugged lightly. Adil stared at him for a moment before asking in a grave tone,

“I must ask out of genuine curiosity. Is there truly nothing about Her Highness worthy of praise besides her appearance?”

“What are you talking about? Jaina is an extraordinary woman. Why would there be nothing else to praise?”

“If there is so much, then why not praise something else?”

“When our eyes meet, the first thing that comes to mind is how beautiful she is. What am I supposed to do?”

Cadel frowned faintly, as though even he found it frustrating.

“I try to think of something else to say, but as soon as I look into her jewel-like blue eyes, my heart starts beating wildly. My mind goes blank except for one word: ‘beautiful’. Do you think I don’t want to say something more?”

“……”

“If you ever meet her gaze— No. Do not dare look carelessly into the Grand Duchess’s eyes, Adil.”

Cadel’s expression abruptly turned serious before he continued.

“In any case, the moment our eyes meet, my mind goes blank. I can’t think of anything else.”

It had always been this way. Whenever he was with Jaina, his heart would beat so fast that he felt as though it might burst out of his chest, leaving him unable to think straight.

That was why he could never talk to her for long. Why he could never hold her gaze without looking away.

The only time words came easily was when the conversation turned to Violet.

In those moments, Jaina would grow quiet and distant, and the sudden chill would calm his racing heart, if only temporarily.

“It’s not that I don’t want to treat Jaina more skillfully. If she were even slightly less lovable, I might be able to act as ordinarily with her as I do with other people.”

After finishing his words, Cadel noticed that Adil had fallen strangely silent. He looked over—and saw Adil’s face burning red. One brow lifted.

“What is that expression?”

He demanded to know why his face was so flushed.

Adil burst out,

“W–why are you making such shameless confessions in front of me? You should be saying that to Her Highness!”

***

The following day, as if by magic, the blizzard stopped.

The weather, which the spirits had transformed into snow after summoning artificial rain, became bright and clear, as though nothing had happened.

“We’ll use the teleportation stone.”

Although the weather had improved, Cadel insisted on travelling by teleportation.

Jaina glanced at him, then her gaze met Violet’s among the servants gathered at the entrance to see their lord off.

Violet looked furious; her anger was impossible to conceal at the sight of Cadel leaving with Jaina. She must have hoped that Jaina herself would stop him.

But that was never going to happen.

Elysion had said that Cadel had to go with her.

“Adil. I leave the North in your hands while I am away.”

“Yes, Your Grace. Please do not worry.”

Adil joked that if there were already a young heir, his burden might be lighter. However, it would be selfish to expect children from a newly married couple, so he decided to simply work harder in their absence.

The servants who had gathered to see them off laughed softly at his light-hearted remark.

All except Violet.

She stood stiffly and watched until the very last moment, when Cadel opened the gate with the teleportation stone and took Jaina’s hand, guiding her carefully through it.

She had risen before dawn, dressing beautifully in the faint hope that he might spare her a glance. He did not look at her even once.

And just like that, he stepped into the Empire with Jaina.

Left behind, Violet ground her teeth in fury.

At her feet, grains of dark black sand began to stir and ripple — yet no one within the Grand Ducal Castle took notice.

***

“My goodness…”

The Grand Temple was far more desolate than she had imagined when she saw it.

The sacred hall, which had once shone with blinding radiance, was now cracked and covered in cobwebs. The corridors, which had once been polished until they gleamed, were now covered in dust, giving the impression that the temple had been abandoned.

“Where are the priests and the saintesses?”

Jaina turned to Cadel, her expression unable to hide her bewilderment.

“Not long ago, something resembling the form of a demon was seen within the Grand Temple. Most of the priests and saintesses witnessed it.”

“A demon’s form?”

She repeated the words, and Cadel nodded, leading her toward the Main Sanctuary.

“I was told that nobody was able to capture it. Fearing that black magic had spread this far, they fled to the Main Sanctuary. They have remained there ever since, barely daring to breathe.”

The Main Sanctuary was the only place within the Grand Temple where holy power still flowed.

In the past, there had even been proposals to relocate the Elim Tree there.

However, once they realized how vast and far-reaching the Elim Tree’s roots truly were, the idea was quickly abandoned.

As she followed Cadel towards the sanctuary, Jaina could not help but wonder what kind of being this so-called demon could be, powerful enough to drive everyone within the Grand Temple into hiding.

“It would be best to meet with the High Priest first and receive a proper explanation of the situation. We can visit the Elim Tree afterward.”

Upon hearing Cadel’s words, Jaina nodded and glanced briefly at Amelie, who was standing behind her.

Usually, Amelie would have taken charge of matters like this. However, Cadel was now handling everything himself, so Amelie was left to follow quietly alongside the other guards.

‘I should have let her rest instead of assigning her to organize the schedule.’

Jaina thought as she stepped into the Main Sanctuary.

“Jaina!”

“High Priest.”

The moment she entered, the High Priest greeted her. He looked noticeably thinner, worn down by the sudden calamity.

“So it remains with you after all.”

He grasped her hands tightly and sighed with relief. Jaina glanced at the priests and saintesses gathered around her and nodded slightly.

The saintesses’ complexions were pale, as though their holy power had truly drained from them.

“How did your holy power disappear?”

She directed the question to Isabel, the eldest among them—a woman who had once helped her greatly during her stay here.

“It began when the leaves of the Elim Tree started to wither.”

Isabel began to recount what had happened in the Grand Temple.

On that day, the sky had been shrouded in darkness, with not a single ray of light piercing it.

After completing their daily tasks, the temple’s inhabitants had gathered in the garden as usual to greet the Elim Tree before going to bed.

“High Priest! There’s something wrong with the Elim Tree’s leaves!”

When one of the saintesses cried out that part of the Elim Tree had begun to wither, it became clear that the sacred tree was dying.

As this fact sank in, terror descended upon the Grand Temple.

Black sand crept into the chamber of a sleeping saintess. The shadow that slipped inside soon swelled and twisted, taking on the form of a massive demon which lunged at her.

Her screams tore through the temple’s halls.

Each saintess who came into contact with the black sand entity lost her holy power.

“If only one of us had seen it, we might have dismissed it as a lie. But everyone here witnessed that black entity.”

Upon hearing Isabel’s words, Jaina’s expression darkened slightly. If it had taken the form of black sand, it would have been more akin to black magic than a true demon.

Although they were different in nature, Cadel himself could wield dark powers similar to black magic, so he would understand this too.

When Jaina looked at him, she saw that he was already looking at her, as though he had come to the same conclusion.

“For now, I will go to the Fountain of Holy Water. After that, I will see the Elim Tree.”

Jaina spoke to the High Priest.

“There are formless demons swarming even near the Fountain of Holy Water.”

At the High Priest’s worried expression, Jaina offered a calm smile.

“Please don’t be overly concerned. My husband is the finest knight in the Empire.”

It was said that Cadel could cut down tens of thousands of demons with a single stroke of his blade.

The true reason he could dispatch them so effortlessly, of course, lay in the unique black power possessed only by the House of Edgar. Unlike black magic, born from the devouring of human souls, his power was innate: a pure black force he had carried since birth.

The Grand Duke of the North’s possession of such power was common knowledge throughout the Empire, and Jaina’s assurance seemed to ease the High Priest’s strained expression, if only slightly.

“First, I will cleanse myself at the Fountain of Holy Water. Then, I will build a barrier around the Main Sanctuary. This will enable you to rest more securely until the issue has been resolved.”

“Thank you, Jaina.”

“Thank you, Saintess.”

“Thank you, Lady Jaina.”

The High Priest, the priests, and the saintesses voiced their gratitude together. Their expressions were filled with relief—almost as though she were their only salvation.