If this happened in the past, when she was still in love with Cadel, she would never have been able to say such things to Violet. Not in a hundred lifetimes.

Of course, remnants of her feelings still surfaced from time to time. Whenever she saw Cadel and Violet standing together, she would feel a tightening in her chest. But the reason she had once attempted s*icide had not changed. Seeing that Cadel’s behavior remained exactly as it had been only strengthened her determination to divorce him.

From the moment she started her second life, she had never wanted to see him again. Had she not left the estate and ventured into the Spirit Forest for that very reason? Once everything was resolved, she would simply live the life she had originally intended.

Whether Violet loved Cadel or he kept her by his side without understanding his own feelings no longer concerned her.

“So do as you wish.”

“……”

“If you want to take my place, then do so. Freely, with all your ability—do whatever you are capable of.”

Violet had tormented her mercilessly, repeatedly wearing her down and picking at her pride in the hope that she would give up her position as Grand Duchess. It was only natural to assume that Violet desired that seat for herself. Judging by the way her eyes widened as though they might burst from their sockets, Jaina’s assumption seemed to be correct.

“I won’t stand in your way.”

If Violet and Cadel were to become inseparable, if they were to transcend the vague, unspoken bond they shared, then perhaps the lingering traces of love she still felt for Cadel would finally fade.

She truly hoped that Violet would stop directing her jealousy and resentment towards her and instead pour all her strength into winning Cadel’s heart.

Long after their conversation had ended, Violet remained standing there, frozen in place, staring at Jaina with wide, unblinking eyes.

“Shall we return now?”

Jaina rose from her seat to head back to her room, but Violet suddenly spoke.

“Why are you doing this?”

When Jaina turned to look at her, Violet met her gaze with an unusually serious expression.

“Is it because you believe Lord Cadel will never love me?”

Jaina’s face stiffened slightly at this. She hadn’t expected her gesture of goodwill to be met with suspicion. Was Violet really that guarded around her? Did she despise and distrust her that much?

‘Well… if I were in her position, I doubt I could accept it so easily either.’

After all, how could anyone calmly accept being told that their husband had been seduced and that it didn’t matter?

Jaina sighed briefly before answering her.

“No. It’s simply that whatever you and my husband choose to do—now or in the future—it has nothing to do with me.”

***

The next morning.

Despite the icy tension that had lingered between them all night, Elysion and Cadel had somehow managed to wake up at dawn. They stood close together, whispering as though sharing a secret.

Jaina, who had risen slightly later, blinked slowly at the unexpected sight.

As soon as Cadel noticed she was awake, he crossed the room without hesitation. There was a subtle gentleness in his gaze as he looked at her and began to speak.

“I can’t leave the North unattended for long, so I’ll be heading back.”

“Ah…”

Jaina nodded.

“I’ll take care of the urgent matters this morning and return as soon as I can.”

“You don’t have to come back. I’ll be staying here until all the barriers are completed anyway—”

“That’s exactly why I have to.”

Cadel cut her off as he straightened.

“There’s also the matter of taking Tama with us.”

Then she remembered — she had asked Shar for Tama. If they were to take something belonging to the Crown Prince to the North, complicated documents would inevitably have to be exchanged. Ultimately, Cadel would have to come again.

Jaina nodded in understanding.

“Stop wasting time and move already, human.”

Elysion clicked his tongue in clear displeasure as he looked at Cadel.

Cadel lifted one brow in rebuttal.

“It hasn’t even been a minute.”

“And yet it was your own mouth that said every minute and second counts.”

“That has nothing to do with my returning to the North.”

“We can’t move until you leave, can we?”

“Honestly…”

As the two resumed their bickering, Jaina turned to Elysion.

“What’s so urgent that every minute and second matters?”

They both turned to look at her at the same time when she asked her question.

At that moment, the door opened and Violet came in. Nobody had noticed when she had stood up.

She looked entirely different from the day before. The heavy, glamorous makeup she had worn the previous day had disappeared. Instead, her face was bare and neat, and she looked freshly washed. She called out to Cadel, looking simple and composed.

“I’m ready to depart, Your Grace.”

***

Upon her nod, Cadel looked at Jaina and said.

“I’ll be back.”

After warning Elysion not to tamper with the teleportation stone or the communication orb, he stepped onto the stone with Violet and disappeared.

Jaina stared blankly at the spot where they had disappeared, her thoughts tangled and difficult to articulate. She only came back to herself when Elysion called her.

“Jaina.”

“Yes? Ah—yes.”

“You should get ready. We need to finish things off.”

As she nodded and rose to her feet, Elysion continued.

“Keep the guards close to you today. I think I should take a look at the detached palace for a moment.”

“The detached palace?”

“Your husband sensed something strange there. It’s highly likely that whoever tried to use dark magic on your friend’s overnight guest left something behind.”

“But the detached palace was already…”

With Cadel’s help, she found the real palace among two identical-looking ones and purified it when she first arrived. She even set up a barrier afterwards.

Unable to believe that dark magic could have been placed there again, Jaina asked, looking puzzled.

“Are you sure it’s the detached palace? I set the barrier carefully. Could someone really use dark magic in a place like that?”

“Barriers are not primarily designed to block dark magic itself. They are used to stop creatures or people acting under its influence. In other words, they are ineffective against a dark mage who wields it directly.”

“Ah… I see.”

“Well, nothing is certain yet. It’s too early to jump to conclusions. I’ll check first. If there is a problem, we’ll deal with it then. There’s no need to worry too much. Just focus on purifying the palace and reinforcing the barriers.”

Jaina nodded at his words.

Elysion, who had previously shown no interest in human affairs, was now stepping in as though it were his own matter. She felt genuinely grateful.

“Please be careful.”

The concern in her voice came from the heart, but Elysion only let out a scoff.

“Hmph. Do you think something like dark magic could dare to harm me—the Spirit of Light?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Jaina shook her head and smiled faintly.

She knew that just as Elysion was powerless against an evil spirit, dark magic itself held no sway over spirits.

This meant that they might need Cadel’s black mana once again.

Nevertheless, she felt certain that, with Cadel, who commanded black mana, and Elysion, who could perceive the invisible, they would be able to resolve whatever the dark mage had done to the detached palace.

***

After purifying most of the Imperial Palace and setting up protective barriers, Jaina finally allowed herself a moment to rest. She sat at a table in the garden, waiting for Elysion, who had gone to the detached palace.

As she sipped her tea and chatted idly with Amelie, the latter suddenly leapt to her feet and drew her sword.

The nearby knights reacted instantly, swiftly unsheathing their blades and scanning their surroundings with sharp, alert eyes.

“Who’s there!”

Amélie shouted, her eyes fixed on a spot ahead of her.

The knights immediately raised their swords towards the spot where she was looking. Startled, Jaina turned her head as well.

For a moment, the low wooden hedge seemed to ripple as though stirred by something unseen. Then, from between its branches, a child no taller than the hedge itself stepped out.

The child’s eyes were jet black, and their hair was an equally dark shade. They bore an uncanny resemblance to Cadel. It was impossible to tell whether the child was a boy or a girl, but their beauty was undeniable.

A broken chain still hung loosely around their neck, suggesting that they had escaped from somewhere.

“……”

Those pitch-black eyes darted around, quickly taking in Amelie and the guards with their swords pointed.

“Lower your swords.”

Jaina spoke calmly as she looked at the child.

At her command, Amelie and the guards immediately lowered their weap*ns.

The child stared straight at Jaina with eyes as dark as midnight, the one who had ordered the weap*ns to be lowered.

“Would you like to come here?”

“……”

“Or perhaps… you don’t understand the imperial language yet?”

“……”

Without answering a single question, the child alternated wary glances between Jaina and the cookies on the table.

“Right. Tama. That child is impossible to tame. When the palace was tainted by demonic energy this time, Tama caused such a disturbance that we had to lock him away. I heard that they hadn’t even given Tama any water for days, and that the child had finally collapsed.”

Shar’s words flashed through Jaina’s mind.

She picked up a cookie and held it out toward the child.

“Would you like to eat?”

The child’s eyes trembled faintly. Jaina minimized her movements so as not to frighten the child and slowly extended her hand holding the cookie.

“You’re hungry, aren’t you? It’s something Tama can eat.”

At the sound of the name Tama, the child’s eyes widened.

“There’s no one here who will hurt you. You can feel safe. Come here.”

She spoke gently and persuasively.

The next instant, Tama moved.

In the blink of an eye, she crossed the distance from the hedge to the table, snatched a biscuit from Jaina’s hand and stuffed it into her small mouth, chewing hurriedly.

Jaina flinched in surprise at the sudden movement, but quickly composed herself and pushed the plate of biscuits closer.

“You may eat them all.”