‘He must have used Lailea for his revenge.’

Theodor knew how desperate Carlo was for revenge, so he could grasp what had happened even without knowing the details.

Carlo had used Dame Laila — said to be the reincarnation of the Ancient Sword — to obtain evidence against Duke Crussian.

As someone also seeking revenge against the same enemies, Theodor could empathize with Carlo. However, he could never condone his actions when the person Carlo had used was his sister.

‘Carlo…. I will never forgive you.’

Theodor genuinely wanted to kill Carlo. His dearest friend had hidden his younger sister from him and even exploited her feelings.

He had stained the princess’s hands with blood and driven her into a war where she could have died.

“Haah…. That madman. He lost himself in revenge, and now this is where it has led.”

Even when Theodor visited Circlezia recently, Carlo welcomed him as though nothing were wrong. Despite his audacity in concealing and exploiting the princess, he calmly discussed his revenge, smiled and walked away.

“Now I finally understand why he cut off all contact after leaving the Adelina Empire.”

Seven years ago, Carlo left the Empire without saying goodbye to anyone, including his closest friend, Theodor.

Theodor wrote to him countless times, but Carlo never replied. Theodor often wondered what could have driven Carlo to cut him off so completely. Now that he finally knew the truth, he trembled with fury.

Nathan’s postwar report described in painful detail how deeply Laila had suffered. Consumed by guilt over taking lives, she had been unable to eat or sleep properly.

The mere fact that his beloved younger sister had been sent to the battlefield tore at Theodor’s heart. Even worse, Laila had been forced to take the enemy commander’s life with her own hands.

She had endured that hellish war for no reason other than to win Carlo’s love.

Anyone desperate for honor and glory would have suffered in such a place. Given the cruel fate that awaited her upon her return, Theodor could not begin to imagine how shattered Laila’s heart must be.

“D*mn it… What on earth is he thinking?”

Theodor’s gaze fell upon the final passage of the letter. Lenoa’s last words filled him with unease.

“Lord Carlo disappeared after the proposal. He hasn’t returned to his estate for several days, and nobody knows where he is. However, House Crussian is continuing with the wedding preparations, so it seems that the ceremony will go ahead. I cannot fathom what Lord Carlo is thinking.”

Had something happened to him? What if the Duke had discovered his plans for revenge and abducted him?

Countless possibilities raced through Theodor’s mind.

“Tell the shadow knight in Circlezia to find Carlo.”

“…Pardon?”

When the aide questioned him, Theodor issued a firm order.

“Carlo has disappeared. Find out what happened to him.”

The aide’s eyes widened at Theodor’s icy command. Then he swiftly left the office.

“First, I have to find him.”

Before he could confront Carlo or hold him accountable for his crimes, Theodor first had to find him.

“Whew….”

For now, he was relieved that Laila was staying at Lenoa’s villa. Although he had heard that she was too exhausted to do anything but lie in bed, this was better than her wandering around alone in a state of despair.

His plan was to first comfort Laila, and then invite her to Adelina’s once she had recovered. With Nathan there, Theodor could take her home whenever he wanted.

“I must expose Empress Scarlet’s crimes as quickly as possible.”

To do that, he first had to deal with Scarlet. He would never allow her to hurt Laila again.

Even if it was late, Theodor intended to protect her properly from now on.

***

“Where… am I?”

“This is a villa owned by Princess Lenoa.”

They were the first words Laila spoke after waking from several days of sleep.

Nathan, who had remained beside her without leaving even for a moment, smiled carefully in immense relief.

“Why am I… here?”

“His Highness Crown Prince Theodor asked Princess Lenoa to protect you.”

“Ah.”

This meant that he had asked Lenoa to protect his younger sister, whom he had thought was dead. Laila had thought that her entire family was gone. She had thought that no one would ever look for her.

Yet here she was, unexpectedly gaining an older brother — it all felt like a distant dream.

After staring blankly out of the window for a while, Laila slowly turned her gaze towards Nathan.

“Is there anything you need?”

“….”

“Your Highness?”

When Laila did not speak, Nathan asked again with an even gentler smile. Moonlight shimmered across the high bridge of his nose.

“Did you not return to the Adelina Empire after the war ended?”

“Ah, no.”

As though he had not expected her to bring up the subject, Nathan hesitated briefly before shaking his head.

“This must also have been at His Highness Crown Prince Theodor’s request.”

Though it had likely been more of an order than a request.

“Even if I had not received his command, I would not have left the Circlezian Empire.”

“….”

“How could I possibly leave after discovering that Your Highness was alive?”

There it was again—that urge to avoid him.

She felt strangely uncomfortable around the man who had always made her feel at ease.

“So you recognized me. And that is why you informed His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Yes.”

How had he recognized her? Even she could not remember who she had once been.

“Your Highness’s eyes still shine as brightly as ever.”

“…!”

As though he had read her thoughts, Nathan spoke with a wistful smile. Her eyes still shone? Those words did not suit her. Especially not now, after her love had betrayed her.

Yet she was also curious. What had she been like in the past he remembered?

“When I met Your Highness as a young child, you shone so radiantly that I hardly dared look upon you. And I loved the eyes of the princess who was as beautiful as the sun.”

Laila flinched at the word love.

“You may find this burdensome, but you were my first love.”

With his characteristic refreshing smile, he told her that it was a love he had carried for a very long time.

Everyone had dismissed it as the fleeting infatuation of a young boy, but he had been sincere.

“Does that make you uncomfortable? If so, I will say no more.”

“….”

Laila’s blue eyes settled on Nathan. Was she feeling uneasy because of his confession? No, she wasn’t. He wasn’t asking her to return his feelings.

He was merely trying to comfort her as she struggled to come to terms with the shock of betrayal. Perhaps this was a kind of solace that only Nathan, the one person who still knew about her past, could provide.

When Laila shook her head, his smile deepened.

“When I first saw Your Highness on the battlefield, I remembered those eyes that shone like the sun. That was why I recognized you immediately.”

They had not seen each other for more than seven years, yet he recognized his first love from her gaze alone.

Only love could explain such a thing. This was what love truly was: a feeling that remained unchanged in the heart and continued to shine just as brightly despite the passage of time.

As Laila gazed into Nathan’s warm eyes, she realized once more that what Carlo had called love had never been the real thing.

‘There was someone who remembered me.’

She believed herself to be utterly alone in this vast world.

Yet even though she was living under an assumed name and had no memory of her former self, there was someone who still remembered and cherished her.

A warmth slowly entered Laila’s gaze as she looked at Nathan.

It was not the same warmth she had once felt for Carlo, but she no longer felt the need to guard against him.

“What was our relationship like? Back then… when I was a princess.”

“Forgive me, but you are still a princess, Your Highness.”

For a moment, Laila nearly shook her head. She wanted to deny it and tell him not to call her a princess.

“I frequently visited the Imperial Palace because of my friendship with His Highness Crown Prince Theodor It was there that I first saw you in His Highness’s arms.”

“Was I close to His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Yes. He cherished you dearly, and you were very attached to him as well.”

Nathan seemed strangely excited whenever he talked about the past.

In fact, it would be more accurate to say that he could barely contain his joy. The corners of his mouth turned up in a perfect smile, and his eyes sparkled as though he had been waiting a long time for this conversation.

“At first, you felt like a little sister to me. I was an only child, so I had always wanted a younger sister.”

“….”

For some reason, the bashful smile he wore as he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand was delightful to behold.

“When His Highness held you and proudly showed you off to me, I grew so jealous that I secretly cried.”

“You… cried?”

A faint smile spread across Laila’s face at the words, which seemed utterly at odds with his large frame.

How precious and treasured that smile was. Nathan vowed never to forget this moment.

“Yes. In truth, I cried several times. Then one day, when I came to the Imperial Palace, you ran toward me with a bright smile.”

Nathan remembered the way she had stretched out her tiny arms and smiled radiantly. The image of young Laila was engraved upon his heart and had always shone brightly there.

“That was the first time I knew I wanted to protect that smile for the rest of my life. For the following year, I visited the palace to see you. Thanks to that, we met many times and spent many happy moments together.”

So theirs had not been merely a fleeting acquaintance. Laila smiled when Nathan admitted that he had been rather persistent.

“However, I had to leave the Empire due to my father’s business commitments. Afterwards, I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince, Theodor, had been practically dragged away to the academy.”

Nathan said nothing about what followed, as this marked the beginning of Laila’s suffering.

Seeing Nathan struggle to hold back his tears stirred something strange within her.

She wanted to comfort him. She wanted to trust him.

But the wounds inflicted by Carlo still cut deeply into her heart.

Her shattered trust showed no sign of ever being restored.

Everything was simply too painful and exhausting. She no longer had the willpower to do anything.

“Thank you for remembering me.”

The only words she could manage were ones of gratitude. They might not have been enough, but they were the most she could offer him at that moment.

“Please, I beg you to live.”

“….”

Even at his brief yet desperate plea, Laila could only turn away.