“I will return to the Adelina Empire. Since the Crown Prince has already captured Crook Zegner, I must go there and exact my revenge.”

Refusing to listen to anything more from Lenoa, Carlo held out the documents he had brought and began to tell her what she needed to know. As Lenoa read them, her hands trembled with shock.

“On the day that the crimes of Empress Scarlet and her supporters are revealed to the world, you may use this evidence to bring the House of Crussian to justice. When the time comes, His Highness, Crown Prince Theodor, will issue an official decree outlining the crimes committed by the ducal house.”

This had all been part of the plan devised by Carlo and Theodor. Although they had been forced to alter their course due to unexpected events along the way, their revenge was now virtually complete.

By capturing Crook Zegner at precisely the right moment, Theodor had enabled Carlo to exploit the duke’s growing fear. Completely deceived, the duke surrendered everything without suspicion and begged Carlo to save him.

“I will do that. At last… it is over.”

“Yes. It is over.”

And it was also a new beginning.

“I will wait for the official decree. Please return safely.”

It was his first return in seven years. Now that she understood the entire situation, Lenoa prayed that Carlo would finally be freed from the rage and thirst for revenge within him.

Carlo hurriedly bade Lenoa farewell, left the Imperial Palace, and rode back to his estate.

“The preparations for departure are nearly complete.”

The chief steward approached Carlo as he strode swiftly through the estate and began reporting on the situation.

The chief steward looked thoroughly exhausted.

When Carlo had announced the previous day that they were to depart for the Adelina Empire, the man had started organizing the estate without even sleeping.

“You prepared everything my mother will need, correct?”

“Yes.”

“My mother and I will depart first with the servants who will care for her. Come to the Adelina Empire once the estate has been put in order.”

“Yes. Shall I seek you out at the Siren estate?”

Depending on how it was interpreted, the question carried considerable weight. Carlo, who had left the Siren estate as though he had been cast out, was now returning to it.

He was returning with the mother that everyone had believed to be dead. This could mean that the master of the ducal house might soon change.

“Of course. From now on, that will be my home.”

After giving the chief steward a cold smile, Carlo stopped before the room, took a deep breath, and knocked.

When the door opened, Carlo concealed his anger behind a radiant smile and entered.

“Mother.”

“Ah, Carlo.”

A thin, fragile-looking woman sat in a chair inside the room, which received the most sunlight.

“Mother….”

Carlo recalled the trembling and overwhelming emotions he had experienced when he first found his mother again.

Bang!

When he flung open the door, he saw a woman sitting in a chair and staring endlessly out of the window. It was his mother, looking so frail that she seemed on the verge of being swept away by the wind.

As she slowly turned her head, Carlo’s heart shattered completely. She had been abandoned to die in a dilapidated building that was hardly worthy of being called the duke’s villa.

“M-Moth….”

Her vacant gaze and deathly complexion were utterly devoid of life, leaving Carlo unable to approach her.

Why had he discovered her only now?

“Mother…. Hngh.”

“Ca… Carlo?”

Blood seeped from his mother’s parched lips after she spoke for the first time in so long.

“Is it truly… you, Carlo? My son?”

She reached for him.

Her hand stretched out to him with such desperation that it was as though she had to grasp him, even if this were only a dream. Carlo rushed forward and embraced his mother.

She had never forgotten him — not even for a moment. She recognized her fully grown son immediately.

Their heartbreaking reunion left a deep scar on Carlo’s heart and continued to torment him.

‘It took so much to find her. I must protect her until the very end.’

After losing himself in thought for a moment, Carlo hurried towards his mother, knelt down in front of her and took her hand.

Despite being dressed warmly and covered with a blanket, his frail mother’s hand was ice cold.

After years of isolation in the villa, it was clear that her health could not be good.

“Mother, what were you doing?”

“The sunlight was lovely, so I was simply sitting here.”

Carlo worried whether his mother, whose stamina was so poor, could endure the long journey. But they had no other choice. And if he wanted to restore her to her rightful place, they had to return.

“You can travel, can’t you? We are going to Adelina… We are going home.”

“Carlo….”

But his mother’s expression darkened, as though painful memories had resurfaced. She seemed reluctant to return to the place where she had suffered so much.

“Mother, it will be all right. I will protect you from now on. So trust me, and let us return home together. All right?”

“All right.”

His mother extended her thin hand, caressed his cheek, and smiled.

‘Yes. Once Laila learns that my mother was alive, she will understand me. She will realize that I had no other choice.’

Carlo set out for the Adelina Empire to complete his revenge—and to find Laila.

***

Meanwhile, as Carlo began traveling with his mother, Laila’s condition deteriorated as they drew closer to the Adelina Empire.

They had planned to deal with the group that was following them before crossing into Adelina, but Laila’s sudden illness prevented them from doing so.

“Are you all right?”

“Ugh….”

Laila had had a high temperature since the previous day. She was still delirious and in pain and unable to regain consciousness.

They decided to stay at an inn in a nearby village to monitor her condition. However, her fever continued to rise, and she was becoming increasingly unconscious.

“You will recover. Please, endure just a little longer.”

Worry burned in Nathan’s heart as he carefully placed a cold, damp cloth on Laila’s forehead. He clasped her burning hand tightly and closed his eyes.

Had the journey been too grueling for her? After all, she had endured terrible ordeals and had even resolved to die. After one shock after another, and deprived of proper food and rest, her body had finally collapsed.

‘We should have allowed her to rest a little longer before leaving.’

Nathan clenched his teeth as he looked at Laila, who was lying unconscious and drenched in cold sweat. The pain was like swallowing a blade; its edge tore through him, driving him mad.

Although Theodor had ordered him to bring her back, Nathan’s desire to take Laila to Adelina as quickly as possible was far stronger.

He wanted to create as much distance as possible between Carlo and the woman who was still suffering because of her love for him.

He was terrified that Laila might never forget Carlo, or that he might finally come to his senses and return for her.

‘Even though I said I would be satisfied merely to remain beside her.’

He had spoken so gently to Laila, yet inwardly, he had been pleading with her to forget Carlo.

‘Haah, you selfish bastard.’

Nathan muttered as he blamed himself for being no better than filth.

“I’m sorry, Laila….”

Laila could hear the tremor in Nathan’s voice and tried to tighten her grip on his hand. She wanted to reassure him that everything was all right, but her body wouldn’t let her.

In fact, she felt that she was the one who should apologize. Her sudden illness had disrupted their journey. Assassins were already pursuing them, putting them in grave danger and forcing them to move quickly. Yet Nathan was tormenting himself as though it were all his fault.

‘I’m sorry, Sir Nathan.’

A pain-filled m*an escaped Laila’s lips. He gently wiped her forehead with a damp cloth and repeatedly assured her that she would be all right.

“Ugh…”

Laila struggled to breathe through the agony, as though a ball of fire were moving through her body. Her fever was so severe that a red rash had spread across her face and neck, and every breath she took felt scorching hot.

Nathan had summoned a physician as soon as they arrived in the village, but he had been unable to determine the cause of her fever. He merely gave her medicine to reduce it, apologized, and left.

Ever since then, Laila had continued to hover between life and death.

‘Haah. This is dangerous.’

Nathan muttered under his breath as he warily scanned the view beyond the window. Fortunately, there was no sign of their pursuers.

However, the longer they stayed, the more dangerous it became. The group following them in secret was targeting Laila, and her weakened state made her an easy target.

In the circumstances, Nathan should have gathered the feverish Laila into his arms, mounted his horse, and ridden straight to the Adelina Empire.

But how could he subject the woman he loved to even greater suffering when she was already in so much agony? Forcing her to endure the journey on horseback might only make things worse.

All he wanted for now was to let Laila rest, even if it meant confronting their pursuers immediately.