126.

“Such a thing…”

“This isn’t entirely unexpected, is it? We always knew that if it was alive, it would come for me one day. That’s all there is to it.”

“Are you saying the seal has been broken? That can’t be. We eradicated every last fanatic.”

I nearly let out a bitter laugh at the absurdity of it all. I couldn’t very well respond with, ‘I don’t know how, but that’s what’s decided,’ even though that’s exactly how it felt.

Every possible threat capable of unsealing Nyx had been dealt with. I had no idea who, why, or how someone might break the seal. Yet one thing was certain—Nyx would come for me.

“It’s better to have warning than for it to strike without any. We’ve bought ourselves some time.”

Erika, her face blank with disbelief, turned back to the window. She gazed at the passing scenery with a desperate intensity, as if trying to gather her thoughts.

Though I spoke calmly, my racing heart told a different story. Forcing myself to sit straight, I shifted my focus from Erika to the view outside the opposite window. The tranquil sight should have brought me peace, but a wave of despair surged, and I closed my eyes again, overwhelmed.

Then, without warning, the carriage came to a sudden halt.

“…!”

Before I could even scream, my body lurched forward, bracing for impact. Just as I thought I’d be thrown to the floor, Erika lunged, catching me mid-fall. We rolled together in the cramped space, the impact softened by her protective hold.

A pained groan escaped from beneath me. I scrambled to my feet, quickly freeing Erika from beneath my weight.

“Erika! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, but—”

Her voice faltered, her expression tightening with pain as she glanced toward the window.

I instinctively followed her gaze. Outside, the fields stretched endlessly, their serenity almost mocking. The idyllic scene did nothing to calm my growing unease.

Could it already be Nyx? Had it come for me?

“Stay here,” I said firmly, helping Erika back into her seat before turning my focus to the carriage door. My heart pounded so loudly it felt as though whoever was outside could hear it. I cautiously reached for the handle, my hand trembling as I prepared for the worst.

The door burst open before I could touch it.

“Lady McFoy?”

It was Glen, riding tightly alongside the carriage. He looked alarmed as he stared at me.

“Why that expression? Are you hurt anywhere?”

I couldn’t respond. All the composure I had feigned in front of Erika crumbled. I realized just how deeply fear had gripped me—enough to forget that Glen had been riding beside me all along.

“Black flags sighted!”

The call rang out from the lead rider, his booming voice cutting through the tense silence. Black flags—the sign of urgent distress.

“Lady McFoy, it’s Kano from Romdak!”

“Hah…”

Unbidden, I released the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and closed my eyes.

The rush of the summer wind brushed against my skin, and I felt a faint wave of relief. My lashes fluttered with the sensation, though the trembling in my body persisted.

Even knowing it wasn’t Nyx, the fear wouldn’t leave so easily.

* * *

Through the office window, I watched the drawbridge rise earlier than usual. After taking in the scene, I slowly turned away.

“…Is that really the extent of Merke’s divine power?”

The news Kano had brought was completely unexpected. And, if it had to be labeled good or bad, it was undeniably bad.

Merke was proving to be a wild card. She was far more complex than I had ever imagined.

“She’s completely insane. She smashed the hulls of the ships, set them on fire, and fled. They say she sank an entire island.”

“Why on earth…”

As far as I knew, Merke didn’t cause any notable incidents. In ‘Ophelia and the Night’, her only role was to give birth to the next emperor.

I hadn’t shared this with anyone yet, but the truth was that Billinent was a lost cause. He wouldn’t become emperor. Shortly after his coming-of-age ceremony, he would meet an ignoble end at the hands of a servant he had tormented.

The emperor, desperate and with no other options, would summon Merke. Though she despised the imperial palace, she would entrust her daughter to the emperor and disappear forever.

‘That was supposed to be all there was to Merke.’

Her current actions were completely at odds with what I knew of her from the novel. The reason I had told Kano to keep an eye on her was because she was the most reliable way to prove her daughter’s legitimacy.

Her daughter was still too young. For now, the chaos within the imperial family mattered less to me than ensuring Billinent’s death—or even Merke herself taking the throne.

Of course, Billinent or Merke becoming emperor was merely the more convenient outcome. Her daughter was still a Rodensi, after all. The Rodensi’s role in this tale was supposed to end there.

“This was my mistake.”

‘Ophelia and the Night’ was Ophelia’s story, after all. The details of Merke’s life were only briefly touched upon. She had her own tale, one that the novel hadn’t explored.

And it seemed that my survival had altered the circumstances in ways I hadn’t accounted for. In hindsight, it was obvious, yet I had overlooked it.

Was this the distortion the voice had spoken of? The story I thought had stopped had never truly ended.

 

“I heard from a Diazi knight—Vines or something—who was guarding the princess. He mentioned that Merke agreed to suppress her powers under some sort of pact. I think—”

“She made it with Calliphe, didn’t she? And she’s headed to Hugo?”

“The trail confirms she entered Hugo. At least, she didn’t lie to her knight about that.”

“She’s not just there to see her daughter. She has business to attend to.”

“If Nyx is coming for you, as you suspect, my gut tells me Merke played a part in it. Which means we have even less time.”

Kano shot to his feet as he spoke, looking as though he were being chased by something unseen.

“She burned every ship she passed, leaving me stuck on that island for a week. It’s already been a week since she entered Hugo. If something’s started, it began long ago. So get up, Aisa. There’s no time to waste.”

Despite Kano’s urgency, I stood motionless, rooted to the spot.

 

“What is meant to happen will happen.”

 

The voice from the past shackled me. Kano was right—Merke’s motivations no longer mattered. What mattered was that someone, whether Merke or another, would break Nyx’s seal. Once awakened, Nyx would come for the head of McFoy.

The tale of Aisa McFoy being slain by Nyx and Ophelia reclaiming her divine power had begun. Realizing that this story had been quietly unfolding for some time made the ground beneath me feel unsteady.

The plans I had made to experiment with Ophelia were useless now. While Romdak’s policy was to avoid unwinnable battles, I had no choice this time.

One chance. Whether it succeeded or failed, I had to face it.

After a deep breath, I met Kano’s gaze. Only then did I notice how haggard he looked. He must have ridden tirelessly to reach McFoy.

“Why the grim face?” I asked.

“You look like Romdak has fallen. Merke is just a madwoman. She wouldn’t go as far as breaking Nyx’s seal in Baghdad. Nothing will happen. So—”

A lie. A clumsy attempt at reassurance. Kano, with his animal-like intuition for danger, surely knew better.

“You’re good at sensing these things. Do you really believe that?”

“You’re driving me insane! There’s no time—let’s go!”

Kano took a step closer, his frustration spilling over as his voice rose. He looked as though he might burst into tears if I didn’t leave with him immediately.

Yet, for some reason, his agitation made my mind clearer. I called to him in a calm voice.

“Kano.”

“I said let’s go!”

“If you have something to say, say it.”

Kano, sharp as ever, instantly understood my meaning. His face twisted into a pained expression.

“You have my permission.”

“Now? In this situation? This isn’t the time for jokes!”

He muttered this while avoiding my gaze, pretending not to understand.

“Do you think I would joke about something like this? This is the first and last time. Go ahead.”

I felt a twinge of guilt for bringing this up in such dire circumstances, but I justified it as payback for his earlier refusal of my proposal. I pressed him once more.

Kano stared at me with an expression of despair. For the first time, I didn’t fear someone’s overwhelming emotions. I held his gaze until, finally, he broke the silence.

“I love you. I’ve loved you for a long time.”

His confession, quiet yet laden with emotion, felt as though it had been torn from his very soul. I inhaled sharply, stunned by the weight of his words.

Kano, in every way, was better than I was. Even his confession was perfect.

“Thank you.”

And I meant it. For once, I was able to smile genuinely as I responded.

“But I love Norma. My husband.”

Perhaps it was the urgency of the moment, but the words came out more smoothly than I expected, a rare success in expressing my love for Norma.

Kano let out a dry laugh, shaking his head at my blunt rejection.

“…Well done. You did the right thing.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

Pulling Norma from the water had been the right decision. Loving him was the best choice I had ever made, and I truly believed that.

“You’ve finally grown up, haven’t you?”

Kano’s tone carried the weary affection of an older brother, which only made me laugh. He really did act like my guardian sometimes.

“Feel better now?” I asked.

“I do.”

“Leave it to you to be so selfish. You’re a witch today.”

“If not now, there might not be another chance. I appreciated the dagger you sent for my birthday. I thought I’d repay you with a little mercy.”

“Spare me your nonsense,” Kano grumbled. Then, more seriously, he added.

“You say you love that pale man? Then you’d better survive. No matter what, you must live.”

His resolute voice rang in my head. He was right—I had promised to live a long life with Norma. When he returned, I would finally tell him just how much I loved him.

“Let’s go, Aisa. You have to survive.”

Kano extended his hand to me. I looked down at his large palm, unmoving.

My thoughts churned noisily. Kano truly was Romdak’s finest. He had chosen the most effective way to persuade me to leave the castle.