“Episode 75”
“What then?”
With a slightly husky voice, Evan brushed aside Yuliana’s abundant red hair.
He buried his face in her neck, which glowed softly as if illuminated by moonlight. His hot breath gently tickled her skin.
Yuliana, stroking Evan’s hair, whispered.
“Tonight, I have to meet Lucian.”
“Tonight?”
Yuliana giggled at her husband’s lukewarm reaction. She found it cute that Evan reacted that way because of Lucian.
“I’ll go with you.”
Evan quickly swallowed his pride. He then kissed his still-smiling wife on the cheek and quietly continued.
“Is that okay?”
“Do you want to see me threatening another man?”
“You know.”
Evan whispered as he kissed the corner of his wife’s eye, which shone slyly as she spoke.
“I don’t mind.”
Evan didn’t care what she said or did. Her mere presence was enough for him.
This time, Yuliana blushed and spoke in a sharp tone, slightly embarrassed.
“Fool.”
“That’s a compliment.”
“No, it’s not.”
Still blushing, she wrapped her arms around Evan’s neck and pulled him toward her. And he willingly obliged.
* * *
In the late hours of the night, Yuliana and Evan stood in front of Lucian’s room.
Though they made almost no noise, Lucian opened the door as if he had been waiting for them. He looked a bit gaunt.
“Lucian.”
Evan spoke without any formality. Despite the lack of courtesy, Lucian let them in without complaint.
Yuliana, yawning comfortably while holding Evan’s arm, looked around Lucian’s room. It was only slightly larger but equally dreary.
Yuliana boldly stepped into the room and sat down before Lucian could offer a seat. Her naturally arrogant demeanor left Lucian unable to reproach her.
“You’re aware things are getting strange, aren’t you?”
“Hmm.”
Yuliana tilted her head and softly answered, barely moving her lips.
“We’re going to decide our position based on your answer.”
“I thought you wanted my proposal to fail more than anyone else.”
Lucian, showing his nature, retorted sarcastically. Yuliana leaned her cheek against her husband’s shoulder and replied.
“Half of me does. I still do. In fact, if your proposal fails, His Majesty said he wouldn’t need to come back. Even if my husband ‘accidentally’ lost you in a snowstorm, His Majesty would understand.”
“What will you do if His Majesty holds you responsible for ‘accidentally’ losing his illegitimate son later?”
“That’s for us to handle. It’s not something you, tangled in a snowstorm by ‘accident,’ need to worry about.”
Yuliana beamed.
Her red hair, shimmering darkly in the candlelight, was pushed back as she continued.
“If the Empress hadn’t been my friend before reversing time, I wouldn’t have had a shred of sympathy for you. So, seize the opportunity now.”
“Are you planning to search the Walter estate immediately?”
“Don’t be sarcastic.”
Unable to restrain himself, Evan made a threatening gesture with his finger toward Lucian, who dared to interrupt his wife.
Knowing Evan Hilchen’s specialty was killing people without a trace, Lucian found the gesture quite frightening.
After a moment of silent sighing, Lucian spoke softly. His face was marred by various complex thoughts.
“What opportunity are you giving me?”
“As you know, you seized the wrong opportunity before.”
“…That was because of Yun, that woman’s power. Wasn’t it the same for you, Duke and Duchess?”
At Lucian’s response, Evan warned in a low voice.
“That doesn’t excuse you. Lucian, you were already mad even before that woman intervened. Because of your insignificant position.”
To Evan Hilchen, the imperial throne itself was insignificant. Everything unrelated to Yuliana Auburn was.
Evan’s blue eyes, as cold as looking at a mineral, glinted chillingly. Facing that frigid gaze, Lucian, filled with guilt, spoke.
“I know, Evan. I know you’re disappointed.”
“Disappointed? I never had any expectations for you. The only reason I didn’t deal with you was because of my trivial guilt. You were a pitiful creature to me.”
“So, do you still pity me?”
“Stop saying disgusting things.”
Lucian chuckled awkwardly.
He was a man who had always found it easy to laugh. But now, unable to ensure Elena’s safety, everything was difficult.
“Help me. I’ll do anything. Anything.”
“Hmmm…”
Yuliana, once again intrigued, scoffed lightly. Leaning against her husband’s arm, she spoke languidly.
“Then, shall we make a ‘Pledge of Oath’?”
“I’m no longer a magician, but I still have some shallow knowledge. If I make a Pledge of Oath, I’ll have to fulfill the duchess’s commands at least once, regardless of the reason. You understand my burden, don’t you?”
“It’s a fair condition for helping a dubious, powerless illegitimate prince.”
Yuliana clicked her tongue and spread open the black fan she always carried. Agreeing with her, Evan Hilchen also spoke leisurely.
“To train a dog that might bite you in the back at any time, you need to use such measures, don’t you?”
“What an impressive couple,” Lucian muttered gloomily.
Then he extended his hand.
“Ensure I can find the whereabouts of Elena Walter before dawn.”
“Ah, you’re setting a tight deadline. Well, it can’t be helped.”
Yuliana sarcastically commented as she took Lucian’s hand. Then, she probed him quietly as if chanting.
“But, what if Elena isn’t in real danger and just rejected you because she dislikes you? Have you considered that?”
“It doesn’t matter. If that’s the case, I….”
Lucian tightly gripped Yuliana’s hand again and bit his lip. His expression, marred by anxiety, told the whole story.
A prince without legitimacy who couldn’t protect or had no right to protect Elena.
The illegitimate prince’s eyes sparkled pitifully. Yuliana whispered as she watched his face, shining poignantly under the candlelight.
“If you’re so determined, then let’s make a Pledge of Oath.”
Soon, a faint smoke rose from their clasped hands.
The flame rising from Yuliana’s hand tightly wrapped around Lucian Buel Ariachne’s wrist, creating a temporary burn mark.
It was a burn that wouldn’t easily fade.
* * *
In the deep of night, Yuliana, Evan, and Lucian were not the only ones awake.
The lord of the castle, Taylen Walter, and his second son, Maurice Walter, were also awake.
They had gathered in the same room, an unusual occurrence. In the dim room, Maurice was being scolded by his father in the same manner repeatedly.
Finally, the impatient Maurice exploded in anger.
“She said she wanted to marry the prince! How could I stay still?”
“Foolish child!”
Taylen shouted angrily. Leaning on his cane to support his frail body, he croaked.
“I’ve already told her. To avoid bringing the family to ruin, all she needed to do was politely refuse. I told her countless times that bringing a mere illegitimate prince as a husband would not allow you to inherit the family head position!”
“She said she would, but she didn’t! When I told her again—!”
Maurice’s sneering face contorted comically. He mimicked his half-sister’s stuttering speech in an exaggerated manner.
“‘Mo-mo-Maurice. I-I’m going to ma-ma-marry him.’”
“How could you lose your temper over such a thing! At this rate, you should have taken her to refuse the proposal yourself!”
“Do you want to hand over the family head position to that half-wit?”
“Maurice!”
Maurice shouted, scratching his curly brown hair.
“Damn it! You should have seen the way she stuttered!”
In Maurice’s cold and ruthless eyes, a dark shadow loomed.
Hours earlier, he had gone to reprimand his half-sister, who had agreed to attend the party as their father instructed.
Dressed in a drab gray dress, with a pitifully forlorn expression, Elena initially listened to his words. But suddenly, like a dog spotting prey, she sprang up and tried to leave the stables. Following her gaze, Maurice also stepped out of the stables.
Sure enough, the illegitimate prince was entering through the main gate, despite the persistent heavy snowfall. Elena Walter spotted him even in the snowy landscape.
Maurice had long known about Elena Walter’s one-sided love. His half-sister foolishly put her feelings into unsent letters, which became Maurice Walter’s toys and means of ridicule.
Maurice, frowning, raised his voice.
“If she hadn’t been so stubborn, would I have done it?”
Knock, knock.
At that moment, a knock cut through the frozen atmosphere, making the father and son turn their heads. At the same time, a maid’s sleepy voice came from outside the door.
“Baron, I’m sorry. The Duchess says she has an urgent matter. What should I do?”
* * *
“I’m really sorry, Baron. You must have so much to do….”
It was almost dawn. If it weren’t for the blizzard in the north, some sunlight might have shone through.
Standing in the blizzard, the Duchess wiped her eyes. Maurice, standing with a sullen expression, shrugged as if he had no choice since the empire’s most beautiful woman was crying.
“It’s fine, Duchess. You lost the necklace your mother gave you.”
“Yes. I walked past the field outside the portal, and I must have lost it there. It’s foolish of me to realize it only now.”
“It’s the duty of the lord of the land to find a precious guest’s belongings.”
Maurice, always frowning, chuckled. Yuliana responded with a coquettish smile.
Seeing a beauty smile at him like that for the first time in his life, Maurice couldn’t help but preen. He was about to fall into a trivial thought about kneeling like a knight in a fairy tale and kissing her hand when he felt a sharp gaze and froze.
The Duke was glaring at him as if he would bury him in the snowstorm with just his eyes. Even Maurice, who was generally oblivious, couldn’t miss this.
Quickly stepping away from the Duchess, Maurice stammered.
“Fortunately, the necklace has a detection spell on it, so it should be found soon. Please join my guards on the search.”
“Thank you very much.”
And Lucian, who had been grooming a horse nearby, added.
“It seems it will be a long journey. As an invited guest, I will help as well.”
Maurice cautiously looked back at his father with some apprehension. His father, with a stern expression, slightly shook his head. Gaining courage from this, Maurice carefully spoke.
“Your Highness, you don’t need to trouble yourself. Even if dawn is near, the blizzard hasn’t stopped, and it will be tough.”
“It’s fine. Lady Elena couldn’t attend the party because of her poor health, and I have no more time to linger here. I plan to leave with my friends, the Duke and Duchess, once the sun rises.”
“Oh, I see.”
Maurice barely suppressed a laugh and nodded seriously.
The illegitimate prince of the royal family, a mere titular prince, seemed upset about today’s rudeness. It was fortunate that the prince was sulking. Maurice’s eyes glinted with a cold light.
Barely holding back the urge to sneer at the prince, who would soon be sold off as a son-in-law, Maurice quickly mounted his horse.
He looked around at his soldiers, who had been roused from their sleep, and patted his chest.
