93.

I stepped into the office.

Liam glanced up briefly, then greeted me with recognition.

“Ah, Lady Elze.”

“Am I interrupting you while you’re busy?”

“It’s alright. Since it’s you, Lady Elze, of course, I must make time.”

Liam set down his pen and remarked playfully, as if to show he was listening.

“I’d be in trouble if it got out that I neglected you.”

“……”

“After all, the Marquis would certainly try to kill me.”

Dante.

The name that slipped out casually felt like a sharp, icy pain piercing my chest.

‘It’s alright.’

I reassured myself.

‘I’ll be free from that name soon enough.’

I tried to ignore the pain and shifted the topic.

“As I mentioned before, I held a tea time for the servants. They all seemed very pleased. It’s all thanks to you, Liam.”

“That’s not true. It was your idea and execution, Lady Elze.”

Liam shrugged and then asked.

“By the way, what’s that?”

“Oh.”

I discreetly showed him the tray I was holding.

“Since all the servants at the academy are enjoying their tea time, it wouldn’t be fair for you to be working alone.”

I added a charming smile.

“Take a little break.”

“……”

Liam blinked in surprise and then gave a sheepish smile.

“Should I?”

“Yes. I’m planning to take a break too.”

I replied playfully.

Thus, Liam and I sat down across from each other.

As I poured tea into Liam’s cup, I started a gentle conversation.

“By the way, you’ve been by the Marquis’s side for a long time, haven’t you?”

“Yes, that’s right. I first met the Marquis when I was fifteen…”

I recalled the description of Liam and Dante’s first meeting in the novel.

They were both lower-level members of the same organization, with Dante steadily rising through the ranks to become a mid-level boss. Eventually, he had killed the leader of the organization and taken over.

‘Liam must have been a great help during that process.’

Just then, Liam sipped his tea.

“Is the tea to your liking?”

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

Liam began eating the food I had brought, finishing the cookies and drinking the tea.

I observed him intently.

At that moment, Liam suddenly frowned and rubbed his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s just that my vision suddenly went a bit blurry…”

Liam, who had been swaying slightly, soon dropped his teacup.

Clink!

The cup shattered loudly as it hit the table.

Scarlet tea spilled and stained the tablecloth.

“What’s this…?”

Liam struggled to move his lips.

I watched his distress with a blank expression.

At the same time, shock appeared on Liam’s face.

“Could it be… Lady Elze?”

That whispered question was his last.

Liam slumped onto the sofa, completely motionless.

I studied him carefully.

Steady breathing.

Firmly closed eyelids.

He appeared to be in a deep, untroubled sleep.

‘It was worth preparing the sleeping pills.’

He wouldn’t wake until I had finished everything.

I stood up and quickly left the office, surveying the area.

Beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass windows bathed in afternoon sunlight, I could see guards who had been on alert now sprawled on the ground, asleep.

Crumbs from cookies were scattered around them.

Other guards would likely be in similar states.

Earlier, while holding the tea time for the servants, I had also sent cookies and light drinks to the guards.

‘…….’

I leisurely walked through the building.

I headed towards the living room where I had previously gathered the servants for tea time.

Pushing the door slightly open, I saw that the servants were sprawled across the room, all asleep.

‘So the only thing to worry about is… the guards stationed at the entrance to the academy.’

I thought to myself, detached.

I had deliberately avoided touching the guards at the academy entrance.

If they were to collapse and be seen by outsiders, it might alert them to the fact that something was amiss inside the academy.

It would be troublesome if Dante’s organization got involved.

‘But still, it shouldn’t be a problem.’

The people associated with this trashy academy wouldn’t have any loyalty.

I could bet my wrist that they would flee the moment the academy fell apart.

And even if fleeing guards sought help from the organization, it would be after the academy had already collapsed.

If, by any chance, there were guards trying to stop Lucian…

‘Even that number would be easily handled by Lucian.’

With his awakened family abilities, Lucian could face anyone short of Dante himself.

Having thought this, I stopped in front of Lucian’s solitary cell.

Clang, clang!

I opened the cell door and tore off the lock, throwing it onto the floor.

Clang!

The heavy metal object hit the marble floor with a loud noise.

I opened the door fully.

Lucian was unfazed.

He merely turned his cold, composed gaze towards me.

“Duke.”

I called Lucian in a calm voice.

Click-clack, click-clack.

As I walked into the room, I handed Lucian a sapphire ring.

“It’s a gift.”

The heart of winter.

The family heirloom of the long-lost Kaleid Duke.

His previously indifferent blue eyes flickered with a rare tremor.

“This ring… will liberate both you and me from this dreadful academy.”

I spoke decisively.

Lucian accepted the ring as if in a trance.

At the same time, I swallowed nervously.

‘That is…’

His hair and the edges of his clothing began to flutter gently.

Despite being indoors with no breeze.

“……”

A chill ran down my spine.

I stood before someone who had transcended human limits.

The description from the original story suddenly flashed through my mind.

—

<“Congratulations, Lucian.”

A light greeting echoed.

“From this moment on, you will…”

A slender finger gently caressed Lucian’s cheek.

Beautiful emerald eyes smiled warmly.

“You will no longer be confined to the limits of a human, but will advance to a higher dimension.”>

—

In that moment, I felt a strong sense of dissonance.

It was definitely from the original story.

But.

‘Who is that person, or rather, that character…?’

My mind was in chaos.

A character who wasn’t specifically described.

But why.

‘Why didn’t I ever question that character before?’

No, more precisely.

‘Why didn’t I even recognize that character’s existence?’

Blink.

At the same time, Lucian closed and then opened his eyes.

His blue eyes reappeared.

That was all.

I took a short breath.

‘Something has changed.’

Deep within those blue eyes, something overwhelming was shifting and undulating.

From head to toe, no, even more fundamentally than that.

‘It’s different from me.’

The presence before me was completely different from the Lucian I had known.

This intense sense of alienation, as if I was facing someone else entirely…

It felt as though he might vanish to a place completely out of reach at any moment.

Simultaneously, Lucian, who had been quietly observing me, closed his eyes again.

Blink.

When his blue eyes appeared again, they were back to the familiar, gentle gaze I knew.

‘……What was that just now?’

I briefly pondered the strange occurrence.

But.

I resolved firmly.

‘It’s not my concern.’

After all, today would be the end of my relationship with Lucian.

I had no right to worry about him.

“Duke.”

I called Lucian calmly.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

Lucian nodded lightly and looked at the half-open door.

Creeeak—.

The metal door began to warp, twisting under tremendous pressure.

Bang!

It crumpled and fell to the floor.

Lucian, easily surpassing it, extended his hand towards me.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

I carefully took his hand.

……It was a large, warm hand.

* * *

Traversing from the central region to southern Wiltshire usually takes about a week by carriage. However, Dante managed to complete the journey in just five days, changing horses and drivers along the way.

Even so, Dante remained visibly displeased.

“Ha, so slow and cumbersome.”

Dante clicked his tongue in frustration, then reached into his coat pocket. He pulled out a luxurious velvet-lined ring case.

Clink.

He opened the case’s lid.

Under the crimson light of twilight streaming through the window, a bright red ruby ring sparkled brilliantly.

The vivid hue of the ruby resembled Elze’s hair.

Dante muttered to himself almost unconsciously.

“Will I be able to see her tonight…?”

Would she be pleased to receive the ring?

…He hoped she would be delighted.

He realized this was the first time he felt this way.

Until now, he had only purchased gifts as he pleased, never considering the recipient’s feelings.

Imagining the ring on her delicate fingers, Dante couldn’t help but smile.

He was eager to see Elze again.