IFLDMHF | Chapter 128

Episode 128

Evgenia stood at the end of the virgin road, her gaze lowered, dressed in a pure white gown.

Kaiden took large strides toward her, his heart pounding in his chest.

And the moment he reached out his hand—

— ..…!

Evgenia lifted her head as she took another man’s hand, stepping forward.

“Gasp!”

Kaiden’s eyes snapped open, and he bolted upright.

It was a nightmare.

Yes, this was just a dream.

…Or was it reality?

Evgenia—had she really married another man?

“…There isn’t a bigger fool than me.”

Kaiden let out a long sigh, running a hand over his face.

But the nightmare-like reality didn’t change.

Ever since hearing about Evgenia’s marriage, Kaiden had been having the same dream every night.

A nightmare where Evgenia exchanged rings and kisses with a man who wasn’t him.

Sometimes, the setting was the Ducal Estate of Rudion, a place he had never even been to.

There, Evgenia walked hand in hand with the Duke of Rudion, lay in the same bed, wrapped in each other’s embrace.

Kaiden watched like a man standing in the depths of hell.

He felt like he couldn’t breathe.

But what tormented him the most—what made him truly despair—was Evgenia’s expression.

In his dreams, she was always radiant with joy.

Of course, that too was nothing more than Kaiden’s own delusion.

Because he had never once seen Evgenia truly smile.

The contempt in her eyes, the barren, desolate look on her face—those were burned into his memory even when he closed his eyes.

“……”

Kaiden wiped his exhausted face once more.

Even though he knew it was just a nightmare, a product of his own imagination, he couldn’t suppress the jealousy and fury consuming him.

He knew.

There was no way Evgenia had truly smiled on her wedding day.

Much less that she was getting along with the Duke of Rudion.

Whether it was to strike back at him or for some other reason, Kaiden was certain—Evgenia might have gone through with the marriage, but she would never give her heart to another man.

Evgenia was a woman who didn’t know love.

Most of the emotions she felt were undoubtedly negative.

That was why, though he abhorred the fact that she despised him, at the same time, he wished for her to hate him more than anyone else in the world.

Perhaps that twisted desire had played a role in driving Evgenia to the edge.

And even now…

‘I don’t regret it.’

If anything, he resented Evgenia.

Kaiden knew that she wanted something from him.

Whether it was the position of Crown Princess or something else, she was willing to endure disgrace and ruin her own reputation, but she would never give up on him.

‘So how could I not misunderstand?’

How could he not believe that no matter what he did, she would never leave his side?

Or… was this all part of her grand scheme?

If so, then it had worked.

Kaiden let out a hollow laugh, staring at the empty air with bloodshot eyes.

“……Ah, Your Highness.”

A lieutenant cautiously entered the tent to change the water but flinched at the sight of Kaiden, radiating a deadly aura.

The Crown Prince had always been a difficult superior to serve, but ever since hearing about Evgenia’s marriage, he had often seemed completely out of his mind.

Even though the lieutenant was wary of approaching the ever-sharper, more irritable Kaiden, he had no choice but to advise him.

“The sun has not yet risen. Please try to rest a little longer.”

No one knew better than the lieutenant that Kaiden had barely been sleeping.

Even when exhaustion overtook him and he finally collapsed into sleep, he would jolt awake in less than an hour.

And yet, on the battlefield, he fought even more ferociously than usual—it was nothing short of astonishing.

The lieutenant simply assumed Kaiden’s rage toward Evgenia was that intense.

But there was one thing the lieutenant didn’t realize.

The reason Kaiden had been able to end this war so quickly—

Was because he imagined every enemy charging at him as the Duke of Rudion, the man who had married Evgenia.

He had slain thousands of imaginary Rudion Dukes in his mind, but Kaiden felt not an ounce of guilt.

Even if it was just a dream, the thought of the Duke lying in the same bed as Evgenia, holding her hand, made his insides boil so fiercely that he thought he would combust.

Even if he had never so much as brushed fingertips with Evgenia, the place beside her had always belonged to him alone.

He had no intention of letting the Duke of Rudion, an unworthy man, claim it.

‘And Evgenia…’

Kaiden clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

Thinking of how she had deceived him, lulled him into a false sense of security, only to betray him—he felt unspeakably wretched, consumed with a rage so overwhelming it drove him mad.

If Evgenia had been standing before him now, he might have wanted to strangle her with his own hands.

Or so he thought.

But on the battlefield, as he swung his sword with killing intent, the only face in his mind was the Duke of Rudion—whom he had never even seen.

Not even for a single moment had he thought of Evgenia.

‘If I had… my sword would have wavered.’

Even though nightmares tormented him night after night, even though he woke in agony each time, Kaiden found himself deliberately seeking sleep.

Just so he could see Evgenia’s smiling face a little longer.

Kaiden also thought he was losing his mind, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Perhaps he would only be able to decide once he met Evgenia in person.

Whether to forgive her, subjugate her, or kill her.

‘Or maybe… I really might deal with the Duke of Rudion.’

Completely unaware of such a mad thought, his lieutenant was just about to voice his concerns about Kaiden’s condition again.

“How much farther to the capital?”

“At this pace, we should arrive within three days.”

Upon answering, the lieutenant couldn’t help but show a pale expression.

It was an extreme forced march.

In truth, the war had ended swiftly, but as the supreme commander, the Crown Prince still had countless responsibilities afterward.

Especially since the sudden declaration from the Duchy of Dimondra—next to the Kingdom of Aruhin—that it wished to become a vassal state of the Empire.

However, Kaiden had delegated all matters to appointed representatives and returned to the Empire.

Fortunately, the Emperor welcomed his early return and granted him permission.

From then on, Kaiden had ridden like a madman, driving his horse straight toward the Empire.

“Make sure everything is ready for departure at first light.”

The lieutenant, who had been hoping Kaiden would get some rest, felt slightly relieved—at least he intended to sleep a little longer.

Watching Kaiden lie back down on the field cot, the lieutenant sighed in relief—then suddenly froze.

Because he saw the lavender handkerchief resting on the bed.

— Your Highness, please return my handkerchief!

That day, the handkerchief Evgenia had given to Alexis ended up in the Crown Prince’s possession—and had remained with him ever since.

Naturally, Alexis had been coming by every day, demanding its return in a frenzy.

Perhaps because he had personally witnessed the Crown Prince’s odd behavior, he hadn’t dared to confront Kaiden directly and instead badgered the lieutenant!

Of course, Alexis’s demand was entirely reasonable, but…

“You’re still here?”

Who would dare ask Kaiden—who was now gripping the handkerchief tightly as he tried to sleep—to give it back?

Sensing the torment that awaited him from Alexis yet again, the lieutenant left the tent with a sorrowful expression.

Flinch.

“What’s wrong, wife?”

“It’s nothing. I just felt a slight chill.”

To be precise, it was more of a shiver running down my spine, but I didn’t want to cause unnecessary worry, so I answered vaguely.

However—

“Aunt, are you cold?”

“But I’m hot! Here, wear this, Aunt!”

Euclid and the children immediately reacted to my offhand comment.

Eucleid hastily pulled the curtain over the carriage window, and Marianne asked in concern.

“Dior, I’m fine. Put your coat back on.”

And then there was Dior, already taking off his coat—how was I even supposed to wear such a tiny thing?

The eerie feeling that had made my back tense up quickly vanished at the sight of these three fussing over me.

Before I knew it, the corners of my lips twitched.

Being this overprotected, I didn’t feel like a villainess—I felt more like a cherished heroine in a romance novel…

“You dressed too lightly.”

“What if you catch a cold?”

“Exactly! Aunt, you’re scared of sharp things, and you’re weak, too!”

…It seemed I was less of a fragile heroine and more of a cowardly weakling in their eyes.

A mere honorary Northerner would naturally seem pathetic in the eyes of true Northern-born warriors, so I couldn’t even argue—I just sniffled awkwardly.

Instead, I pulled back the curtain Euclid had drawn.

“We should at least enjoy the view outside.”

After all, we were on our way to the capital—together!