“Wait, wait. Just a moment! Moving anywhere right now is definitely not a good idea.”
In my urgency, the formal language I had forgotten quickly resurfaced. At my desperate shout, Franz paused his incantation and looked at me.
His face, once a grand duke, had been gravely damaged after rapidly falling into ruin following the primogeniture vote. He had become a fugitive.
Months of fleeing must have caused immense stress, not just for those pursuing him but for him as well.
He had once possessed attractive, healthy skin and bright eyes, but now he seemed completely drained of vitality and appeared haggard. Even so, I felt no pity.
Why would I feel sorry for someone who brought this upon themselves? Yet, pretending to feel sympathy seemed necessary.
“I’m worried about you. Really… If you kill your past self, your present self will obviously cease to exist. Clearly, you’re not in your right mind if you can’t see that. Get a grip!”
The conflicted feelings between Celeste and Franz—more precisely, Franz’s conflicting emotions toward Celeste—came to mind. He hated her but simultaneously felt an overwhelming affection for her; I decided to exploit those feelings.
In desperate moments, recalling Franz’s feelings for Celeste demonstrated how profoundly a person who has grown up in deprivation can change when they find even a glimmer of love.
He had said he would destroy what he couldn’t have. This meant that Franz still wanted Celeste.
It was evident from the fact that he, with an opportunity to escape abroad, still risked everything to chase after me to the capital.
“Celeste…”
His demeanor visibly softened. Did my words of concern resonate with him?
“The sight of you worrying about me still lingers; the image of you shouting for me to go to hell is fresh in my mind. If you’re going to lie, at least put more thought into it. Celly.”
No, that wasn’t it. My pretense of concern did not affect him at all. If persuasion failed, only threats remained.
“You foolish grand duke! Get a grip! I heard it straight from Minister Linke. If two souls from different timelines meet, one will disappear.”
“Interesting. Your desperate attempts to dissuade me suggest there must be a compelling reason not to leave this place. You really don’t care about me…”
Franz narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing me as if trying to uncover my true intentions.
“…Speaking of which, Celly, where did that little child who was nestled in your arms go?”
My heart sank. Valerie’s whereabouts must not be revealed to him.
“Until you started chanting spells in that cave, you were always in my arms.”
“What… are you talking about?”
“Since you were in my arms, that child must have come here with you when you flew in, right? But… you don’t have the child with you now? Where did that child go?”
Franz’s lips curled upward as if he’d discovered something amusing. When he made that expression, it was genuinely dangerous. Much more perilous than when he frowned or intimidated others.
“You must have left them somewhere or hidden them away. One of the two, I suppose.”
“Wait, Franz. That is…”
“So, that’s why I said you shouldn’t act so desperately. That little child who was already a thorn in your side, now you can really leave them behind forever. Isn’t this a fortunate turn of events?”
His eyes didn’t smile at all, but the way his lips moved in laughter sent chills down my spine.
Hahaha, Franz, who laughed heartily from his core, tightened his arms around my waist and back, pulling me close. I felt a shiver spread through the parts of me that made contact with him—my arms, waist, and chest.
“Shouldn’t you also feel the despair of losing something precious? Just like I did.”
“No, wait…!”
“Molior, Rectus!”
I reached out, trying to silence Franz, but it was too late. The moment the spell slipped from his lips, I was enveloped in a light so bright I couldn’t open my eyes.
“No, Valerie.”
All I could think about was Valerie. I needed to go get them; I promised I would arrive on time. My child, my Valerie…
***
Hanks was extremely annoyed.
He was stuck doing this bothersome task because his brother, who was away on a business trip due to a new request, left him in this situation.
“Uwaaa, Momma.”
“Stop crying already, enough, Ttuk.”
The child, who had been smiling brightly when he was brought to his mother, began to cry loudly ten minutes after the client left.
Although he had several younger sisters, raising the child was always the responsibility of their mother and brother.
“Stop crying!”
What was wrong? The cute baby with purple hair cried out, turning red in the face.
Did he dislike being put on the floor? Was he asking to be held? Hanks quickly picked the child up. Fortunately, the crying subsided a little.
“Oh, you just wanted to be held, huh?”
“Wuu… uwaaa.”
“…No, that wasn’t it.”
The crying, which had seemed to pause momentarily, erupted again. Hanks tried hard to soothe the child while holding him, but it was useless.
“This is driving me nuts. When is the child’s mother coming back? She said she would return within half a day…”
It had only just been over an hour since the client left the child. A deep sigh escaped Hanks’s lips.
“Fine. Just wait. When the time comes, I will take the kid back to that house and come right back.”
His embarrassment turned into aimless anger. After all, he was the one who agreed to take care of the child; who could he blame?
“Oh, little one. Do you want a snack?”
Is he hungry? Hanks reached with one arm, still holding the baby, to search for snacks in the desk drawer.
“Here, here. There’s candy! Do you know how sweet this is? You might be surprised!”
Please, please. Stop crying. He hurriedly unwrapped the lollipop and held it out, and the child, with tear-streaked eyes, stopped crying out of curiosity.
***
Bang. Boom. It had been months without significant progress in clearing the blocked cave entrance with the mobilization of knights.
The size and weight of the stones blocking the entrance were substantial, and even after removing them, they couldn’t be sure if the tunnel would remain intact.
Regardless, if it was blocked, the culprits inside couldn’t escape, so the knights of the royal investigation unit limited their efforts in guarding the cave entrance located beneath Duke Toskur.
However, today, after months of stagnation, the cave was set to open, right now.
This was due to a direct command from the Emperor, ordering them to clear the blocked entrance within one hour by any means necessary, which was rather perplexing.
Yet, carrying out orders was the knights’ duty. It was not their job to question or analyze the commands given to them. They obeyed and complied; nothing more.
However, clearing all the debris and rocks that had blocked the cave entrance within an hour was daunting. Even if they mobilized all the knights at risk, it would take at least several days.
The head of the royal investigation unit, Duke Karl, was not one to make unreasonable demands.
So why had such a drastic request been made, in the Emperor’s name? The knights were baffled. Just as they were trying to figure it out, a new order was issued.
‘Permission is granted to use as many magic stones as needed to clear the cave entrance without restriction.’
This changed everything. What was physically impossible became feasible with the use of magic. Team Beta of the royal investigation unit checked the delivery of magic stones to the cave and began to move without delay.
Boom. Bang!
Magic explosions followed. With each explosion, the entire cave shook. While repeating this task several times, the Emperor arrived at the Duke’s cave.
Team Beta stopped their work and showed respect to the Emperor, but with His firm directive to focus on their task, they continued to work, bowing.
Bang. Boom.
Then several more explosions occurred.
Finally, after a thunderous explosion that felt like it would burst eardrums, the once-blocked entrance of the cave began to allow in light.
It was light coming from the other side of the blocked entrance.
“The entrance to the cave has opened!”
Now that a gap has started to show, the next steps will proceed smoothly. Karl watched as the cave, which had been stagnant for months, gradually revealed itself before his eyes. He felt anxious.
