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It had been three days since Iana disappeared.
Charles, who had lost her before his eyes, had been out of his mind during that time.
Thanks to Iana's help, all the knights and mages had escaped.
Only Iana and Khan had not made it out.
"Your Highness, please rest for a moment."
Mule looked at him with a worried expression.
Rosso had gone to the Ducal Palace, and Mule, who could sense magical power, had come to the rocky mountain to join the search.
Mule had sensed a strong magical power that seemed to be Iana's, but the search was facing difficulties as the ground kept collapsing.
The problem was time.
The period for searching for missing persons during wartime was only three days.
Today was the last day.
As the commander, he couldn't disobey military orders, nor could he show a wavering appearance in front of the soldiers.
He couldn't show it, but Charles felt like his blood was drying up.
"But..."
"Searching requires concentration. You need to listen carefully to small sounds and reactions."
Charles sat on a rock and drank the water in his canteen. The water going down felt like swallowing needles.
Once again, feelings of self-reproach flooded his mind.
"I have never been defeated in war. So trust me."
He had told Iana to trust him. But he had lost her right before his eyes.
Iana's face, disappearing into the ground with a frightened expression, kept flickering in his mind.
She was clearly a powerful Archmage with strong magical power.
He had seen her quickly create a blue shield the moment Iana fell into the ground.
But he didn't know what would happen underground.
The anxiety that something might happen to her and the guilt of not protecting her pained his heart.
But now he couldn't waste time on emotional thoughts. For Iana, who might be desperately waiting for him somewhere.
"We can't delay any longer."
Charles, impatient, grabbed the bow he had placed beside him and ran back to the entrance of the rocky mountain.
"Your Highness, I'll go with you!"
Mule immediately followed him.
The sun was setting over the black rocky mountain.
✦ ✦ ✦
Riel received a summons from His Majesty the Emperor and left the detached palace, heading towards the Imperial greenhouse.
An elderly secretary of His Majesty the Emperor guided her.
After the Empress had visited, His Majesty the Emperor had not visited the detached palace, but today he had suddenly summoned her.
Duke Havel had also been out of contact.
She didn't know if he was investigating the Empress or lying low.
'I have been watching you since then, as you were exceptionally pretty and clever.'
Riel walked, contemplating how to respond to the Empress's warning.
'How much does the Empress know, and what cards does she hold?'
She soon arrived at the greenhouse next to the Imperial Palace.
The hexagonal glass greenhouse was extraordinary in its scale.
The secretary, who had been silent like a shadow, spoke in a dry voice.
"You must remain still, no matter what His Majesty does."
"..."
"If you want to prolong your life even a little."
Riel felt a chill run down her spine at his meaningful warning.
Creak-.
His Majesty the Emperor's secretary opened the arched greenhouse door, and Riel carefully stepped inside.
The greenhouse contained a variety of plants.
Drip. Drip.
She saw His Majesty the Emperor's back in front of her and heard the sound of scissors cutting.
Riel slowly approached him.
His Majesty the Emperor was cutting off the black Arika Vine that had grown on the plants.
"I greet His Majesty the Emperor."
His Majesty the Emperor slowly turned around.
Sunlight poured into the glass greenhouse, falling on his face.
"Have you come?"
His Majesty the Emperor smiled and accepted the greeting.
'What a man with such delicate and beautiful lines.'
As Riel was thinking that, His Majesty the Emperor spoke.
"To make plants grow well, you need to cut off unnecessary leaves and weeds."
"Is that so?"
"It's the same with people. For the prosperity of the Empire, unnecessary humans must be thinned out from time to time."
A blue leaf was cut by the scissors and fell weakly to the floor.
As Riel looked at the fallen blue leaf, His Majesty the Emperor said casually.
"Your execution date has been set. Three days from now."
"...!"
Riel's eyes trembled slightly at the execution date, which had been set sooner than expected.
'Did the Empress shake His Majesty the Emperor with the cards she holds?'
Many thoughts flashed through Riel's mind.
Then she stopped thinking abruptly.
'If I'm going to die anyway, I should throw the cards I have. Whether they are certain or not...'
"Thank you for letting me know, Your Majesty."
Riel bowed.
"Now that you only have three days of life left, what do you want to do?"
"If I tell you, will you grant it?"
As Riel asked cautiously, His Majesty the Emperor turned around and chuckled as if amused.
"I will grant it, as long as it's not a request to spare your life or to restore the Estina family."
She carefully chose the words that would provoke His Majesty the Emperor at this moment.
"...I want to meet the man I loved. For the last time."
She countered His Majesty the Emperor's twisted lust with pure love.
"What?"
Once again, the scissors of His Majesty the Emperor caused the plant leaves to fall to the floor.
His Majesty the Emperor's face, looking at Riel, turned coldly.
Pitiful tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I cut him off with harsh words as I had no choice but to become Count Dietrian's mistress."
"..."
"So, I want to apologize, to say that it wasn't my true feelings..."
His Majesty the Emperor approached with a cold gaze and cut off the sleeve of her dress. As if trimming the leaves of a plant.
"Say it again. What do you want me to do?"
"..."
Riel silently looked at His Majesty the Emperor with a nervous expression. His Majesty the Emperor then cut off the other sleeve of Riel.
"How dare you mention another man in front of me?"
"I was only following Your Majesty's command to grant anything."
For a moment, Riel and His Majesty the Emperor's eyes intertwined.
Thud-.
His Majesty the Emperor came closer and threw the scissors to the floor.
He then kissed Riel roughly on the lips. A violent and desperate kiss that she couldn't even breathe in swallowed Riel.
✦ ✦ ✦
Iana, who had lost consciousness, opened her eyes, feeling something wet on her face.
She was lying in a dark cave-like place, and Khan was licking Iana's face.
"Khan. Are you okay?"
Fortunately, Khan seemed unharmed.
The moment the ground collapsed, Iana had created a shield around Khan and herself.
Thanks to the shield, her body did not touch the Arika Vine and she lost consciousness after falling into the underground water.
She must have been washed out into a cave connected to the underground water.
Woof! Woof!
Hearing Iana's voice, Khan wagged its tail in joy.
"Ugh!"
Iana tried to get up, but she couldn't move because her right arm and leg were broken.
At least she could move her right hand a little.
She summoned magical power to light up the surroundings. She saw the entrance of a cave leading to a path in front of her.
"It's cold."
Her body was wet, and a cold wind was blowing inside the cave.
As if understanding her, Khan came and lay down next to her, sharing its warmth.
"Khan, you saved me like this?"
Iana stroked Khan out of gratitude, but Khan's belly was hollow.
Seeing that, she intuitively realized that a lot of time had passed.
"How much time has passed?"
Iana looked at the cave entrance. Outside the cave, deep darkness had fallen.
"Everyone must be worried..."
She remembered Charles's appearance just before the ground collapsed.
"Iana!"
Charles's bewildered eyes flickered in her eyes.
Iana tried to get up and go to the cave entrance somehow.
"Ugh!"
But pain surged from her severely broken arm and leg.
Khan bit the robe behind Iana's neck and dragged her.
Iana gathered magical power with her trembling right hand and created a blue pillar of fire.
Perhaps because her body was weakened, her magical power was also weakened. The pillar of fire quickly disappeared.
It was then.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Khan perked up its ears and barked fiercely at the bushes in front of the cave.
Iana also felt the aura of monsters.
Whoosh-.
A chilling wind blew, and the howling of a beast was heard from the bushes.
A large werewolf, baring its fierce teeth in the darkness, appeared.
"Khan, come here!"
She created a blue shield that consumed less magical power, but it disappeared before long.
Not missing the opportunity, the werewolf pounced. Khan fearlessly ran and bit the werewolf's neck.
The two beasts clashed violently.
Khan, who hadn't eaten properly, was thrown to the ground but didn't back down.
It was that moment.
An arrow flew quickly from the bushes.
Swoosh- Bang!
The arrow pierced the werewolf, burning it white.
'A magic arrow.'
As Iana looked at the direction from which the arrow had come, Charles was standing there.
At a glance, his face looked gaunt.
Archers ran out of the bushes.
"Iana!"
Charles ran towards Iana and hugged her tightly.
"I thought something had happened to you..."
The emotions he had experienced were felt through his haggard face and trembling voice.
Iana smiled faintly and said.
"I believed. That Your Highness would come and find me like this."
Charles, who had lost her before his eyes, had been out of his mind during that time.
Thanks to Iana's help, all the knights and mages had escaped.
Only Iana and Khan had not made it out.
"Your Highness, please rest for a moment."
Mule looked at him with a worried expression.
Rosso had gone to the Ducal Palace, and Mule, who could sense magical power, had come to the rocky mountain to join the search.
Mule had sensed a strong magical power that seemed to be Iana's, but the search was facing difficulties as the ground kept collapsing.
The problem was time.
The period for searching for missing persons during wartime was only three days.
Today was the last day.
As the commander, he couldn't disobey military orders, nor could he show a wavering appearance in front of the soldiers.
He couldn't show it, but Charles felt like his blood was drying up.
"But..."
"Searching requires concentration. You need to listen carefully to small sounds and reactions."
Charles sat on a rock and drank the water in his canteen. The water going down felt like swallowing needles.
Once again, feelings of self-reproach flooded his mind.
"I have never been defeated in war. So trust me."
He had told Iana to trust him. But he had lost her right before his eyes.
Iana's face, disappearing into the ground with a frightened expression, kept flickering in his mind.
She was clearly a powerful Archmage with strong magical power.
He had seen her quickly create a blue shield the moment Iana fell into the ground.
But he didn't know what would happen underground.
The anxiety that something might happen to her and the guilt of not protecting her pained his heart.
But now he couldn't waste time on emotional thoughts. For Iana, who might be desperately waiting for him somewhere.
"We can't delay any longer."
Charles, impatient, grabbed the bow he had placed beside him and ran back to the entrance of the rocky mountain.
"Your Highness, I'll go with you!"
Mule immediately followed him.
The sun was setting over the black rocky mountain.
✦ ✦ ✦
Riel received a summons from His Majesty the Emperor and left the detached palace, heading towards the Imperial greenhouse.
An elderly secretary of His Majesty the Emperor guided her.
After the Empress had visited, His Majesty the Emperor had not visited the detached palace, but today he had suddenly summoned her.
Duke Havel had also been out of contact.
She didn't know if he was investigating the Empress or lying low.
'I have been watching you since then, as you were exceptionally pretty and clever.'
Riel walked, contemplating how to respond to the Empress's warning.
'How much does the Empress know, and what cards does she hold?'
She soon arrived at the greenhouse next to the Imperial Palace.
The hexagonal glass greenhouse was extraordinary in its scale.
The secretary, who had been silent like a shadow, spoke in a dry voice.
"You must remain still, no matter what His Majesty does."
"..."
"If you want to prolong your life even a little."
Riel felt a chill run down her spine at his meaningful warning.
Creak-.
His Majesty the Emperor's secretary opened the arched greenhouse door, and Riel carefully stepped inside.
The greenhouse contained a variety of plants.
Drip. Drip.
She saw His Majesty the Emperor's back in front of her and heard the sound of scissors cutting.
Riel slowly approached him.
His Majesty the Emperor was cutting off the black Arika Vine that had grown on the plants.
"I greet His Majesty the Emperor."
His Majesty the Emperor slowly turned around.
Sunlight poured into the glass greenhouse, falling on his face.
"Have you come?"
His Majesty the Emperor smiled and accepted the greeting.
'What a man with such delicate and beautiful lines.'
As Riel was thinking that, His Majesty the Emperor spoke.
"To make plants grow well, you need to cut off unnecessary leaves and weeds."
"Is that so?"
"It's the same with people. For the prosperity of the Empire, unnecessary humans must be thinned out from time to time."
A blue leaf was cut by the scissors and fell weakly to the floor.
As Riel looked at the fallen blue leaf, His Majesty the Emperor said casually.
"Your execution date has been set. Three days from now."
"...!"
Riel's eyes trembled slightly at the execution date, which had been set sooner than expected.
'Did the Empress shake His Majesty the Emperor with the cards she holds?'
Many thoughts flashed through Riel's mind.
Then she stopped thinking abruptly.
'If I'm going to die anyway, I should throw the cards I have. Whether they are certain or not...'
"Thank you for letting me know, Your Majesty."
Riel bowed.
"Now that you only have three days of life left, what do you want to do?"
"If I tell you, will you grant it?"
As Riel asked cautiously, His Majesty the Emperor turned around and chuckled as if amused.
"I will grant it, as long as it's not a request to spare your life or to restore the Estina family."
She carefully chose the words that would provoke His Majesty the Emperor at this moment.
"...I want to meet the man I loved. For the last time."
She countered His Majesty the Emperor's twisted lust with pure love.
"What?"
Once again, the scissors of His Majesty the Emperor caused the plant leaves to fall to the floor.
His Majesty the Emperor's face, looking at Riel, turned coldly.
Pitiful tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I cut him off with harsh words as I had no choice but to become Count Dietrian's mistress."
"..."
"So, I want to apologize, to say that it wasn't my true feelings..."
His Majesty the Emperor approached with a cold gaze and cut off the sleeve of her dress. As if trimming the leaves of a plant.
"Say it again. What do you want me to do?"
"..."
Riel silently looked at His Majesty the Emperor with a nervous expression. His Majesty the Emperor then cut off the other sleeve of Riel.
"How dare you mention another man in front of me?"
"I was only following Your Majesty's command to grant anything."
For a moment, Riel and His Majesty the Emperor's eyes intertwined.
Thud-.
His Majesty the Emperor came closer and threw the scissors to the floor.
He then kissed Riel roughly on the lips. A violent and desperate kiss that she couldn't even breathe in swallowed Riel.
✦ ✦ ✦
Iana, who had lost consciousness, opened her eyes, feeling something wet on her face.
She was lying in a dark cave-like place, and Khan was licking Iana's face.
"Khan. Are you okay?"
Fortunately, Khan seemed unharmed.
The moment the ground collapsed, Iana had created a shield around Khan and herself.
Thanks to the shield, her body did not touch the Arika Vine and she lost consciousness after falling into the underground water.
She must have been washed out into a cave connected to the underground water.
Woof! Woof!
Hearing Iana's voice, Khan wagged its tail in joy.
"Ugh!"
Iana tried to get up, but she couldn't move because her right arm and leg were broken.
At least she could move her right hand a little.
She summoned magical power to light up the surroundings. She saw the entrance of a cave leading to a path in front of her.
"It's cold."
Her body was wet, and a cold wind was blowing inside the cave.
As if understanding her, Khan came and lay down next to her, sharing its warmth.
"Khan, you saved me like this?"
Iana stroked Khan out of gratitude, but Khan's belly was hollow.
Seeing that, she intuitively realized that a lot of time had passed.
"How much time has passed?"
Iana looked at the cave entrance. Outside the cave, deep darkness had fallen.
"Everyone must be worried..."
She remembered Charles's appearance just before the ground collapsed.
"Iana!"
Charles's bewildered eyes flickered in her eyes.
Iana tried to get up and go to the cave entrance somehow.
"Ugh!"
But pain surged from her severely broken arm and leg.
Khan bit the robe behind Iana's neck and dragged her.
Iana gathered magical power with her trembling right hand and created a blue pillar of fire.
Perhaps because her body was weakened, her magical power was also weakened. The pillar of fire quickly disappeared.
It was then.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Khan perked up its ears and barked fiercely at the bushes in front of the cave.
Iana also felt the aura of monsters.
Whoosh-.
A chilling wind blew, and the howling of a beast was heard from the bushes.
A large werewolf, baring its fierce teeth in the darkness, appeared.
"Khan, come here!"
She created a blue shield that consumed less magical power, but it disappeared before long.
Not missing the opportunity, the werewolf pounced. Khan fearlessly ran and bit the werewolf's neck.
The two beasts clashed violently.
Khan, who hadn't eaten properly, was thrown to the ground but didn't back down.
It was that moment.
An arrow flew quickly from the bushes.
Swoosh- Bang!
The arrow pierced the werewolf, burning it white.
'A magic arrow.'
As Iana looked at the direction from which the arrow had come, Charles was standing there.
At a glance, his face looked gaunt.
Archers ran out of the bushes.
"Iana!"
Charles ran towards Iana and hugged her tightly.
"I thought something had happened to you..."
The emotions he had experienced were felt through his haggard face and trembling voice.
Iana smiled faintly and said.
"I believed. That Your Highness would come and find me like this."
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