“I have nothing more to say.”

“Maybe all of this is due to a misunderstanding, like you said, maybe it’s all an illusion. Everything is… you don’t even know if it’s reversible.”

“I don’t want to.”

It sounded cold, even to Duroa, although the words were coming out of her mouth. So what was it like for Nocton to hear?

It wasn’t a hard guess.

Duroa’s body shuddered in his arms, but soon relaxed.

“…Yes”

She finally took a step back, pulling out of Nocton’s embrace.

Nocton’s face was as white as snow.

It was originally pale, but now it had no pigment at all.

“Yeah, we can’t talk it out now. Whatever you say, we can’t do that. What’s the point of all this if you’ve already been caught? It’s too late now. No, it was too late from the beginning.”

It wasn’t just his complexion, his mood also changed.

His face, which seemed embarrassed like a little boy who lost control, was now cold.

Seeing him, Duroa’s hair stood up.

Nocton laughed as if frustrated.

His voice still echoing through the cave.

“That’s right, I brainwashed you. That’s what I’ve been doing since I first met you. I guess the magic is gone now. I didn’t want it to be broken so I kept calling you ‘Valrose’.”

“I see.”

“You’re not surprised at all. You’ve been pretty sure.”

“…”

“Now I’ll give up being forgiven by you. But that doesn’t mean I’m giving up on everything.”

Duroa, Duroa, my Duroa.

Nocton reached out to touch her face.

Without giving her a chance to escape, his long fingers tucked Duroa’s hair behind her ear and brushed gently past the soft skin of her cheek.

“What do you… mean?”

Nocton’s behaviour changed a little, as Duroa had suspected, but that’s why she was confused.

His face was cold and his eyes were shining like that of a snake, but his hands were still shaking.

The gap between what was seen and what was felt was too great.

However, there would be no reason for him to pretend his hands were shaking, so Nocton’s true intention lie in his trembling hands rather than his cold expression.

As Duroa thought about it, she suddenly remembered something she heard before.

‘Maybe he… Maybe he loves you?’

The words Alice said to her, the words that she cut off at once because it was such an absurd idea.

The words that she couldn’t think of when he hugged her and apologised came to mind in this situation.

Nocton was obsessed with her. He said Duroa was special.

But she was looking for a reason for that obsession and a reason for being so special to him.

Because they spent a long time together, she was the one who Nocton felt right next to.

No, honestly, I’ve never thought much about him.

Maybe, just maybe, the specialness that Nocton Edgar talks about, the way he feels about me…

As if it was a lie that Duroa’s mind was ignoring until a little while ago, a wild ripple began to waver in her heart.

Nocton twisted his lips as if trying to awaken her.

It was a smile that sent shivers through her body.

“If you can’t forgive me and if you can’t let it go, then don’t. I can do other things if I give up on being forgiven.”

“What do you mean? If you mess with the people around me…!”

“I won’t do that because I keep my promises, but if it was anyone other than me, there would be no reason to do so.”

Either way, it was a threat.

As she opened her mouth in bewilderment, Duroa heard footsteps in the quiet forest since the rain had stopped.

It was as if they were running, the quick sound of footsteps being heard through the mud and grass. Soon, two people appeared.

It was Aaron and Alice.

Duroa looked at Nocton’s face reflexively because of what he said a moment ago, but he didn’t seem surprised.

Moreover, it didn’t seem like he was threatening them.

“Duroa, it’s okay…”

Aaron, who was hurriedly approaching her, stopped suddenly. His blue eyes fixed on Nocton Edgar.

Nobody would’ve expected Nocton to be there.

Nobles with titles would never enter the forest in the first place.

Even if a beast came out of the forest suddenly, Nocton not coming here would be common sense.

So it was only natural to be suspicious.

Duroa approached Nocton with caution, but Alice blocked her way.

It was the exact opposite from before. A few hours ago, Duroa had blocked Alice’s way too.

Duroa almost laughed at the memory, but her lips were closed shut.

Instead, she grabbed Alice’s hand and shook her head without a word.

Nocton’s gaze that seemed to be on Alice moved to Aaron.

Their eyes met.

Maybe I should protect Aaron from Nocton, not have Alice protect me.

Nocton’s sensitive reaction to Aaron made his shoulders stiffen.

Surprisingly, however, there was no tension between them that was about to burst.

Aaron’s expression was a bit strange.

It was weird to say that he was flustered by the unexpected appearance of Nocton, and it seemed like he was looking into Nocton’s eyes.

Am I mistaken?

As he narrowed his eyes and tried to take a closer look at Aaron, Nocton’s lips curled up.

It wasn’t mockery, but he didn’t laugh either.

He turned his head, looked at Duroa and raised the corners of his lips even more.

“It’s not a threat, it’s advice. I’ll see you soon.”

“Nocton…”

“See you again, Duroa.”

After saying that, Nocton walked away.

Even though he called her ‘Duroa’, she still told him to end it. She took all of her feelings and confronted them, but the result was the same as before.

Nocton was still not listening to her and the only thing that changed was ‘See you, Valrose.’. It was just that.

That’s all, she thought.

***

The rain stopped, but traces of it remained.

Every path Duroa took was covered with mud, making her compare it to her own heart.

‘Let’s not look.’

As Duroa thought, it was a subtle declaration of isolation between friends, but Nocton couldn’t ridicule her for being excessive.

The meaning was different, but in the end, Duroa was right.

Nocton did not consider Duroa to be his friend.

They might have been friends for a brief moment when they were young, but when love bloomed in his heart full of loneliness, emotions dyed their hearts with the same color.

For now, it was not clear when Nocton saw Duroa Valrose as a friend, or if he ever did.

Why did the boy who was so negative towards love grow up like this?

Maybe it was in his blood.

Love, obsession.

Nocton let out an annoyed sigh and stopped.

Today, he was expecting something to happen.

It was expected from the time when the former Emperor’s health deteriorated rapidly.

That was how everyone thought the Emperor died, but truthfully, he was killed by a curse.

Because the curse that the Emperor received during the battle for the throne in the past had been rampant again.

It was the work of a dark magician who worked for Patricia Edgar.

Nobody suspected that the Emperor was ill anyway and no one benefited from the Emperor’s death, but Nocton, who was sensitive to black magic, could feel its traces from his coffin.

From then on, Nocton had no choice but to feel nervous.

The ceremony was a sacred event that Duroa’s secret escort couldn’t attend and in other words, it was a good day to target her.

The speculation that the Emperor was murdered only to target Duroa can be considered a grand delusion.

But Patricia Edgar knew that Nocton was morbidly obsessed with Duroa.

Patricia already lost everything to Nocton, so she couldn’t fight him with force.

So, it was only natural to target Duroa, Nocton’s weakness.

It was expected from the moment he sent Patricia and all of her remaining forces to Faust, but nevertheless it was inevitable Nocton would regret it.

I should’ve pretended I didn’t know Patricia Edgar’s brainwashing was lifted.

Even if you turn back time, Nocton would do the same thing over and over again.

In fact, Nocton was more concerned about the side of Patricia’s vassal force, who did not like the accession of an illegitimate child.

The promise he had with Duroa to not take a life.

Moreover, the opponent was his mother.

Nocton clearly knew how killing his mother generally felt.

In fact, while he sympathized with Patricia’s derogatory comments who deemed him as a demon spawn, he didn’t want to appear that way to Duroa.

Therefore, the punishment he had for Patricia was postponed with the pretext of removing her remaining forces.

And then it happened.

Nocton recalled a previous incident.

When he had just found Duroa, a bear appeared in front of the cave.

If left alone, nothing would have happened, but someone suddenly appeared and threw a stone into the cave.

Their intention was obvious.

While Nocton blocked Duroa and killed the bear, the person who threw the stone left quickly.

With the tracking magic on their shadow, it wouldn’t have been hard to find them, but by the time Nocton caught the person, there was a good chance that they would already be dead.

But it was obvious who did it.

Patricia Edgar.

I guess you’re ready, afterall.

Until now, the person who had been hiding even if she had an opportunity, began to act.

That meant she was ready to take Edgar back from Nocton.

Duroa was in danger for a moment, but it was good news in a way.

Finally, I can get rid of Patricia and her remnants.

Now, it was enough to figure out Patricia’s plans.

Until she was gone, Nocton would have to pay special attention to Duroa’s safety, but because their relationship was over, it was rather easy.

The trust between Duroa and Nocton was gone.

Nocton’s chance to protect Duroa by persuading her with words and the opportunity to restore their relationship was gone as well.

So from then on, without worrying about falling apart, without having to worry that he would be hated, all he had to do was focus entirely on Duroa’s safety.

The immorality that he had killed with his mother could be easily blocked from reaching Duroa’s ears.

So, everything was better.

Putting an end to his bitter thoughts, Nocton finally left the forest.

“Oh, Duke Edgar! You’ve arrived safely!”

There were a lot of priests gathered in front of the forest.

They greeted each other even before the competition started, but the atmosphere was different now.

Their expressions were tense and anxious.

“You’ve come at the right time. It’s a ceremony to offer sacrifices to the Gods, but unfortunately it was interrupted by the beast, so I was going to bless everyone who participated.”

“I’m fine.”

“Yes…? But, there is a myth that you’ll be unlucky for a month if you run into a beast.”

“You’re a priest, so… Wait a second.”

It was strange to see a priest so flustered.

Nocton squinted his eyes and looked around.

“Have any of the nobles here been blessed besides me?”