Edmund gazed at her with flickering eyes and spoke in a husky voice.
“…May I hold you just once?”
“Why would you even ask that between us? Of course—.”
At that moment, Edmund grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him.
With a soft thud, the jacket draped over Etricia’s shoulders slipped off, and her eyes widened.
She was momentarily surprised but soon felt the slight tremble in the hands wrapped around her shoulders. A faint smile formed on her lips.
Unconsciously, they both knew.
A fierce storm was coming.
There might come a moment when they couldn’t even say goodbye.
That was why he held her close one last time.
As the day of the plan approached, Edmund felt like he was rushing toward a cliff.
Using her life force felt like exactly that.
What if she never woke up again and remained in an eternal sleep?
He didn’t even want to imagine it, but there was no need to dwell on the answer to that possibility.
‘Then I will wait for her until the moment I close my eyes.’
And if she stops breathing?
‘Then I will follow her even in death.’
Even if her choice brought him despair, he would embrace it.
That was all he could do.
Resolute, Edmund tightened his embrace around her.
Etricia gently stroked his back.
“Edmund, even if I collapse, I will wake up again.”
“I know. You always keep your promises.”
Not wanting to reveal his pessimism, Edmund spoke with a smile in his voice.
Then, he firmly grasped her shoulders before letting go.
Etricia smiled softly, closed her eyes, and rose onto her toes.
Then, she hesitantly found his lips, brushing against them. As if it were a signal, Edmund pulled her head closer and kissed her deeply.
After sharing their warmth, they parted, whispering vows beneath the full moon.
“I love you.”
“I love you.”
Overwhelmed with emotion, Etricia cupped his cheeks and smiled gently.
The beautiful two moons that gazed at her.
The moon in the sky shone upon everyone, but tonight, this moon would shine only for her.
“I will wake up and come back to you.”
My moon, Edmund.
Etricia brushed her fingertips over his eyelids and let out a tearful smile.
Edmund inhaled her scent deeply and exhaled a sorrowful breath.
Please, return to me safely. Over and over, he prayed to a god he had never believed in.
A night where the full moon was veiled by mist.
The carriage I was riding in passed through the portal of the Mipedian Duke’s estate.
The wheels moved briskly across the duchy before finally rolling into the ducal manor’s garden.
I pulled back the curtains to observe the situation.
The grand estate was brimming with an overwhelming tension that pricked at my skin. Knights disguised as servants were discreetly preparing for battle.
Since each of them had been carefully verified before passing through the portal, there was no risk of infiltration.
The carriage soon stopped in front of the mansion, and the door opened.
Standing there was Edmund, his hair neatly combed back, dressed in a black evening suit.
As the coachman opened the door and stepped aside, his widened eyes briefly dropped to my attire before returning to my face.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I scratched my cheek with a sheepish smile.
I was wearing a tight-fitting black off-shoulder dress—a choice made for ease of movement.
He seemed momentarily flustered by the unexpected exposure but soon gave a faint smile.
“You look stunning. It’s almost a shame it has to be today.”
“You too.”
And I meant it. Standing beneath the streetlamps, with the fountain rising behind him, he looked captivating.
“Take my hand.”
I grasped his hand and stepped out of the carriage.
Together, we carefully surveyed our surroundings as we made our way to the ballroom.
“Has the Lebron weapon from Baron Totair arrived at the Buell Count’s estate?”
“It has been distributed to the knights, and some are stored in the waiting room.”
“Have Lova and the Holy Knights arrived?”
“They are waiting in the ballroom’s antechamber.”
Satisfied with his prompt responses, I smiled as we reached the ballroom entrance.
Soft melodies filled the hall, and the murmurs of knights orchestrating the event could be heard.
Just then, Edmund halted where the corridor’s lattice shadows met the ballroom’s golden light.
Frowning, he turned to me, his expression filled with unease.
“There has been a slight issue with the plan.”
My heart sank.
“What’s wrong?”
“Someone unrelated to the plan has insisted on attending the ball.”
“Who?”
Before he could answer, I saw someone approaching from the end of the corridor behind him.
For a moment, I froze before snapping back to my senses.
“Jake…?”
What is he doing here?
Dressed in a lavish evening suit, he even had his ever-present robe draped over his arm.
“You’re finally here, Count.”
He had the nerve to act as if he hadn’t just barged in uninvited.
I let out a dry chuckle and tilted my head.
“Why are you here, Your Highness?”
“Thought I’d lend a hand.”
Jake rubbed the back of his neck, glancing around before meeting Edmund’s sharp gaze. He cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t come to steal your lover. You know we were childhood friends. I simply worried the Count might get caught up in the rebellion, so I came in secret. Oh, and don’t worry, no one knows I’m here.”
I narrowed my eyes at him in displeasure.
The way he rambled on with excuses made it obvious he had planned this in advance.
I sighed in exasperation.
His presence was an unexpected variable. The Crown Prince being here meant that, no matter how things ended, the royal family would inevitably be involved.
And yet, I couldn’t just send him away.
There was only one way to keep his eyes and ears shut.
I stepped closer and whispered so Edmund wouldn’t hear.
“I’ll explain everything afterward. Just stay quietly in the main manor’s parlor.”
“How rude. I came to help—”
“Your Highness, you wish to reunite with Lilian safely, don’t you?”
Jake flinched at my sharp gaze before forcing a grim smile.
“Fine, I’ll do as you say.”
Satisfied, I smiled, but Edmund’s piercing glare made me quickly step away from Jake.
“Lova.”
After parting from Edmund, I arrived at the banquet hall’s waiting room under the escort of the knights.
Lova, who had been giving orders to the Holy Knights, saw me immediately and came over.
“Lady Etricia, you look so beautiful to—”
“Lova, what did you find out?”
“…You’re asking about that before even saying hello?”
Lova pouted slightly, looking a little hurt.
“We met yesterday, and what’s important isn’t that right now.”
At my cold tone, Lova grumbled, letting go of the tension in his lips.
“As you instructed, I searched through all the books related to the last Saintess, Leticia. But there was nothing about disappearance.”
“I see… so that’s how it is.”
I had quietly hoped for something, so my mood sank.
“But.”
But? I raised my eyes sharply. He frowned slightly, as if telling me not to expect too much.
“But after looking through all the monster records of the past saintesses, I found one who had something in common with her.”
“Something in common?”
“Most saintesses either destroyed the monsters after sealing them or preserved them in purification stones. But there was one saintess—other than Lady Leticia—who sealed a monster and then unsealed it.”
“She unsealed it? Why?”
“They said she went deep into the forest with several priests to attempt a monster reformation experiment. While doing that, she unsealed a monster. During the experiment, the monster became violent. When she tried to seal it again, she failed. The temple assumed that during that time, the saintess used all her power and that purification was almost lost.”
Wait—she failed to seal it?
That was strange. Purification uses life energy. As long as she was alive, she couldn’t fail…
As someone who possesses purification, I knew that better than anyone. It felt like a small storm always swirling inside me. At least while I was still breathing, it wouldn’t stop.
“Can you tell me more about what happened back then?”
“There was nothing unusual. In the end, she did manage to seal it again. But she only succeeded after several failed attempts.”
“Several failures?”
“The saintess was panicked and used various magic stones scattered nearby. She finally sealed the monster using one of them. She even managed to destroy it with that stone.”
“Various scattered magic stones?”
If she used them, they must have been approved stones from the temple.
There shouldn’t have been any defective ones.
‘So why was it only one particular stone that worked? What was so special about it—’
At that moment, a thought flashed through my mind, and I gasped.
‘No way…’
“Ha.”
A few seconds later, I couldn’t help but laugh in joy.
Yes, that’s it.
So that’s why…
When I smiled brighter than ever, Lova’s expression turned odd. His eyes seemed to ask why I was making the face of someone who had just solved a great mystery.
I grabbed both of his hands and shook them up and down.
“Thank you, Lova. Thanks to you, I figured it out.”
A thrill ran through my chest. It felt like sparks were flying in my eyes.
I bit my lip to stop the smile that kept breaking out. Getting too excited might ruin everything.
Instead, I looked into the air and narrowed my eyes solemnly.
‘Come here quickly, Lunox.’
Now that I had a clear answer about the disappearance, I would have to change the plan.
