“Lady Etricia, I’m sorry you came all this way, but I want to be alone today…”
Lilien’s voice, hoarse from crying so much, tugged at my heart.
When I confronted Jake about why he hadn’t revealed his true identity, he admitted that he feared she would run away if she knew who he really was because of her introverted nature.
I understood his reasoning, but I was entirely on Lilien’s side.
‘How shocked she must have been. With her delicate heart…’
She must be devastated.
Still, I couldn’t take her side and lash out at Jake.
After all, I was the one who introduced them, and I had also kept his identity a secret. That made me no different from an accomplice.
I placed the tray down beside the door.
“I’m sorry. I should have told you about him in advance.”
“Oh, no… I… ugh… hic…”
“Lilien, are you okay?”
I was worried. She had sent Mari away and was alone in her room—what if she collapsed from dehydration?
After a long time of quiet sobbing, she finally spoke, her voice soaked in tears.
“I… I think I knew. That he wasn’t just an ordinary person.”
I sighed, releasing the tension in my shoulders.
Yes, even someone as oblivious as her must have noticed.
‘Jake’ wasn’t a common name.
No noble would dare give their child the same name as the crown prince.
Moreover, growing up in the strict etiquette of the palace, he carried himself with an authoritative tone and dignified grace. It was impossible not to recognize him as someone extraordinary.
Lilien swallowed her sobs and continued.
“I… I wanted to ignore it… If I acknowledged it, I wouldn’t even be able to be his friend… Because I…”
Because if I realized how insignificant I was compared to him, I would have felt even smaller.
“That’s not true.”
My eyes welled up, feeling her pain.
You are precious. To me and to Edmund, you are irreplaceable.
I wanted to tell her that Jake had been scared, too, because she was so dear to him.
But only she could define her own worth, and right now, no words but Jake’s would reach her heart.
A bitter taste filled my mouth, realizing my role had now passed to Jake.
Forcing a smile, I spoke in a bright tone.
“So, when will you come out? I want to see you, Lilien.”
“I… I’m sorry. My face is too awful right now…”
“Alright. Then come out when you feel comfortable.”
If I were selfish, I’d say this situation might be for the best.
She still thought the upcoming banquet was merely a celebration of the duke’s succession.
She had planned to attend, but in her current state, she would likely stay locked in her room until the banquet was over. Under the knights’ protection, she wouldn’t be in any danger.
‘Still… I wanted to say goodbye before using my power.’
According to the high priest, using “Purification” drained life energy, momentarily suspending consciousness.
That was why, when Leticia glimpsed the past, she fainted after unconsciously using “Purification.”
Sealing the monster’s blood only left me exhausted, but… If I collapsed, I had no idea when I would wake up.
I placed my palm against the door and rested my forehead on it.
As I smiled faintly, the tears welling in my eyes blurred my vision.
“Lilien, please make sure to eat. I’m worried about you.”
And after using “Purification,” I will wake up.
“See you again.”
We will see each other again, my one and only friend, Lilien.
“My Lady.”
Just then, a maid appeared at the end of the hallway, saying that preparations for my trip to the temple were complete.
I discreetly wiped my eyes and turned to her. Straightening my posture, I took steps forward without hesitation.
Finally, it was the day before the banquet at the duchy.
After completing my final “Purification” training at the temple, I returned to the mansion under the knights’ overprotective escort, as usual. I skipped dinner and locked myself in the study.
I intended to finish reading the purification theory books and ancient texts borrowed from the temple.
With a soft thud, I closed the last book and leaned back into my chair.
Since the day I started training to use “Purification,” I had read through all the ancient texts.
And I had learned something important.
Even if an “Unconscious Contract” was established between two people, if the one who drew the ritual, Lunox, was destroyed, all contracts would become null and void.
But that wasn’t the information I truly wanted.
What I needed to know was how the saintess had discovered the method to destroy Lunox through the ancient texts.
Even when I searched my memories of that dream, I couldn’t recall the answer.
The saintess had sealed Lunox in a magic stone but had not destroyed him, as she had exhausted all her life energy.
Lost in thought, I narrowed my eyes.
‘What exactly was the method she found?’
The high priest claimed that, in theory, destruction followed the same principle as absorbing the monster’s blood into the magic stone.
Since I had already awakened and naturally emitted my power, destroying it shouldn’t be a problem.
So there should be no flaws in our plan…
But why do I feel so uneasy?
It felt like walking blindfolded on thin ice, mistaking it for solid ground.
I swallowed a groan and pressed my temple.
‘Maybe I’m just overthinking it.’
But in my experience, underestimating small details often led to disaster.
I glanced at the books before me.
There wasn’t enough time to reread them.
‘I’ll ask Lova for help and try to recall the memories until the day arrives.’
Just as I made that decision, a maid entered, informing me that Edmund had returned home.
I told her I would be there soon, and she left, closing the door behind her.
I stood, pulling my shawl tight over my shoulders to keep it from slipping.
Before leaving the study, I hesitated, hand on the doorknob.
Through the window, I saw the half-moon hanging in the sky.
I narrowed my eyes, staring at it.
Tomorrow.
The end was in sight.
‘Lunox, you must come to me. I am here to complete you, just like that half-moon in the sky.’
With unwavering determination, I clenched the edge of my shawl and stepped forward.
After dinner, Etricia and Edmund took a walk in the back garden.
With his hands behind his back, Edmund casually began the conversation.
“My sister seems to be hiding in the cave again. Something must be bothering her. Do you happen to know what it is?”
Etricia stopped in her tracks. She looked up at him with trembling eyes. It was clear she was hiding something.
“Well, I’m not really sure…”
She quickly lowered her gaze.
Edmund narrowed his eyes like a suspicious cat but was secretly holding back laughter.
‘To think there would be a day she couldn’t lie properly.’
He wanted to kiss those lips of hers, tightly shut as if saying she would never tell.
In the end, when Etricia glanced sideways to read his mood, Edmund found her unbearably lovely and lowered his head, quietly smiling.
Ahem. He cleared his throat to hide the smile and responded to her evasive behavior.
“You say you don’t know, so I’ll leave it at that for now. When everything is over, I’ll ask her myself.”
“For now…”
Etricia glanced at him with an uneasy look.
As he walked ahead, enjoying her gaze, she followed him.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the pavilion.
The quiet pavilion, where not even an ant passed, had long been their secret hideout.
Etricia sat on the white railing wrapped in vines, placing her hands on it and looking up at the sky.
Edmund stood across from her with his hands behind his back, admiring her sweetly.
The white moonlight lit up her face. No matter how many times he looked at her, she was a beautiful woman.
So whenever he went to social gatherings with her, there were many times he wanted to gouge out the eyes of men who stared at her with lust.
That’s why she ended up with overly tight protection, which she hated.
If she still said she didn’t like it…
‘Maybe I really should rip their eyes out.’
Edmund thought calmly about something that would make her horrified if she heard it, then met her clear green eyes and smiled kindly.
“What are you thinking about, Edmund?”
“Nothing at all.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Etricia tapped her foot and looked up at the sky.
The bright round moon was shining above.
“The moon is beautiful.”
“It really is.”
Edmund nodded as he looked at her. The two of them admired different things in the same moment.
Then, a cool breeze blew.
Etricia shivered and rubbed her arms. Edmund took off his jacket and placed it over her shoulders.
“Thank you.”
Looking a bit shy, Etricia pulled the jacket closer and began to recall old memories.
“It feels like we met just yesterday, but it’s already autumn.”
“It also feels like a distant memory when I made my vow to you here.”
Hehe. Suddenly, she laughed, her shoulders trembling.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It’s strange, isn’t it? It hasn’t been that long, but we’re already more mature than we were then.”
As she said that, a blush rose on her cheeks.
She was thinking about her foolish self, when she used to get jealous and complain about Edmund and Lilien’s relationship.
“Growth doesn’t come just with time. You changed everything with your own effort.”
Edmund gently touched her cold cheek with his fingers.
“Thank you… for saying that.”
Leaning into his hand, Etricia looked up at him with eyes full of affection.
‘His hand… it’s warm.’
She thought that if there were ever a time when romance and love existed together, this must be it.
They stayed like that for a while.
Then, Edmund’s gaze, which had been lost in her deep eyes, suddenly wavered—as if hit by a storm.
