Fortunately, no one in Seiyad’s party had died. Zeke and Enif, who had been under the illusion that they’d killed someone with their own hands, were safe and uninjured, together with Stella. Those who had stayed behind also rejoined the group without serious danger. Once he confirmed that everyone was alive, it felt as if the thick fog that had shrouded his vision finally lifted. A chill ran down his spine as he became starkly aware of how deeply Aster had managed to disrupt his mind.
Until now, Seiyad had believed that as long as he became stronger, nothing could truly threaten him. But he had learned in the harshest way possible that even if he could fend off external attacks, if his inner self collapsed, he could be handed over all too easily. He hadn’t realized that venomous whispers and seductive temptations murmured at the ear could so effortlessly shake a person. He had thought such things could be dismissed since they didn’t pose a direct threat to his life—yet each one became a poison, slowly addicting the soul.
If Ressas hadn’t been there, would he really have taken Aster’s hand?
He wanted to believe the answer was no, but knowing how deeply he had been shaken, it was difficult to deny. However, there was one thing he could now say with certainty—if that kind of moment ever came again, he wouldn’t hesitate the way he had just now.
After hearing Ressas’ words, he realized just how much his actions had hurt him—more than he had imagined. That line of thought naturally extended to others around him, including Cecilia. The choice he’d made to keep someone from being unhappy could very well become the source of someone else’s misfortune. That realization hit him hard.
The entire journey to the villa where Charlotte was staying, Seiyad had been lost in thought. As he mulled over his actions, a desire grew within him to reaffirm his commitment to Ressas. The image of him turning away with a smile that pretended to be fine had seemed so precarious, it wouldn’t leave his mind. What he truly wanted to see was Ressas smiling from the bottom of his heart—not that strained facade of being okay.
“Seiyad, I need to ask you something before we go in.”
As they arrived at the villa under the servants’ guidance, a hand reached out and caught him. Stella, who had rejoined them midway through the forest, hadn’t looked well since their reunion. Her serious tone made Seiyad nod in response.
Before stepping aside with her, Seiyad glanced at Ressas. He was issuing orders efficiently, commanding the people around him with ease. Seiyad watched closely, worried their eyes might meet—but Ressas didn’t look back.
There was no doubt that his actions had affected Ressas.
Just before entering the mist, they’d both believed their hearts were aligned. When he had accepted the flower meant for him, everything had felt like it would be okay. Now, he had to find out why Ressas was acting this way—and fast. The urgency began to gnaw at him.
“I know the situation is pressing, so I won’t take long. Just answer me this one thing.”
Perhaps noticing Seiyad’s gaze drifting toward the house, Stella added those words. Seiyad turned his attention back to her and took a step forward, silently signaling her to speak. Once they were slightly removed from the others, Stella hesitated briefly before speaking.
“I know asking this is extremely irreverent, so I’ll apologize in advance. And if I’m wrong, tell me.”
Her teal eyes were steady and resolute as she fixed them on Seiyad.
“Back before we parted in Shildras, you said this: the Tithers must never be divided, no matter what. And if anyone attempts such a thing, they must be suspected. At the time, I thought you were only talking about Sirkhan Shildras. But after seeing what’s happening now, I realize you meant something else.”
Stella grasped Seiyad’s hand, her own hands covering his, looking at him with a gaze full of trust.
“His Highness Aster is doing something wrong, isn’t he? Don’t deny it. Starting with Miss Charlotte, his fiancée, getting caught up in something so horrific—then what happened with Zion earlier—it’s all tragedies that occurred around him. And thinking that way, even more past events started coming back to me.”
Her voice was heavy with genuine apology.
“For the longest time, you only had Aster by your side. You were alone, tasked with guarding the Axid territory. Yet none of us, myself included, ever reached out to help you. Instead, we tried to justify the tragedy that befell your mother. If you hadn’t helped us this time, hadn’t awakened us… wouldn’t something terrible have happened to you, too?”
Seiyad gazed at her in silence. As he looked into that determined face, he suddenly remembered the first person to apologize to him after his return to life—it had been Selfini Vetria. It was likely that the weight in his chest had begun to loosen around that time.
“I’m sorry, Seiyad. I never gave you a proper apology in the Shildras territory.”
“No. The blame lies with me as well. Like you said, I was isolated, and I didn’t try to pull myself out of it. If it hadn’t been for Prince Ressas, it would’ve been much harder.”
If Ressas had chosen to turn his back on him like the others, without ever whispering those endless words of love… Seiyad might have remained just as isolated as before. In hindsight, all the choices he had made to change stemmed from Ressas—from the moment he drove a blade into Seiyad’s chest.
The fact that the boy who once followed him so blindly had come to despise him so deeply… that wounded Seiyad more than he’d realized.
Dragged along by the tide, he hadn’t been fully aware of just how deeply Ressas had been entwined in his life. He’d known, but never really examined just how much he had changed because of him.
Now, though, looking back, it was clear—Ressas had always been there. Even during the time when Seiyad had tried to convince himself he hated him.
Seiyad slowly clenched the fist not held by Stella. He had believed he was beginning to understand Ressas. But now, he realized just how much he still didn’t know. A burning urge to return to him and speak everything rose in his chest.
“Just as you said, His Highness Aster possesses a corrupt power. I only learned about it recently. I’ve kept my mouth shut because I didn’t have clear evidence, but since it seems everyone will soon know, I won’t deny it anymore.”
If Charlotte were interrogated, some connection to him would inevitably surface. It was something that would come to light soon enough—there was no longer any reason to hide it. Though he had remained cautious, not wanting to ruin someone’s life with baseless suspicions, Aster himself had become too reckless. There was no longer a reason to be careful.
“I figured as much. That means the Marquess of Saklani bringing us here was a trap. There were only strange monsters in the forest—not Nir’a—and we all experienced bizarre things. And on top of that, you were in danger, weren’t you?”
Since Seiyad had never really explained what had happened with Aster, he narrowed his eyes and asked,
“Who told you that?”
“Originally, His Highness was fighting alongside us. I was up ahead when I was ambushed, and then a group of people suddenly charged out, trying to kill us. When we checked, they were all knights from the Marquess of Saklani. But every single one of them seemed like they’d lost their minds—there was no reasoning with them, and the battle dragged on. Just as it was starting to wrap up, His Highness said you were in danger and disappeared on his own.”
Stella, having spoken up to that point, relaxed a little and added with a relieved look,
“His Highness must really care about you, Seiyad. Every time you’re in danger, he’s always there to protect your back.”
Hearing Stella’s gentle words, Seiyad couldn’t hold himself back any longer. Perhaps sensing his growing urgency to see Ressas, Stella gave a small nod and stepped forward first.
“Let’s head inside. I’ve got plenty to say to Miss Charlotte, too. Frankly, I can’t stand any pampered young lady who doesn’t know how the world works—aside from Nova.”
The warmth she had shown just moments ago vanished. Stella had already returned to her role as a lord, and her back—now firmer and stronger than even when she had stood alone after losing Selfini during the Frost Hunt—guided Seiyad forward.
The inside of the estate was steeped in tension, thick with the unease of its trembling occupants. Knights who had been waiting across the river had crossed and now surrounded the building. It was becoming increasingly clear that the lady they served had committed something terrible. Some of the survivors from the group that had previously been mentally influenced and driven to suicide were now spreading tales of Charlotte’s atrocities, driving the servants into a panic.
The moment they stepped inside, they could hear Charlotte screaming from down the hall. They didn’t even need to ask where she was—Stella and Seiyad instantly knew.
Heading up to the second floor, they came upon a guarded room.
“You’ve arrived, Your Grace.”
Kirill greeted Seiyad and Stella with a respectful bow. Seiyad asked, listening to the screams coming from the closed room,
“Who’s inside?”
“His Highness Ressas and Sir Asella are both in there. Oh, and of course, the maids are with them as well. Since she’s His Highness Aster’s fiancée, we’ve kept anything unsavory from spreading.”
“We’ll be going in. Kirill, send a messenger to the Marquess and summon him here.”
“Understood.”
Once he saw Kirill turn to carry out the order, Seiyad entered the room without hesitation.
The moment the door opened, he was greeted by a chaotic sight—maids standing awkwardly, unsure of what to do, and Charlotte writhing uncontrollably. Her face was drenched in tears.
“Give him back! Give my brother back! Aaaah!”
Her senseless screaming made her seem entirely unhinged. Even though she was behaving like a madwoman toward a prince, Ressas said nothing, simply watching in silence. Perhaps because Charlotte was both a woman and Aster’s betrothed, even Asella, who was holding her arm, seemed hesitant to restrain her with any real force.
As Charlotte continued her screaming fit, she suddenly turned her head toward the door when she heard it open. Locking eyes with Seiyad, her expression twisted in fury. She sank her teeth into Asella’s arm.
Startled by the sudden outburst, Asella jerked her arm back, and in that moment, Charlotte slipped off the bed and practically crawled her way to Seiyad. Falling into a stumbling run, she grabbed his collar and shrieked,
“You filthy devil! Just the sight of you makes me sick…! You killed my brother!”
Seiyad frowned and looked down at her. He had no intention, like Ressas, of tolerating Charlotte’s madness. Before forcing her down, he decided to give her one last chance and coldly responded,
“I don’t even know who your brother is. So say it clearly.”
“You saw him in the forest! How dare you lie so shamelessly…!”
Just as Charlotte was about to let out another vulgar outburst, Stella moved before Seiyad could act. She seized Charlotte by the shoulder with a forceful grip and, without the slightest hesitation, slapped her across the face.
Smack!
The resounding crack echoed throughout the room, snapping everyone’s attention toward them. Charlotte’s head whipped to the side from the force, and she blinked in stunned silence. Slowly, she raised a hand to her cheek, clearly unable to grasp what had just happened. Her green eyes welled up with tears.
“Get a grip, you idiot. Don’t you understand the situation you’re in? There are dozens of witnesses who saw you throw innocent people into a death trap. If you don’t start behaving properly, you’ll end up dead.”
Stella’s voice was calm yet scathing as she laid bare Charlotte’s predicament. Charlotte, shocked to the core, opened her lips but couldn’t manage to say a word.
Then, still massaging her bitten arm, Asella stepped beside Ressas and chirped lightly,
“Most likely, the young lady is referring to the monster in the forest. The only thing the Duke killed there was that creature.”
At those words, the maids flinched and stepped back. Judging by their expressions, they must have seen the monster themselves—and now fear crept across their faces.
“If that’s the case, this is quite serious. From what I’ve read, the monsters in the forest were created from seeds sown directly by the Devil. According to ancient texts, when the sun was swallowed, the Devil’s underlings appeared in forms just like that. They were beings who served the Devil, born from the corrupted desires of humans. They were called ‘Nir’a.’”
This was the first Seiyad had heard of such a thing. Maybe Ressas had been right when he said Asella would know something about the monster. His enthusiasm only grew as he continued,
“Originally, ‘Nir’a’ was a term used to describe the Devil’s servants—literally meaning ‘fragments’ or ‘remnants.’ The Nir’a we know now are newly emerged creatures that appeared after the Devil’s sealing.”
“…What kind of nonsense are you spewing?”
Charlotte finally managed to speak. Eyes glaring with spite, she hissed a curse. Asella, caught off guard, cleared his throat awkwardly.
“So what you’re saying, miss, is that you’re calling one of the Devil’s underlings your brother. Which means, in other words, that you’re outright stating the House of Saklani is involved with the Devil who has thrown the kingdom into chaos?”
