Guiscard, Philip, and Ionia sprinted toward the sound, their faces pale with panic, only to find a young boy standing in the courtyard. [Elysia] "No, I want to play! Nooooo!" [Lyon] "Ah, I can't. I..." The bespectacled boy stood flustered. Elysia clung tightly to his sleeve and shouted in protest. [Elysia] "N-No! Play with me! You promised we'd play! You were playing with me just a minute ago!" [Lyon] "That was before I knew you were the princess..." [Philip] "Lyon!" [Guiscar

[Ionia] "Brother, stop bouncing your leg like that. It's distracting." At her words, Philip froze his foot. He crossed his arms and let out a heavy sigh. Moments later, his fingers tapped against his forearm, prompting another outburst from Ionia. [Ionia] "Ugh, seriously! Even as you get older, you never change." [Philip] "Look who's talking! You became a priestess in the Holy See, yet you have zero patience!" [Ionia] "That's why I quit being a priestess!" The siblings bicker

Dianna returned to her room and sank into a chair, exhausted. Her head spun, and her eyelids felt heavy. Perhaps fueled by her gloomy mood, sleepiness had frequently overwhelmed her as of late. [Dianna] "Why is it so cold?" She muttered under her breath. Lady Kragel stood nearby and voiced her concern. [Leonie] "Your Majesty, could it be a cold?" [Dianna] "A cold?" [Leonie] "You look unwell. You might fall severely ill if you aren't careful." In the past, ignoring such sympto

Time passed, and the day of Guiscard’s return arrived. Dianna buried herself in work, making no effort to greet him. [Revius] "Aren't you going to greet him?" She replied with indifference. [Dianna] "I have work to do as well." [Revius] "Fair enough. I prefer this side of you anyway. Official duties must always come first, after all!" She ignored him, whose eyes gleamed with professional satisfaction. As soon as she completed a reasonable portion of her tasks, Dianna retreate

Dianna harbored a lingering worry. She couldn't conceive. Nearly two years had passed since their wedding, yet no child was on the way. Was their marital love lacking? No, love was far from lacking. Just recently, a physician had sternly advised her husband to show restraint after Dianna collapsed from sheer exhaustion. Their affection overflowed, perhaps even to a fault. Remembering how hilarious it was to see a formidable king look defeated while receiving a scolding from a

When Guiscard dragged Dianna back to the royal palace, she expected fierce opposition. Is the queen’s crown a toy? How can they act like lovers breaking up and reconciling on a whim? Do they even understand the sacred weight of marriage? It will only fall apart again! She braced for a barrage of criticism. Having survived countless trials, however, she had full confidence in her ability to brush it aside. And yet... Duke Kragel spoke up casually. [D. Kragel] "Ah, the wedding?

The Calamity was at rest, lying right before him. Adelheit looked down at the corpse. An unmistakable peace settled between the two figures, a serenity that had never existed in their lifetimes. [Knight] "What in the world happened here?" [Adelheit] "I wonder the same." Why had this Calamity chosen self-destruction? Why had his corpse been pulled down here? And why did they look so tenderly devoted to each other in death? His mind drifted back to that snowy day. On the day he

Had anyone ever seen a bride wearing a slave collar on her wedding day? Even when a conquered kingdom's captive was bound and exploited, no one went so far as to marry her. No noble, let alone royalty, would willingly tie themselves to a mere slave in equal matrimony. Yet one man had done exactly that: King Guiscard of Lodbrog. He was the hidden prince, the hero who inherited the purest bloodline of the founding monarch, and the chief architect of victory in the Great Panboro

Did he misinterpret her expression? Guiscard spoke hastily. [Guiscard] "If you don't want to be queen, I'll abdicate the throne." Dianna let out a soft sigh. Is this the least romantic proposal in history? She stared at the flower crown in his hands. For some reason, its white petals shone with a soft, ethereal radiance. [Guiscard] "Evening primroses from the Abyssal Forest glow white like this on moonlit nights. They remind me of you. It was... quite a struggle to find them.

When the Guiscard of the past life died, Dianna summoned Tarascus. Before she knew it, she was mounted on the dragon's back. As Tarascus soared into the sky, the cavern ceiling collapsed. She soared into the open air and looked back one last time. Her former body and Guiscard lay sleeping side by side. A young boy holding flowers stood there, staring at them blankly. Because Guiscard had sacrificed himself first, the child was spared. He was a gentle boy who had offered bloss

[Guiscard] "I-it was supposed to end like this, wasn't it?" Dianna didn't answer. She had come to truly understand him, knowing he would choose death without hesitation. And she wished for it. Though pity and sorrow weighed heavily on her heart, she ultimately desired his demise over staying by his side. His had been a monstrously selfish love, an obsession that slaughtered countless souls to fulfill his own desire. His sins couldn't be erased. Dianna couldn't return to life

Was Guiscard the only guilty one? No, everyone besides himself shared the blame. Those wretched souls who had mocked Dianna deserved to die just as much. Yet he didn't swing his blade. First, he had to eliminate the other Guiscard. Besides, slaughtering every noble single-handedly would consume too much time. He knew this well, as he had already bathed the kingdom in blood once before. What if Dianna took her own life again before he finished? So, he surrendered his body to F