After the successful subjugation of Blackson,
Arandel had returned to Helmut, but rumors of his illness had already spread, and he was currently resting.
His eldest son, Lohengrin, had traveled to Evergard, the capital of the Kingdom of Albion,
To attend the award ceremony for the Blackson subjugation in Arandel's stead.
Thus, at present, Helmut was being managed under the leadership of the eldest daughter, Liana.
Although the strict and solemn atmosphere that Arandel had maintained did not change drastically,
All the servants could agree that the oppressive silence in the mansion had become noticeably lighter.
And now—
Liana stood before a nameless, small grave.
"...."
From a grand perspective, the woman buried here had attempted to assassinate a traitor to the Transcendents,
But she had failed.
Of course, Millie had no knowledge of such matters, so she couldn't interpret it in that way.
To Liana, however, she was simply the assassin who had tried to kill her mother.
Even so, as she stood before the grave, she closed her eyes in silent mourning.
The Liana of the past would have been at a complete loss as to what to do before this grave.
But after experiencing her mother's death and parting from her husband, she had grown in her own way.
"Thank you for opening my eyes."
She placed a single white chrysanthemum before the grave and whispered,
"Thank you for supporting Isaac."
Her gaze was clear.
No longer were her crimson eyes clouded by the blind storm of love.
"I will take you to a place where you can rest in peace."
Turning around, she faced the knights of Helmut, who were already lined up, having completed the preparations for the relocation.
"She is my husband's benefactor."
As she walked past them, she spoke firmly,
"Treat her with respect."
Thus, the relocation process began.
At the princess's request, the burial site would be moved from here to a cemetery in Evergard.
And Liana herself would personally escort the remains.
Not only to protect Millie,
But also because there was something she needed to do in Evergard.
"...."
Divorcing Isaac.
The princess had even sent a letter declaring that she would personally attend as a witness.
Divorce at this time was extremely rare, and the process was quite complicated,
Making the role of a witness particularly important.
For a princess of the kingdom to act as a witness meant that the moment of annulment was effectively set in stone.
There would be no turning back.
"I was prepared for this."
She absentmindedly ran her fingers over the ring on her left ring finger.
Her expression remained unchanged.
Calm and composed.
The wind, carrying the scent of roses—a symbol of Helmut—brushed against her hair as if to console her.
Yet to Liana, the scent felt more suffocating than soothing.
Soon, she would depart for Evergard.
To bring closure to the love of her life—
The man she had first and last loved.
***
A few days earlier, Isaac had arrived in Evergard and was now, quite literally, enjoying a time of healing.
Early morning.
The golden sunlight streamed through the window, while the soft bed and blankets embraced his body in comforting warmth.
The bed's inviting, almost sinful softness tempted him to stay,
But as soon as the time came, Isaac opened his eyes and promptly got up.
After tidying his bed, washing up, and changing clothes, he headed straight for the room next door.
"Silverna!"
"Wha—?!"
Silverna, who had been sleeping just moments ago, jolted awake and pulled the blanket over herself.
"O-oh, let me change clothes first!"
"Then get up quickly. Didn't you say you'd wake up early today?"
Isaac folded his arms and leaned against the doorway.
Silverna peeked out from under the blanket, flustered.
"J-Just let me rest a bit! I worked nonstop in the north, and now I finally have a break!"
"You think you have time to rest? What did you say when you were drinking the other day?"
On the night they celebrated in Evergard, Silverna had gotten heavily drunk, her face completely flushed.
[I'm! Gonna get stronger! I'll smash everything to bits!]
It seemed that the fact that she had been of no help at all in the battle against the Sword Demon had deeply stuck with her.
After that, Silverna had certainly trained hard, but after experiencing the warmth of the capital and the modern facilities of the royal palace, so different from the outdated conditions of the North, she had grown somewhat lax.
"Ah, I get it! Now get out! I need to change!"
"Alright, pikyat."
"I told you not to do that—!"
Silverna shot up, grabbing a pillow and charging at him. Just a moment ago, she had been embarrassed about being seen in her pajamas, yet now she was throwing off her blanket and lunging at him without hesitation.
Isaac smirked and quickly stepped outside.
Ever since arriving in the capital, Silverna had, for some reason, started acting cute by saying pikyat! A few times. Unfortunately for her, it had now become nothing more than a black mark in her personal history.
"Unbelievable."
Standing outside the door, Isaac smiled subtly.
She had said she learned it from Anna, but he still found it hard to believe she had followed along so earnestly.
In her past life, she had never shown a side like this.
Back then, after the fall of Caldias and the Malidan Wall, she had been emotionally worn down. But the Silverna of now was clearly different, and Isaac liked that.
"Pfft."
It was just a small laugh.
But had she heard it?
Silverna's face turned bright red as she flung the door open.
"You were thinking about it again, weren't you?! I told you not to laugh!"
Isaac answered with an "Alright, alright," while Silverna fumed, but neither of them realized something.
Since she kept doing it, that little act of cuteness had actually been quite effective.
'Pikyat, huh.'
The fact that he was still thinking about it even now said everything.
"Ahem."
About thirty minutes later, Silverna finally stepped out.
"Why did you take so long?"
Isaac, who had given up and started reading a book, frowned as he asked. Silverna pouted.
"Because I'm a woman?"
"…What kind of woman from the north are you?"
"This isn't the North, is it?"
The two bickered as they made their way to the Royal Knight Academy.
It was, as the name suggested, a place where knights were trained, and it was massive. Unlike the vast, empty training grounds of the North, this facility was packed with specialized equipment.
There were protective gear sets for sparring, and magical devices that made mock battles feel more realistic.
It even had systems that analyzed combat performance. When Isaac had first arrived, he had been as excited as a child in a playground.
Since it was still early, the training grounds were empty.
It was always like this.
Ever since Isaac and Silverna had started coming here, they were always the first ones to arrive and unlock the doors.
Isaac complained that they were late, but compared to the others, they were still early.
They went through their usual routine—strength training, refining their sword and spear techniques, sparring with wooden weapons, and engaging in mock battles.
By the time the training grounds had filled with knights, they had been training relentlessly for hours.
It was a little past lunchtime when they finished their showers and met outside.
"…"
"…"
There was always a strange atmosphere when they met like this after showering.
Seeing each other's damp hair and freshly cleaned skin left them with an unfamiliar feeling.
'What is this feeling?'
Silverna, who had been single all her life and only saw men as comrades, soldiers, protectors, or those who needed protection, didn't understand the fluffy emotions she was feeling now.
Isaac, on the other hand, had many titles—heartthrob of the ferry, festival flirting champion, noble seduction expert, slayer of the Blood Rose, and even married man.
He knew exactly what this was.
'A woman's appearance right after a shower is something you only see in the bedroom.'
For ordinary knights, it might not have been a big deal, but for a couple who had confessed their feelings to each other, this was hard to brush off.
Feeling awkward, the two quietly left.
Their next destination, after finishing training early, was none other than the underground prison.
Thanks to a pass they had received from the princess in advance, they passed through without issue.
As they entered the dimly lit waiting room, filled with stale air, they found someone dozing off in a chair.
"Sharen."
"Hngyak?!"
Startled by Isaac's call, Sharen quickly wiped away the small bit of drool at the corner of her mouth.
"You wake up exactly like someone else I know."
As he chuckled, recalling the morning, Silverna shot him a sharp glare and lightly smacked his arm.
Spotting Isaac, Sharen whined tearfully,
"Isaac! Switch places with me! I don't want to be here anymore!"
"…Ask Lohengrin to switch with you."
As the representative and guardian of Alois, the direct lineage of Helmut had to stand by in the prison. Sharen and Lohengrin took turns on guard duty, switching shifts daily.
"Lohengrin ran away, that idiot!"
Ran away? But Isaac had just seen him at the training grounds earlier.
"Huaang! I want to walk around the city with you too! The snacks here are so good!"
As he gently patted her head to comfort her, her whining quieted a bit. In any case, it was clear that Lohengrin had run away because he didn't want to be here.
"But why are you here, Isaac? That person isn't here anymore."
"That person" referred to the Grand Master. The Grand Master had already undergone a simplified trial and was now living under the princess's protection. Though she had yet to reclaim her greatsword due to her circumstances, she was being treated more than well enough.
"I'm going to see her tonight. Today, I came to see Alois."
"What, you didn't come to see me?"
Was she secretly hoping he had come just for her? Sharen crossed her arms, puffing out her cheeks in disappointment. With a small chuckle, Isaac poked her cheek to deflate It before heading inside with Silverna.
Just before entering, Isaac suddenly stopped and looked at Silverna.
"Wait here."
"…Why?"
"Because I might say things you won't want to hear."
"Hmm?"
Unsure of what he meant, Silverna tilted her head but then shook it off.
"No. I want to spit in that bastard's face at least."
"…"
She was determined to show off some Northern-style ridicule.
After a brief moment of thought, Isaac decided to warn her clearly.
"Just remember that whatever I say inside isn't my true feelings."
"The more you warn me, the more I want to hear it."
Silverna shrugged nonchalantly. Isaac sighed, shaking his head before stepping inside.
The underground prison was beyond miserable—describing it as harsh was an understatement. It wasn't just poorly maintained; rather, it was meticulously designed to be unbearable. The air was thick with dampness and the stench of sulfur, making it clear that this place was meant to break its inmates.
At the far end of the prison, in the darkness, Alois sat, shackled by chains around his neck and one arm. His red hair stood out even in the dim light.
"Filthy bastard."
It had been a while since Isaac last saw Alois. He wasn't even trying to hide his hostility anymore. His way of addressing Isaac had dropped from "brother-in-law" to just plain insults.
Isaac couldn't help but scoff at that.
"How's your arm?"
He taunted, glancing at Alois's severed limb. A vein bulged on Alois's forehead as he clenched his jaw, the rattling of his chains revealing his rage.
"A lowly mongrel like you had no right to marry my sister in the first place. If not for you, she wouldn't be suffering like this! To me, my sister is—!"
"I'm not interested."
Isaac cut him off coldly with a sigh.
"Liana arrives here tomorrow."
He finally revealed the reason for his visit.
"The princess will oversee our divorce."
Holding up the ring that was still on his left ring finger, Isaac spoke calmly.
"Finally, things are returning to how they should be, you filthy—"
"I'm withdrawing my request for a divorce."
"…!"
Alois's eyes widened in shock. The sneer that had played on his lips just moments ago vanished, and he stiffened, anxiously waiting for Isaac's next words.
"I'm going to take Liana back. And we'll have a child together. Naturally, that means I'll become the head of Helmut."
"You bastaaaard!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The chains rattled violently. Alois howled in rage, perhaps more furious than he had ever been before.
Isaac, in contrast, only curled his lips into a sharp smirk.
"That's all I came to tell you."
"You son of a bitch! If you so much as lay a finger on my sister—! I'll smash that smug face of yours into—"
A hand reached through the bars.
A white aura flared from Silverna's palm and slammed into Alois, pinning him against the wall.
Thud!
"Guh?! Caldias…!"
"Shut up. You're disgusting."
Silverna's cold voice rang through the cell. Alois' face burned red with fury, his eyes locked onto them with sheer hatred.
"Well then, we'll be going now."
Isaac turned to leave.
"Brother-in-law."
"ISAAAAAAAC—!"
Thud.
As Isaac and Silverna stepped out, the heavy door slammed shut behind them.
"…Now I see why you didn't want me to hear that."
Silverna nodded in understanding. Even Isaac knew those words weren't exactly pleasant to hear.
But they were necessary.
"I needed to provoke Alois."
"Well, if you say so, I'll take your word for it. But—"
She glanced at him sideways.
Isaac answered before she could ask.
"I've already prepared the documents, and the princess has arranged for a witness. There's no canceling anything."
"…Hmm. I wasn't asking, though?"
Silverna smirked, walking ahead.
Isaac let out a quiet chuckle, then glanced back toward the prison one last time.
Please, Alois.
If you're the man I know, you won't be able to sit still.
You'll try to stop me, no matter what.
Just like in my past life—when you shattered my legs.
You're the bait they won't be able to resist.
There were forces with a deep interest in Helmut, and they wouldn't simply leave Alois to rot in prison.
To Isaac, Alois was nothing more than cheese.
Rotten, but perfect for luring out the rats.
Alois.
The most expensive cheese in the world.
You'll take their hand. That's inevitable.
Completely unaware that your betrayal was already foreseen.