Aboard the Adel Trading Company’s ship, we safely arrived in the Lazent Empire.

Although the snake’s paralytic venom had fully worn off by then, Ascan went straight to procure an antidote as soon as we docked, just in case.

The rest of us secured lodging nearby and decided to wait for Ascan.

It was during this rare moment of solitude, resting alone in my room,

that a hurried knock came at the door, followed by Zen’s voice.

“It’s me, Miss.”

“What’s the matter?”

I opened the door with a puzzled expression, and Zen quickly stepped inside. With a stiff, grim face, she said,

“It’s terrible news, Miss. While we were traveling by ship, the Calua Empire seems to have spread an utterly absurd rumor.”

“A rumor?”

My gut told me this was bad.

I hated to admit it, but Helsion wasn’t stupid. I wondered exactly what kind of ridiculous rumor he’d concocted about me.

Meeting my questioning gaze, Zen answered in a low, somber tone.

“They’re saying that marriage negotiations were underway between you and the Calua Emperor, and that on the night you were to consummate the union in the imperial palace, the Imperial Guard Captain kidnapped you.”

“What? What did you say?”

I was utterly speechless.

And that wasn’t even the worst of it. Zen continued, her expression darkening.

“Right now, there’s an enormous bounty placed on the head of the Imperial Guard Captain—for anyone who kills him and returns you safely. Bounty hunters are said to be swarming everywhere, eyes blazing.”

A sudden headache washed over me, and I pressed my fingers to my temples.

This was truly a cunning move. Helsion had struck preemptively, before rumors could spread that he’d tried to forcibly claim me.

Worse still—he’d pinned the absurd accusation of “bride kidnapping” on Ascan, clearly aiming to sabotage my marriage prospects entirely.

‘He’s definitely not getting away with this.’

I’d never intended to let things slide after he used paralytic venom on me, but my resentment toward Helsion was growing by the minute.

For now, I set aside what couldn’t be immediately resolved.

Since a bounty had been placed on Ascan’s head, it was inevitable that many would now seek to take his life.

I turned to Zen and said,

“Ascan went to get the antidote unaware of this—he might be in danger. Go and protect him discreetly.”

“The bounty isn’t only on the Guard Captain’s head. Anyone who finds you also receives a reward—if someone betrays your location, you could be in danger too.”

“But we still have the other Imperial Guards. Right now, Ascan’s safety comes before mine.”

“But—”

Zen was about to protest,

when the door—which hadn’t been fully closed—creaked open. Instinctively, I turned my head and saw Ascan, unexpectedly standing there.

He must have already procured the antidote and returned; he entered the room holding a small vial.

“I see you’ve already heard the news.”

Worried, I hurried toward him, scanning him up and down for injuries.

“Are you all right? Nothing happened?”

“No. Nothing at all. First, take the antidote—I brought it back.”

As if nothing else mattered more than this, Ascan poured water into a cup and handed me both the cup and the vial.

I nodded and swallowed the medicine without hesitation—because it came from him, I trusted it completely.

Perhaps sensing my trust, Ascan smiled contentedly as he watched me take it.

“Remember, taking the antidote once isn’t enough. You must take it three times a day for three full days—don’t forget.”

“Understood. But—did you also hear the rumor spread by the Calua Emperor?”

“Yes. I have people I’ve placed within the Lazent Empire.”

I’d more or less guessed as much.

Ascan, whose ultimate goal was world destruction, likely had spies planted in every nation.

Even setting that aside—he operated the underworld guild Parusa and was the true owner of the Adel Trading Company—so of course he’d have a branch here in the Lazent Empire too.

“What do you plan to do?”

To my question, Ascan replied with perfect calm.

“The Emperor chose a rather nasty method. But there’s no need to worry too much. I won’t die by anyone’s hand—and you will return safely to the Arwen Empire.”

“How can you be so sure? They say the bounty the Emperor placed on your head is enormous…”

Ascan chuckled softly.

“If I were the kind of man who’d die quietly, I wouldn’t have survived this long.”

It was probably just an offhand remark, but I was momentarily speechless—reminded of his past as depicted in the novel.

No matter how you spun it, his life hadn’t been easy. I knew full well how many times he’d narrowly escaped death.

Misinterpreting my darkening expression, Ascan murmured gently,

“What matters is your reputation.”

My reputation?

Come to think of it, the mere rumor of marriage negotiations between Helsion and me would’ve caused at least half of my endless stream of marriage proposals to vanish.

But I didn’t care.

Any man who judged me based on rumors and decided to propose accordingly—I’d gladly decline.

I was about to say I didn’t care about reputation at all, when unexpectedly, Ascan continued with a deep, knowing smile.

“Actually, your reputation taking a slight hit isn’t entirely bad news—for me, at least.”

I didn’t understand what he meant.

“Why? How is my reputation dropping a good thing for you?”

Seeing my confusion, Ascan gave me an enigmatic smile.

“Well, obviously. Eliminating every man eyeing you one by one would take far too long.”

Ah. Now I got it.

It felt strange saying this myself, but I was quite popular. With Helsion’s rumor thinning out my suitors, Ascan apparently considered it a good thing.

The more I thought about it, the more absurd it seemed—and I burst out laughing despite myself.

“How can you think like that in this situation?”

I’d been worried sick about the growing number of people targeting Ascan’s life—and here he was, happily celebrating the reduction in my suitors.

Seeing my exasperated expression, Ascan laughed.

“Now you see? My mind is entirely occupied with thoughts of you.”

“I’m going crazy.”

I couldn’t help scrunching my nose, utterly charmed by him,

when—ahem—Zen, who’d been silently standing beside us, cleared her throat pointedly. Clearly, she was reminding us she was still in the room.

Ascan shot her a mildly displeased glance, then—as if remembering something—spoke again.

“Oh, right—I have news to relay. Andro reported that all the mercenaries he mentioned have been captured. Originally, they intended to bring them to you first, but given the current situation, they’ve instead sent the mercenaries directly to Marquis Brellof.”

“To Father? Do you know where he is now?”

“He’s reportedly in a region of the Arwen Empire.”

Until recently, we’d lost contact with Orland. That’s why I’d even sent word to Noxia Brellof back at the Brellof estate, out of concern.

Surprised, I asked,

“How did you find Father’s location?”

“I don’t know the details myself. From what I briefly heard, they initially struggled to locate him, but recently pinpointed his whereabouts and moved accordingly.”

Unconsciously, I glanced at Zen. He, too, looked startled upon hearing Ascan’s words.

Zen quickly bowed to me and said,

“I’ll immediately attempt to contact the Head of House. Once I confirm his current status, I’ll report back to you right away.”

“Good. Also—Father may have heard the rumors about me. Make sure to explain everything clearly so he doesn’t worry.”

“Understood, Miss.”

Just as Zen was about to leave the room,

Ascan, who’d been quietly observing, spoke in a low voice.

“Tell me—how exactly do you plan to contact the Brellof household?”

“By sending trusted messengers closely…”

“Unfortunately, sending messengers—or even dispatching message birds—is currently a dangerous move. Didn’t you hear? Bounty hunters are lying in wait everywhere.”

Come to think of it, Ascan wasn’t wrong.

Right now, many would be watching any communication routes to the Brellof household, hoping to claim the bounties on me and Ascan.

Unless some neutral faction could relay messages on our behalf, attempting direct contact with Orland through ordinary channels might only expose our whereabouts unnecessarily.

Watching me sink into thought, Ascan said,

“Wait just a little. Once the rumors about us settle down, I’ll personally send word to the Brellof household.”

I appreciated Ascan’s consideration—but I couldn’t afford to wait that long.

I was worried about Orland’s situation, and the thought that he might have already heard the rumors about me made it impossible to sit still.

Moreover, if we intended to travel from here to the Arwen Empire, establishing contact now would be wise.

“Don’t worry. I have a safe way to send word to the Brellof household. There’s someone here in the Lazent Empire who’ll help me.”

Ascan looked at me questioningly.

“Someone who’ll help you?”

“You probably don’t remember—but Dekain…”

I stopped speaking, unaware I’d cut myself off.

Instantly, images of Ascan and Dekain from ten years ago surfaced in my mind. The two of them were like oil and water—yet sometimes, their opinions aligned perfectly.

It was hard to say whether they got along well or poorly.

Unexpectedly, at the mention of Dekain, a flicker of interest lit up Ascan’s golden eyes.

“Did you just say Dekain? Are you referring to the Master of the Cain Trading Company?”

“Oh, right. You know who he is?”

“Of course I do. These days, no one in the Lazent Empire doesn’t know him.”

“Dekain is that famous?”

“He’s the Lazent Emperor’s illegitimate child. I’ve heard the imperial court is currently debating whether to officially restore his royal status.”

“…What?”

I was utterly shocked.

I knew Dekain was the Lazent Emperor’s illegitimate child—because I’d read it in the novel.

But for Ascan to know it—and for Dekain to be so publicly famous throughout the Lazent Empire, even to the point of discussing royal restoration—!

Clearly, a lot must have happened while I was away in the Calua Empire.

‘Should I congratulate Dekain?’

Dekain knew the secret of his hidden birth. In the story, he harbored ambitions to become Emperor.

In the novel, he approached Noxia Brellof because he coveted her water-manipulating ability, and he approached me during the academic festival out of interest in magical engineering weapons.

was an unfinished novel, so I didn’t know whether Dekain ultimately became Emperor or not.

Right now, since the story wasn’t following the novel’s plot anyway, it didn’t matter—but regardless, it seemed Dekain had quietly drawn much closer to his goal of becoming Emperor.

Ascan watched me lost in thought, his gaze strangely intent, and asked,

“Are you close with Master Cain?”

“Well, you could say that. We’ve known each other since ten years ago.”

After Ascan’s disappearance ten years ago, while working as an arms dealer, I occasionally met Dekain.

I couldn’t turn my back on him after he left the Igtheon Trading Company because of me, so we maintained a professional relationship.

Of course, by now, the Cain Trading Company under Dekain’s leadership had far surpassed the former Igtheon Trading Company in success.

For a long time, I’d harbored lingering resentment toward Dekain over Ascan’s disappearance.

I knew it wasn’t entirely his fault, but I couldn’t bring myself to smile at him—it felt like betraying Ascan.

But now that I’d reunited with Ascan, I no longer had reason to treat Dekain coldly.

I couldn’t say I didn’t resent him for what he did to save me back then—but now, I felt I could forgive him.

Ascan asked again, his voice slightly lowered.

“How close are you, exactly?”

Something in his tone sounded almost jealous—and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Actually, you know him too. The three of us spent time together ten years ago.”

“You know me?”

“I’m not sure whether to say you two got along well or poorly—but you definitely knew each other. I’m telling you in advance, just in case.”

Ascan’s expression turned strange—almost sour, somehow.

Right now, there was no one I trusted as much as Dekain, with whom I’d walked side by side for so long.

“I plan to ask Dekain for help—requesting he relay word to the Brellof household. If we meet, your amnesia will likely be revealed, so if it feels awkward, I can see him alone.”

“No. Hearing you say that, I’d like to meet him in person.”

To Ascan’s reply, I smiled and nodded.

Contacting Dekain through the Cain Trading Company branch within the Lazent Empire was easy.

I revealed my current lodging location and requested assistance—and Dekain arrived at my location in less than a full day.

Flawless pale skin, shimmering golden hair, and deep crimson eyes that evoked a cat’s gaze—

his beautiful face remained as breathtakingly lovely as ever, worthy of being called a beauty.

Smiling gently just as when I’d last seen him, Dekain said,

“Long time no see, Tanashia.”

Then his crimson eyes drifted past me, settling on Ascan standing behind me.

“So you really are alive.”

It was the first time in ten years that Tanashia, Ascan, and Dekain had all gathered together.