To Dekain, the fact of Ascan’s survival must have been an astonishing revelation, yet for some reason, he looked as calm as if he had expected it all along.

Though puzzled, I first gestured for Dekain to take a seat, since he had rushed over in one stride.

“I didn’t expect you to come right away—thank you. Shall we sit down and talk?”

So that we could face each other, Dekain and I sat opposite one another, and Ascan naturally took the seat beside me.

Dekain glanced briefly at Ascan, but directed his question toward me.

“I’ve heard rumors about you. I don’t know how much is true, but marriage talks with Emperor Calua? What’s going on?”

“It’s all baseless rumor. What actually happened was different from the gossip. Emperor Calua tried to force me into marriage, and Ascan rescued me.”

“…Tried to force you into marriage?”

Instantly, Dekain’s eyes turned icy cold. Though brief, the chilling aura he exuded sent shivers down my spine.

Ascan, for some reason, was watching Dekain’s expression with close attention.

Sensing the atmosphere turning grave, I waved my hands dismissively, as if it were nothing.

“It’s fine. It’s already in the past.”

But Dekain’s expression didn’t soften easily. He spoke in a low voice, clearly displeased.

“Even so… it’s unpleasant.”

Ascan, who had been silently observing until now, finally spoke up.

“What exactly is unpleasant to you?”

With those words as the trigger, Ascan and Dekain locked eyes directly over me.

Dekain answered with a crooked smile.

“You’re asking me that, as if you don’t know?”

Though the answer was ambiguous, his tone was unmistakably provocative to anyone listening.

I saw Ascan’s eyebrows twitch slightly.

Unable to stand it any longer, I intervened.

“It’s been ages since we met—why act like this? Ascan, he only said that because he’s worried about me, so don’t take it to heart. Dekain, you too—don’t say things that might cause misunderstandings.”

Thanks to my mediation, Ascan and Dekain exchanged only silent glances, but somehow the atmosphere felt even more tense than before.

When we were younger, it hadn’t been this bad. Now that we were adults meeting again, they seemed to dislike each other even more than before.

Feeling it wouldn’t be good to drag things out, I hurriedly brought up the main topic.

“Dekain, I have a favor to ask.”

At my words, Dekain wiped away his sharp gaze fixed on Ascan, turned to me, and smiled brightly.

“What is it? Go ahead.”

“You’ve probably heard the rumors too, but I’m worried my father in the Arwen Empire will hear them. Could you deliver a letter I’ve written to the Brellof family?”

“Ah, now that you mention it, contacting them under these circumstances must be difficult. I heard there’s an enormous bounty on that guy’s head, so many are after him.”

Something felt off.

The rumor Helsion had spread was that the Imperial Guard Captain had kidnapped me. Yet I hadn’t said a single word yet about Ascan’s true identity.

‘How does Dekain already know who Ascan is?’

I looked at Dekain with puzzled eyes and asked.

“You knew Ascan was the Imperial Guard Captain?”

Dekain, as if he’d never intended to hide it, nodded readily.

“You canceled all your schedules and left for the Calua Empire—I was supposed to believe I wouldn’t find out?”

Come to think of it, since Dekain and I were professionally entangled, he would have been the first to know I canceled my plans to follow Ascan.

Surprised by this unexpected revelation, I asked with a stunned expression.

“Since when exactly…?”

“There was no way you’d leave the Arwen Empire without good reason, so I got worried and looked into it. I found out a man resembling Ascan had come looking for you.”

“Why didn’t you just ask me directly?”

The thought that he’d secretly investigated my whereabouts gave me a strange feeling.

Dekain smiled bitterly and answered in an even lower voice.

“Our relationship has been rather cold over the past ten years. I was worried, but didn’t feel comfortable asking. If it upsets you, I apologize.”

“No, to some extent… I understand.”

I had treated Dekain coldly for a long time. I had to admit the atmosphere made it difficult for him to ask me honestly.

Dekain continued his explanation.

“Moreover, after the Emperor of the Calua Empire changed, portraits of the previously veiled Imperial Guard Captain began circulating secretly. The moment I saw it, I knew exactly who it was.”

Now it all made complete sense.

Dekain had suspected Ascan’s survival from the moment I left for the Calua Empire, and later confirmed it upon seeing Ascan’s portrait.

Since he already knew Ascan’s face, naturally he could deduce that the Imperial Guard Captain and Count Atreus were one and the same.

“…I see.”

At my murmur-like response, Dekain crinkled the corners of his eyes and grinned.

“I was genuinely happy to hear that guy survived. It felt like you no longer had any reason to hate me. Meeting you like this today made it even clearer.”

For a moment, I was speechless.

Dekain was right. I no longer had any reason to resent him.

“Tanashia, do you know how long it’s been since you treated me this comfortably? A full ten years. Only today does it feel like the bitterness I’ve carried all this time is finally washing away.”

“…I still hate that you saved me against my will back then. But if you felt hurt because I was too cold, knowing it wasn’t entirely your fault—I’d like to apologize for that.”

As I spoke, I glanced sideways at Ascan seated beside me.

Though it was hindsight, since Ascan was alive, I no longer wished to dwell on past grievances. What mattered was the future.

Dekain, still smiling gently at me, suddenly turned to Ascan with a chillingly cold expression, as if putting on a mask.

“But there’s one thing I don’t understand. Why didn’t that guy show up in front of us all this time?”

Ascan’s brows furrowed slightly. He looked straight at Dekain and spoke.

“That guy… I tried to tolerate it, but I can’t anymore. Even if I was a slave in the past, I won’t allow you to keep talking like that.”

Dekain’s expression turned ambiguous. He seemed to sense something odd in Ascan’s tone.

“Now that you’re neither Imperial Guard Captain nor Count Atreus, what should I call you then?”

“Since you lead the Cain Syndicate, I suppose you may address me as Adel Syndicate Master, as equals.”

“Adel… Syndicate Master of the Calua Empire?”

Dekain stared at Ascan with astonished eyes.

His gaze shifted toward the red ruby ring on Ascan’s finger—the very ring I’d handed him earlier when instructing the coachman to prepare a ship bound for the Largent Empire.

Apparently, Dekain knew exactly what that ruby ring signified.

“Ha, I didn’t know this. So you’re the Adel Syndicate Master….”

I had anticipated that if these two ever met, Ascan wouldn’t be able to hide his amnesia.

Given the flow of the conversation, it seemed better to be honest first, so I asked Ascan.

“Is it alright to tell Dekain?”

Though my question was vague, I was asking whether it was okay to reveal that he’d lost his memories.

Ascan seemed to understand my meaning and immediately nodded. He apparently judged there was no need to hide it.

Only Dekain, unaware of the meaning behind our exchange, looked at us with curious eyes.

“Dekain, actually, Ascan has lost all memories from ten years ago. He doesn’t remember anything from back then.”

“Really?”

Dekain stared at Ascan with disbelief. His expression shifted several times, as if wrestling with inner thoughts.

Soon after, Dekain muttered quietly to himself.

“…So that’s why he said what he did earlier.”

He seemed to be reflecting on Ascan’s earlier question—when Dekain had expressed displeasure upon hearing I’d nearly been forced into marriage with Helsion.

Still looking confused, Dekain alternated his gaze between Ascan and me and spoke.

“But if you’ve lost your memories, why are you together? Something doesn’t add up.”

Come to think of it, from Dekain’s perspective, it was hard to make sense of.

Even as I tried to explain, an awkward, embarrassed feeling welled up inside me.

I scratched awkwardly at the bridge of my nose, face flushed, and answered.

“We… fell in love again.”

Even though Ascan had lost his memories, nothing had changed.

Looking back, it felt like a miracle—I had fallen in love once more with the man I met anew.

Dekain instantly scowled. It wasn’t just a mild frown—it was a clear, intense expression of displeasure.

I looked at him, bewildered.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing. Right, so that’s how it is.”

Tap tap. For some reason unknown to me, Dekain fell into thought, habitually tapping the table with his fingers at a steady rhythm.

Soon, he looked at me with a strange smile.

“Anyway, you’re asking me for help today, right?”

“Yes. I’d appreciate it if you could deliver the letter I wrote to the Brellof family.”

“Alright. But you’re not expecting me to do this for free, are you?”

I was startled by Dekain’s unexpected remark.

For him, who operated the Cain Syndicate in the Largent Empire, this was hardly a difficult task. I hadn’t assumed he’d agree outright, but I certainly didn’t expect him to openly demand compensation.

I answered, slightly flustered.

“Is there something you want from me?”

“Of course. So much that it’s overwhelming.”

Dekain grinned shamelessly. Then, for some reason, he lowered his voice slightly as he looked at Ascan and added,

“Go on a date with me.”

…What?

It was completely unexpected.

The problem wasn’t just that I was shocked—it was that Ascan, seated beside me, had transformed into a terrifyingly grim expression.

Orland felt as if all the blood in his body had turned ice-cold.

He listened to Andro’s explanation, who had been detained by the Imperial Guard.

It was the story of how, over twenty years ago, a former mercenary named Cains had infiltrated the villa and stolen documents.

Tanashia and Ascan had pursued Cains, but found him already dead—and by chance, encountered Andro there, as detailed in the account.

There were many unresolved questions about how Tanashia had tracked down Cains, but those weren’t important now.

The main culprit behind the poison had already been revealed as the Pelmira family.

Orland naturally assumed the true murderer of Charles was the intruder who had vanished that day without leaving any trace.

‘But… not so?’

They had come to the villa merely to steal documents.

He didn’t care how important those documents were. Compared to Charles’s life, whatever they contained was worthless to Orland.

From that point, he began interrogating not Andro, but the mercenaries who had infiltrated the villa that day.

He needed to find out who had ordered them, over twenty years ago, to steal those documents.

Finally, one mercenary, unable to endure the brutal torture, spoke.

“I—I don’t know exactly who it was, since their face was covered. But they were definitely someone from the Calua Imperial family.”

Orland gritted his teeth and replied in a harsh voice.

“I don’t want your guesses. Give me credible evidence.”

“Think about it. Back then, we were the top-ranked mercenaries. Gathering such men required tremendous connections. And the payment we received for stealing those documents was beyond imagination. Only the Imperial family could possibly arrange all that!”

Outwardly, Orland showed no reaction, but inwardly, he found it plausible.

The connections, funds, and intelligence required to assemble the best mercenaries.

Above all, the fact that this truth had remained hidden for so long proved how powerful the perpetrators were.

He had chased the elusive true culprit for years, wondering: just how formidable must they be to leave no trace whatsoever?

If it truly was orchestrated by the Calua Imperial family, everything fell into place.

But evidence was still lacking. He could suspect in his heart, but it wasn’t yet proof.

Then it happened.

Once one man spoke, another mercenary began confessing too.

“Actually, I was curious—what kind of document was so important that we had to steal it all the way from the Arwen Empire? So I secretly opened it before handing it to the employer.”

Orland had intended to personally investigate the missing documents, but since it was so long ago, it took time.

Moreover, he’d been in such shock after Charles’s death that he couldn’t even remember what had gone missing.

Orland asked impatiently.

“What were the documents about?”

“They were about some kind of medicine. I overheard the employer talking—they mentioned human weapon experiments. Everyone knows the Calua Empire secretly conducted human weapon experiments, right? It’s definitely the Imperial family’s doing.”

Hearing this, Orland recalled his past investment in developing a new medicine—one meant to heal people, not harm them.

‘Could they have stolen it because it was needed for human weapon experiments?’

Orland felt as if he’d been struck hard on the head with a blunt object.

He knew how seriously the Calua Empire had pursued human weapon experiments—once, the incident had caused uproar across all nations.

He couldn’t believe Charles’s death had been buried because of entanglement in such a thing.

If only those who had broken in to steal the documents hadn’t come that day, Charles’s death wouldn’t have plunged into such an impenetrable mystery.

Their erasure of traces had also erased all clues to the true culprit.

‘…I won’t forgive this.’

Orland’s eyes turned blood-red, as if his capillaries had burst. Despite trying to suppress it, his boiling rage made him grind his teeth audibly.

Following the poison case, a second perpetrator linked to Charles’s death was now emerging.

It was none other than the Calua Imperial family.