The vile Fero, Venia, was already dead.

The story that the lilies would fade if a Ferro died was unheard of. After all, if the lilies were to disappear like this, countless dukes wouldn’t have chosen to marry Ferro.

“Didn’t I have to resonate with Ferro to be erased?”

It was the moment he placed his fingertips on the lily.

“….!”

He instinctively reached out, feeling a piercing sensation that shot through his entire body.

A dry gasp escaped his lips.

The area around the lily felt as if it were burning… No, the burning sensation wasn’t limited to that spot. As his mouth felt parched, a thirst that couldn’t be quenched by water surged within him. No, to be precise, it was a thirst for something more primal than water.

“…Krua.”

He barely managed to utter her name… The name of the only person who could quench this thirst. Every time he did, the lily pulsed as if it were his heart.

There was only one answer.

His body craved her. Her, not the Ferro.

She hadn’t fulfilled the conditions with him yet—to be in danger in the fire. Without fulfilling that condition, the Ferro would have already passed on to someone else.

And yet…

“….!”

His hand, which was gripping the edge of the mirror, tightened involuntarily.

Crack!

An ominous sound echoed through the room, but he couldn’t stop.

He had to endure it.

It was as she had said. She had told him not to lie, though she had not told him not to suppress it. With his mind consumed by this heat, he couldn’t see her.

If he did, he really would…

‘…Diello?’

He wouldn’t be able to bear it, even more than the day she had been consumed by the heat.

Diello exhaled heavily. Every time he thought of Krua, the lily felt as if it were being squeezed, but the thought kept coming back to him.

‘You say you’ve been deceived by me, but I’ve been like this since the beginning.’

‘I would rather you be cunning than simply docile.’

How couldn’t he be happy when she wanted his true self? As those words came to mind, he clenched his fists.

Smash!

The mirror finally shattered in his hand, which was gripping it once again. He stared at his reflection in the broken mirror.

The fading lilies…

“Duke!”

There was a commotion outside, but he couldn’t tell them to stop. It was because he didn’t have time, too busy suppressing himself.

Yet, a satisfied smile spread across his lips.

Even if she wasn’t Ferro, even if she was a fake Ferro, the lilies could be erased if their bodies and hearts resonated. Although the flower hadn’t been erased yet because they hadn’t spent the night together, he could feel it for sure.

…That he was connected to her.

And once the lilies began to fade, there was no turning back.

His fiancée, who had tried to protect his lilies even more than he did, might be surprised to learn this. What if he never had to meet the Ferro like this? What if they become completely connected? A thrilling ecstasy shot through his mind.

He wanted to find her right now, kiss her, and possess her entirely.

However…

Crack!

The shards of the mirror that had fallen to the floor crunched under his shoes. With each step he took, the dangerous expression on his face softened. After cauterizing the shallow wound with fire, he thought, wearing his gloves.

‘This won’t do.’

Shouldn’t he become a more elegant beast?

‘In front of me, promise me that you’ll only show me the truth from now on.’

Since he had promised that, he had to become someone worthy of his merciful wife. He clenched his gloved hand once more and stepped out of the room.

* * *

As expected, Alors demanded the riverbank as the meeting place.

Argenta naturally accepted his demand. Otherwise, Alors wouldn’t even show up for the talks. And we had already finished preparing for battle, with the candidates for their meeting place in mind.

“After observing the attendants that Duke Alors is bringing, it seems that they are all knights or assassins who can wield swords.”

Rick’s informants, who had been watching their approach from afar, brought back important information. Of course, we didn’t expect them to bring ordinary people, though they were truly extraordinary, even beyond our expectations.

Stupidly so.

“Then, I should now―”

I should go upstream. The moment I thought that and rose from my seat, the world seemed to distort like a mirage.

“Huh?”

The next moment, I was leaning against the table, sitting down.

Crash! Clang!

The vase that had been on the table fell and shattered.

“Madam!”

The startled maids helped me up. My body felt like it was made of waterlogged cotton.

“Why all of a sudden, like this…”

I haven’t been using much strength lately? A heavy fatigue washed over me, unlike any physical exertion I had ever experienced. It felt as if all my strength was draining away to somewhere else.

“Are you alright?”

Vielle asked, her face flushed with heat, mirroring my own.

“My body feels… heavy…”

“Call Nias!”

Vielle instructed urgently. Just then, the door swung open from the outside before the maid could reach it.

“Krua!”

It was Diello.

He approached me swiftly, clad in a black formal suit. At that moment, I felt a surge of heat radiating from him as if he were on the verge of losing control. Still, he seemed perfectly fine.

The strange thing was… me.

My magic sensitivity was heightened to an extreme degree. As I contemplated this, I heard his voice, distorted as if echoing in a vast space.

“Are you in pain? What’s wrong?”

“It doesn’t seem to be… poison…”

I whispered, my body heavy.

Suddenly, he drew closer.

“Excuse me.”

With those words, he abruptly scooped me into his arms.

“Ah…”

My vision instantly rose, and I closed my eyes, feeling dizzy. Each time I blinked, my surroundings came into focus slowly, as if I were waking from sleep.

“I’m sure I was fine just a moment ago…”

As I spoke, Diello, uncharacteristically, looked away instead of listening to me. I could see the maids near the spot where the vase had fallen back away.

‘…What is it?’

My blurry vision couldn’t make it out clearly. Meanwhile, Diello turned back to me hurriedly.

“Vielle, cancel all of Krua’s schedules for today.”

His words jolted me back to my senses.

“No, you can’t.”

As I grabbed his hand tightly, he looked back at me.

“I have to go now.”

Today was the day of the meeting. According to our original plan, I was supposed to depart for the upper reaches of the river right now.

If I didn’t reach the river on time, the entire plan would fall apart. This plan absolutely couldn’t fail since Duke Alors was already on his way, fully prepared for battle. I had to do what I had to do, even if it meant collapsing.

However, Diello shook his head.

“We should postpone the meeting instead.”

“That’s—”

I wanted to say, “Are you serious?” Though my throat was so dry that my voice wouldn’t come out properly.

As I struggled to catch my breath, he turned me sideways on the bed.

I felt slightly more comfortable breathing. Our eyes then met as he knelt beside the bed.

“Krua, you’re not well. Your fever is too high.”

He placed the back of his hand on my forehead and shook his head.

“It’s too severe. It’s impossible for you to go out like this.”

“Then, the plan will fail.”

If this continued, Diello would be facing Duke Alors, who had awakened his power, head-on. Of course, I had heard that they had prepared everything that could easily catch fire, including oil.

They intended to pour oil if necessary.

After all, it would be difficult to extinguish a fire fueled by oil, no matter how much water they poured on it.

However, this strategy was only effective if Duke Alors didn’t have much water to manipulate. If Duke Alors, who could create all sorts of shapes with water to attack, as we set fire to the oil, he wouldn’t care about us and would continue his attack.

Then, both Diello and Argenta would be in danger.

“Somehow, to the upper reaches of the river…”

I clenched my hand tightly, holding the artifact.

I had to use this ice artifact in the upper reaches of the river. Since it hadn’t rained in a while, the amount of flowing water had decreased, so if we could just block the upstream water, we would have a chance of winning.

I intended to go there and create a dam with huge ice, even if I couldn’t freeze all the water.

Considering the time set for late afternoon, the distance to the venue, and the distance to the upper reaches of the river, it would be a close call to block the water even if I left now.

Nevertheless, Diello kept shaking his head.

“No, you can’t. It’ll be too much for you.”

I knew it, too. I knew that even with a healthy body, overexerting my ability would cause pain and that with a sick body, it could have even worse side effects. I also knew that it could lead to the worst possible ending.

I saw people rushing around behind Diello.

Seeing them reminded me of the informants who had been attacked by Venia in the basement not long ago. It was distressing to see the blood of someone I knew.

“…Ah.”

At that moment, I exhaled a short breath.

“Then, let’s do this.”

Since I couldn’t go, I reached out my hand with difficulty.

Strangely, even before my hand could move properly, the water that had soaked into the carpet rose and flew towards me.

“….!”

Diello was surprised and looked back at the water. Before he could react, I moved the tip of my hand, and it turned into a sharp shape of water.

Slash!

It happened in an instant.

It felt strange that even though my body was in pain, moving water was easier than before. However, did I miscalculate the strength?

“Krua!”

Diello’s cheek was splattered with blood in surprise.

—