“Wife, where are you taking me?”

Anais remained silent, fearing that her voice might give her away.

Without turning to look at him, she grabbed his wrist and led him away.

“Wife, are you going away from the banquet hall?”

Kylian, not resisting, gently held her hand. As she tightened her grip, he felt so pleased that he decided to just follow.

“I was afraid that the wife was trying to distance herself.”

Anais turned to look at him after hearing his words, it made Kylian smile with teary eyes. His shy smile almost made Anais stop in her tracks.

“But why am I a ‘fool’?”

Remembering the words Anais had written on his palm the night before she fell asleep, Kylian asked. He had thought she was just playing a prank.

Lately, due to the serious state of affairs in the palace, Anais hadn’t smiled much. But now, she was not only playful but also took a brief moment to look at him properly.

“If you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to. If the Wife calls me a fool, then a fool I shall be.”

As he spoke with excitement, Anais took a deep breath.

The place they arrived at was the annex, where Kylian had briefly stayed during his prince days.

“Wife.”

As the wind blew, petals from the tree stuck to her hair. Kylian, with his free hand, gently removed them.

“Wife, may I hug you just once?”

“…”

“If you don’t answer, I’ll take it as a yes.”

Anais felt that she should refuse, but the fear of revealing her identity kept her from speaking. At the moment she tried to pull back, he embraced her. Then, with a contented breath, he softly spoke near Anais’s ear.

“It seems I’m too anxious.”

“…”

“Just let me stay like this for a little while.”

Anais knew she had to remain unresponsive to his collapsing embrace. Although she didn’t raise her arms to reciprocate, he consciously released tension, fearing that his tight hold might make it difficult for her to breathe.

As she became more aware of the heartbeat, she finally spoke.

“Stop it.”

“…!”

The reason Anais brought Kylian here was to have a quiet conversation.

“Dared to wear my wife’s clothes and even wrote letters pretending to be her?”

In a moment of shock, he covered his mouth. Startled, he knocked off his black mask, revealing a pale and shocked face as he stared at her.

Anais also removed her mask, unveiling her face. Kylian’s face, which had reddened with embarrassment, now turned pale as he looked at her.

“How did you know about the conversation between my wife and me in the bedroom?”

“Because I was the one in that body at the time.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Anais looked into Kylian’s eyes. He seemed embarrassed and ashamed.

“Your Majesty, I couldn’t see the future.”

“Shut up.”

“While I couldn’t see the future, I knew Kylian would become the Emperor.”

“I told you to shut up.”

“I thought Kylian would be happy once I died. Honestly, isn’t that the case? When did we ever live as a married couple? I still…”

“I told you to shut up!”

Kylian was more tormented by the memory of clinging to Lilith and pleading with her for painkillers than by the current confusion where he mistook her for his wife. At that time, he didn’t think that the person he clung to was Lilith.

“Even now, I don’t think Your Majesty’s feelings toward me are love.”

“Don’t pretend to be my wife. It’s creepy. I found the High Priest, do you think I’ll let you live?”

“Yes, because Your Majesty cherishes the innocent and powerless.”

“You are not innocent. You are still committing a crime against me. A greater crime against my wife.”

“I am committing a crime because it is Lilith in my body.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

He wanted to believe that her words were wrong.

But Anais’s attitude resembled Lilith who had deceived him. Every time he saw that contemptuous habit that Lilith had, he wanted to believe it wasn’t true. Lilith always became kind when lying.

At first, he didn’t know, but after being deceived, he could sense the deceit hidden in that affectionate, filthy feeling.

“I gave you a warning, and it looks like you can’t even repent.”

“Your Majesty.”

Kylian drew the sword he had been carrying.

“If I kill you in this place where there’s no one, there won’t be anyone to interfere this time.”

“Then kill me.”

Anais said everything she wanted. Even if he didn’t believe her, she thought there was nothing she could do. In her opinion, if she was in Kylian’s position, this statement would be hard to believe.

What Kylian heard and what he experienced firsthand would be quite different that it would disillusion him.

“Even if I die now, I hope Your Majesty takes the right path.”

“….”

“Even if Your Majesty’s feelings for me are not love but a sense of responsibility….”

“….”

“Still, I like Your Majesty. Even if you treat me harshly and hate me. I’ve always felt that way about Your Majesty.”

Kylian’s sword raised high. Then, trembling, Anais closed her eyes and uttered her last words.

“So, Kylian, I hope you find happiness.”

Wham!

The place where the sword was embedded was a tree trunk.

Kylian dropped the sword and stepped back.

Shaaa!

It began to rain. Heavy raindrops that could conceal his emotions.

“Your Majesty.”

“I won’t believe whatever you say. So, stop pretending.”

He said that while giving her a threatening look, then disappeared.

* * *

When Kylian returned to the ballroom, the hide-and-seek game had already ended. Kylian couldn’t smile properly until the end of the party.

“Now, let’s go since I’m tired.”

“Yes, Wife.”

Kylian felt sorry that the Empress seemed to know that he had gone outside. During the hide-and-seek, the Empress must have been alone all this time. However, the Empress didn’t seem to care at all.

“Wife.”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t you bothered that I went outside?”

“You went out to find me, didn’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“Then why bother asking?”

Watching the Empress, who showed no curiosity about him, Kylian felt a sense of frustration. It was painful that his wife wasn’t curious about him. Her eyes didn’t seem like the Anais he knew. He was afraid that the thought kept creeping into his mind that maybe she wasn’t really Anais.

“Wife.”

“Yes.”

“By the way, one of my aides has decided to take a year off as they recently had a child. What does the wife think of children?”

“Ah, successors.”

The two of them were walking slowly toward the Imperial Palace. Even while walking side by side, Kylian, seeing the Empress not wanting to hold his wet hand, decided to withdraw his hand.

“Let’s try harder next year.”

“I understand that your health is not good. But…”

“But what?”

“Let’s stop talking about this.”

He found her nonchalant attitude towards this topic more puzzling.

“Wife.”

“Why again this time?”

“Please hug me just once.”

“I don’t want to. Kylian is wet, I don’t want to touch you.”

“Alright.”

Despite her cold attitude, he smiled brightly and composed himself. Lilith was someone who repeatedly deceived him. It was hard to believe her words.

The fact that Lilith’s eyes resembled his late wife’s eyes was likely a deliberate move.

And Kylian, due to the dreadful memories of the five years without Anais, felt that even if his wife didn’t look as he remembered her, he could still love her. Even if she reverted to the appearance from a long time ago when she used to be a villain.

She was his redemption. Even if she died and came back as someone else, he didn’t want to pretend not to know the love he had received.

In Kylian’s life, Anais was redemption itself.

The situation had changed, but nothing else had.

* * *

Late at night, Kylian looked down at the sleeping Empress’s body.

He gazed at the strange mark on the Empress’s chest, unsure when it appeared. It seemed like some kind of pattern, yet he could not sense any magic or impure energy emanating from it.

“Wife.”

He called out to Anais, who was deeply asleep. He feared Anais sleeping so deeply, as if she might leave him in her sleep. Occasionally, he found solace watching her talk in her sleep.

“My Wife. My Anais.”

He spoke while gently stroking her cheek. In response, she frowned for a moment and then relaxed again. Kylian looked at her with relief.

Knock, knock.

“From the Temple of Julias…”

“Come in.”

Kylian interrupted and allowed the High Priest to enter. Phileal stood by his side, holding the chain connected to the restraint collar, ready to pull it at any moment.

“Swear by Goddess Julias. Promise that the purification you’re about to perform will not harm my wife’s body in any way.”

“I swear by Goddess Julias that the purification I perform is for Lady Anais’ well-being.”

“…Very well.”

Kylian let out a small sigh. The thought that he would soon see her with the eyes he loved brought a glimmer of anticipation.

“Begin.”

Phileal glared at him looking ready to snap the High Priest’s neck at any moment. Seeing this, Kylian chuckled. He realized that, despite his feline demeanor in front of the priestess, he felt more like a fierce panther.

…!

As the High Priest extended his hands, unleashing divine energy, he purified Anais’s body in an instant.

“Hu-uhk….!”

Anais trembled in pain.

“Stop!”

“I’m almost done!”

“I said stop!”

“Uh…”

However, the pain was brief. Anais, seemingly felt better and breathed out comfortably.

“Haa…”

As Anais regained her breath, Kylian looked at her with relief, making sure she was truly okay.

“Everyone, leave.”

“…Yes.”

The High Priest and Phileal went out. However, Phileal, glancing back to see if Anais had fully awakened, left slowly upon confirming that her eyes were wide open.

Kylian kept his eyes on Anais. Her clear, bright eyes felt like pure white light when she looked at him.

“…Kylian.”

Anais called him in a voice that had fully calmed down. It felt disgusting that he had tried to kill her earlier.

__