Kahu woke up in the dark.
It has been a week since he stayed in Rapine.
He slowly missed the training center of the Imperial Knights, where he went to work every day. But now he will no longer be able to wield a sword.
Even if he's wearing a specially made necklace.
'I was an evil god.'
Evil himself, made with only intent to kill.
He suddenly witnessed his memory back in his dream.
The past, which had been considered dim, was now clear. Kahu remembered all the tortures he had been subjected to by the wizards of the secret magic tower and how he had been refined.
'That pain, perhaps Charlize Ronan, too.'
She had been through it all.
He could understand why Charlize had such a hatred for the Empire and the imperial family itself, and wanted to destroy the magic tower.
-Because she was Kiera.
And he thought that it was too strong and enviable.
'It's great to have revenge.'
A lot of it was great.
First of all, even though she became Kiera, it was amazing that she eventually maintained her rationale and did not become an evil god.
Because of that, even Kahu became a victim of the experiment, but it was the fault of the magic tower. It was never the fault of Charlize.
Second, it was great that he returned by his own power.
Kahu remembered. The astonishment, hope, and joy of the moment when 400 years had passed and time suddenly began to turn backward.
'Third.'
It was great to be alive without dying.
When Kahu told Charlize that she could kill him, he actually wanted to die.
When he remembered all the trauma and pain, he wanted to die. He was so afraid that he could not live. His shame and helplessness made his body weak.
Perhaps because of his necklace, he didn't even feel anger.
Revenge? That is a privilege that only those with the will to live and high self-esteem can have.
Kahu never thought that his mental power was weak, but it was hard to stay sane in the face of such a shocking truth.
However, Charlize did not die and survived.
She also told Kahu to live.
"Just for you, I'll protect you."
While promising so.
She sounded like the absolute prophecy of the only savior.
It was Charlize who reached out to him at the end of his despair.
As he confessed three years ago, Kahu was attracted to Charlize as the opposite sex.
'I love her.'
His love for her.
It was just that much.
Like the emperor, it was not a blind love that seemed to be mixed with madness.
A love that puts the public interest first, enough to build a reason.
But right now, Kahu. He was not confident.
"…"
It was dark, but Kahu was not afraid anymore.
He gently grabbed his necklace from the bed.
If he rips it off, will he go crazy? Will the evil god dwell?
'The evil god is destined to kill the real piece of Ehyrit.'
The myth said so.
'No, fate can be shaped.'
Kahu rationally corrected his thinking.
But Dylan, he envies him.
When he thought of Dylan, who would be happy with Charlize, holding Charlize in his eyes. It felt like he was losing his mind.
But he barely suppresses it.
He just understood.
Why Dylan was so obsessed with Charlize. He was so crazy.
'Because she's a woman who has no choice but to do that.'
Passing the responsibility is cowardly, so he will stop.
However, Charlize had the talent to make her opponent possess a twisted possessiveness even if she was standing still or showing only good intentions.
Kahu saw Lucy leaning against the wall.
After taking charge of his nursing care, she had a teary face, but Lucy was working hard.
Even though he looks so defenseless, he knows that Lucy will try to kill Kahu after he puts a sword at her as soon as he shows abnormal behavior.
She was also not known to the outside, perhaps because she was a person of Charlize, but she was stronger than the knight commander, Kahu.
Kahu was not allowed to use a sword.
He was conscious of his breath and slowly released his strength from the hand holding his necklace.
'Let's not think about it.'
He closes his eyes.
But it was Charlize who became clearer the more he said not to think about it.
Why are you so dazzling in every moment that comes to mind?
It was harsh as a game of fate.
'We were engaged.'
Somehow, he suppressed and repressed the murderous intent and anger that kept escalating.
***
After the Imperial Conference ended.
Imperial Palace Office.
As only agenda items covering the entire continent were uploaded, the meeting continued longer than usual.
It was already dark outside the window.
Dylan, who had acted in line with Charlize's performance, looked relieved now.
The subordinates withdrew on their own, and the only people in the office were the Emperor and Charlize.
"I wish you'd told me in advance… It was pretty embarrassing."
Dylan looked at Charlize.
He was genuinely embarrassed. During a boring meeting, no one would have imagined that Charlize would suddenly come in and sit on his lap.
He never hated it. Actually, he thought, 'It's lovely.'
Because she is better than anyone else at acting in an alluring performance of the woman of great beauty that shakes a tyrant in her hand.
'Lovely?'
Even that word lacked something.
He would dare to be disrespectful to his Master, but to be honest, he felt it was cute.
Charlize, who was sitting at the window and enjoying the breeze, leaned her head and stared at Dylan.
The wind blew and her hair fluttered open.
She was bewilderingly fascinating.
He was stunned for a moment, unable to say anything.
"…"
"The embarrassment is fleeting, didn't you enjoy most of the moment?"
Charlize said quietly.
It's not easy to deny the secret voice is said so calmly.
As Charlize said, Dylan was good. He can't hate it.
The emperor was quick-witted. He had an extraordinary brain that could read context even with limited information.
It was possible to guess roughly why Charlize had come without notice and acted that way.
But Dylan was more concerned with the action itself than with Charlize's true intentions.
'I'm glad I'm the emperor.'
He was just thinking about it.
He was very fortunate to be the emperor who had value for use.
"Is it because of the evil god?"
"Yes. I have to wrap the secret magic tower."
"Is Master the bait?"
"Yes, kind of."
Like a fire that drives the moth crazy.
Like a poisonous mushroom that attracts animals with its colorful appearance.
Even without a smile, Charlize pulled people into the atmosphere. Dylan moved his footsteps forward as if he was possessed.
He's getting closer.
Her makeup and clothes are very different from usual.
Perhaps it was to play the image of the evil god. The dress, which was just black if you didn't look closely, came closer, and it was a dark blood red wine color.
Sitting by the window narrowly, her bare legs are white.
Charlize was shaking her legs in the air with an indifferent face. The heels of the shoes are dizzyingly high.
Dylan knew all too well how soft her skin was.
"You put on the perfume that the servant gave you earlier."
"I urgently asked Mary to make it. Thinking about the scent from Kahu."
Kahu.
Dylan held his breath slowly.
Since Kahu is an evil god, it was right to say that she was wise to wrap the secret magic tower. It is something to be admired for being thorough, even letting the scent of evil permeate her.
But what is this dirty feeling?
"…It's only been a day since I requested it, but it's perfect. When things are alright, I'm thinking of giving Mary a launch of her perfume brand, Your Majesty."
Dylan looked down at Charlize.
Her shoulder line was white because of a slip of black outer garment.
Perfume is usually sprayed over the carotid artery of the wrist and neck. That's why Charlize's neck smells strange.
When he smelled it from Kahu, he felt it was just different in quality. It was as elegant as the heavenly aroma when it was ingrained in Charlize.
He had the urge to bury his head in the nape of her neck like a beast.
"Is there anything else I can do to help you, Charlize?"
The tyrant held Charlize's hair in his hand, hiding his innermost thoughts as a gentleman.
It felt soft enough to be described as sweet to the touch of his hand.
Kissing the tip of her hair, he looks at Charlize with blue eyes.
Charlize's lips are slightly opened. They haven't had sex for quite some time. Even in the cave, they didn't eventually have sex, and Dylan's desires continued to pile up.
"Will you marry me?"
"It's very positive, but… I don't want to think about it until things are resolved."
In the cave, Charlize drew a line on Dylan's proposal.
He didn't want to force her, so he didn't say anything more, but it was very disappointing.
He would have been happy with a single word of 'I will'.
But he understood. Her revenge is not far off. It was a situation where the public interest should take precedence over the private interest.
"Please hold a masquerade."
Charlize said.
"You mean the masquerade party?"
"Yes. I'd like a place a little further away from the islands. It would be better if it was a place where you would inevitably have to cross the mountain range on the way of the carriage…"
Dylan listened intently to her words.
Now that she has thrown the bait, it's time to set up the situation for them to take the bait.
Mountains are sparsely populated. On the way to the ballroom in the carriage, they may approach Charlize in some way from the secret magic tower.
Is it a matter of his mind if he understands easily but feels something sad?
'The principle is that the masquerade cannot be escorted in advance to keep confidentiality.'
Even in the midst of this, the thing he hated the most was that Charlize had to show her pretty appearance to the secret magic tower, not Dylan.
But Dylan swallowed his innermost thoughts.
Charlize still seemed to have only thought about work in her head. How hard it was to sit on his thigh and endure the irritation.
She didn't seem to care what kind of impulse Dylan felt.
'Yeah, when it's done.'
Proposals can also be officially done again at that time.
He's anxious.
Strangely impatient, he wanted to legally tie her up in a hurry.
It was obvious that Charlize would not be able to concentrate even if he kissed her anyway.
Again, Dylan vowed to destroy the secret magic tower as soon as possible.
***
The master of the secret magic tower was praying with his hands folded and his eyes closed.
The sacred prayer time was his favorite moment.
He's been feeling an intuition lately that he can't ignore. A belief as to the most faithful believer that soon he will receive the evil god.
Soon the wizard in the black cloak opened the door. It means prayer time is over.
The master of the secret magic tower opened his eyes. Red eyes were revealed.
"Charlize Ronan, I think she's a strong candidate."
"Could it be a trap?"
"…"
The wizard seemed to ponder for a moment. The master of the secret magic tower turned his head.
"What is it?"
"It's the stuff the grandmaster used. I thought the unique scent would help us make a decision."
It was Charlize's handkerchief.
The master of the secret magic tower noticed that the scent on the handkerchief was creepily similar to a high-purity evil.
"The track record of life so far is also worth noting. And now people are starting to prefer places with lots of people, unlike during the Death Knights."
"…We need to try it."
It meant sending the monsters or a wizard from the secret magic tower to test Charlize.
The wizard understood in silence and bowed his head.
Still, there was news that Charlize would attend the masquerade that was about to be held.
The wizard retreated.
The corner of the master's lips rose slowly. If the evil god was found, patience would finally come to fruition.
The era of true wizards.
His red eyes shone brilliantly.