The aversion to black magic ran deep. As Senon pondered the matter, he suddenly remembered Cesare's deceased mother.
After falling out of favor with the Emperor, she succumbed to madness, resorting to various forms of witchcraft in a desperate attempt to win back his affection. When all her efforts failed and her irritability grew daily, she began a new romance with a younger lover, a knight of the palace fifteen years her junior.
The knight, who admired Cesare, approached the mother with ulterior motives. By becoming her lover, he also gained closer access to Cesare.
Although the relationship was far from ideal, it represented a significant improvement over the previous complete lack of contact. The knight had achieved his goal.
Deeply in love with her new lover, the mother began to neglect Cesare. This change, while detrimental to her new relationship, ultimately benefited Cesare, who occasionally showed interest in the knight as a gesture of goodwill.
However, tragedy struck when the knight died unexpectedly in battle. Desperate to resurrect her deceased lover, the mother resorted to witchcraft. She indulged in bizarre practices once more, even going so far as to draw Cesare's blood, claiming it was necessary for her rituals.
But the dead cannot be brought back to life.
This is an immutable law, and the mother, who persisted in senseless acts, ended up hanging herself, taking her own life. The first to discover her choice, unable to bear her despair, was the twin prince.
Neither Cesare nor Leone seemed shocked or saddened by their mother's suicide. It seemed almost an inevitable outcome, and they accepted it with impressive calm.
On the day of the funeral, there was no mourning—only a strange sense of relief. Senon himself felt a quiet satisfaction with her death. His mother had been a great obstacle in Cesare's path.
Revisiting those old memories was suffocating. As Senon tried to push away the disturbing thoughts, a sudden idea began to take shape.
It was as if all the disconnected clues he had gathered were beginning to align. Senon spoke slowly:
— … Do you want to go out for drinks?
Lotan readily accepted Senon's spontaneous suggestion.
Originally, Senon was supposed to return to Erzet Manor to discuss various matters related to Morpheus with Eileen. However, the meeting with the judges was prolonged due to their stubbornness, causing the work to take much longer than expected. As a result, Senon had to postpone his visit to the Manor and plan his trip for the following morning.
To make the most of their unexpected free time, the two knights decided to visit a tavern and invited Diego and Michelle to join them.
Although they sat in a noisy corner of the tavern, the four attracted everyone's attention. Their well-tailored military uniforms and tall, imposing figures set them apart from the other customers. Indifferent to the stares, they each ordered a beer and drank it in one gulp.
"Ah, now I feel alive, " Michelle said, laughing as she lit a cigarette.
Diego, rolling up his sleeves and revealing a tattoo on his forearm, looked at Senon and asked:
Why did you call us?
— To talk about my delusions.
Michelle gave a disapproving thumbs-up and a "pool ," but the other knights, typically playful, focused intently on Senon's words. As Cesare's trusted lieutenant, he had already successfully devised numerous strategies, and the knights frequently relied on his expertise for important matters. They all trusted his judgment blindly.
Senon placed a crumpled piece of paper on the table.
Listen. As I said, all of this could just be my delusion.
Despite his confident assertion that it was delusional, the knights set aside their usual humor and focused on Senon's words. They had great respect for his insight and knowledge.
I've been thinking a lot about the reason for the Archduke's change.
Senon wrote on the back of the paper with his inseparable pencil:
[Present – ?? – Future]
He wrote "7 years" above the "??".
Remember what was said, seven years ago?
Everyone remembered the phrase Caesar uttered before beheading King Kalpen.
— Seven years ago.
With the knights nodding, Senon continued:
— It seems the Archduke's memories are different from ours. Since his move, he has displayed an unusually sharp perception of things, almost as if he knew the future. Based on his words and actions so far, that's the impression I get.
Senon drew a line from the future back to the present.
— It seems the Archduke has returned from the future to the present due to some event. And I believe that event is related to Miss Eileen.
Senon emphasized once again: "It's all just a delusion."
He observed the knights' expressions. There was no sign of disbelief or scorn; instead, they all listened with serious and attentive eyes. Despite their usual arguments, the knights had unwavering confidence in Senon's perception.
Even when Senon ventured into absurd ideas, the knights maintained unwavering trust in him—something that touched him deeply.
"Hypothetically… If we consider that line of thinking, then perhaps something catastrophic happened to Miss Eileen, leading the Archduke to travel back in time. " Senon hesitated before continuing cautiously.
Perhaps... something like a death sentence.
Silence fell over the table. After surveying the room, Lotan was the first to break it.
If that's the case, how would that be possible?
"To support this idea, we would need an extraordinary method. Initially, I considered black magic, but given the Archduke's aversion to such things, it seems unlikely…"
It could be black magic.
Diego's immediate response surprised Senon. Seeing the perplexed faces of his colleagues, Diego continued, touching the ear where the piercing marks were still visible.
Perhaps not in the past, but the current Archduke seems… capable of such things.
Even though Cesare had loved and cared for Eileen before, his behavior since the move had become unsettling. His concern and care for her had transformed from affection into something far more intense and frightening.
If, as you suggest, Miss Eileen went through such an event… then the Archduke…
Diego's words faded, and Lotan finished in a low voice.
He certainly would have turned the world upside down.
Even if it meant resorting to the black magic that he so despises.
Silence returned. After a few sips, savoring their drinks while reflecting, Michelle suddenly asked:
So, what does our master really want? The safety of Mrs. Eileen? That doesn't seem enough.
Michelle frowned as she held her beer mug.
Revenge, perhaps.
Diego nodded in agreement, adding to Michelle's statement.
Given the Archduke's temperament, revenge seems a plausible motive.
Lotan, with furrowed brows, added:
Now that I think about it, the Archduke recently made some strange comments…
"What did he say? " Senon asked.
He said killing them all was a mistake, that it happened too quickly, and now it's difficult to find the others.
Lotan pointed to the "future" section of the improvised timeline.
— The spies from the Kingdom of Kalpen attempted to execute Miss Eileen. She died, and the Archduke sought revenge, eliminating all those involved.
Lotan uttered these somber words with nonchalance, then moved his finger to the "present" section .
— Now, he can't act as he pleases. He can only eliminate those directly involved. But it seems that the Archduke…
Lotan looked at the others and concluded in a low voice:
— You don't know all the mentors behind the execution.
The Archduke's laboratory was a place that seemed to bring Eileen's dreams to life. The confiscated research materials were meticulously organized with perfection, and various expensive tools filled the space. It was a fascinating environment—but Eileen couldn't fully appreciate it.
Part of this stemmed from what he had heard from Senon before being shown his new laboratory. Senon enthusiastically praised Morpheus's virtues, assuring him that, once the research was completed, it would be publicly announced throughout the empire.
Given the nature of the raw materials, she would inevitably face scrutiny once the research became public. However, Senon assured her that he had taken all necessary measures to ensure a favorable outcome and asked her not to worry.
"However, if you are afraid of judgment, you should abandon your research on Morpheus," said Senon.
Faced with the choice between continuing or giving up, Eileen hesitated only for a moment. But, in truth, the decision had already been made from the start.
- I am going to try.
Eileen decided.
Senon was pleased and supported the decision. Eileen had believed it was the right choice, but fear was inevitable.
Now, she found herself in a position where she could deliver a fatal blow to the Archduke. No matter how hard she tried, the outcome was uncertain—and anxiety consumed her.
But she could not give in entirely to those fears—thanks entirely to the Archduke himself.
— …
Eileen moved her fork and knife slowly, looking at the Archduke seated across from her. For the past few days, she had seen the man every single day without exception.
They met at least once a day, either at breakfast or late at night in their room. Despite their constant presence, it still seemed surreal.
As she watched him, she cut the tip off the roasted asparagus and brought it to her mouth. She closed her eyes, overcome by a peculiar sensation.
The man, who was enjoying his tea and reading the newspaper, immediately looked up and asked.
Did something happen?
Oh, it's nothing... just...
Eileen stammered, offering a vague excuse as she hurried to concentrate on her asparagus. But her husband's gaze remained fixed on her, and he spoke again.
Be honest, Eileen.
"It's just that... it's bothering me," she admitted, blushing. "Maybe it's because of the ointment..."
From that day on, the Archduke examined Eileen's condition daily. He spread her legs, inspected the area, and applied the ointment without fail.
Despite his incredibly busy schedule, the Archduke meticulously divided his day to deal with these matters. He personally ensured the ointment was applied, even if it meant waking Eileen from her sleep at dawn.
Because of this, Eileen was subjected to almost nightly torment. The man's fingers, supposedly meant for healing, made her body burn with desire. Each treatment ended on the brink of an ambiguous climax without relief.
As this continued day after day, Eileen began to experience persistent arousal, even during the day. While studying the knowledge necessary for her role as Archduchess with Sonio and answering letters, her thoughts often wandered to lewd fantasies.
Thus, Eileen anxiously awaited her full recovery, longing for the Archduke to finally make love to her. The memory of trembling with fear on her wedding night seemed a distant memory.
'I hope this treatment ends soon…'
Lost in these thoughts on that bright morning, Eileen was abruptly brought back to reality by the man's sweet voice.
Today is the seventh day.
As he said, today marked the seventh day since their wedding and was the day Eileen would visit the Imperial Palace to receive the title of Archduchess.
The Archduke folded the newspaper with his long fingers. Eileen followed the movement with her eyes before finally looking at him. He placed the newspaper on the table and asked, his voice pleasantly calm:
— Shall we skip the ointment tonight?
To be continued…