“────…”

Silvio averted his eyes from her surprised gaze and groaned with a troubled expression.

“The king of Mediolam rewards those who achieve great feats generously, but he is mercilessly cruel to the useless. Failure is not an option.”

Naturally, the king had no interest in the conflict between the Leveaux and Fontana families. If the ceasefire negotiations were to stall because of it, Silvio would be held responsible. After explaining all this, he sat up and leaned over Idyllia again.

“Ah—”

“For the past five years, I’ve been living comfortably in a neighbouring country, haven’t I? Moreover, I now have to consider Mediolam’s interests over the Fontana family’s. How could I face them now?”

“That’s true… But if they see you, Silvio, bravely taking action without fear of the Leveaux family, it might give hope to any surviving relatives hiding in this country…”

“If necessary to fulfil my mission, I would even ally with the Leveaux family. Do you think my relatives, if they are indeed alive, would forgive that?”

“…No.”

Shaking her head slightly, Idyllia felt his face bury into her neck.

“Don’t do anything unnecessary,” he reiterated firmly.

“I don’t want any interference. I can’t afford to take on more problems.”

With those words, as if trying to escape the troublesome thoughts, he deeply buried his face into Idyllia’s full chest.

♔♔♔

Five years ago, Silvio found himself in Mediolam. He seemed to have wandered there aimlessly with nothing but himself. Five years ago—on that fateful day. What awaited Silvio after he left the church, leaving Idyllia behind, were the citizens of the capital celebrating as they massacred members of the Fontana family. His close relatives were dragged out of their mansion one by one and publicly tortured and killed. Silvio could only watch from behind the crowd. The townspeople, who were acquaintances, were slaughtering his relatives. He couldn’t comprehend what was happening right before his eyes. Even so—no matter if it cost him his life, he had to save his family. Desperately hiding himself, he made his way back to the mansion, only to find it engulfed in flames. That day, the main members of the family had gathered at the mansion for a meeting. Because they barricaded themselves inside, the mob locked the doors from the outside and set the place on fire. His parents, his sister, and others. All those close to Silvio were consumed by the flames. Through the window, he saw shadows writhing in the blaze.

“────…!!”

The shock left him stupefied. He couldn’t cry or scream at that moment. He chastised his faltering legs and, in a daze, escaped the town and entered a deserted forest, where he vomited while crying. He screamed while vomiting and thought of Idyllia. She, being gentle and delicate, must have been deeply mourning and crying by then. Yet, he couldn’t be by her side, and that reality crushed him. And it wasn’t just that. The future where he could be happy with her was lost forever. With such irreparable events happening, there was no way he could dream. He was now an outcast, fleeing his country like a criminal. It was all over. Everything had been taken from him. All that was left was a body that could do nothing but scream and cry as if he had lost his sanity. He couldn’t remember when he had exhausted his strength from lamenting. He remembered nothing of what happened afterward. What he knew for sure was that he wandered like a ghost for a long time until he regained his senses in a neighbouring country. And for the five years until he reunited with Idyllia, he hadn’t truly lived.

“Your Highness, may I have a moment?”

It was during the move between meetings within the royal palace that his deputy, Robert, appeared from nowhere and casually walked alongside him, speaking up. It seemed he had been waiting in the hallway. As they walked, Robert briefly conveyed a message that had just arrived from their home country. It wasn’t particularly urgent.

“You could have told me when we got back to the room.”

Silvio said casually, and his subordinate raised an eyebrow.

“You’re joking. Your precious attendant is in your room, isn’t she?”

“Is there a problem?”

“Not just any problem. She was sent by the queen to keep an eye on you. She’s undoubtedly spying on us.”

“I’m the one who requested her presence… but I am being cautious.”

Silvio chuckled lightly, and Robert sighed demonstratively.

“I hope that’s the case.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Well, ever since we arrived in this country—and since you’ve had that woman by your side, you’ve seemed different.”

“…Is that so?”

The sharp observation caused him to be slightly rattled. The suave man with wavy brown hair loosely tied back played with the ends of his hair with his fingers, casting a probing gaze towards him.