Eton’s eyes, which were staring at Lize, trembled.

He thought he saw it wrong, but it wasn’t. Eton belatedly had a sudden urge to know about it… Why Raytan looks like that woman ….

She was different from the person he was anticipating but- Lize, who really resembled her, sitting in front of him now. The silver hair that shines brightly in the moonlight, and even the vibe that was radiated from her. It was the same.

Only the color of their eyes that were different.

Besides that, he was quite amused by her boldness. How could she know that an intruder was insinuating her room but still didn’t get horrified at all?

“Everyone talked with their mouth that the owner of this palace is blisteringly beautiful, soft, and also a very warm person. However …”

It was Eton who broke the silence first.

“I guess it was all different in reality, even though a stranger came to you like this, your eyes didn’t even blink.”

Lize chuckled.

“…. I have seen so many more rigorous things than this before.”

Eton narrowed his eyes.

“The woman who never dies even though she was burned with fire all over her body, a man with his crushed head, or an ugly monster that I never heard of. A lot of things come to my dreams all the time.”

“…”

“At least today is not like that, so there’s no reason to be surprised about you.”

Lize’s emerald irises shaken heedlessly. She looked in the state of half-conscious and half-dreaming. Probably thought she was still in her sleep. Eton stared at Lize and slowly walked down from the window sill. He then reached out something from the top of the table next to her bed. What Eton picked up was an empty vial.

“This is poison, right?”

Her eyes were just flickering instead of answering his question.

“The one to destroy your mind, destroy your body too.”

“Well, the effect is so impressive.”

“So it’s better to die early than to have a useless child?”

Eton grinned.

“All the emperors always do that huh. They don’t care about the women’s feelings. If you like it then just that.”

Many times passed, but nothing has changed. If the current emperor is the original blood-related descendant or there was a rebellion arisen and he was from the family who revolted, Eton was not sure. The unbearable disgust was set on his face.

“And the women who were chosen by the emperor are … always the same.”

“…”

“The initial feelings will change anyway, the situation will change in the end. Right away,

there are more things to grasp, various foods in the mouth, different places to rest the body, more authority and power to wield. You’re not that distinctive. How long will you be able to pretend to be so different?”

“You talked like you see that kind of woman yourself.”

Eton riveted his focus on Lize, his expression was stone cold.

“Who is the father?”

Lize looked up at Eton fixedly.

“Your child’s father. The person who gave you the seed of your child.”

There were no words back. Instead, Lize just laughed. The creepy laugh was one out of her mouth.

“The emperor gave me a lot of things.”

Her tone of voice was tuned differently like she was mocking someone that night.

“He averted me from dancing and being harassed on the streets, gave me expensive clothes, gave me pieces of jewelry, gave me a luxurious palace, and even gave me unwanted favors.”

“…”

“But what I chose was that man. A shallow street musician, who always kept me dancing.”

“… Musician?”

“Moonid.”

Eton took a gander at her.

“It means red moon in Kazaki. He was born on the day where the red moon rose. I know it was just a simple roughly built name, but what can we do? It was even such a luxury to have a proper name for the insignificant poor being.”

“…”

“The beggarly life, when we didn’t have anything. The life when we had to irritate people’s view just to prolong our breath. That was us.”

Her smile faded. Her emerald eyes turned blurry and stared vacantly. Lize wasn’t crying or smiling, she just mumbled low.

“It was nice though.”

“…”

“Even if you are treated poorly, even if you just earn a day and eat once, when you can stick to each other together every day, I like it.”

Eton stared at Lize’s vacuous face, he soon asked.

“Is he black-haired?”

Lize laughed as if she was drunk. Her body was stammering, despite that, she successfully sat.

“Those two don’t have a lot in common. He was red-haired and had hazel eyes, but there’s one thing that the child resembles his father.”

“What is it.”

“…”

“What thing he takes after his father.”

At Eton’s question, Lize’s face was saturated by cloudiness. Afterward, she replied with a crisp smile on her lips.

“… I don’t know. Surely, Moonid was not a black-haired.”

His brows puckered, Eton was already dubious if maybe Lize was guilty of infidelity. His guess seemed to be right. But now he knows that neither of the kid’s parents are black-haired. That Raytan kid … How come? Besides that, Lize looked verily like her. If it’s like this … then possibly …

“Where?”

“… ”

“Where do you come from?”

“Iyont Empire.”

“Your mother? Your mother’s mother, and your grandmother’s mother? Where did your ancestor’s blood begin?”

There was a significant rise in his voice but Lize didn’t even look terrified.

“I don’t know. From here to there, from this place to that place, from there, and eventually back to this place… It was just that kind of life.”

At the vague words that couldn’t be understood, Eton crushed his lips.

“Where did I come from or where I want to go, does it even matter? It’s not something that I can choose anyway. It’s always been the case. It was always like this. I, or Moonid too, always. I even saw his head crushed before my own eyes and suddenly brought to this place.”

“… ”

“I can’t even dream on my own. I always dream the same dreams I don’t want. A mother with her whole body burned by fire, an ugly monster with an unknown identity. And… the crushed head of my man.”

Eton was not saying anything whilst keeping his eyes on Lize. It was easy to catch on. The fact about the man whom Lize loved, the one who killed him was doubtlessly none other than the emperor. She was drunk on those poisonous drugs and had nightmares every day. Dream of her man dying at the hands of the emperor….

“But I didn’t have it today.”

Lize slowly reached out her hand and patted Eton’s cheek. Instantly, the smile on her face disappeared as if it was washed, her expression became cold. Lize’s loose eyes stared at him.

“Who are you?”

Her sharp nails scratched his cheek. Blood shone from the open wound, but Lize didn’t budge even with her eyebrows.

“What kind of nightmare is this?”

“This is just a dream.”

This time, it was Eton who stretched out his hands. The finespun fingers pushed Lize’s delicate shoulders gently. Her body lay down on the bed. Looking into the out-of-focus emerald eyes, Eton continued.

“You’re dreaming. When you wake up. When you open your eyes again. You won’t remember anything.”

The cluttered emerald bids were hidden as her eyelids gradually closed. Eton looked down at Lize who was lying like a corpse, he then touched her round forehead.

He just knew it. This wasn’t a coincidence. He had to know about this woman’s long blood history. However, he couldn’t save anything. Eton beat his lips. Even after he looked quite far there was nothing to flit …

“Looks like it’s still not enough hm.”

It was the moment when Eton grumbled a little, his face hardened.

“…”

On his fingertips. At the center of Lize’s white forehead, there was a faint red-colored mark.

[God’s protection ….]

At the same time, he heard a very familiar voice.

[My blood and yours… it will last forever, remember that …]

…. And the blushing smile that was looking at him. The owner of the purple eyes looked exactly like Lize.

[….Syarhwina]

Eton’s fingers rattled and trembled. He looked at Lize with a stiffened face, the red vigor disappeared in the blink of an eye. That was the end.

…. The faded God’s divine protection. After a long time, it just remained only as a trace.

For generations to generations …

“It can’t be….”

Eton muttered with a blank face.

“It can’t be …”

At the suffocating silence, Eton trilled in a desolated voice.

***

***

Sezh asked Raytan several times about how he understood the ancient language on their return but he didn’t give any answer. Raytan just walked silently. Sezh, who had felt betrayed, pouted her mouth in murky and said.

“Brother, you didn’t know and just pretended to know it, right? I’m smarter than I look. I can sense it!”

“Ho?”

At her full determination, Raytan cackled. It was the first time in her life Sezh saw Raytan so carefreely burst into laughter, her eyes rounded wide. After that, he looked at her quietly and said.

“It’s cold, so stop talking and go inside quickly.”

He just pretended it. Sezh made such a provisional conclusion.

Moreover, Raytan should not be able to understand the ancient language. How does he know the ancient language while neither the Imperial Palace scholars nor the mages know? Sezh was still doubting him very hard but decided to not show it more.

Still, that was a pretty name for something you made up randomly. Sezh mumbled the name ‘Syarhwina’ and brainwork her mind alone. It seemed like a very precious name, it just felt like that to her. It would have been nice if her name was that pretty, but, unfortunately, Sezh was just Sezh.

That day, rather than doing such a useless activity, Sezh sewn up to do something a little more productive. She wanted to express her gratitude toward Raytan and Lady Lize once in a while. It was because she recalled that she was never giving them something while she got so much from them. Sezh was a person with a conscience in her own way, so she thought she had to pay with something back.

That ‘productive work’ took more time than she thought, Sezh had to struggle even when she got up early in the morning because she couldn’t finish that up until late at night yesterday. Still, there were results. Of course, Luna was giving her quiet of assistance but.

“Luna, what do you think?”

“Very beautiful. I think they will definitely like it.”

“Really?”

“Certainly.”

Luna nodded, but Sezh couldn’t be relieved at all. It was because Luna is the one who will tell her that she is very pretty even if she makes her hair shaped like a bowl. Sezh was a little worried, but soon it was time to go to Lize’s palace, she packed her bag.

She was a little tired, but after taking the gift she prepared with her own heart all night, her steps were light. And she also ate properly this morning. It was because of Eton’s words that made her embarrassed yesterday.

‘Your enthusiasm to drink it is immaculate.’

Regardless, why did he all of sudden ask about Lady Lize? Perhaps he will do- ….he wouldn’t do something bad to Lady Lize. He already convinced her about it. But still, Sezh was anxious and hurriedly went to Eton’s place.

Be that as it may, Eton wasn’t there.

Sezh looked around the empty room with a mystified expression. He said he’ll always be here? Probably he really did something to Lady Lize last night? This was undeniably suspicious, but if anything had happened to Lady Lize, the palace would have been overturned today. Seeing the situation was quiet as usual, it seemed like there was no accident, but where did he go?

Sezh sat at the table alone waiting for Eton. He did not come back. In the end, she had to go to the library without even seeing a strand of his hair.

Huh, he said he was always here. The time is also no longer the sleeping time. Sezh, who didn’t know where Eton went, was already sizzled up in the morning.

Fortunately, Raytan, unlike someone else, never broke his promise of time.

“Brother is old-fashioned.”

Raytan, who was sitting and listening to the unusual morning greeting, narrowed his eyes.

“There is one virtue of being old-fashioned people, they are keeping their promise. Because of that, Brother is old-fashioned.”

“… That was a compliment right?”

“Of course.”

Besides that, he smoothly talked to her, it also made it even better! Sezh held up a shindig inside herself.

“Then, you have a good teacher.”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t it like that? I think I’m not wrong.”

It was the first time she had ever seen a person who is proud of himself with such an expressionless face. That’s really his talent. Does brother actually that brazen. As for Raytan’s unexpected reaction, Sezh confirmed.

“That’s right. You’re a good teacher.”

“If you understood. Then just open your book immediately.”

“Wait a minute. Before that… ”

Sezh murmured herself while pouncing her hand inside her bag. Originally, she wanted to give him the gift after the tutoring ended, but she ultimately changed her mind considering she knew she definitely wouldn’t put up any single focus on the lesson while pondering her brain around thinking if Raytan will like it or not.

“There is a gift for the good teacher.”

While deviously stealing her glance at Raytan, Sezh handed him a tiny pouch.

“Please open it.”

Raytan was staring at the thing that existed in his palm, he slowly started to open the pouch. Then … he set a weird face that no one could guess what he was thinking about.