Chapter 59………………
“He took a part of his body for me?”
The shattered cup stirred a whirlwind in Rosiana’s mind.
It wasn’t just that it had been life-threatening—he had even left a part of himself behind.
All for her.
Leaving behind both his strength and a part of himself meant he had plans to do something for her even after that.
“He didn’t abandon me alone. Even my sisters, even Tenebres… they did it for me…”
They had prepared.
To free her from the fate of being the Demon King’s prey.
To create a new future for her, one that had otherwise vanished.
They risked their lives to twist their destinies.
“To that extent!”
As her purple eyes grew moist with emotion, the crystal orb in Edwin’s room flickered. Edwin moved toward it.
He informed Rosiana of what he received through the orb.
“They’re bringing the shattered cup by the fastest means in the Mage Tower. You should receive it by tomorrow morning.”
In just a few hours, she could have the shattered cup.
Then she would have to ask Asterios directly.
What the shattered cup was.
Why he did something so dangerous.
And for what purpose he had to endure such sacrifice.
“But… part of me doesn’t want to know.”
Some truths in this world require confirmation, while others can be known without asking.
The emotions she had felt toward them—from her days as Erika to now, as Rosiana—
the tangled mix of obligation, betrayal, longing, and resentment—were now losing their weight and clarity.
What they had done for her was a sacrifice, and knowing the reason, she could not blame their choice.
“Thank you for your meticulous care and prompt handling. Please rest well, Tower Lord.”
Even as she bowed gracefully and left the Mage Tower Lord’s room, the princess’s complexion remained pale.
Edwin thought the shock must have been significant but could only console himself—it was inevitable.
Still, Edwin had neither the intention nor the reason to yield Rosiana to anyone else.
Even if that person had been a close friend with centuries of shared history, it made no difference.
The next day.
As promised, Edwin sent a servant to deliver the shattered cup to Rosiana.
Receiving the box she had personally made in her past witch days from a Mage Tower servant, Rosiana felt her heart drop.
A white wooden box with red stripes.
“As… no, Tenebres.”
A box that only came from the Witch’s Forest, a gift she had given him herself.
“What on earth did you put inside this?”
Rosiana caressed the box.
Her fingers trembled as if the box were an old lover of hers.
And before long, the promised time arrived.
The night they would fulfill their contract.
Did he know?
How much he had loved her, and how much she had longed for him since he disappeared?
Of course, he didn’t. That was why he had vanished without a word.
The shock and sense of betrayal she felt when her sisters—dearer to her than life itself—and the man whose heart she wished to receive were suddenly gone was indescribable.
The fact that it was her fault felt like a noose around her neck.
She felt gratitude, yet resentment.
Love and longing intertwined with reproach and anguish.
“But… did I also fail to realize the many efforts and pains he endured?”
Because of the thoughts he had to swallow and the plans he could not reveal, perhaps there were many moments when he hesitated, keeping everything to himself, unable to hand them over.
Even seeing the “shattered cup” he left behind for her… it was clear.
Asterios, as Tenebres, had certainly planned the future for Erika.
Only, at that time, he could not tell her.
“He must have been hurting, suffering, in pain too.”
Perhaps even now.
When she finally thought it was time to let go of the selfish loss and the sense of betrayal from being left alone,
knock knock.
The sound of knocking broke her thoughts. She rose.
“Come in, As.”
The owner of the name opened the door as she called and approached.
Through the closing door, she caught a glimpse of Mari, who would watch over their night.
“I brought the box from the Tower Lord.”
Rosiana handed over the white birch box.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Asterios hesitated slightly as he took it with both hands.
“I didn’t think you’d still keep this.”
“…Because you gave it to me.”
A gift she had given to him, when she was Erika and he was Tenebres.
It was precious, so precious that it was the only thing she could put a part of herself into.
“Aren’t you going to ask what’s inside?”
“I’m curious, of course, about what’s in it. But not now.”
Rosiana quietly invited Asterios to sit.
“It’s something you needed for recovery, right? Today, I’ll just hold your hand. You don’t seem fully… whole yet.”
Asterios, who had expected something else, widened his eyes slightly, then quickly composed himself.
“As you wish.”
She placed her soft, white hand over his large, rough one.
She had come prepared to give all her mana, even to the point of fainting, like last time.
She had secretly hoped for a deep kiss today too.
But the embarrassment of showing her desires in such black clarity made her flinch.
And she only took just enough strength to slightly dizzy him before quietly letting go.
“Now go and rest.”
“Yes, please rest well.”
Even as she left the princess’s room under the guidance of the summoned guest spirit, waves of lingering emotion washed over her.
She even wished to hold him tighter.
No, she wished that, like three days ago, he had overpowered her, plunging fully into her embrace.
Even if handled roughly, she wanted to give him all of herself.
For a moment, she forgot that even that required her permission.
“I must be crazy.”
When she opened the door, Mari, waiting at the entrance, was surprised to see Asterios walking out perfectly fine.
“…It’s already over?”
It seemed pointless for her to have stood guard, fearing he might lose consciousness again.
Moreover, Asterios’s expression was not good.
“You’ve received the box.”
“Yes. I’ll return to my room. Take care of Her Highness.”
Cradling the white box with red stripes, Asterios hurried toward his room.
Time flowed swiftly and violently, like a river.
Leodian, Emperor of Dreat, offered a separate palace to over a hundred candidates for the contest.
Initially, there were no special conditions for registration. But as hundreds applied, the emperor set qualifications: they must be unmarried, of suitable status for the royal family, and their knowledge, character, and combat abilities would be evaluated.
After the emperor’s announcement, some withdrew voluntarily. Even some who admired the princess gave up and returned. It was on the day of the grand arrival of the princess.
Ultimately, the candidates were narrowed to 100.
At last, the contest to select the princess’s fiancé began.
The four key men of interest sat facing each other in the central garden of the palace.
The Demon Realm’s Mephisto, Tower Lord Edwin, the Grand Sage Daniel, and the princess’s knight commander Asterios.
“Daniel, as a mere servant of the princess, are you really allowed to sit here?”
Edwin, sitting opposite Daniel, mocked him at once.
“I’m a proper candidate this time!”
It had been a long time since they saw each other as adults. The Grand Sage had kept the appearance of a child for over a hundred years.
“Oh? Now that you’re an adult, are you trying to woo Her Highness?”
“Hmph! I was always an adult! She was young before, but now that she’s of age, it’s finally time to show my charms properly.”
In reality, since returning to the Demon Realm, Daniel could no longer transform back into a child. The sacred power he possessed prevented hiding his true form.
“Still, joining the contest with the princess you serve… ungrateful fellow.”
“W-What nonsense, Edwin! The princess gave her permission!”
Daniel’s face shifted from red to green in embarrassment. He had no idea that Edwin had spent centuries teasing him for fun.
Edwin laughed heartily.
“Over 200 years ago, you were just a snot-nosed kid. You’ve grown a lot.”
“T-That was long ago! Must you always bring it up!”
Even though Mephisto had subdued the Demon Realm, he was not yet Demon King, so monsters still roamed freely. Edwin and Asterios had once saved the Grand Sage when he was in danger.
Asterios, listening quietly, shook his head and clicked his tongue softly.
“Yeah. I should have just left you back then.”
With Asterios joining in, Daniel’s face paled further.
“…One day, you’ll regret underestimating my sacred power.”
Even if Daniel was teased in front of these beings, he remained a respected Grand Sage to the ordinary folk, so he could not let his guard down.
Asterios recalled what Yosef had whispered that morning:
“His Highness Graham may not act personally, so I will follow up discreetly. If noticed, it will look better that I, as a former priest, admire and pursue him. Duke, please take care of the Grand Sage. There is a reason His Highness has brought him along.”
He could not relax.
Asterios’s golden gaze tightened.
