Kallian's hands fidgeted anxiously as his carriage sped toward Vent Castle.
The moment he realized that the woman who had saved his life was actually his wife, he hadn't hesitated for a second before setting out.
Yuliana.
Her name echoed endlessly in his mind.
That she was the daughter of an enemy family no longer mattered.
He was certain that even in the past, his former self had been drawn to her just as powerfully as he was now.
That was why Denian had been born.
As he thought of that clever, affectionate child he had met at the cottage, a soft smile appeared on his lips.
At first, he had almost mistaken the boy's silver hair for Lloyd's, but Denian had clearly shown traces of shadow energy.
And after reading several books on supernatural abilities the night before, Kallian had discovered that it was possible to change one's hair or skin color through those powers.
So Denian had to be his son.
The Silverstel second son — that man — must have tricked her somehow.
He couldn't yet understand why she was living with Lloyd, why she had changed the boy's hair color, or why she had hidden Denian's true identity.
Nor did he understand why, after saving his life, she had pretended not to know him.
But none of that mattered right now. All he could think about was meeting her and Denian again.
He remembered the boy's quiet words — that he had no father.
And how Denian had said, so earnestly, that he would take care of his mother all by himself.
The memory made his chest ache strangely.
'I'll bring them both to Valdormer,' he thought. 'I'll give them a life so full of comfort and dignity that no one could ever look down on them again.'
He no longer wanted to hear that small voice speaking like a grown-up.
He wanted Denian to act like the child he was — to laugh, to cry, to be spoiled.
He recalled the way Yuliana had looked at him back in the cottage, her eyes wary and guarded, keeping her distance as if she feared him.
But that didn't matter either.
He would make up for all the years they had lost.
For now, he just wanted to see her — to see both of them.
"Lord Kallian, we'll soon arrive at the Vent territory," the coachman announced.
The closer they came, the faster Kallian's heart raced — a mix of excitement, nervousness, and fear, yet also something greater than all of them: joy.
He stared out the window, almost trembling with anticipation.
But then, the carriage came to a halt.
The guards at the border of the territory had raised their hands to stop them.
"From here onward is imperial land," one of the guards said firmly. "You cannot enter without authorization."
The coachman hesitated and replied uneasily, "Lord Kallian, heir to House Valdormer, is in this carriage."
"Even if the lord himself were here," the guard answered, "no one can enter imperial territory without the emperor's permission."
As the coachman faltered, Kallian stepped down from the carriage.
"What is going on here?" he asked.
The guards stiffened, recognizing him. One stepped forward, clearly uncomfortable.
"I am sorry, my lord, but you cannot pass without imperial approval."
'Imperial approval…'
He hadn't realized that Vent Castle — and even the surrounding lands — were under imperial jurisdiction.
'Then why is she living in a place like that?' he thought, his brow furrowing.
After a moment of silence, he exhaled slowly and made a decision.
"There's no use arguing here," he said. "Let's turn back."
When he got back into the carriage, the coachman asked carefully, "Shall we return to Valdormer, my lord?"
Kallian looked out the window, ensuring they were far from the guards, then replied firmly, "No. Stop somewhere nearby."
"Pardon?"
Moments later, Kallian had taken one of the horses and galloped into the forest alone.
As the path vanished and the woods grew dense and silent, he slowed the horse and gauged the distance to the cottage where Yuliana would be.
For someone with his supernatural abilities, concealing his presence was simple.
True, entering imperial territory without permission was risky — but the thought of danger never even crossed his mind.
All that mattered was reaching her and the boy.
He only needed to bring them out quietly before anyone noticed.
Even if imperial soldiers caught sight of him, it wouldn't matter — he hadn't brought an army or crossed the border with hostility.
Surely the empire wouldn't wage war on Valdormer over something like this.
Besides, Yuliana was his wife.
If anything, it was outrageous that his missing wife had been hidden within imperial lands.
He could just as easily accuse the empire instead.
Drawing up the shadow energy within himself, Kallian let it wrap around his body and the horse like a dark veil, then spurred the animal forward.
Since losing his memory, he hadn't consciously tried to use his powers — but now, the energy moved through him naturally, as if it had been waiting.
Like a shadow slipping through trees, he and his horse sped soundlessly through the forest.
His breath came fast, his heart pounding.
'Soon… I'll see them soon.'
I reached into the cupboard and took out Jared's note — now an old habit.
After checking that no one was outside, I unfolded it.
He had found a safe place for Denian and me to stay after we escaped.
He wrote that leaving from Silverstel would be easier than from here, but that preparations would take about two weeks.
'Two weeks…'
I could endure that. After surviving three long years in this suffocating castle, two weeks was nothing.
The only problem was that once we moved to Silverstel, we'd have to find a new way to exchange messages.
Fortunately, I still remembered the layout of Silverstel Mansion from when I had been its lady.
Thinking of an unused storage room that even the servants rarely entered, I wrote down instructions in my reply about using it as our new contact point.
'Tomorrow, we'll finally leave this place,' I thought, folding the letter and hiding it back inside the cupboard.
When I turned around, I saw Denian sitting by the window, resting his chin on his hands and staring outside.
Coming here under the pretext of packing our belongings had really been for two reasons — to pass Jared's message, and to spend some time with my son.
Denian loved this cottage. I had wanted to bring him here one last time — to comfort him before we left.
'Maybe I should bake some muffins. He always opens up when he eats something sweet.'
As I began preparing with the leftover ingredients, Denian, who had been swinging his legs by the window, suddenly straightened up.
Before I could ask what was wrong, someone knocked on the door.
Standing outside the cottage, Kallian dismounted, his chest swelling with emotion.
He ran to the door, but stopped just before reaching it.
'What if I look a mess?' he thought suddenly, brushing off the leaves that clung to his clothes and fixing his collar.
Even as he raised his hand to knock, his heart pounded wildly.
'What if she rejects me again?'
'What if all of this is just my mistake?'
'What if the man inside is not her — but him, Lloyd?'
He swallowed hard, pushing away every anxious thought, and knocked softly on the door.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
No answer.
After a moment, he knocked again — louder this time.
Still nothing.
Perplexed, he called out, "Is anyone there?"
Silence.
"Yuliana…?"
No response.
Gripped by unease, he tried the handle.
It turned easily. The door wasn't locked.
He pushed it open slowly.
But the room was empty.
No Yuliana. No Denian.
Had they just stepped out?
He stood frozen, staring at the vacant cottage, his heart sinking.
Then a familiar voice came from behind him.
"You've come."
Kallian turned sharply. Jared stood there, calm but weary.
Kallian's voice was hoarse when he asked, "Where are Yuliana and Denian?"
Jared hesitated for a long moment, then lowered his head.
"They've left," he said quietly.
"Left…? Where?"
After another pause, Jared finally answered, his tone heavy.
"They've gone to Silverstel."