Lukas, having eaten breakfast alone later than usual, stood atop the watchtower, overlooking his barren estate.
Whoosh.
The wind that brushed past him was colder than the day before. Yes. The harsh winter was approaching. And until it fully arrived, he had no way of knowing how many more northern raids they would have to withstand.
I’ll wipe them out—all of them.
He kept telling himself that, again and again, but the situation in Rantschka was far from favorable. Still, if they could mine and trade the salt, they might be able to hire a significant number of mercenaries.
What they needed was time.
Just a little more.
“Hey, Luke! Heard you overslept?”
Jackson, returning from his rounds, shouted with a mischievous grin as he climbed up to the tower. They’d been close since childhood, and when they were alone, Jackson never bothered with formalities.
There were only three people in the world who called him “Luke.”
Jackson, Reina… and his mother.
But with his mother gone from this world, only two remained.
No—Not even Reina anymore. She was no longer just a friend. Soon, she would become empress.
She came from the same noble Theonan family as the current Empress Veloria. That meant, long before she was Lukas’s friend, she belonged to a world he was never truly part of.
“So the news of me oversleeping made it all the way here?”
“Gossip moves fast. Faster than the wind, even.”
Jackson gave a playful whistle and lightly bumped Lukas’s shoulder, chuckling.
“Turns out, what alcohol couldn’t cure, a woman could, huh?”
“You look far too pleased with yourself. Like a man who’s finally caught some real dirt.”
Lukas gave a dry laugh at Jackson’s teasing. Jackson just shrugged with exaggerated innocence.
“So, can I assume the Grand Duchess is officially ‘your person’ now?”
Whoosh.
A chill wind tousled Lukas’s black hair.
“We’ll see.”
Lukas finally replied after a pause, his expression unreadable. Jackson, now more serious, asked again.
“You didn’t… go into this lightly, right?”
“Adrienne is my wife. If I want her, I can have her whenever I choose.”
“But…”
“This isn’t about belief.”
“…Yeah. That’s true.”
Jackson opened his mouth as if to argue further, but in the end, he agreed.
“Rumor has it she’s a good woman.”
“I don’t put stock in rumors.”
“Right. You only believe what you see and know.”
“Even then, sometimes I’m wrong. Which is why I let most rumors go in one ear and out the other.”
“Well, whatever the case, I’m glad. If your insomnia’s eased, that’s something.”
Lukas had suffered from chronic insomnia for years. War destroys people. A man who kills daily and bathes in blood cannot know peace.
But his sleeplessness hadn’t started with war. It went back further—to the empress and crown prince’s cruelty toward his mother, and the emperor who turned a blind eye.
He’d been born a powerless bastard to the royal family, where noble blood was everything. Among the emperor’s three sons, he resembled their father the most—and that only fueled the empress’s hatred.
Ever since he was a child, Lukas had dreamt of dying. People whispered that he would eventually be killed by the empress or the crown prince, and watching them torment his mother, he couldn’t say they were wrong.
One time, the empress framed his mother and threw her in the dungeon for a month while the emperor was away. Lukas had spent those nights trembling in fear—terrified she’d die before the emperor returned, or that he might be next.
His insomnia had taken root in those dark nights.
But last night, after making love with Adrienne, he had fallen into a deep sleep—like the dead. Not once did he wake, as if drugged.
That late morning, when sunlight poured through the window, he’d jolted awake in shock. It was so unbelievable, he’d even slapped himself while looking at Adrienne sleeping peacefully beside him.
Unreal.
His cheek still stung from that slap.
“What’s wrong?”
Lukas brushed his tingling cheek with a faint smile. Jackson raised a curious brow.
“Nothing.”
“You? Saying ‘nothing’? That’s new.”
Jackson clicked his tongue and muttered, unconvinced.
“Still. This is great. A salt mine—clearly the gods haven’t abandoned us.”
“…I don’t know about that.”
“What do you mean, ‘don’t know’? No one’s happier about the salt mine than you.”
“You said the gods haven’t forsaken us.”
“Yeah, so?”
“I’ve never once believed they were on our side.”
Lukas’s bitter smile deepened. Jackson silently patted his shoulder.
“We made it this far.”
…
Yes. Somehow, they had made it. He had earned the title of Grand Duke—albeit in name only—and was given land in his name. Even if it was a border region plagued by raids.
Nearby, the Forest of Shadows was overrun with monsters, and barbarian tribes from the Kellen region were constantly eyeing his territory.
But those threats weren’t even the worst of it.
Soon, when the emperor passed, Agmund would take the throne.
When that happened, Rantschka might be extinguished like a candle in the wind. Agmund would never leave him be. Even if he didn’t kill him outright, he’d lay traps at every turn.
“Let me rephrase, Luke.”
“What’re you talking about?”
Lukas frowned at Jackson’s cryptic words.
“The gods didn’t abandon us. They chose us.”
“Spare me the nonsense.”
“You’ll understand one day.”
Jackson grinned. Lukas stared at him in disbelief—but then, almost in spite of himself, let out a quiet chuckle.
Whoosh.
Another gust of wind swept by, making Lukas’s black hair dance. It revealed the scar running across his forehead.
____________𔒝 ࿆ ꫂ ၴႅၴ __________
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In the training grounds, the clang of swords rang out. Lukas moved among the squires, quietly observing their forms. Usually, Darren oversaw this, but since Darren had started managing the salt mine, Lukas had stepped in.
Salt mining was crucial, but it also made them a target. The barbarian tribes would no doubt take an interest. Lukas had tasked Darren with keeping the mine secure and made daily inspections himself.
“Your grip’s off, Nenny. Like this. Yeah, shift your weight here.”
“Hiyah!”
Clang! Clang!
Blades struck with sharp, practiced force.
“Haa—! Ugh!”
“You okay?”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
“You won’t last long holding your sword like that.”
They were still young. Too young, perhaps, for the weight of a sword. But they’d chosen to become knights, vowing to protect their home.
“Alright! Take five!”
Lukas called out from the platform. The squires, drenched in sweat, gratefully dispersed to the edges of the training grounds. Lukas stretched his sore neck, eyes lifting.
“….”
It was strange. Lately, it was as if he had a sixth sense just for Adrienne.
Like now.
Or perhaps it wasn’t that he was seeking her—more like, whenever he turned around, she just happened to be there.
There she was, silver hair fluttering in the breeze, looking down at him.
“….”
Their eyes met. Adrienne looked momentarily startled but then lowered her gaze. Lukas watched her a moment longer, then stepped down from the platform.
“You’re alone?”
When she noticed Lukas, Adrienne lowered her eyelids in greeting. She glanced toward the grain storehouse on the far side of the field. Yuria was there, laughing as she helped the other maids.
“She’s quite different from her lady. Adaptable, that one. There isn’t a soul in this castle she hasn’t befriended.”
Adrienne nodded with a soft smile. Yuria was cheerful and outgoing—traits inherited from her mother, Denis.
“You’ve been with her since childhood?”
Adrienne nodded again. To her, Yuria was like a sister. Just as Denis had been more than a nanny—more like a mother.
“It’s good to have someone you can trust by your side.”
[That’s right.]
“Is that a ‘yes’?”
Adrienne nodded, repeating the sign.
[That’s right.]
“I see.”
Lukas echoed her gesture, replying with the same sign. But this time, there was something different in his eyes. That dark blue gaze pierced straight through her, unreadable.
“Ahem.”
Time passed in silence until Lukas cleared his throat and looked away.
“I should get back.”
Then, just like that, he turned and strode off, putting distance between them in an instant.
Whew…
Adrienne finally let out the breath she’d been holding.
