An outdoor terrace decorated with stars in the night sky.
“It’s been exactly three years. Lord Astra.”
A woman with brilliant platinum blonde hair placed her glass on the railing.
A subtle anger was etched on her face.
Those who knew her might mistake it for murderous intent, so intense were her emotions.
“The man who was supposed to be my guard has been absent from my side all this time.”
I swallowed nervously.
It couldn’t be helped.
She was the head of the current imperial family and the Empress of the Empire, Epherna Grandeum.
Recognized by all as the pinnacle of this continent.
And I had committed a grave sin against her.
“Since you broke your promise, you must be punished.”
To start with.
The woman, who began to speak, continued calmly.
“I strip you of your position in the Imperial Guard.”
I expected this.
It was a rather light punishment.
At one point, I had desperately awaited this order.
“And make you mine.”
However, the next command was something I could never comply with.
Everyone has their circumstances, and I was no exception.
Given my current situation, I couldn’t comply with her command.
But would that reason be accepted?
This is my burden. Meeting her eight years ago was the start of everything.
To now resent that butterfly effect, I had already become the eye of the storm.
“Why are you not answering?”
Even if I had ten mouths, I couldn’t answer.
Even if I explained the reasons, would this woman obediently accept my words?
Having raised her for over four, almost five years, I could answer with a scoff.
Absolutely not.
“… Enough. This is not a request, but a command.”
The woman turned her head.
As she turned away, sadness was evident on her back.
It felt like my heart was being torn apart.
I had once imagined seeing her again.
But I didn’t want so see her like this.
Had I died back then, would this not have happened?
No. Further back.
If I had never found that house, none of this would have started in the first place.
