Evelyn chewed her lips in nerves when she heard Adrian’s fever was rising again. She wanted to go to his place at once, but several times she restrained her desire.

“……That’s the story I heard from the Elder.”

After listening to Fabian’s words, Evelyn returned to her sense.

“Of course, I don’t trust all of those stories. Time magic, it’s ridiculous.”

Fabian’s reaction was typical. Evelyn couldn’t tell Fabian about her regression, either. Instead, his decision would be dubious if he believed such a thing.

“But it’s clear that he has some power, and he’s trying to hurt our child with his lunatic belief.” His eyes froze in cold anger.

“Duke Metis hasn’t confessed anything yet?”

“There’s no evidence, so he will shut his mouth to the end. But it is true that the Duke communicated with David.”

Evelyn was furious that she couldn’t punish Duke Metis without any evidence. Still, there was nothing she could do because he was the owner of a long-standing Duchy.

“Evelyn, do you remember what I said?”

Fabian repeatedly warned Evelyn of the dangers of the dungeon and the Stones of truth.

“Yes.”

“You can’t forget what I said. It’s not a noble object like a holy relic. It’s the most cursed thing on this continent. If you approach the stone, your life and mind energy will be absorbed by it. “

“Yes, I’ll remember it.”

Fabian was distraught that Evelyn would lose her mind when she approached the stone of truth and spoke with David. Fabian’s lungs felt stuffy just by inhaling the air in the dungeon. That’s why he didn’t want to take Evelyn there.

“Your Majesty, I’ve already made up my mind.”

Evelyn had already decided, for the sake of her child, who was currently battling a fever.

“Fine.” Fabian took her hand. “I’ll trust you.”

With that one word, Evelyn hardened her heart even more. It was too early for her to fall into despair since everything was different from her previous unhappy life. At least, the warmth that held her hand right now wasn’t a dream.

Grabbing Fabian’s hand, Evelyn stepped her feet in a bleak place she had never been before. The stairs went down endlessly. She walked for a long time, following Serus, who led her steps with the lantern in front of her.

“Serus, stay here.”

Fabian told Serus to stay after he reached the floor where David was prisoned. Serus nodded and followed his orders. Fabian walked again down the dark corridor, holding Evelyn’s hand and the lantern in the other.

The farther they went inside, every step she took, Evelyn felt the chill entered her lungs. Like inhaling heavy smoke, it was difficult for her to breathe, and her heart became tight.

“Are you all right?”

Evelyn nodded her head when Fabian asked her. It was nothing compared to Adrian, who was fighting the poison with his small body.

“Let’s go.”

Evelyn urged him. Soon after, a vast hall -that was hard to believe it was an underground- appeared before her eyes. On the other side of the hall, a wall was made of pitch-black stone, and Evelyn realized it was the stone of truth.

David was hung with his body tied to the stone. Evelyn had just been terrified to see him because it was such a frightful sight.

“Evelyn, don’t go any further from here.” Fabian pointed to a pattern carved on the floor.

Evelyn obeyed him. Even if Fabian didn’t stop her, Evelyn was unwilling to come a little closer because she felt the stone’s awful energy. As if he had been swallowed by the toxin, David appeared to have fainted with his head falling down.

“Are you still awake?”

As Fabian spat out in a low voice, David slowly opened his eyes and raised his head halfway. “I’ve been waiting……”

Fabian grasped Evelyn’s hand tighter. It was proof of his anger and patience to suppress his overflowing desire to tear him to death. “I’ve heard everything from Cornelius. But you won’t be able to deceive me.”

David had a faint smile around his lips. Since he had no intention of deceiving someone from the beginning. “You will never believe me, Emperor. As always, just like your predecessors.”

Fabian closed and opened his eyes in rage. Wrath soared in his heart, wondering how long he had to see David making fun of him with his tongue.

“Get rid of the nonsense. There’s only one thing I want to ask you.”

“About……The Prince…..?”

David’s voice was definitely weak. If he were an ordinary person, he would have lost his mind, died after suffering from madness, and hung on the stone of truth for the rest of his life.

“You don’t want to listen to your crazy beliefs.” Fabian looked straight ahead. “Even though you’re a cursed guardian, you will only die miserably on the stone of truth.”

“Yes, I will…I guess … maybe my soul it’s already been half eaten.”

Evelyn carefully observed him. From earlier on, she felt David’s calm attitude was a bit strange, somehow.

“Confess.” Fabian said threateningly. “What poison did you give to my son, and how to cure him.?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

Fabian glared at David with eyes that deeper than the abyss. His glare looked more lethal than a poison released by the stone of truth. “One more time I will ask you. Tell me now. How to save my child.”

As Fabian’s eerie low voice rang, David lifted his head. He looked at him, “If you’re the Imperial Emperor …… surely your insight is above ordinary humans …….”

“You tricked Duke Metis and used the Empress to carry poison. You also set a filthy, cruel trap so that we couldn’t recognize the poison immediately.”

“…..I don’t know the latter.”

It was Duke Metis’ plan to deliberately infuse the starflower poison. It was a psychological trap only a person who dept at deception like him could do.

“I don’t care about that! Tell me how to save my child right now. …or…. Did you forget what I said? “

David’s violet eyes stopped for a moment as he also had something he was afraid of.

“If anything happens to my son, I’ll drag you around and search the whole world to find that damn tower.”

Evelyn began to feel the chills. Fabian, who saw her that let go of his hand, then put his arm around Evelyn’s waist to hold her back and looked at David again.

“Days to years, I will wet the tower with blood before your eyes.”

David’s eyes were slightly twitching. It was momentary, but Fabian’s fierce eyes didn’t miss it. Indeed, what he feared was the existence of his sacred tower being tarnished.

“But, Emperor……even if I tell you how, will you believe me?”

Fabian gnashed his teeth at his question. David was well aware that he didn’t have another choice as his child’s life was at stake.

“A guardian isn’t someone who would take a human’s life… Especially if he’s a child.”

“But why are you so persistent to kill Adrian?” Evelyn, who could no longer bear it, shouted at David. Her resentment was as deep as Fabian’s anger. “He’s innocent child, but why…… why he has to suffer from poison. Do you want to kill him just to maintain the balance? “

“Yes, your son is innocent. But he has a relation with you, and one day, he will make the Emperor next to you a sinner. He will commit a grave sin that no one can stop. “

“What a crap!”

But David kept talking, even after Fabian’s yell,

“Princess Evelyn.” His purple eyes turned to her. “You don’t really remember me yet. Because I made you that way.”

Evelyn shuddered. It was only her memory of David that was distorted. Her subconscious mind said there was something between them. But she couldn’t remember anything regardless of how hard she tried.

“This… … This is what you wished for.”

“Me? I wanted Adrian to get hurt?”

David shook his head slowly. Taking a deep breath. He had to struggle to exert a little of his strength after the stone had absorbed all of his life energy. However, David didn’t give up, and he calmly kept his eyes on Evelyn.

“Remember….The memories engraved in your soul.”

Evelyn’s blue eyes were pinned on his picturesque purple eyes. The everlasting fog surrounding her memories started to disappear slowly.

“……Poor woman.”

As those words fell, the chains that sealed Evelyn’s memory broke. She staggered. Fabian managed to hold Evelyn’s body before she fainted and immediately checked her condition.

“Evelyn!”

Evelyn breathed, but her blue eyes were out of focus.

“What else have you done to her!?”

“She’ll remember…”

David’s energy was also running out, and he dropped his head at the end of the sentence.

“Evelyn, Look at me, Evelyn!” Fabian didn’t look at David and quickly hugged Evelyn. “Serus!”

Serus fled right away. Roughly, he figured out the situation and took charge of David. Fabian immediately picked Evelyn up and brought her out of the dungeon in a hurry. He wanted to free Evelyn from the toxic air as soon as possible.

“Evelyn, I’m here.”

Fabian tried to keep Evelyn stay consciousness. He didn’t know what had happened, but it was clear that her condition right now wasn’t normal.

“It’s me. I’m by your side.”

The chains that bind her memories slowly began to tear apart and vanish. Then fragments of those memories started to appear to the surface.

Evelyn could see Fabian with her eyes, and she also could hear his voice, but she felt very far away from him. Her senses were faint as if her whole body were floating in the air.

“Evelyn, look at me.” Fabian jarred Evelyn’s shoulder, but her blue eyes were still unfocused like glass beads.

“Evelyn.” He muttered with a sigh. “Your husband is here…”

Evelyn felt a strong force dragging her consciousness on the surface at that moment.

Down below, deeper than any other sea….her mind was dragged into it.

At the same time, she drooped in Fabian’s arms. Yet, Evelyn couldn’t tell the difference between reality and her blackout.

‘Poor woman.’

It was David’s voice.

‘Your wish and my purpose are same.’

Evelyn understood what he meant for some reason.

‘Give me your despair, I’ll turn the time and make everything right.’

There was a mysterious man who appeared when Evelyn was dying in her 30s. It’s such a clear memory, but why did she forget about that?

‘Here… … We have to open the gap of time, I’ll borrow your despair and turn back the time to where we want it to be.’

We?

What did Evelyn want then?

What that poor woman wished?

What did a withered Empress who was dying in loneliness at that time hope for?

‘I shouldn’t have met the Emperor in the first place.’

Vaguely, that woman’s voice sounded so bitter.

‘But I have no choice but to meet him…….’

Evelyn couldn’t hear that voice well in the middle.

‘You’re a poor woman. After time turns back, don’t repeat your painful relationship.’

Evelyn wondered, why did David call her a poor woman?

‘Once again …… you shouldn’t have a painful relationship.’

When Evelyn recalled the last part of her memories, countless fragments poured into her head, and she couldn’t breathe properly.

She vomited a violent breath and opened her eyes, awakening from Fabian’s arms.

Then Evelyn realized everything was real.