Ania soon regained her senses and gazed upon the distant scenery of the Capital.

A red light slowly began to flicker in her eyes, which had lost their brightness.

Looking with desolate eyes at the capital landscape filled with flames and screams,
Ania suddenly hid behind the debris of a building upon hearing the sudden sound of hooves, straining her ears.

“Kill them all! Nobles or commoners, spare none!”
“For the Northern Kingdom!”
“Sweep away the filthy Imperialists!”

After holding her breath for a while, the sound of countless hooves faded away.

What is happening?

There were only two things she could think of.

A war had broken out, or the anti-empire nobles had incited a civil war.
Or maybe both.

Ania picked up small pieces of wood debris around her, tied them firmly to her ankles, and tore her clothes to bind her ankles and the wood tightly.

It was enough to make a makeshift splint to walk with.

She rose and hid behind the crumbling debris of the building.

Boom!

In the distance, the sound of cannons was heard, followed by people’s screams and the sound of buildings collapsing simultaneously.

Beyond the hidden debris, enemy soldiers were rampaging, cutting down imperial citizens, and the scenery beyond them was truly chaotic.

Ania grasped her right arm with her left hand.

As she took a long, deep breath. Grasping her trembling arm, her breathing began to calm.

The palace was not far away.

Indeed, until she passed out, she had been near the palace, so she must have been pushed into a corner by the crowd.

It was fortunate.
If not for that, Ania would have been among the dead.

She was afraid.

Having lived her whole life as the daughter of a noble family, war was a distant tale for her.
Her legs began to tremble, and her body shook uncontrollably.

Yet, even in that moment, Ania thought of a man’s name.

“Edward.”

He must be in the Capital, surely.

It wasn’t something she could logically explain, but wasn’t he the man she had watched all her life?

But if he really was in the Capital… wouldn’t he have been swept away in this chaos?
Might he be lying somewhere beneath those chillingly cold corpses?

Anxious thoughts kept flooding in, and Ania felt like she might burst into tears at any moment.

“Calm down… calm down.”

Ania grabbed her wrist tightly with her hand and took a deep breath.

She closed her eyes slowly and recalled Edward.
The memories they shared.
The joyful moments and the countless hardships they endured together.

Strangely, as she remembered all of that, the fear in her heart slowly subsided, and her body’s trembling began to diminish.

It was truly remarkable.

No matter how scared she was, just thinking of that man gave her courage.

It was the same when she left her family and when she leaped out of the window.

Ania slowly extended her foot towards the palace, intending to hide, but then she stopped and carefully surveyed her body.

A silver brooch hung from her fingertips.

Ania took it off and placed it on her hand.

Amid the chaotic Capital,
In the chillingly cold world,
Only that was warm.
It shouldn’t have been warm.
But it felt warm as if Edward’s warmth lingered.

Ania took a deep breath and continued onward.

***

It was evident that one of the imperial families had been colluding with the Northern Kingdom, and it was a well-established fact that they had close connections with the anti-empire nobles.

Recently, some Empire-aligned nobles were said to have colluded with the anti-empire faction as the imperial power became precarious.
Perhaps there were even those among them who belonged to the royal family.

They must have known in advance about the abolition of the monarchy and the repercussions it would cause.
So, a sudden and well-coordinated ambush amid the chaos was understandable.

However, that wasn’t the crucial point.

Ania was still waiting in Radner’s territory.

If this attack was planned, the anti-empire noble families would likely join forces with the Northern Kingdom to attack various cities and families. In that case, Ania would inevitably be in danger.

Of course, the guards of Radner’s territory were not weak enough to be pushed aside by ordinary soldiers, but… being caught off guard would undoubtedly make them vulnerable.

“My Lord, it seems difficult to leave through the city gate.”

However, as Lorendel said, it was indeed challenging to confidently escape through the city gate.
Dozens of military forces were gathered in front of the gate, cutting down the fleeing citizens.

Two years ago, I might have been able to break through that crowd.
Back then, I trained in swordsmanship every day, and although the inherent strength and swordsmanship skills from Edward were faint, it was enough.

But now, as the present me, who had become negligent in training due to establishing a company, I lacked the strength to pass through that multitude of forces.

Only then did I regret neglecting my training in the past.

Strength is needed to protect.

Of course, I have power even now, unlike in the past, when I was the failing eldest son of a viscount.
I have enough wealth and power no matter how much I spend.

However, in the immediate situation, wealth and influence were insufficient.

“But still… I must go.”

I gritted my teeth.

I couldn’t tell why this suddenly came to mind, but I remembered what a man from my distant past had said.

“What is needed to win against an opponent who seems unbeatable?”

That was the answer to that question.

‘Someone who fought desperately to protect something.’

The determination to protect.

Since realizing I loved Ania, everything in my life has been for her.

I wielded my sword for her, learned knowledge for her, and raised the family for her.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I gave everything for her.

However, the fight with Yuren wasn’t a fight for my life, and likewise, learning skills to develop the family didn’t endanger my life.

But to break through those countless soldiers, I had to risk my life.

A fragment of memory brushes past me.
A memory that lay deep in my subconscious suddenly came to mind.

Edward, who sacrificed his life for Ania.
And yet, Ania didn’t accept Edward’s love.

Why did it come to me now?

“Haha…”

Laughter escaped me.

If we hadn’t overcome hardships like now,
If our marriage had proceeded smoothly,
I might have doubted Ania again after reading that memory.
My shallow belief might have collapsed like a sandcastle swept away by the waves.

But now it was different.

The trials and tribulations, big and small, had made our bond stronger.

They had made sure my trust in Ania didn’t waver.

So I won’t doubt.

“Lorendel.”
“My lord?”

I took out the brooch Ania had given me and placed it in Lorendel’s hand.

“If… by any chance…”

I remembered only one thing, the determination to protect.

“If I die, let Radner’s title be passed on to Ania.”
“My Lord!”

With those words, I drew the sword from my waist.

Though my whole body felt like it was breaking, the pain gradually vanished just by picturing Ania’s face.

Can I win?

Even the doubt that arose from fear disappeared as if washed away.

“Ania!”

Relying solely on trust.

With just the trust in her, I swung the sword.

It was the only thing I could do.

Author’s Note

The story is entering its final phase.
It feels like the conclusion is drawing nearer.
I plan to write a side story after it ends.

I’m not sure when it will happen.

Thank you, dear readers, for always enjoying my work.