Late Night
Yohan was on his way to the Ferbache estate in a carriage after finishing work.
To be precise, he hadn’t fully finished his work but had postponed it. He simply couldn’t focus.
The image of Rudella, her face drenched in snowflakes as she gazed up at him sorrowfully and longingly, kept haunting him.
Her sincerity was both burdensome and strangely moving. Rudella was ready to give up everything for him. Yet, accepting that sacrifice would mean severing ties with Francia.
Still, he couldn’t forget her. It was impossible to erase her from his mind.
This feeling was new to him, and he didn’t know how to handle it.
‘What on earth is this…?’
Yohan found it hard to accept the fact that he was beginning to feel something for Rudella—someone he had consistently kept at a distance and refused.
Throughout both his past and present lives, Francia had been the only person he had opened his heart to. Experiencing such an intense and desperate emotion was a first, and it only added to his confusion.
To be honest, though… it felt good. His heart raced, his emotions stirred, and his face flushed to the point of burning. He felt as though he would never experience anything like this again.
Perhaps he was already halfway there, swayed by her feelings.
‘…This is maddening.’
Although nothing had been decided yet and there was no need to overthink it, if Rudella succeeded in persuading him, he would inevitably find himself entangled with two women.
In this world, polygamy wasn’t an issue for men of high status. However, Yohan wasn’t particularly high-ranking.
Even with the prestige of the Ferbache duchy behind him, he was merely a son-in-law. The only status he truly held on his own was as a high-ranking mage in the Bureau of Public Administration.
‘What a disgraceful sight.’
Yohan found himself wavering indecisively, and even he didn’t like what he saw. No, he found it utterly unsatisfactory.
On top of that, his self-centeredness and his ambiguous attitude—unable to clearly define his relationship with Francia despite her presence—left much to be desired.
With a furrowed brow, Yohan gazed out the window. Snow was falling heavily, enough to make the scene seem like it belonged in a painting.
The roads were completely frozen, making them slippery and slowing the carriage to a crawl.
‘…It’s going to take a while.’
The Bureau and the Ferbache estate were quite a distance apart. Because the estate was so expansive, it was located in the outskirts.
The long journey wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. It gave him time to organize his thoughts before meeting Francia.
‘So much to think about.’
From repairing the cracks in the demonic rift to the situation with Rudella, and even the crown prince, who had been lurking quietly but still posed a threat.
If Francia were to permit his relationship with Rudella—which seemed unlikely—Yohan’s burdens would only grow heavier.
‘What choice do I have? I just have to try my best.’
The consequences were the result of his own decisions, and with them came responsibilities.
Yohan had no desire to run away from them.
Whether he could handle it well was uncertain, but his philosophy was to give his best effort once he had begun.
* * *
At that moment, Francia was gazing out the window of Yohan’s room, staring at the front gate, waiting anxiously for him to arrive.
The sight of pure white snow falling suddenly brought back memories of times long gone. The words he had spoken back then were still etched deeply in her heart.
“If I can’t remember, you can remember for me, can’t you?”
Those words were the reason Francia sought Yohan immediately after her regression and the reason she opened her heart to him.
“Haha…”
Thinking about that day, Francia let out a soft smile. Back then, everything had been so painful, and she had wished for it all to end as quickly as possible.
“Who would have known it would turn out like this?”
Meeting Yohan had caused her plans to fall perfectly into place, like the cogs of a finely tuned machine.
Of course, aside from meeting him, Francia’s plans were progressing smoothly. The first step of her plan was eliminating the men who were obsessed with her.
Cassis Renochonen was the first to self-destruct before she even needed to act. His brash behavior, unchanged from before her regression, had come as no surprise.
Next was Crown Prince Fedelian Rozino. He wasn’t easy to bring down, making him quite a headache. She was struggling to gather enough evidence.
Still, it was only a matter of time. The man behind the mask, Fedelian, was a heinous criminal, and one day, his misdeeds would undoubtedly catch up to him.
“Now, there are only the Master of the Azure Tower and the Archpriest of the Holy Nation left…”
However, she had no reason to worry about them in this lifetime, as she had avoided any involvement with them entirely.
The next step in her plan was to elevate Yohan’s value to new heights.
“Things have progressed faster than I expected, but everything is going as planned.”
The war with Sanbruck had been an unforeseen variable, as it arose directly from Yohan’s entanglements.
Fortunately, this unexpected event had turned out more positively than she anticipated, opening a significant new path for her plans. Yohan had gained the ability to seal the demonic fissures.
While Francia only knew a fragment of this world’s secrets, she had grasped a vague understanding.
Back in the days when the once-mighty Ferbatche was being destroyed by those men, Francia had visited the library of the Celestial Mage.
It was then that she had obtained the tome of regression magic.
Of course, she hadn’t only gained the tome.
“With my purifying energy, it’s possible to close the demonic fissures.”
Healers were incredibly rare, and Francia, known as a master of healing magic, owed her prowess to the purifying energy unique to her constitution.
The Celestial Mage had explained that if magic imbued with purifying energy were poured into a demonic fissure, the rift could be repaired.
In other words, Yohan had been able to close the fissures because Francia’s purifying energy had seeped into him.
The reason Francia chose to transfer this responsibility to Yohan rather than repair the fissures herself was simple: she lacked the vast magical energy Yohan possessed.
Repairing a fissure required both immense magic and purifying energy.
Thus, Yohan was now able to seal the fissures.
The most crucial condition for transferring purifying energy to someone was frequent, intimate interaction with that person.
Not just a kiss, but sharing breaths and genuine moments of connection…
“Hem, hem…”
Recalling her shared interactions with Yohan, Francia felt her face flush and tried to mask her emotions with a cough.
In any case…
Before her regression, she had known only that Yohan wielded enormous magical energy through his mana blade. She hadn’t anticipated its exceptional purity.
Regardless, this had allowed her purifying energy to seep into him even more quickly, which was naturally welcome news for Francia.
“Perhaps Yohan and I were destined from the beginning?”
Francia smiled at the thought. By now, she had no doubts. A steadfast certainty had taken root in her heart.
“And… pretending not to know seems to have worked well.”
Dropping hints and guiding Yohan without revealing the whole truth had been a flawless strategy.
It would have been easier to explain everything from the start, but the Celestial Mage had warned her never to let anyone know about her regression.
Rather than risk Yohan’s suspicions and probing by giving him too much detail, it was better to feign ignorance and let him piece together the clues.
“Not much longer now.”
Clenching her fists, Francia swallowed hard. Anticipation made her throat feel heavier than usual.
“My lady, Sir Harson has arrived,” a servant announced, interrupting Francia’s thoughts.
She rose from her seat with a smile on her lips.
* * *
When Yohan returned to the mansion, Francia greeted him with a bashful smile.
“You’re back earlier than I expected.”
“Ah.”
Yohan looked away and let out an awkward chuckle. He couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze.
“…I postponed my work for later.”
“Oh? Why?”
“I just couldn’t concentrate…”
“Hmm?”
Francia sensed something unusual but chose not to press him further. Yohan looked rather exhausted.
“You must be tired from working late. I’ll have a meal prepared for you, so please rest in the meantime.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Yohan smiled faintly and headed upstairs. Seeing Francia had stirred up a storm of thoughts in his mind. After all, she didn’t know about his relationship with Rudella.
If Rudella revealed everything first, the betrayal Francia would feel would be immeasurable.
‘I have to tell her.’
He needed to explain everything—what had happened with Rudella, why things had turned out this way, and what he intended to do about it.
After a quick rinse in the bathroom, Yohan changed his clothes and went to the dining room. On the table was a bowl of warm soup, perfect for the cold winter evening.
“Please, eat!”
As Yohan took a seat, Francia picked up her utensils from across the table.
In the quiet dining room, the only sounds were the soft clinks of cutlery against dishes.
Before he lost his nerve, Yohan broke the silence.
“Francia.”
“Yes?”
“There’s something I need to discuss with you.”
“What is it?”
Francia put down her utensils and looked at him.
“It’s about… Lady Bismarck.”
“That person?”
“She confessed her feelings to me.”
“What are you talking about…?”
Blinking in confusion, Francia tilted her head.
“Lady Bismarck confessed her love for me. She said she’s severing ties with her family and breaking off her engagement with the crown prince.”
“Wait, wait. Hold on a second.”
Francia waved her hands in disbelief, her eyes wide. Yohan stopped speaking.
“What on earth are you saying? I’m so taken aback right now…”
Francia struggled to follow the conversation. Something felt off, but a love confession? From Rudella Bismarck of all people?
“Why would she…?”
Francia unconsciously drew a sharp breath, feeling as though the air had been sucked out of the room.
Memories of Rudella’s perfection and composure flashed through her mind.
And now she was abandoning everything… for Yohan?
“…When did this happen? Don’t tell me it was today?”
“It was today, but it has happened before.”
“Oh…”
Seeing Francia’s bewilderment, Yohan continued his explanation.
He reconnected everything—from his first meeting with Rudella during a guard mission, to the collapse that left them stranded in a cave, to the events that unfolded afterward, and the circumstances that led to this.
“My goodness.”
Francia covered her mouth with her hand, disbelief etched on her face. Her crimson eyes quivered, and her breathing became uneven. Silence hung between them.
Francia felt a torrent of emotions swirling within her—anger, an inexplicable anxiety, and something else she couldn’t name. Her mind felt clouded and distant.
“…And you, Yohan?”
Her voice was calm, but her insides churned with turmoil.
“What do you want to do?”
After a moment’s pause, Francia asked again, her voice trembling.
“I want to help Lady Bismarck.”
“Because she changed because of you?”
“Yes.”
Yohan’s expression hardened as his deep blue eyes met Francia’s unwaveringly.
“If I ignore her or refuse to help, Lady Bismarck might die.”
That was the crux of the matter.
He couldn’t bear the thought of someone who had shown him genuine affection, someone who had changed because of him, dying.
“And then?”
Francia’s face froze, her tone icy as she pressed further.
“What will you do after helping her?”
“…I don’t want to hurt her.”
Francia stared at him intently before asking again.
“Is that sympathy or pity?”
Her voice remained steady, but an undercurrent of unease seeped through.
“That’s how it started, but now it’s different.”
“So you’ve developed feelings for her?”
Francia’s voice wavered, and her crimson eyes pierced through him.
“Yes.”
Yohan’s response was honest. His feelings had become sincere.
Lady Bismarck had shown an unwavering determination, willing to abandon everything for him. Her courage had touched him deeply.
“…I’m so confused and overwhelmed right now.”
“I understand.”
“I don’t even know how to process this.”
Francia sighed and closed her eyes, hiding the tremor in her gaze. A storm of emotions raged within her—jealousy, fear, and trust all collided in a fierce battle.
Yohan waited silently for her response.
“…But I’ll hear her out. If Lady Bismarck is confident she can convince me, perhaps she could be an asset to us.”
Though reluctant, Francia wasn’t going to dismiss Yohan’s feelings outright. She didn’t have the right to, after all.
If one day, someone truly captured Yohan’s heart, she was even willing to consider polygamy—on the condition that she remained his first priority.
“Yohan, will you respect whatever decision I make?”
Francia’s voice was low and steady. Without hesitation, Yohan answered,
“Of course.”
“Even if I refuse?”
“Yes.”
“…Then that’s enough.”
Francia let out a bitter smile and nodded slowly.
“I know Yohan’s feelings for me won’t change.”
For now, she decided to have the conversation. Lady Bismarck’s support might make their future endeavors easier, despite Francia’s misgivings.