"Corwin, are you insane?! Isn’t this your child? It’s your child!"

  She broke down, crying and screaming, her voice choking with grief.

  "Have you forgotten? Have you forgotten everything? You met me once and immediately went to my house to propose!"

  I turned to Arianne, my voice calm.

  "Sir, after all, she is still Arianne. Do you really have to let her leave this world in such agony?"

  I placed the sword in his hand.

  Corwin paused, taking a deep breath before nodding.

  "You’re right."

  He gripped the sword and turned back toward Arianne, intending to end her suffering.

  "Arianne, don’t be afraid."

  Arianne bit her lower lip, her eyes burning with fury as she stared at him.

  "Corwin, I will wait for you in the afterlife!"

  I silently watched Corwin’s back, wrapping a piece of cloth around my bleeding hand before bending down to pick up the fallen sword.

  At last, it had come to this.

  Corwin raised his sword, but just as he was about to strike, his blade suddenly froze midair.

  His expression twisted in shock as he looked down at the blade piercing his chest. Not even blood had time to spill before I swiftly pulled the sword back.

  Corwin collapsed onto his back at my feet, his wide eyes filled with disbelief.

  "It was you…"

  He struggled to lift his head, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

  "You… tricked me… I treated you—"

  I knelt down beside him, my tone indifferent.

  "Sir Corwin, don’t bother speaking. I’ve had enough of you."

  Not wanting to risk the same mistake that happened with Silverbrook, I decisively slashed his throat to finish the job.

  Half-kneeling on the ground, I turned to Arianne, raising an eyebrow.

  "You don’t have to wait in the afterlife anymore. I’ve brought him to you. Now, you have two choices. One: If you want revenge, I’ll send you to join him. Two: If you thank me for saving your life, I’ll get you out of here."

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  Arianne braced herself against the floor, her eyes wide with tears pooling at the edges. She slowly closed them, letting two streams of tears roll down her cheeks.

  "Autumn, I’m sorry… I can’t take it anymore."

  She slumped onto the ground, blood pooling beneath her, staining her dress red.

  I rushed to support her, glancing around the burning room for a place to set her down.

  Arianne grasped my hand tightly, her voice slow but resolute.

  "You gave me a gift… I want to return one to you. I will write a final letter to my father, asking him to take you in as his adopted daughter. From now on, the Duke of Braedon’s estate will protect you."

  Under the glow of the raging fire, she used the last of her strength to lean over the desk and write. When she finished, she handed the letter to me and slipped off her golden beeswax jade bracelet.

  This moment reminded me of the first time I met her last year.

  "Wear this bracelet. Go to the bookstore and art shop I frequent. Give this letter to the shopkeeper."

  I took the letter, looking at her, my eyes slightly misty.

  "I’ll have someone take you out."

  Arianne clutched my hand, glancing down at her swollen belly, her expression pleading.

  "Autumn, help me."

  The Emperor had passed. The entire nation mourned.

  Duke Rowan led the royal family into the palace to arrange the funeral, but Crown Prince Alaric intercepted them with the Imperial Guards, locking them inside the Jian Shui Hall.

  Overnight, the sound of galloping hooves echoed through the city streets. The residences of officials and ministers were all tightly surrounded by the Imperial Guards.

  While all this unfolded, I stayed in an abandoned courtyard behind the White Cloud Temple outside the city. For three days, I distributed porridge and food to beggars.

  The day I escaped from Corwin’s estate, he and Arianne had perished in the flames. Alaric arrived too late. Furious, he burned Corwin’s entire household to the ground, declaring to the world that I had murdered the Corwin couple, set fire to the estate, and fled.

  Thanks to Arianne’s final letter, I managed to establish contact with the Duke of Braedon. Duke Dorian Braedon publicly declared to the empire that he had adopted me as his daughter.

  I had predicted this—Alaric, after Corwin’s death, would become paranoid, hastening his plans to ascend the throne.

  But to mobilize the Imperial Guards, he needed the Tiger Tally in his possession. Yet the tally was still in Duke Rowan’s hands. When had Alaric obtained it?

  I thought of one person.

  A person who had always been a headache to me.

  My subordinates advised me, "Lady Autumn, while Alaric is preoccupied with his power struggle in the palace, we can leave the capital and head to Elias in the North."

  I tilted my head and studied them for a moment.

  That night, I gathered everyone in the courtyard, setting up several long tables covered in blank scrolls.

  "You have all fought by my side and saved my life. But I will not return to Elias in the North. The capital is dangerous, and life and death are unpredictable. If any of you wish to seek out Elias, you may leave. I will write him a letter, assuring that you will not be held accountable."