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“What a ridiculous thing to say….”

The next evening, Luna finished her bath early. As she dried herself with a towel, she grumbled.

It wasn’t because there was no one to assist her with her bath. Bathing alone wasn’t a problem for her. From the start, she felt uncomfortable entrusting her body to someone other than her exclusive attendant in the imperial palace.

The reason for her irritation was clear.

“I-I’m so sorry! I-I didn’t mean to ask about the Count’s good points…! *Hiccup!*”

Last night, Wendy immediately apologized to Luna after her problematic remark. Realizing how careless her words were, she begged for forgiveness, even hiccuping in fear. Seeing her plead like that, Luna couldn’t bring herself to get angry.

If only she had just let out her anger then, she wouldn’t be feeling so annoyed now.

“How absurd. Good points? What good points could that guy possibly have…?”

Where else would you find such a ridiculous question?

Anyone who knew about the hostile relationship between Tristan and her would never have asked such a thing.

No doubt, Wendy had asked the same question to keep the conversation going on the same topic.

It must have been that, but…

The problem was that she had been shaken by Wendy’s question.

“Ugh…!”

Remembering yesterday’s events, Luna threw the towel she was using to dry her hair.

Not only had she been shaken, but she had also stumbled over her words.

This made it seem like she had a crush on Tristan.

“You, don’t you dare tell anyone about what happened today.”

“Y-Yes! Y-Yes, ma’am!”

“Absolutely! If you tell anyone, I won’t forgive you!”

“Eek! I-I won’t tell anyone, I swear!”

Luna had silenced Wendy about what happened yesterday. If others found out about her behavior, it would tarnish the majesty of the Emperor.

Especially Tristan—he must never find out. For Luna, there was nothing more humiliating than having that man hold a weakness over her.

“Get a grip….”

Luna slapped her cheeks to calm herself down.

And she deliberately recalled a dark memory.

The painful memory she always turned to when her mind wandered.

The tragic death of her kind father, the great former Emperor, Maxime Meikhael.

The sight of William Ruelberta playing with her father’s life before killing him.

And the face of Tristan, who looked just like that William…

“Damn it….”

Luna clutched her head as a sharp headache struck. The unpleasant sensation crept up on her. But it wasn’t like before. The hatred she had harbored in her heart was gradually fading.

Was it because time had passed?

No. This was entirely that man’s fault… Tristan’s.

Tristan, the notorious head of the Ruelberta family, who had threatened the imperial family with his absolute power. The son of Count William, who had driven the former Emperor to his death. By all accounts, he was undoubtedly the sworn enemy of Lucy and Luna.

Yet, when she thought of him, instead of hatred, she felt shame and embarrassment.

In her memory, Tristan smiled with a face full of arrogance, as if he knew everything about her. That face was both irritating and strangely embarrassing. She wanted to hit him, but not too hard…? It was a bizarre feeling.

“I should just stop thinking….”

Exhausted by all the random thoughts, Luna changed her clothes and left the bathhouse.

Her mood was a mess.

Today, she didn’t want to face anyone—not Wendy, not Ariel. She just wanted to clear her mind and rest in her quarters.

With that thought, Luna was about to take a step when…

“……Huh? The Count?”

A dark figure caught her eye.

It was too far to see clearly, but she vaguely realized it was Tristan.

“What… why…?”

Where was he going at this late hour?

A separate unit? No. If that were the case, he would have taken guards with him…

Luna’s eyes narrowed.

The direction he was heading… if she wasn’t mistaken, it was the Demon Forest, where monstrous beasts lived.

Had Ariel, who was supposed to be keeping an eye on him, failed to notice? Luna shook her head.

Ariel was too busy restoring the magic formulas on the castle walls to have the energy to monitor Tristan.

Luna knew exactly why she had pushed herself to join this expedition.

If… just if Tristan was secretly plotting something, she had to stop him. He hadn’t shown any suspicious behavior until now, so why was he suddenly on the move?

Could this be the perfect opportunity to see his true colors?

“Alright….”

Having made up her mind, Luna quickly followed the dark figure.

*

The Black Toin tribe, evolved through the power of the coin, roamed the forest, making their mark. They began conquering other tribes one by one to establish their dominance over the forest.

Just today, they had taken over parts of the Lycan and Orc territories.

The Toin tribe, who had long been looked down upon by other races, didn’t hesitate to use their newfound power.

It must have felt liberating. The feeling of revenge must have been exhilarating. They had never won a fight against another race before and had always been mocked for their weakness, but now they had surpassed them all.

Today, the Black Toin tribe rescued their fellow tribesmen who had been captured and enslaved by other races. Surprisingly, those who returned soon evolved into Black Toin as well. Perhaps all the Toin under my command would eventually evolve like this.

The Black Toin tribe gained the upper hand in battle using poison and shadow movement. The demons, unaware of what was happening, were helplessly defeated.

The Lycans and Orcs, who had once threatened the Toin tribe, eventually knelt before me.

Thanks to the Toin tribe’s efforts, things were progressing more smoothly than expected.

If we continue to expand our influence like this, we will inevitably face Aaron. When that time comes, we’ll need to be fully prepared.

However, today, before returning to the unit, I stumbled upon an unexpected fact.

“I see… so that’s how it was….”

After hearing a certain fact from Sheryl, the eldest and chief of the Black Toin tribe, I couldn’t help but make a serious expression.

What she told me was quite shocking.

“Lady Trinity, did I say something wrong?”

“No. On the contrary, you did well. Go and ask other tribes about this matter and report back to me.”

“Yes, I’ll do as you say. But Lady Trinity, shall we escort you? Today, the others are away on other business, aren’t they?”

Right. Due to the unit’s schedule, I was left alone with the Toin tribe in the forest.

“No, it’s fine. It’s better if you stay in the forest as much as possible.”

“Understood.”

Sheryl bowed deeply and left.

As I crossed the Demon Forest alone, I released the power of the mirror once I was far enough from the Toin tribe.

Even then, the fact Sheryl had mentioned lingered in my mind.

I had assigned the investigation just in case, but Sheryl’s words were likely true. She was a long-lived individual among the Toin tribe, and her memory wasn’t foggy.

If so, I might have just uncovered a piece of this story’s backstory. But along with excitement, fear crept in. Perhaps it was because many of the backstories I’d encountered before had been quite shocking.

If I had read this in a book, I would have been thrilled, but now it was my reality.

I had to brace myself to accept another backstory my sibling had created.

“Huh?”

As I tried to leave the forest using stealth, I saw someone who shouldn’t be here.

No, someone who shouldn’t even exist… what is he doing here?

Wait… wait a minute!

*

About two hours after chasing the dark figure presumed to be Tristan.

In the heart of the Demon Forest, Luna regretted her decision.

“Ugh…”

Luna had been diligently following Tristan.

Thanks to her careful pursuit, she had almost caught up to him… but in a moment of distraction, Tristan had vanished. As if he had been spirited away by a ghost.

Not only that, but she had also lost her way in the middle of the forest.

Luna shivered in the silent forest.

Now that Marco, the Captain of the Imperial Guard, wasn’t here, she had acted recklessly.

It was unlike her. At the very least, she should have brought someone with her, but in her haste, she had been careless.

“No. This… this is unavoidable. It’s all… that man’s fault. It’s all his doing…”

As Luna gritted her teeth and muttered, a shadow passed between the trees.

“?!”

Goosebumps rose on her skin.

Could it be a demon?

Luna quickly crouched down.

But the next moment, she had to doubt her own eyes.

‘The Count?!’

Right in front of her, in the middle of the forest, stood a black-clad man.

The figure standing in a small clearing covered in snow was unmistakably Tristan.

She had finally found him.

Luna prepared to use magic as she approached him. Fortunately, Tristan was unarmed. If he tried anything funny, she would subdue him in an instant.

She crouched low and moved as close to his back as possible.

When she finally reached a distance where he couldn’t escape, Luna stood up and shouted.

“Caught you! You! Stay right there! I’ll—ack?!”

The ground beneath Luna gave way.

At the same time, an icy cold sensation spread throughout her body.

“A p-pond?!”

The spot she had been standing on was a frozen pond. The thick layer of ice had completely hidden it from view.

Luna, submerged up to her chest in the deep pond, struggled to get out.

“Ugh…!”

The water in the pond was bone-chillingly cold. If she didn’t get out quickly… her life…

“Grab my hand quickly.”

“?!”

At that moment, Luna looked up at the voice above her. As soon as she reached out, someone grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the pond.

Even in her dazed state, Luna recognized the man who had saved her.

“Count, you…!”

“Get a grip, Luna Meikhael.”

“What are you plotting here! I—!”

“Open your eyes and look!”

“?!”

Tristan’s sudden shout made Luna flinch.

Tristan’s face was right in front of her.

Close enough to feel his warm breath, he stared directly into her eyes.

“I’m here. And what you saw earlier wasn’t me.”

“…What?”

Confused, Luna looked back at where Tristan had been standing.

Tristan was gone, and only glowing fireflies flitted about.

What? Those bugs…

Whoosh.

“!”

Before Luna could process her confusion, Tristan extended his hand, and flames erupted from his ring. The bluish flames quickly consumed the fireflies.

“Fireflies.”

“Fireflies?”

“Don’t you know? Fireflies are insect-type monsters that live in the Demon Forest. Despite being weak, they’re mischievous and use illusion magic to bewitch humans.”

“Ah…”

Now that she thought about it, Luna remembered something from Lucy’s knowledge. Like the sirens of the sea, there were monsters in the forest that could enchant people.

Tristan clicked his tongue.

“At worst, they make you lose your way, but in the Demon Forest… if you’re unlucky, you could die.”

“So, I was seeing an illusion…”

Finally, she realized what the strange feeling she had while chasing him was. No matter how much she pursued him, the distance never closed—it was all an illusion created by the fireflies.

Tristan stroked his chin and muttered.

“Still, it’s strange. The fireflies’ illusions shouldn’t work on someone with strong mental fortitude.”

“…….”

She couldn’t answer. Not about the reason her mind was in such disarray, nor about its cause.

As Luna remained silent, Tristan sighed.

“Anyway… take it off.”

“What?”

“I said take it off.”

“W-What are you talking about? Achoo!”

“What else would you take off?”

“Eek! W-What are you doing?!”

Tristan roughly pulled off her wet shirt.

“D-Don’t touch me! Y-You pervert! Achoo!”

“If you stay in wet clothes in this cold, you could lose your life in less than five minutes. So, you have three minutes to choose. Take it off yourself… or I’ll do it for you.”

“!”

At Tristan’s ultimatum, Luna swallowed hard.

She couldn’t tell if her trembling was from the cold or Tristan’s overwhelming presence.

But absolutely… she didn’t want the latter. She absolutely didn’t want him to undress her!

“By the way, the latter would be faster and more convenient for you.”

“N-No need! I’ll…! I’ll take it off myself! Achoo!”

But Tristan shook his head.

“Too late.”

“?!”

What? How?

“Wait…”

“Time’s up.”

“You said three minutes!”

“It’s been three minutes.”

“Don’t lie to me! Achoo!”

“Fine. I lied.”

As Tristan approached to undress her, the smile on his lips seemed oddly sinister.

Luna instinctively stepped back, only to sneeze and fall on her rear.

No… please…

With no way to escape, Luna desperately shouted.

“I said I’ll take it off!! I said I’ll do it myself!!”

“Sorry for not saying so earlier, but I’m not a patient man.”

“I’ll take it off myself, you pervert!!!”

Luna’s scream echoed through the forest.

 

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