Kallion realized something.
Whenever he died, he returned to the moment of Denian's birth.
And with each return, he inherited the memories of the Kallion from before.
But that earlier Kallion had been no different from his foolish old self—
always cold and indifferent to Yuliana.
Now another chance had come.
This time, he had to stop Yuliana's death.
In his first life and his second, Yuliana had died protecting Denian.
So now, he needed to find who was targeting the boy.
"Kalion, what are you thinking about so deeply?"
Her gentle touch on his hand snapped him back to the present.
Yuliana, holding Denian in her arms, was looking at him with worry.
"It's nothing," he forced a smile.
But just as Yuliana lifted her teacup to drink, Kallion's gaze locked onto it.
Suddenly, he snatched it from her hand and poured the tea onto the floor.
Startled, Yuliana cried out, "Kallion!"
But Kallion turned furiously on the maid nearby.
"This cup—I've never seen it before. Where did it come from?"
"Th-that… um…"
"How many times have I told you? No strangers, no new objects brought in carelessly!"
His hysterical shout made Denian burst into tears in Yuliana's arms.
"Waaahhh!"
Yuliana sighed, trying to soothe the baby.
"It was just a cup I bought myself, Kallion. Please."
Kallion froze, realizing his mistake, and quickly checked Yuliana and Denian.
"The tea didn't spill on you, did it?"
Seeing him so frantic over her and the child, Yuliana let out a small sigh.
Since Denian's birth, Kallion had changed completely.
Not only was he devoted to her and the baby, he had also become overly sensitive about their safety.
The food they ate, the clothes they wore, the places they went—he monitored everything with extreme vigilance.
The entire Valdormer estate lived in constant fear of his sharp eyes.
"Kallion, I've told you many times—we're safe," Yuliana said gently.
But his expression didn't ease.
"Neither Denian nor I are in danger. This is Valdormer Manor. You're the master here."
As she spoke, she stroked his arm, Denian still in her embrace.
Kallion gripped her hand tightly.
No, Yuliana, you're not safe. Not unless I protect you and Denian. No one else can do it but me.
His fingers trembled slightly.
Seeing the rare, vulnerable look in his eyes, Yuliana pulled his head against her chest.
Only in her arms could he find some calm.
Kallion constantly replayed the day of Yuliana's murder in his mind, preparing for it.
This time, he would be ready.
And on the fated night—
He caught the intruder sneaking into Denian's room.
"Kallion!"
Clutching Denian, Yuliana cried out.
"It's dangerous—stay back, Yuliana!"
At his urgent command, she nodded quickly and fled outside with the child.
Relieved, Kallion turned to the enemy.
The intruder had already dodged several of his strikes, clearly trained to resist the corrupting power of his dark aura.
Such composure, such skill—he was no ordinary assassin.
He had been trained in a special unit. That meant there was a mastermind behind him.
When the man tried to retreat, Kallion wouldn't let him escape.
If this man had been trained to evade, then Kallion would make escape impossible.
Darkness flooded the room, swallowing it whole.
Caught off guard, the intruder froze just long enough for Kallion's hand to emerge from the shadows and seize his throat.
"Ghhk—!"
This man had killed Yuliana twice before.
Kallion wanted nothing more than to snap his neck.
But he restrained himself. He needed to uncover who was behind it.
The assassin was thrown into prison, tortured without mercy. Yet he endured, refusing to speak.
Only after relentless investigation did Kallion discover his connection to a burned-down orphanage—Heloica Orphanage—once supported by Valdormer.
"But on the day the orphanage burned, they begged Valdormer for aid," the prisoner spat, "and you ignored them. You were too busy playing with the Heister's daughter."
Kallion flinched.
He remembered. On that very day, he had been away with Yuliana and Denian in Dalrot. He had heard news of the fire later.
So this man bore a grudge?
But something still didn't fit.
Pressuring one of the orphanage's survivors finally broke the assassin's silence.
The truth was shocking—this wasn't his personal vendetta.
He belonged to a secret unit of the Schultz family, one of Valdormer's long-standing vassals.
And the person who leaked Yuliana and Denian's location—was none other than Kallion's secretary, Layla.
"Lord Kallion! I swear, I only did this for your sake—!"
"Silence."
Fury consumed Kallion. Layla was exiled, and both the Schultz and Sorrento families were eradicated.
But in the process, he learned something worse.
The Schultz had not acted alone.
They had been manipulated by House Heister.
The same house that had killed his mother. Now they had tried to kill his wife and son as well.
Kallion could not forgive.
Thus began the war between Valdormer and Heister.
Though his vassals objected, pointing to Yuliana's Heister blood, Kallion ignored them.
With overwhelming might, he swept into Heister lands, driving his blade to their very throat.
No one could stand against him, shrouded in the consuming darkness of his aura.
Even the head of House Heister, Juan, was nothing before him but a weak old man.
With his sword at Juan's neck, Kallion roared:
"How could you try to kill your own grandson? Your own daughter!"
But Juan only sneered.
"I could never allow Heister's powers to fall into Valdormer's hands."
That was his reason?
To kill his own daughter, his own grandchild—for nothing more than power?
What kind of monster abandoned humanity so completely?
Kallion thought of the frail, ragged girl he had once pitied at the banquet years ago.
Yuliana… what kind of life did you endure under this man?
She had always smiled so brightly before him, so resilient that he had forgotten how thin and weak she once was.
Now, rage filled him—not only at Juan, but at himself, for never looking deeper, for not realizing sooner.
Blood seeped between his clenched teeth.
"Have you enjoyed my daughter all this time?" Juan taunted.
Kallion's eyes blazed with fury and contempt.
There was no need for mercy to a beast like this.
His sword pierced Juan's chest.
Yes, this was his wife's father. But it was also the man who had orchestrated her death again and again.
He had no hesitation.
Even so, Juan smiled grotesquely, blood gushing down his chin.
"Did you think Heister acted alone?"
Kallion's face drained of color.
Juan's last words were a sneer:
"Foolish Valdormer…"
With that, he died, his face twisted in a mocking grin.
Kallion stared at the corpse, unease flickering in his eyes.
"My lord!"
Just then, a Valdormer knight rushed in, bowing low.
"The Valdormer defense line has been breached!"