Lloyd rubbed his face with a troubled look and let out a quiet sigh before speaking.
"I didn't tell you because I thought it would only make you worry."
"Whether I worry or not is for me to decide."
His constant attempts to cut me off from the outside world left me uneasy.
It felt as if I'd become a well-behaved doll—locked inside the castle, eating what was given, wearing the clothes provided, living the same day over and over.
This strange feeling wasn't much different from my 11th life, when I had married Lloyd.
Kind and gentle, yes, but he treated me like a fragile porcelain doll.
Always careful not to break me, yet keeping me locked inside his own fence.
"I didn't think you'd still be curious about Valdormer or Heister," Lloyd said softly, as if coaxing me.
"This isn't about curiosity," I cut in sharply.
Now that I thought about it, everything felt suspicious.
The way he had brought me and Denian here, cutting us off from the world.
"Lloyd."
It had been two months since we arrived here.
That was the same time Valdormer began the war.
Would Valdormer really send people everywhere just to search for me while waging a war?
If Kallion truly wanted to find me, would he have started a war with Heister?
"Is it really true that Valdormer is still searching for me?"
My cold question filled the room with silence.
Just then, the sound of a baby crying broke through.
Denian had woken up.
Both of us turned toward the baby's room at the same time, then hurried there together.
"Waaah!"
Denian sat on the bed, crying his heart out until his little face turned red.
I quickly rushed over and lifted him into my arms.
"Denian, Mommy's here. Shhh, it's okay—"
I gently rubbed his back and rocked him until his sobs began to fade.
When Denian noticed Lloyd, he waved his tiny arms and babbled happily.
"Abu! Abu!"
The sound almost resembled "Papa," making both Lloyd and me stiffen in surprise.
An awkward silence passed before Lloyd, trying to change the mood, reached his hands out toward the baby.
"Let me hold him. You should rest a bit, Yuliana."
"No, it's fine—"
Before I could finish, Lloyd easily took Denian into his arms.
The baby, now quiet, blinked wide-eyed, fascinated by the higher view from Lloyd's embrace.
Watching how natural they looked together made my chest feel heavy.
Does Denian… need a father after all?
Every time I saw how easily Denian warmed to Lloyd, my heart grew unsettled.
Seeing Lloyd dote on Denian as if he were his own child slowly cooled the anger I'd felt earlier.
Maybe I really was being too sensitive.
Lloyd always put my safety and Denian's first.
There was no way he would lie to us.
Even if he had hidden the truth, it was probably only to protect us from danger.
Perhaps he kept the war secret simply to keep us safe from every possible threat.
With a heavy sigh, I finally spoke.
"I'm sorry for accusing you earlier, Lloyd."
As always, Lloyd gave me a gentle smile in response.
At the forward base Valdormer had set up after driving back the Heister forces, the air was filled with the groans of the wounded.
The war had lasted three months.
Though Valdormer kept winning, their own losses were far from small.
Most of the casualties were soldiers sent by the vassal families.
Kallion walked through the busy medics and supply runners, entering the temporary command tent.
Inside, the heirs of the vassal families—sent in place of their aging lords—were gathered.
Without a word, Kallion strode to the center of the war table.
One young man cautiously spoke.
"Our losses are heavier than expected."
It was Rodrigo, heir to the Highland family.
He had been studying at the capital's academy until his father Felix summoned him to join the war.
Many other vassal heirs were present, and those without heirs had come themselves.
Most of these families were little more than lapdogs of the Emperor.
How pitiful.
Their fates would be decided by this war, and Kallion fully intended to guide them to death's river himself—making sure none of them ever crawled back from it.
He could almost hear the future screams of the traitors.
But he felt no pity.
These very families had killed and trampled him, Yuliana, and Denian countless times across many lives.
Kallion spoke in an icy voice.
"We've only just stepped onto enemy soil, and you're already suggesting we retreat like frightened children?"
No one dared to reply.
Ignoring their silence, he pointed to the map, specifically to the city of Alsen within Heister territory.
"Tomorrow, we push forward to Alsen."
Alsen was one of Heister's major cities.
The enemy would surely be waiting, fully prepared.
"Going through Alsen will cost us more lives. Shouldn't we go around—" Rodrigo began, but Kallion cut him off with a sharp glare.
"Alsen is Heister's backbone. Take it, and their supply lines break. Two birds with one stone."
Having fought countless wars in previous lives, Kallion knew more about battle than anyone here.
The vassals fell silent, unable to argue.
By tomorrow, half of them might not live to see another dawn.
Perhaps he himself wouldn't either.
Maybe then… the aching pull in his heart toward her would finally fade.
Through a gap in the tent, the setting sun painted Kallion's lonely face in deep shades of sorrow.
I was doing embroidery by the window as the orange glow of sunset filled the room when I suddenly felt someone watching me.
I turned toward the window, but all I saw were golden leaves shining in the fading light.
Was it just my imagination?
Shaking off the uneasy feeling, I checked on Denian, who was fast asleep on the bed.
His innocent little face made me smile without thinking.
A knock sounded, and my personal maid entered.
"Madam, here is this month's newspaper you requested."
"Leave it on the table."
The maid obediently placed the rolled newspaper on the table and left.
It was a monthly paper full of stories from the outside world—something Lloyd had subscribed to for me.
Perhaps he still felt guilty about keeping the war a secret.
In moments like this, Lloyd truly was a kind and considerate man, even if his protectiveness sometimes went too far.
This castle still felt uneasy and stifling, but I tried to push those feelings aside as I opened the newspaper.
Inside were reports of political drama in the capital, dazzling stories of the Imperial family, and all kinds of worldly news.
But the largest headlines were all about the war between Valdormer and Heister.
[Relations Between Valdormer and Heister on the Brink!]
[Who Is This War Really For?]
[Valdormer's Heir Leads the Army Himself…]
As I skimmed the sensational articles, my eyes stopped on one piece.
[...The war has continued for three months with no sign of ending. Some analysts predict, judging from Valdormer's movements and the nature of this conflict, that it will not end anytime soon. Some even believe it could last for several years...]
Three months already.
And now they said it might drag on for years…
For some reason, my heart thudded nervously in my chest.
Was I worried about Heister, the family I once called my own?
No… that shouldn't matter anymore.
Yet my eyes drifted to a photograph printed beside the article—
a picture of Kallion taken at the warfront.
Whether he died in battle or fell to Heister's sword, it should mean nothing to me now.
And yet, a heavy, choking tightness pressed against my chest that I couldn't shake.