Chapter 81: Chapter 81

“Ugh!”

Tiel instinctively clung to Ian, squeezing her eyes shut. A powerful force was pulling them endlessly downward.

Her grip on Ian tightened, as if afraid of losing him.

‘I won’t let go.’

She couldn’t. Ian was clearly unaware of what was happening to him.

So she had to make him understand.

At that moment—

Thud—!

“Ugh—!!”

Their bodies, which had been plummeting endlessly, suddenly collided with something, tumbling across the surface.

However, Tiel was safely nestled in Ian’s arms, and his hand had instinctively cradled the back of her head, keeping her from getting hurt.

“Ugh, mm…”

Still dazed from the impact, Tiel blinked a few times before noticing Ian lying still on the ground. Alarmed, she pressed against his abdomen.

“Ian-nim!”

“……”

But Ian remained motionless.

Tiel tried shaking him awake for some time, but when it became clear that he wasn’t responding, she reluctantly gave up and looked around to assess their surroundings.

Where… were they?

“……”

Tiel abruptly stood up, cautiously observing the place where she and Ian had landed.

This was… a reception room. A modest one, sparsely decorated, as if adhering to the tastes of its owner rather than opulence.

Reaching out, Tiel extended a hand toward a nearby vase, curious to see if it would vanish upon touch—just like the objects in Ian’s subspace last time.

However—

Tap.

‘It’s not disappearing…’

Ian’s subspace had always been filled with things that dissolved upon contact, yet strangely, nothing here faded when she touched it.

Then—

“Leave, Your Majesty.”

A voice unfamiliar to her echoed in the room, and Tiel’s head snapped toward the sound.

At the center of the reception room, seated at the table, was a man staring blankly ahead.

Tiel had never seen him before.

And yet—

“…For some reason, he doesn’t feel unfamiliar.”

Brilliant golden hair, and when his lashes fluttered, emerald-green eyes gleamed beneath them.

Only then did Tiel realize who he resembled.

‘Ah… He looks like Ian-nim.’

Not just a passing resemblance—his features were an exact replica of Ian’s.

The man, seemingly oblivious to Tiel and Ian’s presence, spoke again.

“Ian is not an option.”

“Don’t be a fool. Have you read through all the records in the imperial archives?”

At that moment, another man appeared opposite him. Tiel’s eyes widened in recognition.

‘That’s the emperor!’

Though younger than his present self, it was unmistakably Emperor Wilhelm.

What was going on?

Tiel hesitated, glancing down at the unconscious Ian.

If only Ian were awake, he might know how to make sense of this situation…

Yet Ian showed no sign of stirring, and the two men continued their conversation as if she didn’t exist. With no other option, Tiel remained where she was, listening intently.

“I have read them all.”

“……”

“My thoughts remain unchanged.”

The younger man smiled gently, while the emperor’s face paled, then flushed red with anger, cycling between fury and disbelief.

Tiel almost worried he might explode from sheer frustration.

A tense silence followed before the emperor abruptly stood, pushing his chair back with force. Without another word, he strode toward the door, as if deciding there was nothing more to say.

“Take care, Father.”

“Tch!”

Wilhelm clicked his tongue in irritation before exiting the reception room.

The remaining man, unperturbed, brought his teacup to his lips.

Tiel quietly observed him.

The way he lightly swayed the teacup before taking a sip… the unhurried movement of bringing it to his lips… Every gesture mirrored Ian’s mannerisms so perfectly it was unsettling.

‘Could he be Ian’s father?’

Tiel found herself wishing Ian would wake up. If Ian saw this scene, wouldn’t he be happy? After all, he was witnessing his late father in front of him…

Then, suddenly, the reception room distorted in an unnatural, eerie way.

The man who had been drinking tea vanished without a trace, leaving only the overturned teacup rolling on the floor, its contents spilled.

The walls warped, the floor shifted. Space twisted, and the world around her trembled.

“Ugh…!”

Tiel rushed forward, wrapping her arms tightly around Ian. If she lost him in this chaos, it would be over.

Then, in a dizzying instant, their surroundings shifted once again.

This time, they found themselves at the entrance of a grand mansion.

It was enormous—larger than any estate Tiel had ever seen.

Holding Ian tightly, she cautiously lifted her upper body, scanning her surroundings, only to tilt her head in confusion.

‘Why… does this place feel familiar?’

The man earlier had seemed strangely familiar, but now, this entire place gave her the uncanny sense that she had been here before.

Just as she was about to stand and investigate further—

“No—!!!!”

A piercing scream tore through the air from somewhere nearby.

Startled, Tiel instinctively covered Ian’s ears and turned her head toward the source of the sound.

The person screaming… was a breathtakingly beautiful woman.

She had soft, gentle eyes, the kind that suggested she normally spoke in a quiet and soothing manner.

But right now, she was standing at the entrance of the mansion, blocking the way with a desperate cry.

Tears streamed down her cheeks without pause.

Her expression was resolute, her eyes wide open and glaring fiercely at something outside the mansion.

“No… absolutely not. I won’t allow this.”

Her voice broke intermittently, making it difficult for Tiel to hear everything clearly.

‘She’s fighting to protect something.’

It was evident that the woman was desperately trying to defend whatever was inside the mansion from something beyond its walls.

Tiel felt overwhelmed.

What kind of place was this?

The man from earlier had been Ian’s father. In that case… could this woman be Ian’s mother?

‘Ian-nim…’

Where exactly have you brought me?

Clutching Ian’s hand tightly, Tiel gazed at the crying woman.

The woman’s face flickered in and out of focus, like mist rolling over a mirror—blurring and sharpening unpredictably, making it difficult to concentrate on her features.

Then, after standing there for some time, resolute in her stance, the woman suddenly turned her head in response to a sound behind her.

Quickly wiping away her tears with her sleeve, she rushed toward the source and crouched down, gently wiping away someone else’s tears.

From the height at which the woman bent down and raised her hand, it seemed she was tending to a child—likely around Tiel’s height or perhaps slightly taller.

“Don’t cry, it’s alright. Mommy is here…”

Her voice was soft and hushed, as if whispering.

It was as delicate as a songbird’s call, so gentle that Tiel thought it sounded almost like a lullaby.

“I cannot have another child, Your Majesty.”

The woman stroked the child’s cheek as she spoke, her voice barely above a murmur.

“So we’ve made the best decision we could…”

Moments later, the man from before—the one who resembled Ian—appeared beside her.

He stood next to the woman and cautiously embraced her small, delicate shoulders.

Tiel thought the two of them looked unbearably sorrowful.

Painfully, achingly sad.

So sad that she felt as if this sorrow would seep into her dreams and haunt her sleep.

And yet, neither the man nor the woman seemed aware of anything else. They merely held onto each other lightly and gazed at the entrance of the mansion.

Who was standing there?

Following their gaze, Tiel turned her head toward the entrance as well.@@novelbin@@

But… there was nothing.

At that moment—

BOOM—!!

A deafening explosion rocked the space, and thick black smoke flooded the mansion.

‘Ah, I know this smoke.’

The same smoke Ian had unleashed in the plaza…

As realization struck, Tiel swiftly turned her gaze toward the child the woman had been comforting just moments ago.

The child she had whispered to, telling him not to cry…

Could it be—?

At that instant, an enormous subspace tore through reality and emerged before them.

No, calling it a subspace wasn’t quite right—it was more like a black hole, devouring everything in sight.

The mansion shattered to pieces, and everything within it was pulled into the swirling void.

The man and woman stood precariously close to the subspace’s edge.

Yet, it did not consume them.

And then—

“Goodbye, my love.”

The woman smiled serenely as she took a step forward.

Tiel instinctively reached out, trying to grab them—trying to pull them back.

But her hands never reached them.

Just like that…

The two of them disappeared into the abyss.