Raniero Actilus thought, 'It was not something to be thankful for.'

It was no coincidence that he appeared with such perfect timing and was able to save Angelica like that. If you think about it, it was not a coincidence. He already knew that Angelica's drug efficacy would disappear at an ambiguous time.

Designing the hunting ground in such a structure.

Giving Angelica a bow that matches her physique.

And, giving drugs that erased her fears and giving her poison.

Even pushing Sylvia into the place, instilling false hope in Jacques' mother and son...

...All of them were done by Raniero, without leaving out exceptions.

The greatest blessing Actilla, the war God, bestowed upon his godson was not the prosperity of the nation. It was to occupy an overwhelmingly advantageous position in terms of slaughter and war. Not only did he have a strong body, but he was more agile than anyone when it came to splashing blood and flesh.

No one had an equal footing with him. Since he was not well aware of the individuality of each human being, therefore, all human beings were more like ants moving in groups rather than beings with their own personalities to Raniero.

It was his hobby to scatter and trample their swarm with branches, or to make paths with honey to make them follow frantically.

The Empress from a foreign country was no exception.

All he did was put the four ants into a fight.

While the three ants had their own reasons to fight to the death, Angelica's priority was to save her life. Because of that, he gave her the drug to actively engage in the hunt to create interesting scenes...

There was no guilt, knowing what side effects it caused on her body. This was because, no matter how eccentric Angelica was to suggest a fun game, she, whom he could not distinguish her face, was also just one of the 'ants' to him.

For Raniero, the hunt for the summer solstice this time was nothing more than a play in which the desired scenes were elaborately produced for the purpose of entertainment — all the characters were swept away according to the Emperor's wishes and his intentions...

One by one, everything went as planned.

What was unclear was how much Angelica, who had lost herself for a moment, would accept what happened at the time, though he was convinced that she could not attend the banquet because of guilt and grief.

...However, she calmly entered the banquet hall wearing the dress that was given to her.

Raniero, who had entered a little earlier than her, shuddered lightly. It was because, at that moment, he 'saw' what her face looked like, as if she had been lying.

...Why?

Perhaps, it was because she was a strange individual. Even in this moment, she expressed her gratitude to him for planning the nightmare, declaring that she had done nothing but only winning her fight.

Somehow, the face of Angelica Unro Actilus gradually became clearer on the ground that was gradually being shaded.

Raniero asked, drenched in the bizarre sentiment.

"Did you decide not to feel guilty or self-hatred towards yourself?"

Angelica trembled as though the question was horrifying. Her barely focused gaze fell to her shoe as usual before smiling shyly and stroking her own cheek.

"Well, it's because I'm weak, as Your Majesty said. I'm not sure if I'll survive even if I invest everything in my survival..."

It was interesting that Raniero, who is stronger than anyone else, recognized her face, the weakest human being, first. Nonetheless, he had no idea what that fact meant... No, he does not even try to think to understand.

"Let's go back."

To be honest, he might have had a glimpse of the future had he dug deep into the situation at that moment. Still, it was the usual impulse that governed and dominated his behavior.

Raniero reached out his hand.

At that, Angelica's eyes slowly grew bigger as his hand approached her. When her hand came close to his fingertips, she quickly withdrew it. At the same time, confusion and fear filled the pale green eyes.

Reading her expression has always been easy.

...Was holding this hand not a mistake? Would it be presumptuous? Conceivably, it would be an act that the capricious emperor considered rude or disobedient—

Like a rabbit that hides in the burrow at the slightest sound, she was too terrified.

Raniero followed and grabbed the hand that was pulling away. It was a hand that had been left scarred from holding the bow for several weeks.

"Let's go back."

He uttered it again.

Angelica's gaze naturally turned to the banquet hall. It seemed that she did not want to go back to the banquet hall as her awkward heart had been conveyed transparently.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her with him, although it was in the opposite direction of the banquet hall. It was common before that the Emperor, who got bored of the banquet, would disappear somewhere in the middle of the event.