After few minutes of following Eurielle, Asterion finally caught her when she collapsed.

"...."

As he carries her sleeping body in his arms, he always end up wondering what her past experiences are.

"So beautiful." He muttered as he closely observed her sleeping face.

The soft moonlight landed on her face and Eurielle's ethereal beauty was shown perfectly.

There were days where Asterion was staying in the magic tower to do some work. And that work.. is actually connected on how to punish Abigail.

It's been some time since he last saw her. Just earlier from the tower, Abigail went there to see him but got rejected in the end.

'A persistent b'tch.'

The more he stayed away from her, he realized that the loyalty he had for her in the past vanished. She must have used some kind of magic.

Except, what kind of magic? Asterion still needs to find that out.

*Creaaaak*

As he opened the door to Eurielle's room, he slowly took counted steps and walked inside.

Three fiery gazes were looking at him with the intent to kill.

"Let go of my daughter." The Grand Duke growled.

[A/N: yes daddy]

Asterion just smiled in response. He gently put Eurielle back on the bed and covered her with blanket.

The Grand Duke unsheathed his sword once again and pointed it towards Asterion's neck.

"Now tell me. What did you do to my daughter? Why was she like that?" He asked.

Aside from Theo who found out about Eurielle's sleepwalking, Clayton and the Grand Duke were stupefied on the other hand.

They couldn't believe what they just saw earlier.

And to know why she was like that, they need to let Asterion speak up.

"I don't know. Shouldn't the Grand Duke know about that? Eurielle kept saying in her sleep that she wants to get out from somewhere. She always says that she's suffocated and trapped. She's having a nightmare. The Grand Duke must've locked her up somewhere." Asterion greatly assumed his point.

"- Listen, not once in my life have I ever dared to hurt my daughter. And lock her up? I'd kill myself before I do that."

Hearing Asterion's words, Clayton suddenly remembered Eurielle's thoughts earlier.

'It was suffocating back then, there was barely space. They always tell me to read books and never escape. I wonder who wrote them?"

"Did you perhaps... Die?" He questioned.

"How did you know?" Her eyes widened.

"Master, I have something to tell you. It seems unbelievable and phenomenal but it might explain my lady's change of attitude." Clayton spake up.

He's right.

While on the battlefield, George Deidamus received various reports about his daughter's change of attitude. Especially towards that bastard prince.

When he heard that Eurielle didn't chase the prince like she used to before, he was actually glad because that way, it's easier to kill him. That way, no one will be sad about his measly death.

"Spit it." The Grand Duke answered, his blade still pointing at Asterion's neck.

"I actually heard my lady's thoughts earlier and heard that she-"

Are you a pervert or something? I won't forgive you if you did something inappropriate." This time, the Grand Duke's blade was pointed on Clayton.

"Clayton is a pervert." Theo concurred in the sidelines.

"Shut up, piece of sh't. It's nothing like that. I just heard that my lady was locked up somewhere. And we talked earlier and I asked her if she died and she unbelievably answered me with a question."

Asterion was listening carefully to Clayton's explanation as well.

"What question?"

"She said, how did you know? Meaning, she must've really experienced them."

"And for her change of attitude.. it must be because of it.." Clayton added.

"..."

"..."

Silence wrapped the entire room.

Each minds were confused as hell and they were pondering silently on what to react to Clayton's words.

"It doesn't matter." The Grand Duke muttered. "Eurielle is my daughter. That's all that matters."

"But.. who locked her up?" Theo asked.

"It must've been a nightmare." Clayton guessed.

"It better be. Because if it literally happened to her, I might send those people who did those things to her straightaway to hell." The Grand Duke casually uttered like it was a normal thing to murder anyone anytime. "As for you.." His gaze landed on Asterion.

"You said you were Eurielle's person."

"I am." Asterion responded.

"Will you do anything for her?"

"Yes." He immediately replied. 'Anything.'

With that serious answer, the Grand Duke suddenly had an idea.

He sat on Eurielle's bed and patted her head. He looked at his sleeping daughter with a loving gaze.

"I figure you must've heard about our plan earlier."

Asterion nodded slightly.

"I want to give everything to my daughter even if it is an empire. It is my late wife's wish to provide everything for her. And what I want you to do, is to stay by my daughter's side til the end."

"It's simple." Asterion answered, as if it was already part of his plan.

"Me too. I will stay with Rielle til I die." Theo knelt on the floor and held Eurielle's non-moving hand.

"Don't touch her, Theo." Clayton grabbed his hand.

"It's you who's not supposed to touch me." Theo glared at him.

"...."

"After usurping the throne, I will leave her to all of you." The Grand Duke added.

"Why, master? Where are you going after that?" Theo asked.

Somewhere in Eurielle's room, a large portrait was placed on the wall beside the mirror.

It was a family portrait. It had the image of his late wife in it.

The Grand Duke smiled as he looked at it.

"I'll be meeting my wife after that."