The night was deep and heavy, and the castle's lights cast flickering shadows over the tense, busy figures in the grand hall. Marcellus, his expression grim, rose to his feet and immediately summoned all the guards, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.
"Gather everyone at once. Mark, begin screening the castle guards—I want absolute certainty of their loyalty."
Mark, the butler, understood the gravity of the situation and promptly carried out the order. He meticulously examined the guards' backgrounds, past records, and recent movements, overlooking not even the slightest irregularity. Within the castle, the guards were questioned and screened one by one, and a stifling sense of pressure filled the air. Marcellus's thoughts aligned with Elias's—when facing an army head-on, numbers were secondary. The true priority was ensuring there were no traitors among them.
Meanwhile, security outside the castle was also being reinforced. Upon learning of the situation, Edgar dispatched a contingent of the First Legion's elite soldiers to guard the perimeter. This legion had always been under his and Celesta's command, its loyalty beyond doubt. Edgar handpicked only the most reliable soldiers to stand watch around the castle, ensuring that no suspicious individuals could approach. Though logic dictated that no one would be brazen enough to launch a direct assault on Livia within the castle, the added security provided some reassurance.
Livia…
Standing by the study window, Marcellus gazed into the night, his heart weighed down. He had no idea what the future held for him and Livia, nor whether his persistence was merely wishful thinking. Perhaps he should tell her the truth… but every time he tried, an invisible force clamped around his throat, rendering him speechless. His instincts warned him that the moment he spoke the truth, Livia would vanish from this world completely.
It was an absurd notion, one he might have scoffed at before. But after that incident, he could no longer ignore it.
Even if Livia never forgave him, he could at least ensure her safety. He firmly believed that as long as he found the Holy Grail, he could reverse everything and restore what had been lost.
Lost in thought, he closed his eyes briefly, pressing his fingers against his temple to force himself into a state of calm. The enemy lurked in the shadows while he stood in the open—time was running out, and the slightest hesitation could tip the scales against him. Taking a deep breath, he straightened his outer robe and strode out of the castle, stepping into yet another inevitable battle.
Upstairs, in a dimly lit room, Livia quietly pushed open the window. Her gaze followed Marcellus's departing figure, her expression darkening slightly before she sighed softly.
What path did the future hold?
Days passed. The castle remained eerily calm—no attempts were made on Livia's life, and no enemies breached its walls. Yet beneath this deceptive tranquility, an invisible tension loomed. Meanwhile, there was still no sign of Emma. She had vanished without a trace, as though swallowed by the earth itself. However, a message from Elias suggested that she had quietly left for another city.
Seated in the study, Alia absentmindedly flipped through the pages of a book, but her mind drifted elsewhere. Thoughts of Elias made her sigh. Ever since the last incident, his attitude toward her had subtly changed. On one hand, there was a hint of guilt in his demeanor; on the other, he seemed more brazen than before, as if, having revealed everything to Marcellus, he no longer needed to hold back.
Now, he appeared at the castle almost daily, spending long hours by her side. Though his actions remained restrained and respectful, his words and gaze grew increasingly possessive. That elusive balance between closeness and distance unsettled her—reminding her of the moment she had finally asked him outright:
"Elias, what do you really want?"
The man had chuckled softly, his voice both earnest and fearless.
"Since Marcellus already knows everything, why should I keep hiding? It's time for me to be honest, for once." His eyes locked onto hers, unwavering and steady. "Livia, I want to win your heart. I believe—there's still a place for me in it."
His sincerity left Livia momentarily speechless.
Her feelings for Marcellus had long since become a tangled web of love and hatred. But for Elias… her emotions were far more ambiguous. The former owner of this body had once held feelings for Elias—yet were they love, gratitude, or merely a fleeting comfort in times of exhaustion? Even Livia herself couldn't say. It was not an overwhelming passion, but something subtle, like water seeping into the cracks of her heart, gradually influencing her until she found it impossible to completely push him away.
And as for herself?
She had grown accustomed to Elias's presence—perhaps because Marcellus had wounded her too deeply. She thought she had abandoned all desire for emotional entanglements, yet reality constantly proved otherwise. Elias's presence felt like an easy, uncomplicated choice.
Yet no matter how hard she tried, she could not bring herself to feel anything deeper for him. And that faint emotional distance left her with a sense of guilt.
Closing the book, her gaze drifted around the study. Since confronting Marcellus, she no longer hesitated to conduct her investigations openly, and he, in turn, seemed to tolerate it without protest.
Her thoughts returned to the missing pages—those crucial documents that had mysteriously disappeared. Where had they gone? Who had taken them? Did they truly hold clues about the Holy Grail?
And most importantly… how much did Marcellus really know?
She shut her eyes, her mind a tangle of unanswered questions. The future remained shrouded in mist.