If you don’t love me, I will die.

On a certain dawn with the white crescent shining by the window, Ania woke up early in the morning.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes, drank the water on the table, and lay back in bed.

But her eyes stayed open.
Sleep didn’t come.

“How strange.”

Ania was someone who, once asleep, rarely woke up easily.
Because she tended to oversleep, she couldn’t get up if the servants didn’t come to wake her up.

But why?

Ania approached the terrace with a clearer mind than usual.

She looked up at the moon.
It was a pale moonlight, chilly enough to make her shiver.
Even in the deep midnight, it shone as if illuminating the world vividly.

She gazed up at the high sky, still cold in the night air.
Feathery clouds surrounded as if looking up at a round ceiling.

“Edward.”

Ania quietly murmured the name of the man she missed.

What could he be doing now?
She was worried.

The Capital was quiet, but the flames of war still engulfed the Empire.
It seems it won’t end anytime soon.
Perhaps the soldiers of the Northern Kingdom might also push into the Radner Estate.

Of course, Ania trusted Edward.
He was a strong man.
He had lifted Ania, who collapsed numerous times, back up.

Yet, the anxious feeling didn’t seem to calm down.

If… anything happened to Edward, Ania would have to endure long and bitter times again.

That was a fact.
She didn’t want to endure that strenuous and painful time again.
This had to be the last time.

Ania had endured so far with that determination.

Even when the man she loved the most pushed her away, she persevered with that single-mindedness.

Ania took out the necklace hanging around her neck and fiddled with it.
Looking at the red gemstone embedded at its end, she thought.

Distant pasts.
Pasts so broken they couldn’t be undone.
Countless moments that ultimately led to ruin.

As Ania stood quietly on the terrace for a while, suddenly, a blue light shimmered above her head.

She lifted her head.

“A butterfly?”

The identity of the shimmer was indeed a butterfly.
A single blue butterfly fluttered its wings above Ania’s forehead.

It shimmered beautifully like sunlight breaking on waves.
As if enchanted by the shimmer, Ania reached out her fingertips, and the butterfly landed.

Suddenly, the butterfly began to shimmer in the blue light, undulating.

Startled, Ania took a step back, and as the butterfly’s changing shape grew, transforming into a human.

“…Ania Bronte.”

As the light faded, there stood a girl.
With blue eyes and pale hair falling to her waist.
A mischievous expression but firmly closed lips.

“Who are you…?”

Ania asked, hiding her confusion.

“Are you Ania Bronte?”

“Who are you?”

Ania vaguely recognized its identity then.

Now that the butterfly had transformed into a person, it could only be polymorph.

“I am not.”

Despite clearly thinking she was a sorceress, she wasn’t.

“I’m Anya Yerchevitz. The Duchess who rules over the Yerchevitz Territory. A dragon ruling over the North.”

“…Dragon?”

Ania was taken aback by surprise.
Seeing Ania like that, Anya chuckled.

“Don’t be afraid. I haven’t come to harm you.”
“Then state your purpose?”
“I find you interesting.”

Anya closed the distance instantly, took hold of Ania’s chin, and turned her head this way and that, laughing as if amused.

“So you’re the woman who stole Edward Radner’s heart. Truly a beautiful face, as he said.”
“Thank you, but… please tell me why you’ve come?”
“It was on a whim. But…”

Anya’s head cocked to the side.

Looking at Ania as if dissecting her, Anya’s gaze gradually descended to her chest.

“You have something interesting.”

Anya slid her fingers over the chain around Ania’s neck, and the necklace with the red gemstone shimmered and slipped out.

“A time-rewinding gem. Why do you have this?”

“……”

Ania was shocked by Anya’s words, her heart trembling.
But the dragon before her just smiled as if marveling.

“How many times have you rewound time? Judging by your eyes, it seems to be over ten times already.”
“…How do you know?”
“Why wouldn’t I recognize my creations?”
“….!”
“It was a gift to the Emperor when the Empire was founded. Why do you have it?”
“By chance.”

As Ania spoke with a firm expression, Anya’s pupils narrowed vertically.

“So you stole it when you were young.”

Ania was startled, her shoulders trembling in surprise.

As Anya said, the item was indeed something she had stolen from the imperial palace when she was young.
Of course, she hadn’t dreamed it was such a precious item back then.

“How?”
“Lies are useless in front of me. Speak only the truth.”

Anya’s eyes sharpened again.

“Tell me. How many times have you rewound time?”
“……..”
“Answer.”

Anya’s voice became forceful.

“…Nineteen times.”
“Nineteen.”

Ania confessed.
Anya lightly closed her eyes and lowered her head.

“You’re a reckless human. Do you know what this is and what it does?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“This is not an item to rewind time. Though it’s rumored among humans, the true identity of this item is…”

As Anya spoke, suddenly, there was a commotion outside the palace.

People’s murmurs,
The sound of horses’ hooves hitting the ground.

At the distant noise, Anya’s head slowly turned.

“I guess there’s no need to tell you right now.”

Muttering to herself, Anya grabbed Ania’s arm.

“Hold on tight.”
“Wha…?”

Ania made a breathless sound as if not understanding.

Anya’s body floated into the air.
Something like butterfly wings had suddenly sprouted on her shoulders.

“I won’t take responsibility if you fall off.”

With that, their bodies left the terrace and soared into the sky.

Into the sea of white moonlight, their bodies plunged.

Ania tightened her grip on Anya’s arm and closed her eyes.

The wind brushed past her body.

“Since it’s dangerous here, let’s move to a safer place for now.”

When Ania opened her eyes, she found herself flying high in the sky.
The sky was close.
The clouds are not far away.

Looking down from there, she could see cavalry and torches rushing towards the city gates of the Capital.

“It’s okay. The Empire won’t collapse so easily.”

Anya said nonchalantly.

No matter how different the Empire was from before, it wouldn’t crumble under the onslaught of the Northern Kingdom.

She knew that from living through many years.

“Edward….”
“What is it now?”
“I didn’t tell him I was leaving the Capital.”
“Because that man will come looking for you?”
“It’s possible. But if he does…”

Anya chuckled softly at Ania’s dejected tone.

“That’s fate.”

***

By the time they arrived at the Capital, it was noon.

The sun was high, but my heart was in turmoil.
The Capital was under attack again…

But fortunately, the small number of soldiers from the Northern Kingdom meant we could quickly deal with it.

Having stationed guards in preparation for a surprise attack also played a part.
Thanks to that, the damage was minimal.

Then where could Ania be right now?

Considering that Eldrigan had been contacted, it seemed the palace hadn’t been attacked yet.

Struggling to contain the crumbling feeling in my heart, I walked through the palace’s corridors and opened the door to the study.

“Eldrigan.”
“Edward…”

Eldrigan turned with a visibly troubled expression.

“Ania…”
“What about her?”
“Where is Ania?!”

Unable to hold onto my reason, I grabbed Eldrigan by the collar. He looked at me with no resistance, merely averting his gaze.

“When I went to her room, she was already…”
“Already what?”
“She wasn’t in her room.”

Before I knew it, my fist had struck him.
With a thud, Eldrigan’s body hit the floor, and the sound of the guards drawing their swords nearby could be heard.

“Step back.”

Eldrigan spat blood, wiping his lips, and waved off the knights.

“You said she was safe!”
“I’m sorry. But… the soldiers from the Northern Kingdom haven’t entered the palace. It seems they haven’t captured her.”
“Then where is she?”
“That’s… I…”

As I grabbed his collar again, a servant from the palace suddenly shouted.

“I-I know something!”

Turning my head, I saw a small girl trembling as she spoke.

“I-I saw it yesterday… in the early morning.”
“Saw what…?”
“I saw two people flying in the sky from Lady Ania’s room.”
“Flying in the sky?”
“Yes… A woman with white hair and wings was carrying Lady Ania and flying away.”
“……”

As I remained silent, the servant urgently continued.

“I-I really did! I saw it with my own eyes!”
“Why would she…”

But I had a vague guess.

Among those with white hair and wings, there was only one I knew.
Anya Yerchevitz.

But I couldn’t fathom the reason.