The winter wind seemed to blow coldly only over the execution platform.

　My hands, bound with rope, felt numb, and the planks beneath my feet creaked with even the slightest shift in my weight. The central square of the royal capital, Alvein, was overcast despite it being midday, and the white breaths of the onlookers seemed terribly far away. But the face I least wanted to see was clearly visible.

　They were children from a relief center.

　The small backs, pushed to the front row, were huddled together, trembling. Mina, the oldest, was trying to cover Leo's sobbing eyes with both hands, but her own cheeks were wet with tears, and she couldn't hide them very well.

　I wanted to say, "Stop." I wanted to scream, "Don't look."

　But my throat felt like it was filled with dry sand and wouldn't move.

　"For the crimes of embezzling relief funds, falsifying accounting records, and attempted illegal transfer of protected children, former infirmary clerk Skyler is hereby executed."

　The narrator's voice carried well. It was a voice that made me realize once again how easily a person can become evil with just the weight of a single sheet of paper.

　"different……"

　My voice was hoarse, and surprisingly weak even to myself.

　That's not true. I wasn't the one who tampered with the books. I wasn't the one who stopped the remittances, nor was I the one who tried to sell the children into servitude. I noticed that the numbers were out of order, so I went and told them, I bowed my head, I sued, and that's how—I was crushed.

　Beyond the crowd, there was a woman wiping the corners of her eyes with a white glove.

　Maribel.

　A philanthropist renowned even in the royal capital. Clad in a pale wisteria-colored cloak, she looked at me with a face that seemed on the verge of collapsing. Yet, her profile was too perfect. It was so beautiful, as if she had even chosen the angle at which she looked sad.

　"How unfortunate... That person never admitted their mistakes until the very end..."

　Even the whispered words to the nearby lady reached my ears on the wind. The voice sounded like it was weeping, yet the end of each sentence was strangely light.

　To the lower right of the scaffold, Treasurer Lafont was stroking his chin. He was making the face of a bewildered official, but his eyes were dry. That man was always like that. He never looked at the person behind the stack of papers. He just dried them up, and then finally said, "There was no other choice."

　"If there was an error in the document, it should have been corrected much sooner."

　"...But you're the one who stopped it."

　The words I finally managed to utter were swallowed up by the commotion.

　At that moment, the murmur of the people suddenly changed to a different color.

　Because a man in black formal attire pushed his way forward through the crowd.

　Duke Elisha Valentiaire.

　He is the royal negotiator, rumored to be the coldest man in the capital. Even though he stands in the sunlight, it is as quiet as night around him. His sharp gray eyes gaze up at the execution platform, and he seems to say something. But the Royal Guard stands in his way, and the executioner raises his arm.

　"It's time."

　Oh no, I won't make it.

　The moment I thought that, my chest grew cold before my feet did.

　I'm going to die. This is the end. The children will be sold off in different directions; Mina will go to a factory, Leo to some farm, and little Yuna, who's always had a fever, might not survive the winter. The teacher's books, the old desk in the orphanage, the burnt soup we shared late at night—it's all gone.

　I couldn't protect it.

　That feeling of regret was the only thing that ultimately pierced my heart sharper than a blade.

Just as the blade was about to fall, a high-pitched sound like shattering glass echoed from the depths of the earth.

　Everyone in the square glanced up at the sky for a moment. But the sound wasn't coming from the sky. It was from underground. Far below the royal palace, in the direction of the midnight library where the records of the nobility and forbidden books lay dormant, came a sound like a cracked bell.

　My vision is blurry.

　Maribel's tears, Lafont's dry eyes, the children's tearful faces—everything crumbled like a painting on the surface of water.

　In the center of that ruined landscape, there was another me.

　She was holding her blood-soaked neck, yet still looking straight at me. It was me reflected in the mirror. I was crying, but my eyes held a look that said I didn't want to end it with just tears.

　The lips move.

　The voice seemed to descend directly into the inside of my head.

　—Next time, don't just end it with crying.

　The execution platform, the square, the winter sky—they all crumbled like shattered glass.

The coldness of the stone steps woke me up.

　I can't breathe properly. I can't taste the blood that should have been in my throat. I look down at my hands. There are no rope marks, and no white execution garment. Instead, there are the worn cuffs of my cloak and familiar fingerless work gloves.

　The moment I took a deep breath, the smell of paper, leather, and old wax filled my lungs.

　It's the library in the middle of the night.

　The library, located in the deepest part of the palace's basement, was dimly lit even during the day, but by midnight it was almost like night itself. The shadows of bookshelves reaching to the high ceiling overlapped in layers, and pale blue magic lamps hanging on the walls faintly illuminated the passageway. The light flickered dimly on the polished black stone floor.

　I must have been sitting down halfway up the stone steps. When I traced the steps with my fingertips, I could even remember the feel of the worn edges.

　This night.

　That night, after finishing repairs to an old ledger donated to the relief hospital, I was exceptionally allowed to return it to the underground library. I wasn't from the accounting department, just a clerk at the relief hospital, and that was the only time I was allowed into this place. I remember the bell outside had just struck twelve, and I was hurrying back to the surface after getting the signature on the ledger's return tag—

　"...Are you back?"

　The moment I put it into words, my whole body trembled.

　I pinch my cheek to make sure it's not a dream. It hurts. I can clearly feel the coldness of the stone steps and the numbness in my toes.

　That night, one year ago.

　Then, there's still time.

　Before the audit next month begins, the ward's books haven't been completely tampered with. The contracts to sell the children can be stopped before they come to light. The plot to frame me can also be thwarted now.

　The image of the execution platform remained in the back of my mind like burnt ruins. Mina was crying. Leo was desperately stretching on his tiptoes. And I died without being able to do anything.

　"This time..."

　This time, I won't let anyone else have it.

　As I tried to stand up, I noticed a silvery sparkle scattered at my feet. It was a tiny shard of mirror. Apparently, just a small piece had fallen off the edge of the large magic mirror that stood in front of the door leading to the back of the library at the bottom of the stairs.

　In the mirror I peered into, I saw my own eyes illuminated by a pale light. My face looked much younger than it did just before I died. But the depths of my eyes were like those of a completely different person.

　At that moment, I heard the sound of cloth rustling behind the bookshelves.

　I instinctively recoiled, taking half a step to hide behind the stairs. Only a limited number of people would come to the library at this time. The librarian, someone with royal permission, or perhaps...?

　"Who's there?"

　It was a low, clear voice. There was no way I could have mistaken it.

　Elisha.

　My heart skipped a beat. The gray eyes that had been looking up at me from beneath the scaffold were now calmly gazing into the darkness between the bookshelves. He wore a black cloak and held a bunch of keys to the sealed library in one hand. I already knew why the Duke would descend into the underground library alone at this late hour.

　In his first life, this person also investigated corruption within the royal family.

　And then, he was killed for getting too close to the truth.

　Only I, who know the future, know of that death.

　A sense of urgency welled up before fear. Nothing would change if I just stayed silent and waited. If I wanted to change things, there was someone I had to grab onto right here, right now.

　I emerged from behind the bushes.

　"...It's me. Skyler, the clerk at the orphanage."

　Elisha's gaze narrowed sharply. It was only natural that a mere scribe would be suspected if he were crouching in the deepest part of the palace basement at this hour.

　"The return record should have been received a while ago. Why are you still here?"

　"I'm feeling a little unwell..."

　Half of it was true. No one could remain calm after just dying and coming back to life.

　But Elisha is not the kind of man to take excuses at face value. His gray eyes darted across my hands, my feet, and even the shards of the mirror in an instant.

　"That's not the face of someone who's just feeling unwell."

　"……I agree"

　My throat is burning.

　What I'm about to say isn't something a sane person would say. But that execution block was the result of dying while still sane.

　So, even if it's embarrassing, even if it makes you seem crazy, you should say it.

　I looked straight at Elisha.

　"Your Excellency, I have a request."

　"It depends on the content."

　"Please make me your wife."

　Silence fell.

　Only the faint hum of the magic lamp continued between the bookshelves.

　Elisha's expression broke for the first time. It wasn't so much surprise as it was the look of someone who had been struck by an unexpected blow. Normally, the thought that she was the one who had made the cold-hearted duke look like that would make her flinch a little. But now she didn't have that luxury.

　"If this wasn't an underground library, I'd just dismiss it as a joke."

　"I'm not kidding."

　"Then I question your sanity."

　"Be suspicious. But before you do, ask a question."

　I took just one step closer. I gripped the hem of my coat to keep my legs from trembling.

　"During next month's audit, the ledgers of the relief center will be replaced. After being moved to the accounting office's sealed vault, the original copies will be hidden elsewhere. The children will be sold into servitude, and I will be framed for embezzlement."

　"...Who told you that?"

　"I didn't hear it. I know it."

　Elisha's eyes gleamed like a sword that had lost its heat. If I said any more, I could easily be captured. But I didn't stop.

　"And then, two months later, in the middle of the night, His Excellency was assassinated at Nanqiao."

　"What did you say?"

　The atmosphere changed.

　The eyes that were looking at a suspicious woman just moments ago have now changed to those that look at a dangerous witness. I have already crossed a line that cannot be forgiven if it is a lie.

　"You don't have to believe me, but please use me. I can get to the evidence of the corruption you're pursuing. In return, I want to protect the children in the orphanage."

　The faces I saw on the execution platform flashed before my eyes one after another.

　Mina. Leo. Yuna. Those little hands that would hold onto my sleeve and fall asleep whenever they had a fever. Those kids who were called by their order of admission, and were made to memorize their numbers before their real names.

　"I don't want to lose it again."

　My voice trembled uncontrollably when I said that last word.

　Elisha didn't answer immediately. After a long silence, he quietly jingled the bunch of keys he was holding and looked down at me.

　"You know two things that the clerk at the relief center couldn't possibly know."

　"yes"

　"One is the actions of the Board of Accounting. The other is my own schedule."

　"yes"

　"And then you proposed to me."

　"yes"

　I gave a stupid-sounding answer, but no one laughed at me.

　Elisha narrowed his eyes just a little. His wariness remained. Yet, he hadn't completely dismissed the idea either.

　"Alright. Let's hear the rest first."

　"……continuation?"

　"I need to see if you truly know the future, or if you have a very poorly conceived plan. We'll talk after that."

　In that way of speaking, I felt I saw a different kind of relief than coldness. It didn't immediately dismiss it. Instead of postponing judgment, it gave me room to consider it further.

　If this were me before I died, I might have cried just over that.

　But I won't cry now.

　Because I've already made a promise to the person in that mirror.

The library's reading room in the middle of the night was surprisingly quiet, considering it was in the basement.

　The magic lamps placed on the long table cast several pale blue circles. I sat at one end, while Elisha across from me still hadn't taken off his cloak. It was probably to prevent me from escaping, and also so that he could move at any moment.

　I'm not trusted. And that's fine.

　We will regain your trust starting now.

　"First, let's check."

　Elisha clasped his fingers together and said in an emotionless voice:

　"There's talk that the welfare hospital's accounting records will be swapped during next month's audit, but which records are they?"

　"These are the donation ledger and the expenditure ledger. Ostensibly, they are being collected for repairs. But the real reason is to rewrite the expenditure column and the records of the transfer of protected children."

　"What is the pretext for ordering the recall?"

　"The Board of Accounting has issued a notice preparing for an audit. We tell the relief center that it's for the preservation of their accounting records."

　Elisha's gaze shifted slightly. It was the look of someone whose eyes align with information they already knew.

　"What day is the collection?"

　"The third of next month. It's a rainy morning. Two carriages will arrive, but the real boxes will be loaded onto the back of the carriage."

　"...Is it really that specific?"

　I nodded. My mouth is dry.

　"After that, the original documents are temporarily placed in the accounting office's sealed vault. However, just before the audit, the original documents are moved to another location. What remains in the vault are copies and the falsified ledgers."

　"The person who will carry out the transfer"

　"Ostensibly, it's two junior clerks and one guard. But it's Lafont who issues the orders."

　The moment Elisha heard the name Lafont, his eyelids drooped slightly. He was already suspicious of that man.

　"What is the evidence?"

　"We don't have one yet. That's why we need you, Your Excellency."

　"That's quite frank."

　"As a result of taking a roundabout route, I died once."

　I regretted it after I said it. It was like I had just blurted out the phrase "return by death."

　But Elisha didn't criticize my words, he just looked at me quietly.

　"You've been speaking like someone who knows the future."

　"Do you believe it?"

　"I still don't believe it."

　He answered immediately.

　"But liars usually don't go into that much detail. Because if it's verified, it's over for them."

　It makes breathing a little easier.

　"Okay, next."

　I leaned over the table. I was so excited that the inkwell shook, and I quickly held it down. That small mistake strangely brought me back to reality.

　"In two months, there will be an attack at the South Bridge. It will take place around 1 a.m. The route you will take to return from the castle has been anticipated, and three men will be hiding behind the bridge railing. The first attack will be a decoy; the real attack will come from the right."

　"How many bodyguards do I have?"

　"On the surface, there are two of us. But that night, one of us is called away, so the number decreases."

　For the first time, a clear tension crossed Elisha's eyes. If she knew that much, it couldn't be just a rumor.

　"How do you know that?"

　"...After that, news spread throughout the capital that His Excellency had been attacked on the bridge. Some people heard that he had survived, but in reality, it was his injuries that caused the problem..."

　The words get stuck in my throat.

　I didn't see it. But I know. In my first life, I heard about it before the execution. That the duke who had been investigating corruption within the royal family had died while bedridden with illness. That's what was announced at the time.

　Elisha remained silent for a while, then leaned back in his chair.

　"This is all information that only someone close to me could know."

　"So, you probably think I might be an agent of the enemy, right?"

　"Of course."

　The words were cold, yet strangely, they weren't cruel. The lack of unnecessary comforting remarks actually allowed the conversation to progress more effectively.

　"So, how can I get you to believe me?"

　"I didn't say I believe it. I'm just judging whether it's usable or not."

　That way of putting it made something deep inside me feel incredibly quiet.

　Ah, that's the kind of person he is. He doesn't wrap things in gentle words. But he provides what is needed in the way it is needed. I think it was probably the same when he was trying to say something from beneath the scaffold. Even if it was too late, those were the eyes of someone who tried to reach out until the very end.

　"...That's enough."

　When I said that, Elisha's eyebrows twitched just a little.

　"sufficient?"

　"Yes. There were people who said they believed in me but couldn't keep their promises. I feel more at ease now when people judge me based on whether I'm useful or not."

　"What a strange woman."

　"Weren't you often told that?"

　"No. This is the most unusual marriage proposal I've ever seen."

　That one sentence made my cheeks flush slightly. It would be problematic if, in this situation, only the formality of the proposal resonated with me.

　Elisha pulled a blank sheet of paper from the table and picked up a slender brush.

　"Set conditions"

　The sound of a brush on paper echoes faintly in the quiet library.

　"Firstly, marriage is a contract. You will stand before the royal capital as my wife. Use the name and position I give you to gain access to the infirmary and related ledgers."

　"yes"

　"Secondly, you will hand over all the information you gather to me. Do not contact the enemy on your own. Do not act as a decoy without permission."

　"...I will do my best."

　"Effort alone won't do."

　"I will protect you."

　Quickly correcting himself, Elisha continued writing.

　"Thirdly, I will not allow anyone to harm what you want to protect—the children at the relief center and yourself."

　"...Me too?"

　"If you die, our losses will be great."

　"So that's how you put it."

　"Do you prefer sweet words?"

　"No, actually, it's easy to understand."

　I meant it. I know that the kindest promises are the most painful when they're broken.

　Elisha passed the finished paper to me. It was concise but flawless. The last line stated that both parties' signatures were required for the contract to be valid.

　"What are your conditions?"

　"Saving the children. Finding the original ledger. And..."

　I hesitated for a moment.

　"And it's about changing the nights in Minamibashi."

　Elisha's hand froze for just a split second.

　"Is it for me?"

　"If you die, fewer people will be able to be helped afterward."

　"That's logical."

　"If that's how it sounds to you, then that's fine."

　But that wasn't all.

　I don't want to leave to die the person who looked up to me from below the execution platform, even though it was too late. That's probably not just rational. But there was no need to give it a name, here and now.

　Elisha stared at me for a while, then wrote his name.

　Elisha Valentwar.

　The flowing brushstrokes leave a deep black mark on the white paper.

　"Next one."

　A piece of paper and a brush were placed in front of me.

　My fingertips trembled slightly. Despite the trembling, I continued writing.

　Skyler.

　In my first life, my name was written below a list of charges; today, it lies beneath a contract.

　The moment I finished writing, a strange realization welled up inside me. There's no turning back. No, I don't want to turn back either.

　Elisha picked up the contract, examined it under the magic lamp, and then said in a low voice:

　"From tonight, you are the Duchess of Valentine."

　"That's quite sudden."

　"You rushed me."

　"That's right."

　A small sigh escaped my lips. It was almost laughter. To laugh the night I returned from the execution platform, I knew I was crazy. But I couldn't stand it if I didn't laugh.

　"Return to the surface"

　Elisha stands up.

　"I'll make the bare minimum arrangements by tomorrow morning. Don't go on your own."

　"Just one"

　"What is it?"

　"Can't I go back to the infirmary tonight?"

　When I asked him, he seemed to understand the meaning immediately.

　"Is it because if I disappear without saying goodbye, the children will be worried?"

　"……yes"

　"Then I'll send a carriage to pick you up. We don't have much time for explanations."

　"That's enough."

　I stood up. My legs were still a little unsteady, but it was much better than the steps I took on the way to the execution platform.

　The doors of the library open in the middle of the night. Night still lingers at the top of the long staircase leading to the ground floor.

　But that night was not just a night that was going to end.