The lighting in the hospital room was dim and gentle, while the night outside grew ever darker. The wind still blew, lifting the corner of the curtain as if the turmoil beyond the window was silently intensifying. Inside, however, the three of them fell into a rare silence.
Though they had indeed secured a fragment of the "Holy Grail," they all understood—this victory had come at an almost unbearable cost.
"We… can no longer act in the shadows," Elias said. His voice was calm, yet it carried a weight of pressure that couldn't be hidden.
Livia gave a slight nod, bitterness rising in her chest. Yes, even though they now possessed a fragment, all their previous strategies and plans could no longer be carried out in secret. Eryx would never allow them another chance to strike. Without a doubt, he would further tighten control, block every route, and have them watched relentlessly.
What was more unsettling, though, was the sense that—looking back on the entire operation—Eryx hadn't been caught off guard as they'd hoped. Instead, everything had a subtle air of counterstrategy. The ambush in the cave, the sudden appearance of a third force, even the movements of Jim and Will… all of it felt like pieces on a well-orchestrated chessboard.
"If you hadn't acted so quickly," Elias said, his gaze on Livia unusually grave, "and if your friend hadn't been so skilled, we might have lost you… or worse, you could've been used against us."
Livia pressed her lips together and nodded silently.
The three of them sank into thought once more. The current situation could not be reversed. For the time being, there were no more openings to strike—no space left to maneuver. Any further recklessness could land them in checkmate.
"We'll have to wait and see," Marcellus said softly. His expression was weary, but his eyes were filled with quiet resolve.
Elias nodded slowly. "Agreed. We hold off. No more moves for now."
Then, glancing at the night outside the window, he turned and said, "In that case, let's return to the castle. Livia, I'll take you to see the fragment."
Livia was about to nod, but when her eyes landed on Marcellus, still lying in the hospital bed, she paused. He lay there quietly, his face still pale, the fine lines at the corners of his eyes tightening slightly from lingering pain. Though he was conscious, his frailty was evident, his body clearly overtaxed.
She hesitated, then said in a low voice, "You go ahead… I want to stay with him a little longer."
Elias looked at her, and for a moment, something unreadable flickered behind his eyes—bitterness, perhaps—but he said nothing. He simply nodded and replied, "Alright. I'll arrange for someone to guard the hospital tonight. I'll pick you up in the morning."
"Mm." Livia responded softly, watching his departing figure with a faint sigh. She knew what Elias was feeling. She also knew about the feelings he had long since made clear. But emotions had never been fair. The only thing she could give him was understanding and trust—not the answer he truly wanted.
The hospital room quieted, leaving only the two of them.
Livia turned to look at Marcellus and gave him a small smile, her eyes softening. "Thank you… really. You risked everything to come save me."
Marcellus managed a faint smile, his gaze steady and tender. "What are you saying… No matter what, no matter how you see me now—you are, and always will be, my wife."
The words drifted out lightly but landed in Livia's heart like a weight.
She stared at him in a daze, overwhelmed by a flood of emotions—guilt, gratitude, and something even more difficult to bear: wavering. For a moment, she almost blurted out the truth—to tell him she was no longer his Livia, but the reincarnated Alia. A woman from a different world entirely.
But the words stuck in her throat.
Could he accept that? she wondered bitterly. A man who loved Livia—if he learned that her soul belonged to someone else, how would he react? Shock? Anger? Distance?… No. She couldn't take that risk. Not yet.
Livia lowered her gaze and slowly reached out, gently wrapping her hand around Marcellus's. Warm and trembling, it was hers—and somehow, hers from another life too.
"I'll stay by your side," she murmured, as if making a promise to him… or perhaps, comforting herself.
And so the two of them sat quietly together beneath the soft glow of the lamp, saying no more. The air was filled with a subtle, tangled emotion—deep and still, like a quiet stream flowing silently into both their hearts.
Night deepened.
Outside, the wind seemed to calm at last. The city slept. In the hospital room, only the sound of quiet, steady breathing remained. Livia still sat beside Marcellus's bed, her fingers gently curled into his palm. She didn't sleep, but she no longer let her thoughts wander. She simply let herself drift.
That night, between the two of them, an invisible bond quietly took root.