"Duke Alaric," he called and the Duke raised his head. "I’ll make a promise to you right now. If you come with me to the ballroom and wish your son a happy birthday, I’ll help you meet your wife one last time."

Julian had made a daring proposal. He had said words that would be impossible to fulfil unless one worked with sorcery and dark magic.

He didn’t know if that was the reason, but once a few seconds had passed, he watched as the warmth in the Duke’s eyes faded, replaced by a gaze so sharp it felt like a blade against his throat.

The delusion had shattered, leaving behind a man who was half-sovereign and half-wreckage.

"You dare," Duke Alaric rasped, his voice dropping into dangerously low. "You dare use my affection towards my deceased wife to bargain with me? You must have a death wish for even uttering something as absurd as raising the dead."

Though the Duke loved his wife so dearly and would do anything to bring her back, he was sensible enough to know what was possible and impossible. If it was hallucination, he would understand. But talking about actually meeting his dead wife...?

Absurd.

"I am no necromancer, Your Grace," Julian replied, meeting that terrifying gaze with a calmness he didn’t truly feel. "But I have... ways. A miracle that the capital would never dream of. If you give that child five minutes of your time, I will give you the closure you have been denied for seven years."

Duke Alaric stared at him, his chest heaving. He looked like he wanted to crush Julian’s throat, but the desperate, starving part of his soul won out. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

It was absurd, yes. Very impossible but what if?

If there was even a one-percent chance to see her—even if it was in fact a hallucination—he would burn the world for it. He just... Wanted to get one last glimpse at that warm smile on her face and how her hair blew in the wind... How sweetly she called his name... The color in her eyes... All of it.

He got up, standing to his feet, and then let out a deep sigh.

Julian’s heart was hammering. He knew this attempt to convince him was leaning into 30% rate of working. And the other 70% was of the Duke having his neck.

But the Duke did not have his neck, thankfully. Instead, he decided to take the hand reaching out for him. Whether it was that of the devil whispering luring words to lead him to hell, or it was that of an angel leading him to the light... He would see at the end.

"Wash," the Duke commanded, and then suddenly, the doors flew open. Maids who had been hovering in the shadows of the hallway rushed in with silver basins and silk towels.

Julian hadn’t even seen a dust of them when he walked the hallway so he wondered where they had been hiding.

They worked in silence as Duke Alaric splashed his face with freezing water, scrubbing away the salt of his tears and the stench of wine—though it did not fade completely because he didn’t change his disheveled shirt.

He threw a heavy, obsidian-furred mantle over his shoulders, instantly regaining his intimidating silhouette.

He looked like a snake man, and one who had been vigilantly preparing for war but the stench of wine on him gave him away.

His blue eyes shifted to Julian, they were cold, accessing and intimidating.

But now that his eyes were clear, he finally saw who stood before him.

It was the same man from the tree, the one who had been so held to throw himself on him.

(Ahem, that’s quite the twisted memory)

But since he was a man whom the winter apple agreed to reveal its true self to, he wanted to believe he was not after a motive that would ruin the North.

Duke Alaric had long given up on the North. What used to be a beautiful memory was replaced by cold longing, so how could he not?

This man... If he managed to remind him of the beauty that this cold North once possessed, he would be in his gratitude.

"What is your name again?"

Julian placed his hand over his shoulder with grace and bowed his head.

"I am Julian Von Astrea, your grace." He said, raised his head, and added, "Your son’s tutor."

The Duke went silent and then dropped his eyes from Julian.

"Lead the way. But know this, Julian Von Astrea—if you are lying, I will ensure that the falling snow tonight will be the last thing you ever see."

Julian swallowed hard, nodding. He led the Duke out of the study, his mind already racing toward the System shop. He needed that item. He needed those 100 SP from the quest completion to bridge the gap.

His neck depended on this.

As they walked through the silent, dark corridors, Julian opened the shop one last time just to be sure he hadn’t seen wrong. If he had to turn back, it was now or never.

No, what was he even thinking? It was already too late to turn back at this point.

The item he had unlocked was an item called, ’The Moonlit Echo’

> [LEGACY ITEM: The Moonlit Echo]

> Cost: 200 SP

> Description: A delicate, crystalline hourglass filled with ’Stardust Memory’.

> Effect: When activated, it creates a high-fidelity, sentient phantasm of a deceased loved one based on the target’s strongest memories. The apparition can speak, touch, and provide comfort for exactly five minutes.

> Note: This is not a resurrection, but a bridge. Once the sand runs out, the memory dissolves, leaving behind a ’Lingering Peace’ buff on the target.

’If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have bought the Phoenix heart.’ he thought.

Julian let out a silent sigh and then raised his head, gazing at the back of the Duke striding ahead of him.

Those broad shoulders never disappoint.

They finally got to the double doors of the ballroom.

The guards were shocked to see the Duke and nearly faltered.

"Y-your grace..." they bowed their heads.

"Open it." The Duke said with a deep growl.

"Yes!"

The double doors groaned as the guards threw them open.

The music—a somber, low-toned violin—faltered as the musicians saw the Duke, and the guests, who had been preparing to leave, froze in their tracks.

Duke Alaric’s presence was like a sudden frost. He walked with a heavy, purposeful stride through the grand hall and toward the high table where Lucius still sat.

Julian kept his head high as well... He saw the shock and disbelief of the guests, as if he had just committed an impossible feat.