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His eyes were filled with earnestness. Selbin, having taken the role of the adopted daughter too seriously, gazed reverently at Viola and Tundra, hands clasped.

Though Selbin was young, she could fully grasp Tundra’s desperation.

Reflecting on Tundra’s words, she vowed, “I, too, must be someone who can say such things one day!”

Meanwhile, Viola, having risen, felt a whirlwind of emotions. “I’ve completely become a different person.”

The atmosphere surrounding her, the glances directed at her, and the attitude shown towards her—everything was different.

“What could have happened?”

The current Tundra was not the Tundra Viola once knew, nor was he the strong Jun that lingered in her memories. He was a new person altogether.

“Did you ask for a name?”

“Yes, you gave Pongpong a name, didn’t you?”

Viola hesitated. “Is it alright to give a name?”

The moment she bestowed a name, much would change.

Tundra, the pet dog, could afford to make mistakes.

Viola would not bear the heavy burden of responsibility in that regard.

However, if the one who received a name were to err, the situation would be different. For now, she decided to postpone her decision.

“It’s still too early.”

“Understood.”

Tundra did not show much disappointment. He seemed a bit let down but not in despair.

“Though I don’t have a name, can I be beside you, Princess?”

“……Sure.”

In truth, Viola was grateful to Tundra. She thought that without him, she might have died at the hands of a ghost.

“Did you kill the ghost?”

“Yes.”

In reality, all Tundra did was finish it off. He knew that, even without his help, Viola could have vanquished the ghost.

“The Princess is certainly strong. A Princess that asks, ‘Did you kill it?’ must surely have known everything…” Tundra mistakenly thought.

Thus, he answered “Yes” without any hesitation, leading Viola to underestimate her own abilities.

“What on earth happened at the Place Where the Eye Shines?”

“For many years, I trained, missing you.”

“For many years?”

“I cannot be certain of the exact passage of time, but it feels like it was over ten years.”

Viola felt as if she had been struck on the head. Tundra was the protagonist of this story.

He loved the female lead, Viola, yet willingly stabbed himself to death, a tragic male lead.

“Has such a protagonist trained for ten years?”

If so, he undoubtedly possessed capabilities rivaling the strongest in the world. Moreover, Tundra had the setting of being harsh and critical of himself. “At the very least, it must have been ten years.”

If his perception of time was ten years, it meant he had surely trained for a much longer duration. Whether that was fifteen years or twenty was uncertain, but with that span, it made sense how Tundra had changed so much.

“That means, in sheer ability, he’s at least at the late stages of the story, perhaps even beyond?”

With abilities of that caliber, he wouldn’t fall far behind his father or the Sword Saint. “Wow, that’s amazing.”

I never imagined such a thing would happen. Being so familiar with the novel The Shadow of Bellatu, I failed to anticipate such a major variable.

“This is impossible.”

Suddenly, a setting about Tundra from the author’s blog came to mind. [Attribute 1: The One Who Turns the Impossible Into Possible.]

Viola found herself at a loss for words. From a broader view, this wasn’t far off from his established character.

The male lead, Tundra, possessed the attribute of turning impossibilities into possibilities, and now he was simply acting according to that attribute.

Tundra continued, “At the Sacred Ground of the Ancient Warriors, I saw Kang Han-jun.”

Viola felt her legs go weak, almost collapsing. Had she not been disciplined until now, she surely would have fallen.

The pronunciation of “Kang Han-jun” was notoriously difficult for the people of this world.

Typically, it would come out as “Garhanjiun” or something along those lines.

But now, Tundra’s pronunciation was crisp, as if spoken by a Korean.

“And then I slashed him.”

That statement carried many implications. It was a clear declaration that he was not Kang Han-jun. “He taught me many things. What the Princess needs, what I could do for the Princess.”

Viola was the driving force that allowed him to endure at the Sacred Ground of the Ancient Warriors. His motivation was to be with Viola, to escape this place.

Listening to Tundra’s words, Viola began to sort out her feelings.

“Tundra has moved beyond the past.”

Unlike Viola herself, who had yet to escape her past.

Thus, whenever she looked at Tundra’s face, she would be unsettled and unable to collect her thoughts. “Tundra is Tundra.”

Not Kang Han-jun. That had become clear. The fog that had clouded her heart began to lift.

“My elder brother is more mature than me.”

Thanks to Tundra, she could erase the memories of Kang Han-jun. She managed to escape the old fantasy.

“That’s right. I am Viola.”

She was no longer Ah-rin. The world within the novel was a real existence, and this world was hers, with Viola as her name.

Like it or not, she had a family and was alive and breathing here.

She could make up her mind.

“The world’s strongest is asking me for a name. Not giving it would be foolish.”

“I’ll give you a name.”

Tundra smiled brightly. “Yes, Princess.”

And then he knelt. He was no longer the pet dog Tundra yearning for Viola’s touch.

With his head bowed, he awaited a name with a humble heart.

“Your name is…… Tundra.”

His name had always been Tundra. It wasn’t a particularly sophisticated name, nor was it one befitting a male lead.

Even as a reader, she hadn’t liked that name much.

Yet Viola chose to confer the name Tundra again. It signified her acknowledgment of his current existence.

“Thank you for giving me a name.”

Though the name was the same, the previous Tundra and the current Tundra were different. Tundra rose from his spot.

With eyes glistening with joy, he looked at Viola and bowed respectfully.

“I have now been bestowed a name by you.”

At that moment, in the Black Temple, magical energy gathered, and the monsters began to regenerate. He summoned the mana, drawing it forth into a blade-shaped aura and shot it out in all directions.

Viola froze in place.

“Is this… really possible?”

A tsunami of mana surged, obliterating all the monsters before they could even see the light. He plunged his sword into a pool of blood made from the monsters’ essence. It was firmly lodged, as if it were sinking into pudding despite the tough stone floor.

Tundra’s sword, now soaked in that blood, emitted a reddish glow. Tundra withdrew the sword and knelt before Viola, presenting it with reverence.

He formally introduced himself.

“Your Highness’s….”

No. He decided to more firmly establish his identity.

It didn’t matter whether Viola was a princess or not.

“I am Tundra, knight of Viola.”

Bichen’s butler spoke.

“The Duchess Isabella said she does not wish to see the Young Master.”

“Why?”

“Well, that’s….”

Duchess Isabella was quite upset about her son’s absurd decision. It wasn’t just anger; she had come to disdain Bichen.

“Did I renounce my claim to inheritance?”

Bichen flashed a sly smile, leaving the butler perplexed. “He’s not crying.”

The butler was well aware of how much Bichen loved his mother.

If Isabella spoke, it would be as if he were ready to leap into hell.

“And yet… he seems unfazed?”

Bichen continued, “Butler, are you also disappointed in me?”

“To say I wasn’t would be a lie.”

“I’ll give you a generous severance. You’re free to leave this house.”

“Your Highness!”

“If you served Bellatu’s butler, you can likely find a good position elsewhere.”

The butler bowed his head. After much contemplation, he ultimately decided to accept Bichen’s offer.

In the end, he resigned from his position and chose to leave for another place.

“Well then, I’m no longer your butler? Ah, how unfortunate. I’ll just call you by name, Suben.”

“Please say what you wish.”

“Did my mother love me?”

“That’s something I don’t think I can judge, your highness.”

In truth, Bichen didn’t really seek an answer either. He just needed someone to talk to.

“I don’t think mother loved Bichen. Not really, did she?”

“Rather, I believe she loved the 5th Prince, who is the heir.”

To be more precise, she loved the 5th Prince, who was the support for the 2nd Prince.

Bichen was aware of this fact but had not acknowledged it until today.

“I used to love Mom.”

Bichen smiled brightly. It was a cheerful smile, but it did not imbue happiness.

“Your Highness.”

“It’s alright. It’s sad, but I’m fine.”

“I lost my mother, but I gained a younger sibling!”

Tears fell from Bichen’s eyes, shining brightly. “So I’m happy! I’m really happy!”

The ex-butler Suben was pained and could not meet his tearful gaze. He approached Bichen and patted his shoulder.

After a long moment, Bichen finally spoke.

“Suben.”

“What is it?”

“Duchess Isabella…”

He did not refer to her as “Mother” but as “Duchess Isabella.” “She doesn’t forgive traitors. But then I’ve betrayed the Duchess, haven’t I?”

“…Your Highness?”

“But you can’t kill me so recklessly. But what about you, Suben?”

Suben’s eyes widened in realization. He hadn’t thought that far.

He felt cold sweat beginning to bead down his back.

“If you can’t serve me properly, Suben, the moment you leave the Winter Castle, you might be made a victim of revenge. As someone who has willingly resigned from the butler’s position, finding another job within the Winter Castle would be difficult. What if you become jobless?”

There was no escape. “So I’ll suggest this one last time. Will you become my butler again?”

The butler had no options. Whether he liked it or not, he had to live as Bichen’s butler.

He couldn’t run away.

He had fallen perfectly into a trap that wasn’t even a trap.

“Wow, the Young Master has changed…!”

In The Shadow of Bellatu, Bichen, who had been a simpleton and cheery character, had transformed.

The coward Sheilan had lost his fear, and the simple Bichen began to scheme.

These were minor changes occurring in places Viola wasn’t aware of.

*

Meanwhile, the catalyst for that transformation, Viola, remained stuck on the first floor of the Black Temple. “I just can’t…”

Viola found herself unable to move. In that spot, she was experiencing real-time miracles that only the male lead of the novel could create.