"Lord Liam—do you dislike Lady Rosetta?"

"N-No, that's not it."

It was just me and my master in the room.

Master said he wanted to speak with me privately, so I had everyone else leave.

And then, he asked me about my feelings for Rosetta.

"Then why not marry her?"

"Well, it's just that, she was my type, but now I feel she's a bit different... I think she's a kind woman who cares for me, but I just can't seem to make a final decision."

Master seemed to understand, crossing his arms and nodding.

"It's true she might feel a bit intense, but that has its own charm. Once you're married, Lord Liam, you'll see the good in it."

I felt like we weren't on the same page, but I couldn't possibly tell my master, "I liked seeing Rosetta endure my harassment, but now that she's become so obedient, she's just not the same."

I think to myself.

Do I really want to marry Rosetta?

When I really think about it, few other women's faces come to mind besides Rosetta's.

There are many beautiful women in the mansion, but among the faces that come to mind, besides Amagi, there's Ellen, Linfa, and Fuuka—and even Celina's face pops up.

I intended to play around with women, but I've had so little involvement with them that I was shocked to find even an old woman's face coming to mind.

I'm trying to think about women, but there are so few that even Kurt's face came to mind.

You're a man. You're in the wrong category, so get out of here.

Tia's and Marie's faces also came to mind, but they're in a completely different category.

Nias and Eulisia are in the 'disappointing' category.

Chino? Ciel? They're in the 'cute' category, so I don't really see them as women.

But with Rosetta, it's her smiling face that comes to mind.

"Master—is it really okay for me to marry Rosetta like this?"

My master smiled at my words, which sounded like I was having a case of pre-wedding jitters.

"Everyone has their anxieties."

"My reasons for marrying are impure. Is that still okay?"

I couldn't tell him my impure motive of wanting to marry a reluctant Rosetta, but Master seemed to have guessed.

"Were you aiming for her title? Nobles have their various circumstances. Do you dislike Lady Rosetta, Lord Liam?"

I don't dislike her. No, she's probably better than the other women.

I was just afraid she might betray me someday, so I've been putting it off.

"I'm scared to face it."

"Then it's all the more important to face it. Where has the Lord Liam who challenges even the strongest enemies gone? You're far too timid when it comes to love."

I never thought I'd be asking my master for love advice.

My face is hot with embarrassment.

Master says.

"You should just give her a passionate confession. Don't do it for her sake; marry her for your own. 'Just shut up and follow me!' That should be perfect."

"—Huh? A c-confession?"

"Pour out all your feelings, Lord Liam!"

◇

After my talk with Master, I summoned Rosetta to my bedroom.

I wait for Rosetta, fidgeting restlessly.

"C-Calm down, me. I'm the number one evil lord in the Empire. I won't get flustered over a single woman. I just have to confess like an evil lord. —What even is an evil lord-like confession?"

What is an evil lord-like confession? Even my junior, who's an expert on manga and anime, couldn't tell me.

Watching me pace back and forth was Amagi.

"Please calm down."

"I-I am calm! I just feel like walking."

"I see. In that case, I shall take my leave."

Before Rosetta arrived, Amagi tried to leave the room.

"H-Hey, there's no need for you to leave, is there!?"

"It is, after all, a confession to your fiancée. I believe my presence would be a hindrance, would it not?"

"I have no need for a woman who would consider you a hindrance."

At my words, Amagi showed a complicated expression.

As if she were happy, yet disappointed, and also exasperated.

"Master."

"What is it?"

"Do you dislike Lady Rosetta?"

"—I don't dislike her. Among humans, I suppose I like her."

"For now, that is enough. Please, make her happy."

Just as Amagi left the room, Rosetta entered as if taking her place.

"U-Um, Darling?"

Rosetta, looking unsettled, stood by the door and looked at me.

Almost a hundred years had passed since the betrayal in my past life.

I started to feel pathetic for being bound by my ex-wife for so long.

"We're getting married when we get back. I want the peerage of your family, the House of Claudia."

"R-Right. Your master said so too, didn't he, Darling? Yes, I agree! Besides—"

Hearing that I wanted her peerage, Rosetta smiled a little sadly.

The reason I decided to marry her was also because of what my master said.

It would have been natural for her to feel hesitant about that, but Rosetta was admirably devoted.

"—The position of Duke is what's truly fitting for you, Darling. That would make me and Mother happy, too."

"That's right. Your peerage will be stolen by me."

Rosetta looked down, perhaps unable to say anything.

She must be sad, knowing this is a political marriage typical of nobles, one without love.

Then, after a period of silence, Rosetta managed to squeeze out some words.

"That's fine. Even if you're only interested in my title, I want to be with you, Darling—"

Cutting Rosetta off, I looked at the image of outer space projected on the wall-sized monitor and raised my voice.

"I'm a greedy man! I won't be satisfied until I have everything!"

"Darling?"

"I will take everything. The Claudia peerage! And you, too! D-Don't you think you can escape. Y-You will be—mine forever."

My voice grew faint towards the end, but Rosetta covered her mouth, her voice choked with tears.

"I won't run away! I'll never run away. I'll always be by your side."

I turned around and walked towards the crying Rosetta.

I-I should have given a splendid confession, as an evil lord.

—Probably.

◇

After parting with Liam, Yasushi wore a refreshed smile.

He was walking along, slightly tipsy, as if he'd been drinking somewhere.

"Phew, that was fun."

Finding out that that Liam was actually shy, he'd acted like a senior and even gave him love advice.

He'd gotten carried away and said a lot of things, but it was all just in the heat of the moment.

On top of that, he got to drink for free. As far as Yasushi was concerned, it was a perfect outcome.

As the cheerful Yasushi walked down the corridor, Ciel came running up to him.

"Lady Ciel! Did you see my revenge—Gah!?"

Ciel pounced on Yasushi, grabbing him by the collar and shaking him.

"That's not what I meant! Why did you have to do something so unnecessary! If he just goes back and gets married, everything will be settled normally! Of all things, why did you make him decide to get married!"

"Huh!? Why!? Wasn't it a perfectly good bit of harassment!?"

What was harassment to Yasushi was a joyous occasion of the highest order for the Banfield family—for Liam.

"Lady Rosetta came back from Liam's room all dazed and out of it! What are we going to do if this all gets settled!"

"What did you expect from me!? Did you think I could pull off something so grand!? It's me, you know!?"

"You could have tried to reform Liam, or a million other things!"

Yasushi retorted to Ciel's unreasonable demand.

"As if I could ever do something like that!"

Because he couldn't, Yasushi was struggling, and he would continue to struggle.

Ciel's eyes were filled with tears.

"But you acted like you could! You traitor!"

◇

The scene changes to the planet where Chester served as governor.

There, a small octopus was crawling on the ground.

"D-Don't mess with me. For the great me to..."

Gudwar, now small and speaking in a cute child's voice, was wandering in search of negative emotions.

He was searching for negative emotions to regain his lost power.

"God of Gold—if it weren't for that sword, I, the great Gudwar, wouldn't have been reduced to this pathetic state. This is all his fault."

Footsteps approached the crawling Gudwar.

It was the Guide, holding a bottle of wine and a glass.

The liquid in the wine bottle was the negative emotions of those who had died on this planet and in the recent space battle.

Concentrated resentment, bitterness, and hatred had become a liquid.

Gudwar extended a tentacle.

"Hand that over! Because of you, I—Gugya!?"

The Guide stomped on Gudwar while pouring the wine into the glass.

The liquid inside swirled with black smoke, like steam.

The Guide, drinking it, looked down on Gudwar.

"I went to all the trouble of gathering this. Why would I give it to you? Gudwar, thanks to you, Liam has grown even stronger. —You useless fool!"

The Guide downed the liquid, threw the glass aside, put the bottle to his lips, and drank the rest straight from it.

Then, he tossed the bottle away as well—and grabbing Gudwar, he opened his mouth wide.

"W-What are you doing!?"

The Guide tossed the panicking Gudwar into his mouth—chewed, and swallowed him.

"Mmm, tastes of blood. But with this, my power is starting to return."

Black smoke emerged from the Guide's body and flickered.

He was regaining his power by eating Gudwar.

"Liam! This time, I won't make a mistake. With my own hands, I will—"

Waiting behind the Guide was—a dog.

As it suppressed a growl and glared, the dog was startled and looked behind it.

Space tore open, and from the rift, a giant of light wearing a warrior's mask peered out at the Guide.

The Guide, who had been laughing loudly, turned around at the ominous atmosphere.

"Hahahaha! —Huh!?"

By the time the Guide noticed, the giant of light, forcing the rift open, was holding something in its right hand.

It was trying to hand it to the Guide.

Seeing it, the Guide broke out in a cold sweat.

"Y-You, that's—Hieee!"

Casting aside all pretense, the Guide fled, running up through empty air as if on a staircase, escaping into space.

But he was caught by the giant of light's outstretched left hand.

The giant of light's left hand was a potent poison to the Guide.

Furthermore, he was assaulted by the sensation of being gripped by a hand of heated iron.

"Gyaaaah!! It's burning!!"

As if this wasn't painful enough, the giant of light tried to forcibly press the sphere of light in its right hand—Liam's feelings of gratitude—upon him.

Transcending space—the giant of light had begun to deliver feelings of gratitude.

It was trying to convey the gratitude a little more forcefully than usual.

I don't know what happened, but it seems there were some complicated feelings towards the Guide involved.

But it was gratitude, nonetheless.

It was the one thing the Guide hated most—Liam's gratitude.

"W-Wait. Stop! Not that!"

The Guide, instinctively sensing that receiving this would be a fatal blow even for him, abandoned his torso and detached his hat.

The torso received the feelings of gratitude and vanished with a scream.

"Igyaaaahawaaaaaa!!"

The Guide's torso was charred black, disappearing without even a speck of ash amidst the feelings of gratitude.

The hat, his true body, shot fire like a rocket upon being detached and fled into space.

"As long as my main body survives!"

But the giant of light was watching the Guide from the rift.

"Hieee!! It noticed me!?"

After seeing the fleeing Guide off, the giant of light disappeared.

The dog tilted its head, spun around in place, then sat down and looked up at the Guide.

As he headed into space, he was shouting something.

"I will never give up! Liam, don't you dare think this is over!"

And so, the Guide's figure became a dot, twinkled, and vanished from sight.