The midday sunlight brightly illuminated the bedroom.

As he expected, Melissa’s face had improved even more than before. The wounds on her gaunt face must have all healed as her skin looked very soft.

He quite liked that face that looked fragile and docile like packed rice flour.

Laid on the bed, she seemed so unstable that just blowing on her with a gentle “hoo” might make her fly away.

Her pupils suddenly dilating as she quickly grasped the situation of being tied to the bed, eyes consumed by fear, focus hazily scattering in all directions…

Ah, Melissa.

My poor little lamb.

Originally, I wished only light, happiness and peace would dwell in you, but regrettably that’s become impossible now?

Selheim in his neat uniform approached slowly. While stroking Melissa’s silky hair, he spoke casually.

“Did you sleep well? Shall we have a meal together if you’re hungry?”

Melissa’s red eyes trembled endlessly.

* * *

When Melissa was around five years old.

“Now, say ah- come on, ah-.”

“Ah.”

When she visited the Imperial Palace, Selheim would feed her cake. Young Melissa with her chubby cheeks swallowed the cake on the fork tip in one big bite.

“Ah, good job.”

Though Selheim was only ten, he was a mature person. He lovingly watched Melissa who had cream on her mouth as she munched on the cake.

It was an affectionate gaze that seemed to wonder how such a small and cute creature could exist.

Young children were surprisingly good at recognizing others’ affection. Whether it was because it was advantageous for survival as a weak being or not, Melissa recognized Selheim’s goodwill from then on.

“Selheim! Rael too! Rael wants to say ah- too!”

When Melissa sat quietly at the table being fed cake, Rael who had been running around the greenhouse would come and cling to Selheim’s leg.

“Then Rael too, ah-.”

“Aah!”

He patted Rael’s head saying very well done. Rael looked proud. But looking at Selheim’s eyes, you could tell.

He liked Melissa more.

While stroking Rael with his hand, when his eyes met Melissa’s he would smile tenderly.

Melissa thought while swallowing the cake. That it would be nice if he could be at their house too.

On days when it rained and thundered, she would hug Rael tightly to sleep because she was scared, but actually two people weren’t enough and she felt uneasy.

Since grandfather was busy and often didn’t come in when they went to the Imperial Palace, she thought she would feel assured if Selheim could stay with them continuously.

So when grandfather said it was time to go home from the Imperial Palace, she threw a tantrum saying she didn’t want to go.

Rael grabbed grandfather’s left leg and Melissa his right leg, crying so hard the Soro River could have washed away.

Selheim who witnessed this was surprised for a moment but then smiled happily again. As if touched by the twins’ affection.

Later, when they grew a bit more, Selheim became like a cousin brother.

Actually, dozens of aunts and uncles stayed at the mansion until they got married, and occasionally they would bully the twins.

At those times, instead of going to the stern grandfather, Melissa would run to Selheim and tattle.

“Aunt Marita did this. She ordered me and Rael around like maids to bring water, and when grandfather wasn’t looking she cursed at us and stuff.”

“Really?”

When she pointed out who bullied them and whispered in his ear, Selheim would nod with a smile.

Ah, I see. So that’s what happened…

He just listened readily, but by the next day all problems would be neatly resolved. That’s why the twins called Selheim their ‘problem solver’.

When they grew older and Rael hit puberty, she witnessed Rael kissing a strange man at a ball.

Melissa was so shocked her heart pounded.

“How could you do that?”

To Melissa, Rael was the closest person in the world with no secrets between them, but Rael was gradually distancing herself from Melissa and building up secrets.

Melissa felt betrayed by such a Rael. Even when their relationship started deteriorating around that time, Selheim was by their side.

At some point they stopped hanging out as three, but Melissa knew that Selheim kindly counseled Rael just the same as he listened to her stories.

So even when fighting, the twins decided not to try pulling Selheim to their side.

The twins who had no adults to rely on absolutely needed someone to confide in, and if they couldn’t be that for each other, it had to be Selheim.

So Selheim had to be neutral.

He always had to not take anyone’s side.

But as the twins’ heads grew bigger, they naturally came to know. That Selheim’s match had been decided as Melissa long ago.

“Why big sister? We look exactly the same, only our names are different, so why, why!”

Rael grieved that Selheim would someday become Melissa’s man alone, and then she would be abandoned.

“That’s not true. Rael. I won’t abandon you.”

With no parents, the twins had grown up being each other’s protectors. But at some point, Rael became someone who only drained Melissa’s energy.

“It’s all big sister’s fault!”

She would condemn Melissa at every chance saying she ostracized her in social circles, and frequently changed tutors throwing tantrums saying she was angry at being compared to her sister.

“Why… I don’t understand why Rael changed like this…”

Selheim approached the crying Melissa in distress and stroked her head saying.

“Mel, Rael needs love. We probably can’t fill all that love… but still, let’s try together. Okay?”

Sixteen-year-old Melissa lay on twenty-one-year-old Selheim’s lap and burst into tears.

The gentle fiancé even postponed his overseas schedule the next day and stayed with her until Melissa’s heart felt better.

Moreover, he said she could attend the overseas schedule together if she wanted, so she went to balls as the future Crown Princess candidate.

Melissa’s first dance partner was Selheim.

Melissa’s least favorite lesson was Madame Miellin’s dance lessons, and since she usually didn’t practice hard, she would sometimes clumsily step on his shoes.

Still, Selheim was truly composed. No matter what mistakes the young girl made, he would maturely forgive and show tolerance…

Memories of young days.

A person who was always somehow involved no matter which memory you traced and dug up.

She knows that just as Selheim was that kind of existence to Melissa, Melissa was that kind of existence to Selheim too.

And she was grateful. For everything – looking after a sister five years younger without ever showing annoyance, helping her get up and dust herself off the next day no matter how much she threw tantrums and cried…

Yes, she was truly grateful.

Until 3 years ago.

“Mel, won’t you eat?”

Melissa turned her head refusing the food. The thin soup dripped onto her chest.

She couldn’t take a single step outside while tied to the bed by her legs. She didn’t even know where this was. Her clothes were still the same negligee nightgown she wore when kidnapped.

The watery soup fell on her chest making round stains. As the thin nightgown stuck moistly to her skin, her flesh showed through.

She could see the man’s face that had been smiling all along slowly hardening.

His gaze fell on Melissa’s chest. Pink protrusions rose at the tips of the round mounds. Belatedly realizing her n*pples were completely visible, Melissa shrunk her body tightly.

His gaze dropped. She felt somewhat relieved inside as he looked completely uninterested, like seeing the udders of a beast he was raising.

Selheim scooped up soup again and brought it to her mouth. Melissa shook her head again and pushed away his hand.

The cream-colored soup splattered onto the blanket. Looking down at it quietly, Selheim said.

“The blanket keeps getting dirty, Mel.”

Though his voice was soft and gentle, the overwhelming atmosphere he emitted made her whole body break out in goosebumps.

Selheim’s blue eyes stared steadily at Melissa’s face and warned.

“This is your last chance.”

His tone was gentle as if threatening a spoiled child. He scooped up soup again and brought it to her mouth.

Melissa shook her head while crying, and this time he got up first and poured the soup all over the woman’s chest.

“D-don’t…!”

The thin cream soaked Melissa’s bare chest and dripped stickily down her nightgown. As she struggled twisting her body left and right, the man gripping her shoulders carefully sat on the edge of the bed.