“You were eavesdropping again?”

Libehi pulled off the long earring that was dangling from his ear and tossed it aside. Of all the things he could have eavesdropped on, why did it have to be that?

Under Libehi’s intense glare, which made it look as though he might kill him there and then, Harry quickly raised both hands in surrender.

“Don’t worry. I turned it off before you started. I’d like to preserve the purity of my ears as well.”

As if he didn’t make use of it himself whenever he needed something urgent.

Harry was tempted to point that out, but he knew better than to provoke him when he was in one of his unpredictable moods. Instead, he handed over something he had brought with him.

“The children asked me to give this to you.”

It was a small note.

Inside, written in clumsy handwriting, were words of thanks.

They said that they wanted to repay his kindness and invited him to visit their home.

Seeing that Libehi was unimpressed, Harry added,

“Lady Larinne is invited as well.”

Only then did Libehi’s expression brighten.

‘Since when was my lord such a transparent man?’

Harry narrowed his eyes.

“Harry, I’ll need to prepare for an outing.”

Before Harry could stop him, Libehi disappeared into the bath.

Watching his sturdy back vanish, Harry clicked his tongue.

‘Honestly… who on earth is ever going to take that man?’

***

Even in broad daylight, the streets of the Grand Market were bustling and illuminated by elaborate lights.

Larinne had come early that morning to collect an item she had left with a craftsman.

She wanted to take the gravestone, which was engraved with a man’s name, with her.

However, it was too large to carry, and she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving it behind.

So she had asked a craftsman to refine it.

“Lady Larinne, since we’re out… should we buy some ointment too?”

As they passed a pharmacy in the middle of the market, Chardi finally voiced the question she had been hesitating over since morning.

“Did you get hurt somewhere?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Then is it for your brother?”

“Oh, Kalon’s practically flying around now.”

“Then why ointment all of a sudden?”

Larinne’s brows drew together as she watched Chardi rummage through her coin pouch.

“I think we should apply some ointment to your lips, Lady Larinne.”

“…What?”

“They’re completely swollen. It looks like you were bitten by a really vicious mosquito.”

Her mind went blank.

‘Lips.’

That single word was enough to bring back the memory she had tried so hard to forget.

Just as he said, it was a thoroughly indecent kiss.

His gentle, polite demeanor had vanished completely.

The way he devoured her lips was ravenous and almost violent.

She had never imagined that a kiss alone could make her vision go dark.

“Now… mm— …that’s enough.”

Even when she pushed against his shoulders and told him to stop, the man refused to relent.

If anything, her resistance seemed to excite him more.

He only pressed in deeper.

And what excuse had he given again?

“I’ll block the effects of the companion dream. You only need to focus on healing with your divine power.”

Yes.

He had said something so absurd!

He grabbed Larinne’s restless hands and placed them against his chest, claiming that he had been affected by the curse.

The sheer audacity of it!

And yet, in the end, she was drawn in anyway.

He persisted until breathless sounds escaped from between her lips.

Why did she keep getting swept up in his shameless behavior without realizing it?

She had every reason to refuse.

Yet she accepted it.

‘Do I… have feelings for him?’

No.

Perhaps she was simply searching for the shadow of that person in Libehi Winterd.

‘He resembles that person so much.’

It was confusing.

Even she didn’t know the answer.

But one thing was certain: She was drawn to Libehi Winter.

Her body clearly wanted him. And it seemed that he felt the same way.

Their kiss was unrestrained and reckless, like that of lovers, and it lasted until dawn.

‘Really… he was like a beast.’

He had always looked at her like that.

The night she let him sleep in the corner of her bedroom after having a dream about a companion. And again in the white reed field when their lips met.

His dark eyes clung to her so persistently that they seemed incapable of looking away.

“But how did the mosquito manage to bite only your lips? Is the blood there tastier? That’s strange.”

Chardi’s innocent muttering brought Larinne back to reality.

Heat rushed to her face.

For a moment, she could almost feel the phantom sensation of the hands that had held her firmly when she stumbled backwards — hands that had refused to let her go.

“It’s nothing like that. It’ll go down soon if I leave it alone.”

“But you have to see His Majesty soon for the rain prayer ceremony. I was worried someone might make a fuss about it.”

“If it really bothers you, we can buy some ice on the way back.”

“Really? Then I’ll run and get some!”

“And stop by the craftsman to pick up what we left.”

Like a child, Chardi became excited and ran off towards the ice cream shop.

Larinne watched her run off, wondering if it really was that exciting.

In a desert country like this, ice was a rare luxury.

Given her usual frugal nature, buying ice was something Larinne almost never did. She would usually have saved the money and added it to the funds she sent to Pellet.

‘But Chardi’s right. The rain prayer ceremony is in a couple of days.’

She didn’t want to give anyone an excuse to criticize her. Her fiancé was particularly good at finding fault with her. But would a man constantly surrounded by women fail to notice something like this?

No — he would notice.

In fact, he would probably investigate thoroughly to find out who dared to kiss what he considered to be his.

It was wiser to avoid troublesome situations.

“An ice compress and some sleep should make it better.”

Larinne murmured to herself as she studied her reflection in a shop window.

‘He really did bite and suck them quite a lot.’

Her swollen lips were plump and moist, like ripe cherries glistening with juice. They looked almost embarrassingly enticing.

The thought of that man surfaced again without warning, and she quickly shook her head.

‘Stop appearing in my mind like this.’

That red-eyed man—like a serpent—seemed to have coiled himself inside her thoughts.

The feeling refused to fade.

‘You’re hopeless too, Larinne.’

She sighed briefly and started walking, out of habit.

If she kept moving, perhaps the swirl of heated thoughts in her mind would quiet down.

Unfortunately, her efforts were cut short when a merchant outside a shop stopped her.

“We’ve got plenty of new items in stock! Come take a look!”

“Oh. I’m not planning to buy any jewelry—”

“Ah, come now, just take a quick look.”

The merchant persistently pulled her toward the shop.

“We just received a beautiful pair of earrings. They’re very popular as gifts.”

Although she could have easily made another excuse and left, Larinne somehow found herself drifting inside the store.

She rarely indulged in luxuries, and shopping was not something she particularly enjoyed.

‘Still…’

Unlike herself, she had been tempted by that last remark.

‘A pair of earrings as a gift.’

Why did those words linger so stubbornly in her mind?

Shaking off the image that had once again appeared in her mind, Larinne looked around the shop.

The display cases were filled with rare treasures: gold, pearls, quartz, diamonds, and delicate glass crafts.

It all felt far removed from her world.

Unless she was attending an official event, she neither had the time nor the inclination to dress like the high-ranking nobles of the Eastern Empire.

For a start, the allowance she received to maintain her appearance was meagre.

The reason her fiancé gave her even that small sum was obvious: He wanted her to struggle. He wanted to watch her desperately try to imitate the extravagant luxury of the Eastern Empire’s nobles, knowing full well that the imperial family’s stipend could never rival their wealth.

The emperor wanted Larinne to recognize her place and humble herself before him of her own accord.

But Larinne did nothing of the sort.

If she could not afford adornments, she simply went without them.

Sometimes, when she crossed paths with the Duchess Dius’s entourage — women who devoted immense care to their appearance — her plain attire made her feel embarrassingly shabby.

Even so, the money she saved meant that her companions would not go hungry. And that alone was enough for her to endure.

“Um… you’re Lady Larinne, aren’t you?”

A merchant cautiously spoke to her while she was studying the display.

“That’s correct…”

“I thought so! Please wait a moment—I’ll bring out the new arrivals right away!”

The merchant’s face brightened, and before she could stop him, he hurried off into the storeroom.

‘Ah… this is troublesome.’

“So I’ve been caught after all.”

It was no wonder that the merchant had tried to lure someone dressed so plainly into such a luxurious shop.

He knew exactly who she was.

Merchants in the Grand Market never let go once they caught the scent of money.

She had only intended to browse for a moment and then leave.

However, due to an impulsive step prompted by random thoughts, she now found herself in a position where she would have to make a purchase.

She let out a deep sigh.

‘Think of it positively. I needed to buy something around this time anyway.’

She was required to spend a certain amount of money at the Grand Market on a regular basis.

The mere fact that someone from her background — a slave from a defeated minority nation — had secured a position within the imperial court was enough to stir resentment.

If she refused to spend money there too, the innocent minorities would inevitably be the ones to suffer.

By occasionally coming to the market and making purchases, she could prevent some of that mistreatment.

Soon afterwards, the merchant returned from the storeroom with his arms full of items, which he began laying out before her one by one.

“They’re all imported from foreign lands.”

Even to someone like Larinne, who had little knowledge of jewelry, they looked expensive.

Among the constantly glittering ornaments, one piece caught her attention.

A pair of earrings.

Below a circular gold plate, thin straight lines extended outward like rays—resembling a golden sun.

“Oh my, you have excellent taste. That one just arrived recently.”

The merchant quickly noticed where her gaze lingered.

“It’s imported from the Eshmon Peninsula across the sea.”

While he was explaining the value and craftsmanship of the earrings with great enthusiasm, Larinne became lost in thought.

Strangely enough, he was the person who came to mind.

That golden color — the man who seemed to swallow the setting sun whole.

Just as his sharp features stood out, he wore extravagant jewelry with ease.

Unlike Larinne’s pale complexion, the man’s tanned skin made the golden jewelry stand out twice as brilliantly.

‘The golden earring that swung beneath his ear…’

Even through the violently shaking haze of her vision as she struggled to endure his relentless kiss, she clearly remembered that brilliant streak of gold.

‘It would suit him.’

She pulled out the purse she had brought with her, silently indicating her decision.

“Could you wrap it as a gift?”

“Of course! Just a moment.”

Afraid she might change her mind, the merchant quickly gathered the jewelry and rushed back into the storeroom.

Larinne was left alone.

Just as she absentmindedly turned her head, she sensed movement at the entrance.

“Well, well… look who it is.”

When she turned, the Duchess Dius was standing there, staring directly at her.

The memory of their last quarrel flashed through Larinne’s mind.

“It must truly be a long life indeed to witness a lady like you enjoying shopping in a place like this.”

It was clear from her expression that the bitterness between them had not faded at all.