“W-what are you trying to do?”

The unfamiliar touch on her wrist made Selina recoil in shock, yanking her arm back.

“There’s no need to be so wary. It’s not an empty boast when I say I’m good at examining patients.”

He smiled broadly, then tilted his head with a puzzled look.

“But it’s rare for someone’s heart to be beating like this.”

“…What do you mean?”

“No matter how erratic it is, can it really be this irregular?”

Clicking his tongue, the man added casually,

“It’s not the pulse of someone who has accumulated poison in their body over a lifetime.”

Her heart dropped.

How could he possibly know something like that from just touching her wrist?

She felt a surge of unease, as though her very identity had been exposed to this stranger whose face she couldn’t see.

“Have you suffered from a chronic illness since childhood?”

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to genuinely believe that Selina had been living with poison in her body all along.

“Th-that… is….”

She hesitated.

He was a complete stranger; she didn’t know his name or what he looked like, so it wouldn’t be difficult to make something up. Yet perhaps precisely because they were strangers, there were things she could reveal.

‘He figured out my condition just by holding my wrist once. Maybe… he might even know a way to make an antidote.’

As the Grand Duchess, she was in too much danger to openly ask about antidotes. That was why she had disguised her request to Calliope as a need for sleeping medicine.

But might things be different now that her identity was concealed behind a mask?

As that fragile hope began to blossom, her heart started to pound.

“If someone had been accumulating poison in their body for years…”

Selina asked cautiously,

“…would there be a way to treat it?”

“A treatment, you say.”

Until now, the man’s expression had been tinged with mischief, but for the first time, it hardened. After a moment of serious contemplation, he finally spoke.

“I might be able to tell… if I hold your hand a little longer.”

Selina’s face crumpled at once.

Although her expression was hidden behind the mask, the man could still see her lips trembling, and he laughed with clear amusement.

“Well. If you’re not that curious about a treatment, then there’s no need to offer your hand at all—”

Before he could finish, Selina held out her hand.

This could be a rare opportunity — one that might lead her to the antidote, or even a way to escape the Marquis’s clutches. She couldn’t afford to let such a chance slip away because she was embarrassed or felt awkward.

“Then.”

Seeing the slender arm extended before him, the man took it as though lifting a precious flower.

‘This is uncomfortable….’

His touch was neither lewd nor unpleasant, yet she became tense at the mere contact of another person’s body. It was nothing like Calix’s touch, which had burned her skin.

She just wanted the moment to pass.

Bang!

Without warning, the doors to the banquet hall slammed shut with a thunderous crash.

It was not a sound that could have been made without deliberate force. Everyone present turned to look at the person who had entered at the sudden noise.

Selina’s gaze followed, her wrist still held by the stranger.

“…Huh?”

Her violet eyes froze, as though enchanted.

The man who had seized everyone’s attention was tall and lean, and wore a mask as black as night. Adorned with feathers as black as a raven’s, the mask made him stand out even from a distance. It covered his face up to the bridge of his nose, concealing most of his features, but there was one thing it could not hide.

‘Red eyes….’

Her eyes were as red as roses grown in a pool of blood.

Until now, Selina had only known one other man with eyes that color.

The man who had captured the attention of the entire hall strode forward without hesitation, heading straight for Selina.

Seeing him in such an unexpected place overwhelmed her with joy, and she nearly called out his name before she could stop herself.

“Calix—”

Whoosh.

However, he walked straight past Selina and headed towards the center of the banquet hall.

He didn’t spare her so much as a glance, acting as though he didn’t know her at all. When he brushed past her without hesitation, Selina was left momentarily dazed.

‘Calix…?’

She wondered if she had mistaken someone else for him and turned to look again. But even from behind, there was no doubt: he was Calix Silas.

He slipped into the crowd and took his place at its center The women who, just moments earlier, had been engaging in suggestive behavior with their masked partners, instantly shifted their attention to him.

Like sunflowers drawn to the sun, they flocked towards the man in the black mask, reaching out to stroke his firm arms.

‘Stop.’

Selina pressed her lips together, silently hoping that Calix would evade the advances.

However, contrary to her hope, he made no attempt to avoid the blatant advances. In fact, when a woman reached up to run her fingers through his hair, he leaned closer, inviting her to touch him.

‘Why…?’

It felt as though her heart dropped straight to the bottom of her chest.

“Madam? Is something wrong?”

The man beside her asked with concern, having noticed how abruptly she had stiffened.

“No. It’s nothing.”

Selina pulled her arm free from his grasp.

“Did you find a treatment?”

“Ah, well… Simply checking your pulse wasn’t quite enough.”

“…I see. Then—”

“W-wait a moment! If you wish, you could receive a more thorough examination.”

“No. It’s all right.”

The man reached out as if to stop her, but Selina wasn’t going to stay. She bowed briefly before fleeing the banquet hall as though she were escaping.

‘I want to go back.’

A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over her. She longed to lie down in bed and do nothing at all.

Her clothes felt tight and rigid, like armor closing in on her from all sides. As she fidgeted with the uncomfortable fabric, she noticed a bracelet set with a red moonstone on her wrist, catching the light.

It was on the hand that she had offered to the man earlier.

Calix had told her it would be best to wear it at all times, so she had taken it out and fastened it around her wrist as soon as she found out she was going to the party.

Everything she had done and every choice she had made had been driven by a single desire: to look good in Calix’s eyes.

And yet—

‘I’m such an idiot.’

Selina covered her face with both hands.

It was foolish of her to believe that just because something had happened between them that night, Calix would feel the same way she did. How foolish. In hindsight, Calix had always been someone who could act flawlessly.

Had that night simply been a moment where he gave in to instinct and acted out of character? Was he now avoiding her because he regretted being with her?

‘Maybe he brought me here on purpose… just to show me that that night meant nothing.’

It felt as though something scalding was about to erupt from her throat. She clamped both hands over her mouth in an attempt to stifle it, but a sob still escaped.

“If this was how it was going to be, then why….”

If that was the case, why had he done those things that night? Why did he tell her to stay by his side for the rest of her life? Why had he given her any hope at all?

Tears streamed down her face as she wandered the corridors aimlessly. Fearing that she might run into someone and be seen in such a pitiful state, she continued walking, searching for somewhere secluded.

At last, she reached a corridor where all the lights had been turned off. Perhaps it was never used on party nights — every lamp had been extinguished, leaving it pitch black. Somehow, it felt like a place meant just for her.

She opened a closed door and stepped inside.

Given the unlit corridor, she had expected the room to be dark as well, but it was brightly illuminated instead. In the center of the wall hung a framed painting, flanked by antique sculptures and display cabinets. On top of one of the cabinets stood a large mirror.

The brightness was almost painful. With the mirror reflecting her image, she could see just how wretched she looked. Still, there was one small mercy: it was unlikely that anyone would come all the way to this dark, secluded corridor.

‘I’ll wait here until Yuri comes to fetch me. If I do that, I can pass the time quietly and leave.’

She was already steeped in despair, so enjoying the party was out of the question. She had never been the kind of person to enjoy it anyway, but now, more than ever, she didn’t want to go near the banquet hall.

Just as Selina removed her tear-soaked mask to wipe her reddened eyes,

“Madam. So this is where you were—”

At that moment, the door opened and the man she had seen earlier walked in.

Assuming she was alone, Selina had already taken off her mask. She gasped in shock and hastily grabbed it again, but it was too late — he had already seen her bare face.

The man froze, his eyes wide with shock, and then hurried towards her.

“I—I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were crying…! But what happened? Why are you here like this…?”

“It’s nothing. I just want to be alone, so please leave.”

“It’s dangerous for you to be here by yourself. I’ll stay with you.”

Flustered, Selina tried to push him away, but he was more insistent than she had expected. She was at a loss for how to deal with him—

When suddenly—

“I told you to cover your face! Yet here comes a fool with his ears stuffed.”

The door opened once more, and a cold voice rang out behind her.