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The Richard ducal residence had always been heavily guarded, but the recent poisoning attempt had further heightened security.  

‘Still, I must not let my guard down.’  

Clenching her fists tightly in tension, Therese saw someone who had been standing quietly in the corner of the balcony slowly reveal themselves.  

“…Roshan.”  

Even in the darkness, Therese recognized the vivid red eyes and felt a mix of emotions cross her face.  

Knowing that he had returned safely seemed to lift a weight that had been pressing on her chest.  

“I’ve returned, Master.”  

Kneeling before her, Roshan bowed his head deeply. The moonlight illuminated his well-kept curly hair and the bandages tied across his back.  

“…Why are you only coming now?”  

Therese, her eyes brimming with tears, bent down and embraced him.  

Startled for a moment, Roshan let out a short sigh of relief as she held him tightly. Her embrace was even warmer than he had longed for.  

“…Sob.”  

Therese’s cheek, pressed against his shoulder, was warm and damp.  

“Master, please don’t cry.”  

Her tears filled Roshan’s heart with both overwhelming emotion and pain. Therese’s tears always made him feel sorrowful, no matter the circumstances.  

“I’m not crying.”  

Though her voice was nasal from tears, she stubbornly tried to maintain her pride. Her attempt was so endearing that it made Roshan’s heart ache, but he forced himself to suppress those feelings.  

After all, waiting for Therese on this balcony had been a constant exercise in restraint.  

“I apologize for being late.”  

His voice, tinged with sorrow, resonated in Therese’s ears.  

“It’s my fault. I left you in such a dangerous place.”  

Her voice, heavy with guilt, made Roshan shake his head firmly.  

“You didn’t leave me behind; I stayed to protect you, Master.”  

“That’s the same thing!”  

As Therese pounded on his chest and cried harder, guilt flickered across Roshan’s face.  

If only he had returned sooner, Therese wouldn’t have had to cry like this.  

‘I’ve caused unnecessary worry.’  

The Emperor’s trackers had been so persistent that it had taken considerable effort to shake them off.  

Had Roshan not immediately left Caspian by boarding the ship waiting at the port, he might not have been able to return at all.  

But there was no need to share all these details.  

‘It would only upset Master further.’  

Composing his expression, he spoke.  

“Master, how is your health?”  

“Is this really the time for you to be worrying about me, Roshan?”  

When Therese snapped angrily through her tears, Roshan merely smiled. Hearing her strong voice finally made him feel like he had truly come home.  

Still in her embrace, Roshan whispered softly.  

“Are you in pain? Have there been any difficulties?”  

Although he had already heard everything from Victor, he worried that something might have been overlooked.  

“Stop asking me that and show me your face, Roshan.”  

“…”  

At Therese’s insistence, Roshan raised his head, revealing her face clearly. Seeing her blue eyes brimming with tears as she looked up at him, Roshan faltered.  

“Have you been worrying about me?”  

“Do you even need to ask?”  

Although Roshan insisted that he had stayed to protect her, Therese couldn’t shake the feeling that she had abandoned him.  

She had left him behind, still injured from his battle with the monsters, all because she had been consumed with the need to save the Duke. Only now did she realize how selfish that decision had been.  

As Therese continued to look remorseful, Roshan placed a hand over his heart and spoke.  

“Protecting you, Master, is always an honor for me. So please, don’t say things like ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘thank you.’”  

For him, dying while protecting her would be a noble death.  

But saying such things would only upset her further.  

“Roshan, why are you always like this…”  

Unable to finish her sentence, Therese began to cry again.  

The tears streaming down her pale cheeks were as beautiful and clear as pearls crafted by a mermaid.  

“…Ah.”  

Unconsciously, Roshan extended his fingers. He wanted to wipe away her tears, but his hand hesitated in midair, unable to move closer.  

Unaware of his inner turmoil, Therese wiped her tears with her sleeve and spoke.  

“How’s your back? The wound must have gotten worse, right?”  

“No, it’s much better now.”  

“Ah-choo!”  

At the sound of her sneeze, Roshan quickly withdrew his hand, only then noticing that Therese’s lips had turned blue.  

Caught up in the joy of their reunion, he had failed to notice her damp hair and thin clothing.  

How could he call himself a loyal servant if he couldn’t even take care of her properly?  

“Master, please give me your robe.”  

Roshan deliberately turned his head to avoid looking at the skin visible beneath her chemise. He then wrapped the robe around her and took the towel she had been holding.  

“I’ve told you before that leaving your hair wet will make you catch a cold.”  

“It dries on its own overnight.”  

“You need to be especially careful now, Master.”  

Therese clicked her tongue at the concern in his eyes, which clearly reflected his worries about the poison.  

“What is this? You’re nagging me already? Why don’t you come inside and have some tea instead?”  

Therese looked up at him with innocent eyes, but Roshan shook his head firmly.  

“I think it’s better if I don’t.”  

“What?”  

Shrugging her shoulders, Therese leaned against the tall iron railing of the balcony. Standing behind her, Roshan gently began to dry her wet hair with the towel.  

Feeling comfortable under his touch, Therese closed her eyes and murmured cheerfully.  

“The breeze feels nice.”  

“But it might still make you catch a cold.”  

“For a moment, I thought Sophia had arrived.”  

Roshan’s face briefly softened into a smile as he looked down at Therese, who was grumbling.  

‘Am I the one who’s grown, or has Master become smaller?’  

Her neck was now so slender that Roshan could almost encircle it with two fingers, and her shoulders were alarmingly delicate.  

Everything about her was so small and precious that Roshan’s touch became even more careful.  

“Roshan, that’s enough.”  

“Just a little more, Master.”  

Therese’s silver hair, still damp, clung to Roshan’s fingers. Even the smallest contact made him feel as though he were falling into an endless abyss.  

Trying to rid himself of his improper thoughts, Roshan dried her hair more diligently.  

‘If Master knew about these impure feelings of mine, would she still smile at me like this?’  

Her earlier invitation came back to his mind.  

‘…Even if it’s just for tea.’  

That invitation was proof that Therese didn’t see him as a man but rather as a sibling-like figure.  

While that thought filled him with pride, it also left him feeling inexplicably bitter.  

Therese’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.  

“By the way, Roshan, why did you hide the fact that you’d encountered monsters before?”  

“Well, that’s because…”

Therese’s questioning left Roshan with a troubled expression.  

He, too, had been deeply shocked when he first encountered a monster in human form at the gambling den.  

And that wasn’t all.  

He had sustained a wound on his back that would never fully heal.  

“I needed solid evidence before reporting it to you, Master.”  

There was no way to prove the existence of the vanished monster. Moreover, neither newspapers nor newsletters had ever mentioned monsters.  

Officially, monsters were said to exist only beyond the barrier, in the frontier regions.  

“That makes sense.”  

Therese nodded at Roshan’s words. After all, no one would believe their story about fighting monsters.  

Especially monsters with human faces.  

Why they were able to operate within the barrier, and why such incidents had not become widely known, remained mysteries.  

“Could the disappearances be related to that?”  

She had her suspicions, but there was still a lack of evidence.  

“For now, we’ve detained Count Pablo, so we should be able to uncover something by investigating him.”  

On the night Roshan had seen the Night Wolf at the harbor, he had entrusted the task to Victor and rushed to rescue her.  

Just recalling those tense moments made Therese’s heart ache.  

The two of them silently gazed at each other’s faces for a long time. The hardships of the past fortnight were etched clearly in their expressions.  

“Roshan. I’m glad you’re back.”  

“…”  

Roshan’s crimson eyes quietly took in Therese’s figure.  

A single white owl perched on the iron railing of the balcony, silently watching the two of them amidst the tranquil night.