He wanted to hear it directly from Rosana’s mouth. Rosana froze coldly at his question. Her blue eyes rippled sadly.

‘This question…’

It was a question she’d hoped someone would ask. Words she’d hoped would be offered, knowing they weren’t true. She held back the piercing pain in her chest. Rosana threw his question back at him.

“Who does Your Majesty think Rosana is?”

“The woman who loved the Crown Prince so obsessively that she poisoned her own sister.”

Hearing Jade’s answer, Rosana raised the corners of her mouth in a smile. 

The smile she wore had the same shape as the one he’d seen just days ago, but unlike the past when he’d thought she was looking down on people with sarcasm, it seemed somehow desolate. Then Rosana’s voice rang out softly.

“…That’s one way to describe her.”

At Rosana’s words, the framework of the person called Rosana Arcadi that he’d been thinking of shattered completely. Because Rosana’s expression as she laughed hollowly in agreement looked too sad.

“…No, you’re not. You’re not that Rosana.”

His heightened senses didn’t miss the small trembling near Rosana’s eyes. Her behavior was imprinted in his mind. Jade laughed emptily. 

Then he stood up. Was it because of the monster blood? His heart pounded loudly. He didn’t like Rosana’s face gazing endlessly at the moon with a sad expression.

“I… was truly blind.”

She wasn’t a bold woman. He hadn’t seen through her solid mask. Rather, she was precariously balancing her small body on a cliff’s edge. 

She was a woman who couldn’t think to take shelter despite the fierce wind, wondering whether to walk forward or step back. He shook off the thoughts that surfaced.

“Are you an idiot?”

“Pardon?”

“When you see a monster like me, you should run away immediately—where is there a person who approaches so calmly?”

He was already conversing calmly with Rosana, not caring about his transformed monster state. 

She was just lucky. Quite some time had passed and his reason had mostly returned, so she hadn’t suffered major harm.

The bit of her blood that entered his body helped suppress the monster blood. Human blood either makes monster blood rampage or calms it down—one of the two. Rosana was very lucky to belong to the latter.

Rosana didn’t understand why she was suddenly being scolded. He chided Rosana for coming out alone in the middle of the night. He pushed Rosana relentlessly, saying all the right things without pause. There was nothing wrong with his words. So Rosana nodded reluctantly.

“I’ll be sure to run away next time.”

At the same time, he chuckled. Because he realized how absurd it was to be having a calm conversation despite the serious situation in the dead of night.

“Let me see your shoulder for a moment.”

Rosana glanced toward her shoulder. It wasn’t a deep wound—the bleeding had stopped. She nodded and showed him her shoulder.

Then from Jade’s long snout, his tongue suddenly emerged and wetly traced over her shoulder. 

She let out a short m*an as her shoulder stung. Unlike before, his tongue gently swept over the wound.

“Ngh…”

At that sound, Jade’s ears perked up.

“Your Majesty? Just now…?”

At Rosana’s flustered voice, the thought suddenly struck him that he hadn’t explained. Jade jerked his head up from Rosana’s shoulder.

“Th-this is because my saliva has healing properties that make wounds heal faster! Ahem, in any case, it’s a wound I inflicted… I suppose I’m giving both the disease and the cure.”

“No. Thank you.”

“No thanks needed.”

At Jade’s action of primly turning his head away, Rosana covered her mouth with her hand and giggled softly. A strange light flickered in his eyes.

“…So you know how to laugh like that.”

“Pardon?”

Just as Jade smacked his lips and was about to say something else, they heard the sound of multiple people rushing over.

“Your Majesty!!”

“Is that Malek?”

It was a voice searching for him. Rough boot sounds and urgent voices. Soon several knights and Malek appeared.

Malek and Fel had been searching for him after he broke the window and escaped from his room. 

They let out sighs mixed with relief at Jade’s voice, now back to his senses. However, they discovered an unexpected person beside him.

All the knights stopped with a screech. Golden hair fluttering in the wind, a slender figure, and blue eyes. It was Rosana Arcadi. Malek stopped breathing and struggled to swallow his surprise. Even Fel beside him called out to her in confusion.

“Lady Arcadi? What brings you here…?”

Jade let out a small sigh seeing Fel and Malek’s eyes filled with confusion. Well, he couldn’t say he didn’t understand their reaction.

The laughter from moments ago had completely disappeared from Rosana’s face. Jade placed the cardigan that had been draped over his shoulders back onto hers.

His eyes caught Rosana’s nose tip, flushed bright red. Though he’d returned the cardigan, even that was too thin to block the harsh wind. However, Jade had no warm clothing to give her right now.

“I can hear your minds churning from here. We just… ran into each other.”

“…You ran into each other, you say.”

Jade awkwardly deflected. But that was the truth. Malek’s eyes pleaded for an answer about how one runs into someone here.

“Be quiet.”

Jade cut off Malek’s question with one stroke. Then Fel jumped out and grabbed Rosana’s wrist. 

It was an action prepared for any possible danger. Fel was wary of Jade, whose transformation hadn’t yet been undone.

“Your Majesty, are you all right?”

He precisely blocked the space between Jade and Rosana. Jade’s eyebrow shot up crookedly. He looked at Rosana’s wrist, held by Fel, with displeasure.

“Don’t worry. I’ve come to my senses. Are the others all right?”

“Yes, we’ve sent them all to the infirmary.”

“Good. Move aside. I won’t harm her.”

Fel stepped aside, startled by the warning-laced threat. Jade reached out toward Rosana but stopped. Because he saw his sharp claws.

“Give me your clothes.”

Jade held out his hand toward the knights. Though flustered by the hand suddenly thr*st out, the knights moved swiftly. 

Having successfully commandeered their clothes, Jade wrapped her tightly in the knights’ outer garments so the harsh wind wouldn’t touch her skin. Rosana blinked slowly, and Jade said with a satisfied smile.

“Escort her… to her room. She’s injured on her shoulder. I’ve given first aid, but just in case, have the palace physician look at her. Especially since she was exposed to the cold wind, take particular care.”

Malek quickly scanned Rosana’s condition. Since Jade had covered her shoulder with the cardigan, the wound wasn’t visible. Malek carefully approached Rosana and asked if she was injured anywhere.

“I’m hurt on my shoulder.”

Malek examined the depth of the wound. At this level, it wouldn’t even leave a scar. Jade, who had been watching closely, slightly bent his waist and whispered in Rosana’s ear as he passed by her with the knights.

“I’ll visit you tomorrow.”

Rosana watched Jade’s retreating back. He had already returned to human form.

* * *

As Malek escorted Rosana, all sorts of thoughts ran through his head. 

Jade had gained confidence through his conversation with her that she wouldn’t reveal the secret, but Malek hadn’t. Though he appeared calm on the outside, inside he was busy glaring at Rosana.

‘Did she see?’

Of course she saw. No matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t a human form, and he’d witnessed Jade responding when she cried out “Your Majesty.” 

It was clear enough that the beast was the Emperor. He wanted to tear his hair out and curse at Jade right now, but he politely escorted Rosana.

“Um… my lady.”

“Yes.”

Rosana was following Malek expressionlessly and calmly.

‘Why isn’t she saying anything?’

Or was she planning to secretly contact the Astrot Empire? That had to be prevented. Malek asked as calmly as possible.

“The person you just saw wasn’t His Majesty.”

Malek didn’t even know what he was saying. He just babbled whatever came out of his mouth. His mind was that dazed. Various scenarios were being constructed in his head.

If the Astrot Empire found out, they might bring knights saying they needed to subjugate the monster Emperor. Conversely, if it spread through the Diovaha Empire—the Emperor is a monster. It would be grounds for impeachment.

“It absolutely wasn’t His Majesty…”

“Yes.”

“…?”

Her crisp acknowledgment made Malek feel awkward instead. He understood his worry. An Emperor who transforms into a beast. Rosana said calmly.

“I’ve never even seen His Majesty. I just…”

“Just?”

Rosana looked up at the sky. The round full moon was captured in her eyes.

“I saw a lost puppy.”

“…”

Malek stopped in his tracks on the path he’d been walking fine. Rosana passed by him without a care.

‘A puppy? A dog??’

In his head, the terrifying form Jade had transformed into and the image of a cute puppy didn’t match. Malek shook his head.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“Ah, no.”

Malek quickly followed after her.

Naturally, her palace was in chaos. Of course it was strange for chaos not to break out when the master they should be protecting had disappeared. 

Rosana, who had come out in a trance, hadn’t closed her door, and seeing the open door, Jane had searched for Rosana with her face turning deathly pale.

Jane was someone who knew Jade’s secret. While she was firmly warning the servants in the palace not to go outside, Rosana had disappeared. Jane had hastily sent maids to thoroughly search every corner of the palace.

Jane let out a big sigh. Because there was someone making her head throb even more. That was Emma. Emma was shouting loudly that they needed to call the knights immediately to find the young lady.

Jane wanted to bring knights too, but some knights were injured from subjugating monsters, and most had been dispatched to stop Jade. Jane was barely holding back Emma, who was trying to run out.

“Where could she have gone…”

Jane looked at the darkening sky, searching for her.

“Miss!”

Then Emma spotted Rosana walking with Malek. She shook off Jane in her joy and ran over in one breath.

On the other hand, Jane couldn’t be purely happy. Malek standing beside her was someone who always assisted Jade closely. She didn’t know by what circumstances Rosana had met Malek. Jane prayed it wasn’t the situation she was thinking of.

“Miss. Where on earth did you go? You should have taken me with you.”

“Where have you been?”

“I went for a brief walk.”

Rosana, who had ignored Emma’s words, answered Jane’s question. Emma grumbled resentfully about how she could do that.

Jane’s brow narrowed, but Malek behind Rosana gave her a signal with his eyes. Though his expression was reluctant, he conveyed with his lips that there was no need to worry. And Malek informed them of Rosana’s injury.

“The lady is injured. I’ll summon the palace physician.”

At his words, Emma made a fuss and Jane also hurriedly guided Rosana to her room.

* * *

“Your Majesty, is it all right to let the lady go like this?”

The body and face covered in fur, the pupils narrowed like a beast’s eyes—all had returned to normal. Jade sharply cut off the needless worry.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

At his firm response, Fel quietly nodded. Then he removed his outer garment and handed it to Jade, whose abs were fully exposed. Just because he’d returned to human form didn’t mean his torn clothes returned to normal.

“Your Majesty, please take this.”

“Thank you.”

Jade mulled over the conversation he’d had with Rosana. Her, who was neither surprised nor afraid. She wasn’t the villainess he’d thought. An ordinary lady. Nothing more, nothing less. 

There was no need to wait for investigation results.

She’d reinforced his conviction to believe what he thought without doubt. When he recited the world’s assessment of Rosana Arcadi, she’d answered:

‘…I’m called that too.’

Was it because he’d seen her when he was a monster rather than human? 

Rosana’s tone, gestures, actions, expressions were so vivid he could draw them. And he became curious. Her tone seemed to sink deeply, suppressing all sorts of emotions.

“You all worked hard today. Tell the other knights to rest comfortably as well.”

“Yes.”

Jade, who had returned to his room, silently changed into his own clothes. As he buttoned up, he tried to interpret the emotion he’d glimpsed on Rosana’s face.

Emptiness? Regret? Despair? An expression that had become hollow after so many emotions overflowed… that kind of expression. 

He wanted to drag out the real her sleeping beneath the expression hidden by a mask, inside those empty eyes. A fiercely burning flame-like defiance wrapped around him.

“I wonder if I can see it one more time.”

The harsh wind blew in fiercely, filling the room with cold air. But Jade didn’t show it. Rather, he gazed at the broken window, saying it wasn’t bad.

“From our first meeting, every bit of my image must have been scraped away… I should apologize. For everything, all together.”

His figure wearing a languid smile was reflected in the broken window.