Yulia quickly washed up and dressed in the clothes that had fallen to the floor in a flash.

She stepped over to the chair by the door and curled up on it.

This chair was the farthest from the bed, making it a suitable spot for a rational conversation with him.

‘Why did he leave his clothes in such a rush…?’

Filled with self-loathing, Yulia buried her face between her knees.

Listening to the sound of running water from the bathroom, her mind was a tangled mess.

‘When did I come into the room with Cassian…? I don’t remember anything… This is a disaster… I’m crazy! Of all people, it had to be Cassian!’

Eventually, the sound of water stopped, and with a click, the bathroom door opened, revealing a wet Cassian stepping out.

Small droplets clung to the ends of his black hair.

He approached the mirror beside the bed and dried his hair with a towel.

His eyebrows rose in surprise as he caught sight of Yulia in the mirror.

“Why are you sitting so far away? Come closer.”

He gestured toward the spacious bed behind him.

“Oh, no! I’ll talk from here!”

Yulia quickly waved her hands in denial.

Facing Cassian from a distance, Yulia slowly began to take in his appearance.

The defenseless look of Cassian, just waking up, was so unfamiliar.

The image she was used to seeing at school was of him in a neatly buttoned shirt with his black bangs slicked back, presenting a flawless figure.

In contrast, the Cassian before her now looked completely disheveled.

Especially the marks on his neck and upper body, scattered and red, were utterly unlike him.

‘Please tell me I didn’t do all of that…’

Yulia felt an inexplicable guilt wash over her as she squeezed her eyes shut again.

It seemed that after drinking a bit too much, she had let her guard down and acted in ways she shouldn’t have.

Though the damage was done, she felt a sense of responsibility for what had happened to him.

‘But…’

Still, it was just a night she couldn’t remember clearly.

She thought it wouldn’t be wise for either of them to maintain this relationship.

‘For now, since Cassian has no feelings for me…’

Yulia decided to think more comfortably.

“Cassian, let’s forget about what happened today.”

“What?”

Yulia declared boldly.

She saw Cassian’s expression harden in the mirror.

Not backing down, Yulia continued,

“I think I drank too much mixed drink yesterday, so I can’t remember anything. I woke up like this. I don’t want things to become awkward, so let’s just forget about yesterday.”

Yulia coolly announced.

After all, it would be better for Cassian not to get tangled up in this situation unnecessarily…

For a moment, Cassian stood there holding the towel, then turned to give Yulia a cool expression.

In a cold voice, he asked,

“…You don’t remember?”

“Yeah, not at all… I’ve never had this happen before…”

Yulia nodded her head up and down like a broken doll.

It was truly strange.

No matter how drunk she had been, how could all those memories just vanish?

“Ha… No wonder your expression this morning was odd.”

Cassian pushed back the disheveled hair from his forehead, frowning his thick eyebrows.

Yulia held her breath, trying to gauge his mood.

She didn’t quite understand why he was displeased with the current situation.

For him, it would surely be much easier and more convenient not to get involved with her…

“…What if I don’t want to?”

Cassian raised his head and faced Yulia.

His smooth face returned to its usual calm expression, as if it had never been crumpled.

“Uh?”

“What if I don’t want to forget?”

He took a few steps toward Yulia, closing the distance between them.

Squeak!

Startled, Yulia reflexively pushed off the ground, causing the chair leg to scrape against the floor.

She had expected him to approach her directly, but instead, he walked a few more steps, bent down, and picked up a white shirt that had fallen under the bed.

“Ah… I see. I guess you wouldn’t want to.”

Yulia was taken aback.

In an instant, she felt her heart race, caught off guard by his unexpected reaction.

“Still… wouldn’t it be better for both of us to forget? It was a mistake for both of us…”

“A mistake?”

“Yeah, a mistake.”

“…Not for me.”

“Ah…”

Cassian calmly stated as he tucked the shirt into his torso and buttoned it up.

The white shirt clung tightly to his body.

“Why? Do you usually spend the night with men by mistake?”

His tone was sharp, laced with sarcasm.

Yulia felt a flash of irritation but had no excuse.

She had once criticized others for treating something like this lightly—

‘And now… I’m doing the same thing…’

Yulia felt like a piece of trash, completely unrecyclable.

‘Moreover, this side of Cassian, revealing such discomfort, is something I’ve never seen before…’

The Cassian she had always known had been mostly expressionless, indifferent, cold, or detached.

Seeing his unfamiliar demeanor stirred a pang of guilt within her.

“Um… you know, I’ll apologize first. I’m sorry… I really don’t remember anything.”

Yulia carefully opened her mouth, observing Cassian.

“…But think about it. You can’t seriously start a relationship with me now, can you?”

It didn’t seem likely that Duke Cassian would seriously date or marry a woman he had only spent one night with.

Nobles were known for entering emotionless, contractual marriages for the benefit of their families and casually keeping multiple mistresses.

Unless he got bored with her and the female protagonist of the original novel showed up, leaving him high and dry…

“A serious relationship…”

Cassian murmured in a low voice after hearing Yulia’s words.

She sensed his tense demeanor soften slightly.

Interpreting Cassian’s relaxed attitude as agreement with her words, Yulia hurried to continue.

“I don’t want to start a relationship that has an obvious end.”

“What do you mean by an obvious end?”

“That… well, you’re not going to marry me, right? No matter how high-ranking a noble you are, I have no intention of becoming a mistress.”

“What? A mistress?”

He furrowed his brow in disbelief, his calmness returning.

“Who would make you a mistress…?”

Knock, knock.

At that moment, a light knock came from the door behind Yulia.

“Yuu… Yulia…!”

Jerome was knocking on the door of room 207.

Startled by Jerome’s sudden voice, Yulia’s body jolted, and she quickly rose from the chair.

“What time is it?”

She glanced at her wristwatch while picking up her bag from the floor.

If she hesitated, Jerome might open the door and walk in, running into Cassian.

“Well… I’ll take this as a sign that our conversation is over! If we happen to meet again, let’s just leave it at that!”

‘Not that I want to see you again!’

Yulia silently shouted the last phrase in her mind as she quickly turned around.

She didn’t want to continue any more uncomfortable conversations with him.

Having graduated from the academy, there was nothing left that would tie her to Cassian Isheide.

Ah, perhaps if she got a job related to royal affairs, she might see him passing by…

Just before she hurried out of the room, Yulia glanced back at Cassian.

“……”

Cassian was still staring at her without moving.

His expression was one of deep contemplation.

‘I’m sorry, but it can’t be helped… We shouldn’t get involved any further. Later, when you meet the female protagonist of the original novel, you’ll surely be grateful to me for today’s wounds.’

Yulia carefully opened the door, deliberately turning her gaze away from him.

Through the slightly ajar door, she saw Jerome standing outside with a smile.

If she opened the door wide, Jerome would likely peek inside and spot Cassian.

Yulia quickly slipped through the narrow gap and slammed the door shut behind her.

“Jerome! You’re up early! Let’s go!”

Jerome, who had been waiting outside, tightened his grip on Yulia’s arm as she rushed out, worried she might stumble.

She had come out in such a hurry that her brown hair was still damp at the ends.

As Jerome held onto Yulia, he noticed her earrings precariously dangling between her thick hair.

It seemed she had hastily put them on without looking in the mirror, as the back was not fastened properly.

“Yuu… Yulia… wait… just a moment…”

Jerome halted Yulia’s movement.

“Jerome, I’m hungry! Let’s hurry!”

Yulia anxiously glanced between Jerome’s face and the door to room 207.

Jerome continued to ignore her words, firmly holding onto both of her arms.

“What’s wrong? Let’s go down already! We need to call the carriage before it gets too late!”

Yulia stomped her feet in impatience.

If she didn’t get out of there quickly, she had no idea when Cassian might open that door.

Watching Yulia with a steady gaze, Jerome carefully tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Then he began to fiddle with the pearl earring that hung beneath it.