When night fell, Agnes sought out Ariel’s room.

Not through the door, but through the window.

“What does she mean by having to go back?”

Despite being an uninvited guest, Agnes immediately threw out a question.

Perched on the windowsill, he no longer appeared as a small boy.

He had the form of a full-grown man with strong, sharp features. His voice was deep and low as well.

Now he could use magic freely, though not to his full original capacity.

This meant that “that month” was nearly over.

His black eyes stared fiercely at the room’s owner, demanding an answer, but Ariel didn’t seem surprised and replied without even looking at him.

“What?”

“Merrien.”

Ariel’s hand, which had been leisurely organizing documents at his desk, stopped abruptly.

Soon, an ominous voice circled Agnes’s ears.

“I told you not to say her name.”

“What does she mean by having to go back?”

But Agnes was persistent. Finding Ariel’s evasiveness frustrating, he leaned his head against the window and made himself completely comfortable.

“Haah.”

Ariel’s free hand pressed against his temple.

It was clear that if he didn’t answer, Agnes wouldn’t leave and would camp out in his room.

Ariel neatly placed all the documents in a drawer before resting his chin on his hand.

The gaze he directed at Agnes was filled with annoyance.

“Exactly what it sounds like. She says when the healing gauge is filled, she has to return to some place called ‘reality’ or whatever.”

“…What does that mean?”

He couldn’t understand what that meant at all. Thinking about it, Ariel was just repeating the same incoherent words that Merrien had been mumbling.

“It’s complicated to explain.”

All Agnes got in return was Ariel’s dismissive hand gesture.

It meant this wasn’t his business and he should stop caring about it.

Perhaps finding it too bothersome to explain further, Ariel turned his head back to the desk. A pen twirled between his fingers.

Soon, an eerie voice echoed.

“But she won’t be able to go back anyway.”

The corner of Ariel’s mouth, visible from one side, curved up strangely.

“……”

Agnes closed his mouth at the sight of those blue eyes filled with madness.

It wasn’t pointless stubbornness or pride. This was genuine confidence.

That should have been reassuring, but why did his mood plummet?

Perhaps because there was no room for him between those two people.

***

‘No. I can make room.’

Agnes had completely forgotten what had happened the night before.

The fact that “that month” would end in a few days meant that the day to return to the nest was not far off.

Time was running short.

“But I still have a chance.”

Ariel had said Merrien wouldn’t be able to go back anyway.

Then he, too, needed to seize the opportunity before “that month” passed.

Oddly enough, Agnes hadn’t properly recognized his own feelings.

He simply thought instinctively.

‘Merrien likes cute things.’

Swoosh-. Before he could finish his thought, his body shrank.

With hands as small as fern leaves, he opened the door and boldly headed toward Merrien’s room.

“Sister. Can I eat with you?”

Surely Ariel wouldn’t be there today, too. He nervously poked half his body through the doorway and checked inside the room.

“Yes, of course! Come in.”

Merrien, who had just picked up a spoon, gestured to him. Fortunately, Ariel wasn’t there.

He must have thought Agnes wouldn’t try anything foolish anymore.

With a smile too cunning for a child, he deliberately walked across the floor, his footsteps creating soft pattering sounds with each step.

“Oh my, how cute!”

As always, this appearance earned him attention from the servants.

Agnes walked in proudly and sat in the place Merrien had patted for him.

Feeling smug about winning over Ariel, he leaned back comfortably in the chair.

However, seen up close, Merrien’s eyes were still very swollen. A concerned voice came out naturally.

“…Are you okay?”

“Ah, I’m fine.”

Merrien took a cloth filled with ice with her free hand and rubbed her eyes.

“Agnes. Thank you for yesterday. I feel a bit more at ease because of you.”

She smiled faintly.

But she couldn’t completely fool Agnes. Her gaze, which had briefly passed over him, was empty.

“……”

Agnes’s mood plummeted once again.

In a child’s form, it was difficult to hide his true feelings. His lips drooped, showing his dejection.

Perhaps because of this, Merrien touched Agnes’s unguarded cheek as before and lifted the corners of his mouth.

“Really. I’m fine, I promise.”

‘Seriously…!’

How could this woman reach out so casually? …Even if he looked like a child, he was still a man.

Still, he wasn’t as flustered this time.

Agnes put into action the plan he had hastily devised that morning.

“Then feed me.”

“Huh?”

“Ah.”

He brazenly opened his mouth. Even opened as wide as possible, it was smaller than Merrien’s small fist.

As he expected, Merrien was weak for cute things.

“Here, want some meat?”

She seemed to forget about her swollen eyes as she held Agnes’s face and fed him.

Nom nom. As Agnes chewed with his mouth quickly filled with food, his cheeks became plump. His eyes sparkled wildly.

Merrien naturally placed her hand on his head and stroked it.

His hair, curly and disheveled, was fluffy.

‘Looking like this, he resembles Whitey.’

To be precise, Ariel transformed into Whitey.

The way he stared with round eyes, the way he cutely chewed with his lips.

His actions were identical to Whitey’s.

‘Ah, so that’s why they’re close.’

In the end, all of Merrien’s thoughts led back to Ariel.

Her hesitant hand stopped stroking his head.

She picked up the ice cloth she had set aside and quietly placed it over her eyes.

Meanwhile, Agnes felt empty when her hand left his head.

‘I can’t always meet her in this child form.’

Merrien had no way of knowing his true thoughts.

In fact, his eyes weren’t sparkling—they were gleaming with cunning.

***

After that, very ordinary days passed.

Ariel no longer kissed Merrien or clung to her under the pretext of physical contact.

Perhaps because of this?

[Healing amount 9600/10000]

[Healing amount 9700/10000]

The healing gauge that increased a little each day seemed like a countdown predicting the day of her return.

3 days.

If healing continued at the current rate, Merrien had only 3 days left.

Merrien thought she should now do what she had been putting off.

She sat at her desk and took out paper and a pen.

After hesitating for a while, she wrote a brief letter.

[Charlotte. I’m leaving for a distant place. We won’t be able to meet for a while.]

Not for a while, but likely never again.

She folded it carefully, placed it in an envelope, and sealed it.

Finally, she stared at the recipient’s name, “Charlotte.”

‘We became quite close.’

She absently stroked the letters. She had grown more attached than expected.

At first, she had only intended to learn healing methods and connect Charlotte with Forcite, but before she knew it, she had become so close to Charlotte that she almost forgot she was the original female lead.

Inviting her to the Hartez mansion for conversations, sharing romance novels.

Pfft-. A deflating sound escaped from her lips.

Heat gathered in her eyes. If she thought about it any more, she might embarrass herself in front of the servants.

Merrien shook her head to clear away thoughts of Charlotte and handed the letter to her maid, “Rika.”

“Rika. Could you send this letter for me?”

“Yes, Saint.”

Taking the letter, Rika studied Merrien’s complexion.

As expected, it was an expressionless face that seemed devoid of any emotion.

Not the face that had forced a smile, but a very calm, blank expression.

Merrien’s mood had plummeted days ago. Other maids felt the same, so it wasn’t just her imagination.

Worried, Rika was about to ask what was wrong.

Just before she could speak, Merrien suddenly moved busily.

“Ah, Rika. Just a moment.”

She opened the third drawer of her desk, which she had kept firmly locked, and took something out.

In her hand was a bracelet Rika had never seen before.

“Take this.”

Rika put the letter in her bosom and received the bracelet with both hands.

A bracelet woven with roses of various colors and grass. Judging by the fragrance, they were fresh flowers.