Icarus felt a strange curiosity as he watched Ertel’s restless eyes darting around.

“How did someone who eats so well manage to live so boringly in that cabin?”

“There are plenty of delicious wild crops in the forest.”

“But could they ever compare to a banquet prepared by a chef?”

Ertel, who had been looking at him calmly, slowly furrowed her brow and dropped her gaze.

“Thanks to you, my lord, I think I’ll be able to eat my fill from now on.”

Satisfied with her response, Icarus leaned back lazily against his chair.

The grandfather clock struck midnight.

Icarus rose from his seat and escorted Ertel to her room, where a cozy bed had already been prepared for her.

“Get a good night’s sleep tonight. Without any worries.”

“Thanks to you, my lord, I can sleep warmly and peacefully.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll fulfill my duties.”

“You don’t need to do anything here. Just take it easy.”

“How could I just sit idly by?”

Smooch.

His lips touched her forehead so naturally, pressing gently before pulling away.

For a moment, Ertel froze, but she quickly reassured herself that it was a meaningless kiss.

Icarus whispered sweet words softly into her ear.

“Dream of me. Promise me you will.”

“Goodnight, my lord.”

“You too.”

The door slowly closed.

The faint smile on Icarus’s face, visible through the crack in the door, lingered in her mind.

As soon as the door shut, Ertel wiped the smile off her face.

Was she really trembling and her heart pounding just from something like this?

This was the life she had returned to by gritting her teeth. She couldn’t afford to be swayed so easily.

Ertel stood by the door for a moment, taking a deep breath.

“Haah.”

Though she had told him she would sleep right away, it was a sleepless night.

In this beautiful yet cruel space, where a grand saga was about to unfold, she had to think carefully—again and again—about how to conduct herself.

Creak.

The door opened again.

Ertel stepped cautiously into the hallway, barefoot.

‘I can’t just sit still like this.’

Moving like a stealthy cat, she suppressed her footsteps. Her eyes darted around more alertly than ever.

She poked her head out carefully.

‘Who knows what tricks he might be up to now.’

It was time to find out where the duke’s room was.

Ascending another level of the spiral staircase, she advanced little by little until she faintly heard voices.

It was Icarus’s voice.

‘!!’

At the same time, Ertel’s pupils dilated.

The voice of the man who had taken her life enveloped her in extreme tension. Even her breath, escaping her lips in faint tremors, betrayed her unease.

Additionally, she could hear the voice of his steward, Amar Miguel.

As if drawn by an unseen force, Ertel approached the door.

It seemed they were having a rather secretive conversation, as their voices were difficult to make out.

Ertel pressed herself closer to the door, bringing her ear to it.

Sweat from her clammy hands dripped onto the door she was holding. Her dry mouth felt parched and uncomfortable from her growing anxiety.

‘What kind of scheme are they plotting?’

At that moment, she overheard something she should never have heard.

“She does have the Kaiya Stone.”

“Is that so?”

“She must be killed, no matter what.”

‘No matter what.’

‘Ha.’

She almost let out a bitter laugh.

The certainty in Icarus’s voice must have come from confirming the mark on the back of her neck.

Ertel reached up and touched the back of her neck with her hand.

‘That’s not going to happen, Icarus de Juan.’

She wasn’t afraid.

Perhaps she had been caught off guard and foolish in the past, but now she knew his wicked intentions.

‘At the very least, I’ll leave a scar on him with my skills.’

She couldn’t just stand by and let things happen.

>><<

The brilliant morning sun rose.

Icarus acted as if nothing had happened. He approached Ertel, who had woken up late with her hair disheveled, without hesitation.

“It seems you slept well. You look refreshed.”

“Did you sleep well last night, my lord?”

Though she asked out of courtesy, Ertel subtly observed Icarus’s reaction, curious about what he would say after his secretive late-night meeting.

“Ah.”

Icarus stroked his chin, as if reminiscing about the previous night, before speaking without a hint of change in his expression.

“I was thinking about what kind of date we should have today.”

“What?”

For a moment, she doubted her ears.

‘Did I mishear him?’

He had definitely said “date.”

“The weather is so nice today. It would be a shame to stay cooped up in the mansion. We should go somewhere. I want to give you a special time.”

His long fingers pointed out the window.

As if enchanted, Ertel’s gaze followed his hand.

The fresh breeze carried crisp air through the large window, and the sunlight pouring in shimmered like paint, glowing brightly.

The sunlight illuminated the Duke of Juan’s back, creating the illusion of a radiant halo.

While someone might have been struck with awe at this moment, Ertel thought instead that she wished there were a knife in her hand.

Then she could stab the man standing before her right in the neck.

As she clenched her empty hand tightly, as if lamenting its lack of a weapon, Icarus tilted his head and asked,

“What are you thinking about?”

“Oh, I was just thinking about how beautiful the weather is, as you said, my lord.”

“I knew you’d like it.”

Icarus’s bright smile made him look like a man deeply in love.

A few hours ago, Ertel had been resenting him for what he had done to her. Now, she thought to herself that she must have been completely fooled by this man, who was so thoroughly deceiving her.

“We’re going hunting. Change into something comfortable.”

“All right.”

As she walked toward the dressing room, Ertel let out a deep sigh.

Last night, she had resolved herself with firm determination.
She would kill him, no matter what.

‘But how?’

To achieve her vague goal, she needed a meticulous and precise plan.

Perhaps today’s date could be an opportunity.

If they went hunting together, they would ride horses side by side. That meant leaving the mansion and heading into a secluded forest or field.

‘Then, there…’

At that moment, she was interrupted.

The maids gathered in the hallway noticed Ertel.

“It’s her.”

They immediately began whispering.

Ertel’s presence had become a major topic of gossip among the mansion’s staff.

Rumors had spread that the duke had taken in a woman he had picked up on the road and was caring for her attentively.

Feeling their heated stares, Ertel slowly turned her head.

She met their gazes, filled with complex emotions.

Their voices, as if meant for her to hear, pierced her ears.

“They say her mother was a maid. Doesn’t that make her a slave too?”

“Then why is she being treated so generously by the master here?”

“She’s the same status as us… It’s ridiculous.”

Ertel turned away again and successfully entered the dressing room.

When she placed her hand on her left chest, she felt her heart beating faintly.

‘If things go as expected, I’ll soon receive the duke’s proposal.’

Before her regression, the maids had also been wary of her early on. But once the marriage was quickly arranged and her status rose to that of the duchess, the jealous voices disappeared.

At least, they did in front of her.

But this time, she didn’t want to marry him.

No one would want to become the wife of a man who wanted to kill them.

‘Then…’

She recalled the maid’s comment about how ridiculous it was for someone of their status to receive such treatment.

That’s it.

‘I’ll become a maid in the mansion.’

Her resolve solidified quickly, and plans for the future began to form in her mind.

From outside the dressing room, Icarus’s voice called out.

“Ertel. Are you dressed yet?”

“Yes, I’m coming!”

As she walked toward him, she wore the most beautiful smile.

>><<

“Hyah!”

The sound of hooves echoed across the vast meadow, bathed in soft green sunlight.

Ertel instinctively tightened her core as her body bounced on the saddle.

Behind her, Icarus sat close, as if embracing her, skillfully controlling the reins.

“There’s no need to be so tense. Relax your body.”

“I can’t help but tense up.”

“You still don’t trust me, do you?”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Ertel already knew that he was an expert horseman.

Even so, she couldn’t help but feel nervous. It wasn’t about him—it was about herself.

Now that she knew the truth about Icarus, she couldn’t let herself lean on him comfortably.

“You smell nice.”

“…!”

Burying his face in her orange hair, he inhaled her scent deeply.

“It’s the same scent I noticed when I first met you in the Yukai Forest.”

For the two of them, that first meeting held vastly different meanings.

His voice, low and seductive, whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

Ertel felt her earlobes and face grow hot, overtaken by the sensation. She couldn’t even bring herself to turn around.

‘What does he expect me to do…?’

Though she tried to steel herself, her body stiffened involuntarily.

Seeing her awkward, broken reaction, Icarus chuckled softly.

“How will you manage if you’re already so flustered? Keep your eyes ahead.”

“Please, don’t tease me, my lord.”

“Tease you? My feelings for you are sincere.”

“I’d prefer if you focused on the hunt for now.”

“As you wish.”

Ertel tried her best to remain composed, like an impenetrable fortress.

But to Icarus, her desperate efforts only made her more intriguing.