Hello, Readers! I am celebrating my birthday with extra chapter updates, so please enjoy this special chapter release of 4 bonus chapters! 🥳

(Lurelia’s Birthday Bonus – Update 4/4 🎉)

♡ To all readers who purchased these chapters before my Birthday: I can’t express this enough – Thank you for your support. (*ˊᗜˋ*)/ᵗᑋᵃᐢᵏ ᵞᵒᵘ*

The low baritone. It was definitely a voice I’d heard somewhere before.

Though he wore a mask, there was something strangely familiar about him.

‘Could it be that man from before…?’

I stopped breathing when I spotted the familiar magic stone choker on his neck.

“I’m sorry. I was taught not to break things no matter how angry I get. But this was urgent.”

When our eyes met, the man smiled brightly, his red eyes curving prettily.

“Are you alright?”

“Kugh, c-can’t, br-breathe…!”

“No, not you. Ariella.”

The man showed no concern for Kane’s struggling in pain.

He seemed only interested in my well-being.

“I-I’m fine.”

“That’s good.”

The man appeared notably relieved after confirming my safety.

“How did you get in?”

“Through the window.”

Entering through a window when there’s a door. Another unconventional entrance today.

“Wait a moment…!”

“What is it?”

“He’s really going to die at this rate!”

I clung to the man’s arm in a panic. I was scared something terrible might happen as Kane was choking and gasping for air.

“Is it not okay to just kill him?”

He asked innocently, like someone completely ignorant of such matters.

Wait, does he really not know?

“O-Of course not! You’ll become a murderer over someone who’s not even related to you!”

“A murderer?”

“Yes! No matter what, you can’t become a murderer! Especially not because of trash like him!”

“Then what should I do?”

The man’s eyes grew wide and attentive, seemingly waiting for my command. I blurted out whatever came to mind in my panic.

“…Um, j-just, you know, dispose of him somewhere out of sight!”

“Okay.”

The man nodded and slightly loosened his grip on Kane.

Cough, cough cough!

Kane coughed violently in distress. Ignoring this, the man immediately hoisted Kane over his shoulder and headed toward the terrace.

“Aaaah! Aaaah! Aah!!”

“Shh. You’re being noisy.”

Kane let out a scream as the man held him suspended over the terrace railing. The mysterious man’s expression darkened with annoyance.

“P-please spare me. There’s a r-reason…”

“I’ll listen to what that reason is.”

When Kane desperately begged, the man lent his ear as if doing him a favor.

“Th-that woman is evil! Whether it’s Oscar or the Prince, she’s trash who plays multiple men!”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Yes, I’m the innocent victim here!”

“Right. Now that I’ve heard everything, let’s go.”

The man smiled sweetly as soon as Kane finished speaking.

“Hey. W-what are you going to do?”

“You said to dispose of him out of sight. I’m going to throw him outside.”

“No! P-please! This is the third floor…!”

“And?”

The man’s eyes were as calm as a still lake. It seemed I was the only one worried about what might happen.

“Are you really asking? A human will die if thrown from the third floor!”

“Even if human, they won’t die.”

“What??”

“Look. If he hits that tree and falls into the flower bed, the impact will be absorbed, so he should still be breathing…”

Is this man perhaps a psychopath?

He was saying horrifying things with a completely neutral expression.

Kane, who had been trembling in terror, suddenly went limp.

“I-is he dead?”

“No. Seems he just fainted from fear. He’s still breathing.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Since he’s quiet now, should I throw him out?”

“…Absolutely not.”

Why does he keep trying to throw him somewhere? I couldn’t help but sigh at his eccentric behavior.

“But you said to dispose of him earlier.”

“I changed my mind.”

“How so?”

Is he planning to ask about everything and follow my instructions? If so, what I wanted was simple.

“Since he’s unconscious anyway. Let’s just get out of here. Both of us.”

Although Kane was trash, I didn’t want to witness someone dying before my eyes.

“What about him?”

“Just leave him as is in the room.”

“Alright.”

The man smiled and casually tossed Kane into the room like throwing away garbage.

Bang-

 There was a loud crash as the thrown man collided with something and broke it. How horrible. I squeezed my eyes shut before barely managing to open them again.

I said leave him, not throw him. Kane’s body was sprawled on the floor like useless junk.

‘…Ugh. That must hurt terribly.’

Perhaps it was because I too was human, but I couldn’t help but wince imagining his pain.

‘Getting carried away with his delusions and going berserk. Serves him right, this bastard.’

Part of me felt satisfied too. Human emotions truly are complicated.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Kane seemed unaware of the pain due to being unconscious.

“You’re that person from before, aren’t you?”

“Who are you?”

He played innocent despite clearly knowing what I was talking about.

“The one who danced with me at the Imperial ball…”

“The conman?”

“N-no, I mean, the one who helped me during the festival fireworks…”

“Ah, the playboy?”

That smirk confirmed it was definitely him.

“W-well…”

True, I had called him both a conman and a playboy, but after receiving his help again today, it felt shameless to call him by such names.

“….”

I was momentarily at a loss for words. He seemed to find this situation amusing.

“Why don’t you check for yourself if I’m that conman playboy from before? Here.”

As if to let me verify, he removed his black mask. A face as perfect as a work of art was revealed before me.

I held my breath for a moment at his surreal beauty.

He was devastatingly handsome. Could a human even look like this? Though it wasn’t my first time seeing his face, I was amazed and impressed anew each time.

“Is it me?”

“Ah, yes.”

“You were lost in admiration last time too, and you’re doing it again today. That confirms it.”

Was I caught? My face burned with embarrassment.

“When did I ever do that? I was just carefully checking if you were the same person.”

“I see.”

“A-anyway, th-thank you for helping me!”

“Are you sure you’re not hurt anywhere?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Let me see.”

His red eyes moved with persistent scrutiny. He examined me thoroughly as if needing to verify my condition with his own eyes.

It felt oddly disconcerting that someone whose name I didn’t even know would care so attentively.

His expression turned serious when he noticed my wrist had become red and swollen where I had been grabbed earlier.

“Did that bastard do this?”

Was it my imagination? I thought I saw a flash of murderous intent in his eyes.

With an ominous feeling, I waved my hands dismissively.

“It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt at all.”

“It’s going to bruise.”

“That guy is feeling a hundred times more pain. So don’t worry about it. I’m already so, so grateful for your help!”

Was he even listening to me? He stared at Kane Osborne sprawled on the floor with empty eyes.

It was a raw gaze like a predator eyeing its prey. I needed to divert his attention quickly before something else happened.

‘Ah, right. He mentioned Oscar earlier. I should ask about that.’

I tugged at his sleeve to draw his attention away from Kane.

“Um, I have something to ask you.”

“Yes?”

“About earlier. Didn’t you mention something about Oscar?”

“Oscar?”

“Yes. How do you know about Oscar?”

“I think I know how.”

When I asked with wide eyes, he instead turned the question back to me.

I suddenly remembered Viscount Hayworth’s worried words.

“Isn’t it more suspicious anyway? As if he was following or waiting for you. Is a father’s worry excessive?”

It was a perfectly reasonable concern.

‘Could he have been following me? Close enough to even know about Oscar’s existence?’

A chill ran down my spine.

‘Just who is this man? What’s his true identity?’

Though I found the man highly suspicious, I was currently deeply indebted to him.

Having received his help, I couldn’t just demand answers outright. It was quite an awkward situation.

So, I decided to ask cautiously.

“…Have you been watching me consistently?”

“Observing you?”

He burst out laughing.

“Well, I don’t even know your name, but you’ve known mine from the start.”

“That’s true.”

“And you even know about Oscar.”

“Oscar? Am I not supposed to know about him?”

How annoying, he keeps answering questions with questions.

What’s he trying to do? My blood was boiling, but I couldn’t act ungrateful to someone who just helped me. It was truly a situation where I could neither do this nor that.

“Are you curious?”

“I’m asking because I am.”

“I’m curious about something too. If you answer that first, I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

The man wore an intriguing expression, like someone posing a riddle.

‘Well, if he’ll reveal his identity, I suppose I can do it.’

Some kind of stubborn determination arose in me. Today, I definitely wanted to know this suspicious man’s true identity.

“What is it?”

“What that guy said about you earlier.”

“What?”

“Is it the Prince? Or Oscar?”

“What do you mean, what Prince and what Oscar?”

“You know, that childish question about who you prefer.”

“Why would you…”

“Never mind if you don’t want to answer.”

The man was quite cryptic. His attitude suggested he didn’t care either way, which only made me more anxious.

He stared at me intently. Somehow feeling pierced by his gaze, I awkwardly avoided eye contact.

Sensing he wouldn’t withdraw this blatant stare until I answered, I reluctantly replied.

“Though they belong in completely different categories, if I had to choose…”

“….”

The man’s Adam’s apple moved up and down. He was probably swallowing hard.

“…Obviously, I prefer Oscar.”

“That’s a relief.”

The man let out a soft breath, then smiled innocently like a child.

‘What’s a relief?’

It almost seemed like he was relieved.

Though increasingly puzzling, it was certainly a kind of smile I’d never seen before. He seemed quite satisfied with my answer.

“Let’s leave now. Together.”

“Wait.”

He picked up the fallen mask from the floor and dusted it off.

“You look prettier without it though.”

“What?”

Then he placed it back on my face as I blinked with round eyes.

“Since I want to be the only one to see you. Better keep it on.”

Only after the mask covered my face did his lips curve into a long, satisfied smile.