There was no sign of the wound. The leg that had been bitten by a hound—the deep scar. Until just yesterday, she’d still been limping, unable to walk properly. He’d thought it impossible for her to have run away on a leg like that.

“Stand up.”

Before he knew it, his eyes—once clouded with emotion, now veiled in reason—were fixed on her.

Liana’s heart pounded. She set her spoon down and slowly got to her feet.

The calf that had been hidden by the long skirt was now fully exposed once again by Shed.

“How did this happen?”

Shed’s eyelids lifted slowly, his gaze meeting Liana’s.

“…I used holy water.”

Her excuse tumbled out in a trembling voice. It was the same lie she always kept on hand whenever she had to use her ability.

“Holy water?”

He repeated, and Liana nodded.

Holy water was a medicinal liquid created by priests, infused with their own sacred power, capable of healing most wounds cleanly, leaving no scars.

On the front lines or in emergencies, when it was difficult to bring in a priest, holy water was often a lifesaving miracle. If she blamed her abnormal healing on holy water, that should be enough of an explanation.

Shed’s eyes narrowed into thin slits.

“And how does a mere maid get her hands on holy water?”

Holy water was as rare as it was potent. With an ordinary priest’s power, it would take an entire day just to fill a tiny 50mL bottle.

There were fewer than a hundred officially ordained priests in the entire empire. So the temple managed and distributed holy water with the utmost care, selling it only in strict circumstances.

Even nobles used it sparingly except during times of war. For a maid to have holy water was, in other words, unthinkable.

“…”

Faced with his interrogation, Liana said nothing.

“I asked you—how did you get it?”

Shed gripped her arm where she sat and yanked her to her feet, rough and insistent.

But Liana simply pressed her lips together, refusing to answer.

His jaw clenched, muscle ticking with frustration.

Yes, holy water was rare, but not entirely impossible to obtain. Every now and then, someone would smuggle a bottle out of the temple and sell it on the black market at a steep price. Or, if a priest had power to spare and was feeling compassionate, they might show mercy to someone truly desperate.

Perhaps she’d stolen it from the Godwin barony, where she’d once worked in the grand cathedral.

But Liana offered no explanation. As if she believed it wasn’t worth telling him. As if there was nothing about herself she wanted him to know.

Blood boiled beneath his lips, pressed stubbornly shut in silence.

“You’re obligated to answer my questions, Liana Serpens.”

Bang!

“Ah—!”

Shed slammed her against the wall. Thick veins stood out over his large hand as he twisted her wrist in his grip.

“Would burning down an entire city—not just a harbor—finally make you come to your senses?”

It had always been this way. Luise Ideana had never given him a straight answer about anything.Always silent, always letting his questions go unanswered, never once explaining herself.

It was as if she had erected an unbreakable wall around her world, making every decision on her own, refusing to let him set foot inside.

Shed could never figure out what he’d done right or wrong, never knew what she truly wanted. All he could do was accept her decisions as fate—accept the verdicts of a woman who seemed forever beyond his reach.

Nothing had changed. He had risen to the highest rank, and she had fallen into the mud, yet even now, she was the one who shook him to his core. Her kindness, her betrayal, her death, their meeting—all of it.

“D*mn it, remember your place.”

Shed tightened his grip until her small palm turned white, her slender fingers trembling as she tried to pull her wrist free. When she looked up at him with bloodshot, tear-filled eyes, lips stubbornly sealed, Shed finally let go—roughly.

He knew, even if he cornered her like this, she would never answer. Even with those fiery, reddened eyes, she would keep her mouth shut.

And that only infuriated him more. She might belong to him now, but it still felt like she was the one making every decision.

“Fine. Keep your mouth shut to the very end.”

His low voice slipped out between clenched teeth, more like a beast’s growl than human speech.

“You won’t be able to run away anyway.”

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

Shed ordered that Liana Serpens be assigned as his personal maid. From early morning until late at night, Liana was forced to stay at his side, performing whatever menial tasks he demanded.

Even the place where she was allowed to sleep was nothing more than a corner of his own room. He was a man who kept his warnings.

For Liana, every step felt like walking on a bed of thorns. Even when she curled up under a blanket and tried to sleep, she felt his eyes on her, watching.

And so, day by day, she was drawn ever closer to Ideana.

And then—

“Ah, I finally get to see your face like this.”

On the road to Ideana, a visitor entered Shed’s quarters. Spotting Liana standing beside Shed, the guest gave a bright, easy smile.

Liana saw the visitor’s face and quietly lowered her head.

‘Eclace Vitel.’

She knew the man with eyes as red as rubies.

Eclace Vitel was someone who drew attention wherever he went. He was a symbol of wealth and renowned for his striking, refined looks. The dazzling earrings at his ears instantly caught the eye.

The finely embroidered coat, the vest tailored from expensive fabric, the gleaming ruby cufflinks, and the polished brown leather shoes all bore the mark of a master craftsman’s touch.

Whatever Eclace wore or adorned himself with quickly became the latest trend among the elite. Even the mandarin-collar waistcoat Baron Godwin once purchased had been inspired by something Eclace had worn.

He was a trendsetter—and a shrewd merchant who sold those very trends.

But for Liana, Eclace was defined by a single memory: He was the son of the Vitel trading house, the one who had taken the deal when she sold Shed. The man who willingly sent the slave Shed off to the Lester estate.

Maybe because of that old transaction, Eclace now seemed quite close to Shed.

‘He won’t recognize me…’

Liana kept her eyes lowered, thinking. They’d only met once, eight years ago, exchanging a few words while negotiating the deal for Shed.
The entire transaction had taken less than an hour. So much time had passed since then, and the naive young lady Luise had become the humble maid Liana. There was no way Eclace could recognize her now.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.

“Good day to you, Viscount Eclace Vitel.”

Liana greeted him with a respectful bow, just as any maid would.

But—

“It’s a pleasure to see you, Miss Liana Serpens.”

Eclace spoke her name, clear and precise, and Liana looked up in surprise.

It was rare for a noble to remember the name of a maid from another household. Shed’s eyes flicked between the two of them.

“She’s rather famous, you know.”

Eclace added, in response to Shed’s cool gaze.

“Famous?”

“You’re the woman the Duke is always keeping close. Everyone is talking about it.”

“Nonsense.”

Shed cut off Eclace’s easy banter with a cold retort.

Despite Shed’s chilly response, Eclace showed no change in expression as he made his way to the chair before Shed. He gestured with a glance, asking if he could sit. Shed gave a short nod and finally spoke.

“Leave us, Liana.”

It was the only time Shed ever sent her away.

The moment the order left his lips, Liana bowed her head and slipped out of the tent.

She always obeyed, but today, Shed found the swiftness of her departure oddly irritating. Even knowing that the knights would be keeping a close watch outside, it felt as if she’d been waiting for this brief chance to be away from him.

“Even if it’s just rumors, it’s best to be cautious.”

Eclace remarked, watching Liana disappear outside the tent.

“I’m sure it will reach Deputy High Priestess Giselle’s ears sooner or later.”

He shifted his gaze away from where Liana had gone, idly turning a coin between his fingers.

“Our Deputy High Priestess is a woman with a lot of pride, you know.”

The youngest graduate of the seminary, the youngest priest, the youngest ever Deputy High Priestess. She held every youngest title there was, an elite among elites, blessed with powerful sacred energy.

She was even considered a top candidate for the next Pope. There was no way someone like her would tolerate her fiancé being seen with a maid at his side. The ever-noble Deputy High Priestess would never stand for such a stain on her fiancé’s reputation.

“Are you worried I’ll be dumped?”

“That’s unlikely, but still—I’d suggest you build a good business relationship with your fiancée. She’s a rare and valuable partner, not easy to come by.”

Shed propped his chin in his hand, looking thoroughly uninterested in Eclace’s advice.

With a quiet sigh, Eclace let the topic drop—he knew his warnings would go ignored anyway. Instead of lecturing further, he got straight to the reason for his visit.

“And, the medicine you requested has already been sent to Faradel Castle. By the time we arrive, it should be waiting for us.”

“That was quick.”

“That’s why so many clients prefer to work with the Vitel Trading Company.”

Eclace replied, his smile turning a shade more flattering as he recalled Shed’s unusual request.

“I need you to procure a sedative.”

The reason why the Lupus clan had been treated as little more than beasts for centuries wasn’t just their ominous eye colour. The term ‘beast’ had followed them because of their heat cycle. At regular intervals, they would enter a state of heat, becoming easily agitated and consumed by impulsive desire.

However, Shed had never once lost control during his cycle. In fact, he had never sought out a woman or shown any trace of carnal desire.

Yet now, for the first time, Shed Lester had started asking for sedatives.