Liana hesitated for a moment in front of him. His large hand moved through the air, coaxing her forward.

Carefully, as if afraid to do so, she reached out and took his hand. His grip was steady and unwavering as he supported her.

Holding his hand, she climbed into the boat, which rocked gently beneath her weight. She carefully settled herself onto one side to keep her balance. Once she was seated, he pushed the boat out onto the lake and climbed in after her.

The two of them sat facing each other in the little rowboat, just as they had done so many years ago.

Lost in thought, Liana looked up. Before she knew it, the boat was gliding smoothly across the lake’s surface. With each stroke of the oar, the little boat sent out long ripples as it made its way towards the centre of the lake.

As a cloud drifted across the blue sky and blocked out the sun, the lake fell under its shadow. On the shoreline, where the purification had only recently been completed, grass had yet to grow, leaving the banks looking drab and lifeless.

The willow trees, with their dried-out leaves and drooping branches, looked especially forlorn, and the damp, cold moss along the water’s edge felt uninviting.

Luise’s face darkened at the gloomy scene.

But then, just as quickly, the clouds parted and sunlight poured down again. The willow branches seemed to spring to life, and the green moss spread out beneath them like a soft velvet carpet.

That single shaft of sunlight was enough to banish the bleakness, transforming everything into a warm, gentle beauty. Nothing had truly changed, and yet with that one beam of light, the world seemed utterly renewed.

Liana lifted her face towards the sky, sunlight falling across her cheeks.

Shed quietly watched her as he rowed, sitting there in the sunlight.

‘Yes, you were like this that day, too.’

This was the first time he had accompanied Luise on one of her boat rides.

At the time, he was just a slave and hadn’t been allowed to get on the boat with a noble young lady.

The Count’s household staff had made him wait by the water’s edge. Only Luise and a knight were permitted to board the small boat. The knight rowed her out across the lake. All that was left for the slave was to watch from a distance.

He stood there helplessly, watching the girl enjoy her time on the water. The boat glided all the way to the farthest reaches of the lake.

And then, suddenly, the boat carrying Louise lost its balance and capsized in an instant.

“My lady!”

Without thinking, Shed called out to her and ran for the lake.

It was an accident, yes, but he trusted that the knight rowing the boat would rescue Luise. But the knight was only splashing helplessly in the water.

Was he unable to swim? Or had he panicked, or suffered a cramp? No… To Shed’s eyes, it looked almost intentional—as if the knight had capsized the boat on purpose, as if he wanted Luise to drown.

The Lupus slave glanced quickly around, but the other servants all seemed preoccupied, not even noticing that she had fallen in.

Luise, who had never learned to swim, was terrified, desperately clinging to the overturned boat.

It took Shed less than three seconds to take in the entire situation and dive into the lake.

The boat had capsized in the center of the lake—the deepest part. No matter how fast he swam, it would take minutes to get there from the shore.

He cut through the water as fast as he could, but by the time he reached the boat, Luise had vanished beneath the surface.

‘D*mn it…!’

Reaching the overturned boat, Shed plunged beneath the water, searching for any sign of her.

Through the clear water, he finally spotted her—an unconscious girl, sinking deeper into the lake.

The slave dove after her, following her down into the depths. In the center of the bright lake, at the very bottom, her pale body drifted downward through the dark water.

Shed held his breath against the burning in his chest and reached out with all his strength for that sinking life.

His fingertips finally brushed her ice-cold body.

He pulled her frozen form tightly into his arms. With Luise held close, he kicked desperately for the sunlit surface above.

Each stroke and kick felt longer and more desperate than the last. His lungs screamed for air, but he refused to let go.

The closer he came to running out of breath, the more tightly he held onto Luise.

At last, the surface—which had seemed impossibly far away—came within reach.

‘Gasp—hah… Miss…!’

Barely pausing to catch his breath, he shook her gently, trying to wake her.

But the limp girl in his arms gave no response.

A cold dread seized his heart.

Clutching her, Shed made for the nearest patch of shore.

He laid her chilled, heavy body down on the grass.

There was no time for anything else. He hurriedly loosened the ribbon constricting her chest and pressed on her heart again and again.

Watching her bloodless, pale face, fear took hold of him. Her delicate life felt as if it could flicker out at any moment.

‘How long had she been under?’

In his panic, he couldn’t even guess at the time. The fear that he might already be too late grew stronger, but he couldn’t give up.

The slave pressed his lips to the young lady’s and breathed into her—once, twice, again and again, forcing life back into her cold, unresponsive body.

He breathed, and breathed, again and again.

And then—

“Cough—cough!”

At last, breath burst from her pale, frostbitten lips. She choked, gagging up water, her breathing ragged and uneven.

“My lady, are you all right?”

Shed patted her gently, trying to calm her.

Slowly, Luise’s breathing settled into its natural rhythm. Her eyes were rimmed red, and terror from the brush with death lingered in her tear-filled gaze.

Shed pulled her shivering, ice-cold body into his arms and held her tight.

“It’s all right, my lady.”

He said—because it was the only thing he could say. It’s all right. You’re here. You’re alive, right in front of me.

For the first time, Shed found himself grateful to the god he’d spent his life cursing. He thought, maybe, just maybe, he could even forgive the god who had sent him so many trials—if only for this.

Little by little, the trembling of the small body in his arms began to ease.

“Thank you, Shed…”

Her living voice drifted softly into his ear. Luise lifted her tear-streaked, soaking wet face, her clear eyes looking up at him.

For a moment, his heart skipped a beat.

Only then did Shed realize he had forgotten his place. He was just a slave, and yet he had dared to hold the young lady so close.

He hastily let go of her.

All at once, he became aware of her appearance: Her thin dress was soaked, clinging to her skin and nearly transparent. The ribbon he’d undone to help her breathe had left the dress loose, exposing the pale curve of her collarbone—and the crescent-shaped birthmark.

In that instant, he felt a surge of emotion he knew he shouldn’t feel. A base, forbidden desire—a longing no slave should ever harbor for his mistress.

“I’ll… I’ll go call someone for help.”

He rose quickly, as if to escape, but a delicate hand caught his sleeve.

“Take me with you, Shed.”

She struggled to her feet, as if begging him not to leave her alone.

The wind was cold against her wet clothes. Her small body shivered from the chill, and her pale lips looked dangerously blue.

He couldn’t just stand by and watch her freeze.

The slave dared to wrap the young lady in his arms.

It was from that day on that, whenever the Lady of Ideana rode in a boat, the Lupus slave was always seated opposite her.

And Shed came to love those moments—when the two of them, completely apart from the world, shared a space where the girl entrusted herself to him without reservation.

There was a time like that.

Now, that boy who had become a duke was ferrying a maid across the lake, seated opposite him.

“Liana.”

At the sound of his voice, Liana—who’d been gazing up at the sky embroidered with magical wards—turned her head.

“The Lester family plans to systematically rebuild Faradel.”

He shared with her the ideas he’d discussed with his vassals and Eclace.

The old Ideana was gone. But because of that, it meant they could build a new city on a blank slate. He intended to make Faradel a planned city, dividing it into blocks and arranging buildings and spaces according to their purpose.

It would become a far more efficient city, but for Liana, it also meant the loss of many long-held memories. Still, she only nodded quietly, as if his decision was perfectly natural.

Just then, the boat slowed to a gentle stop, drifting atop the lake.

“I… wanted to hear your opinion.”

“My opinion?”

“At the very least, you’re the person who knows Ideana best.”

Liana—or rather, Luise Ideana—was, as far as he knew, the person who understood this land more deeply than anyone else. She had dreamed of its prosperity and abundance with the vassals since she was a child.

At his question, Liana gazed for a moment at the calm surface of the water before she began to speak.

“…If you start from the Leche River, it should be easier to lay things out.”

The Leche River was the lifeblood running through Faradel and across Ideana. Goods would flow along the great river, and markets would naturally form nearby.

“The fishermen who used to catch fish in Lake Anteros always sold their catch along the Leche riverside.”

Liana said, looking out over the sparkling lake. There were no fish in Lake Anteros now, but once the purification was complete, the fishing boats would return.

“With the marketplace at the center, money will circulate there, so the main roads and financial institutions should be located nearby. And they should connect directly to the city gates, where overland goods will arrive.”

Gradually, a new map of Indiana emerged, centred on the river and lake.

She designed roads and blocks to fit the landscape, explaining how residential, commercial, lodging, plaza, and administrative buildings should be arranged according to their function and relationship to each other.

“The northern walls should be reinforced and built higher than the others. Because…”

“Because that’s where the monsters most often appear.”

She had finished for her, and Liana nodded. Having hunted monsters there himself, he knew better than anyone about the dangers that came from the north.

Liana went on to mention other shortcomings of the old Ideana — things that had always bothered her, such as roads that could not be improved due to existing buildings or settlements.

She knew the land inside out, including the strengths and weaknesses of every hill, how the river shifted with the seasons, and the differences between roads leading to farmland and those leading to other cities.

She noticed all the little details that others would overlook and was always thinking ahead.

As Shed listened to Liana talk about Ideana, he noticed the change in her cheeks. The pallor that had always clung to her face was now replaced by a soft, peach-pink flush.

Her voice gradually echoed through his mind, drawing him in until he found himself completely immersed, as if under a spell.

‘Is it just the heat of this spring sun?’

He could feel a strange warmth spreading through his body, starting at his chest and spreading to his limbs.

He tried to shake off the growing heat, shielding his face from the sunlight with his hand. A small shadow fell across his face, but it did nothing to ease the fire blazing through his body.

The heat continued to spread, taking hold of him more and more.

It was strange. His chest felt painfully tight as though it would burst, making breathing difficult. The suffocating feeling rose, pressing all the way up to his throat.

“Haa… Haa…”

He let out hot, shallow breaths and unbuttoned his collar, releasing the heat that had gathered above his collarbone.

“Your Grace, are you all right?”

Liana’s voice brushed softly against his ear. The feather-light sound tickled him, sending shivers through his entire body as if every nerve had been set alight.

An overwhelming, abnormal desire swept through him, threatening to consume him entirely.