“Liana.”

It wasn’t until night had fallen completely that Liana realised she hadn’t done what Werner had asked her to. Even if she had realised sooner, though, she doubted she would have been able to do it.

What had happened with Shed had made it impossible — she couldn’t go back to his room and fetch him water after what had happened between them.

Trying to calm the redness around her eyes, she bowed deeply in front of Werner.

“I’m sorry, Chief Steward.”

As Liana bowed, Werner let out a deep sigh. Although he said nothing, the sound of his heavy exhale made her feel as if she had been driven into the mud — useless and pitiful. To fail at such a simple task! She could almost hear the scolding ringing in her ears.

“It’s all right for now. His Grace seemed to be in a bad mood and went to bed early.”

Werner waved his hand, recalling how grim Shed had looked that day. Seeing him tonight would only have made things worse.

“Just take water and a towel up for him in the morning. Leave the sheets and just air out the room.”

“…Yes, Chief Steward.”

Although she was relieved not to have to face Werner tonight, she had no reason to believe that tomorrow morning would be any easier.

She almost asked Werner for a different task, but changed her mind. He had already done so much for her, and she didn’t want to be seen as someone who complained about her work.

After all, it was pathetic to be a maid who couldn’t even manage the simplest errands.

“Thank you, Chief Steward.”

“…Have a good night.”

He replied, reminding her once more not to forget her duties at dawn, then went downstairs.

Liana returned to her room and stared out at the pitch-black world beyond the window. Werner had told her to bring things up once the duke was awake, but she didn’t have the courage to face him. It would be better to slip in early at dawn, before he woke up.

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

Even deep into the night, the heat running through his body wouldn’t fade. He felt feverish, lightheaded, as if he’d been drinking. But while his mind was clouded, his senses were sharper than ever.

He pressed his palm to his forehead and looked up.

And there she was, standing before him.

“Liana?”

A woman in a translucent robe, her silhouette barely veiled, quietly walked into his bedroom. Her hair, still damp as if she’d just bathed, draped in long platinum waves over her shoulders. Barefoot, she stepped onto the red carpet, just as he remembered from his memories.

Each time her pale feet touched the carpet, his heart pounded louder in his chest.

“Shed.”

Liana smiled, her eyes locked on his. With that single smile, the entire room seemed to glow with light. He couldn’t help but smile back, realizing—she had once smiled at him like that before.

“Luise.”

Her old name slipped from his lips, and she just smiled gently in response. For a moment, he wondered if this was all just a dream. She would never smile at him like that in real life. But he let the thought drift away. Whether it was a dream or not didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she was here in front of him. If it was a dream, he would simply stay in it as long as he could.

Shed couldn’t take his eyes off her. Luise stepped right up to him, smiling shyly, and wrapped her arms around him.

“I missed you, Shed.”

The soft whisper was muffled against his chest, sending a ticklish warmth through him. Ah, so it really is a dream. Of course you only come to me in my sleep.

The sweetness grew thicker, making it only more obvious that this was a dream, but Shed didn’t try to wake himself.

She felt too hot in his arms for him to turn away. He didn’t know how to cool the fever that had wrapped itself around him.

Meanwhile, Luise reached up, slender arms winding around his neck. Droplets of water fell from her damp hair, dotting her gown until the white fabric grew more transparent with every drop.

Her bare skin showed through the thin, damp cloth. A heady scent filled his nose, and an uncontrollable desire surged up from deep inside him.

‘It’s only a dream, anyway.’

Unable to resist, Shed kissed her smiling lips. Heat spread from her mouth into his, like an illness that might one day kill him. But he didn’t care. If anything, he wanted to suffer from that fever forever. He breathed her in, filling his lungs with her sweet scent, the taste of her lingering on his tongue.

Her breath grew sweeter, wrapping around him, burrowing deeper and deeper. His mind felt foggy, dizzy, as if lost in a shimmering haze.

Unable to endure any longer, burning up from within, he pulled her slender body onto the bed.

“Ha…”

Her red lips parted with a hot sigh, her breath grazing his cheek.

In the dim light, her golden hair cascaded across the white sheets, her loose robe falling open. A shiver raced up his spine as her warm hands encircled his waist. Below, he ached; the rush of excitement threatening to burst through his veins was overwhelming.

“Luise.”

Lying beneath him, she gazed up at him with devastating tenderness, as if she’d never leave him, As if she would be by his side forever.

Drunk on that beautiful illusion, Shed pressed his lips to the pale curve of her neck.

“Shed…”

“I missed you, too, Luise.”

He whispered, scattering red blossoms across her white skin.

‘I missed you so desperately. I could never believe you were really gone. Ever since I heard of your death, it was as if my own life had ended, too.’

Shed poured out everything burning deep inside him, everything he’d held back for so long.

Yes, he was no longer a slave. Now he had the title and the power to stand at Luise Ideana’s side. There was no reason to hesitate, no more barriers holding him back.

He wrapped his arms tightly around beautiful Luise—

And in that instant—

“Shed.”

He heard a rustling sound and saw her crumble like a dried leaf, dissolving into white ash before his eyes. As he grasped at empty air, he jolted awake.

It was reality. Luise was nowhere to be found; only the heavy darkness of the early dawn pressed in around him.

He sat up and ran a shaking hand through his sweat-soaked hair. His heart still pounded in his fingertips, and the sensation of holding her was so vivid that she might as well still have been there.

The blood in his veins boiled with lingering heat and his whole body felt feverish, as though he were recovering from an illness. All those unresolved feelings swelled inside him, threatening to burst.

But around him, there was nothing but cold darkness. His mood sank, crushed by the mirage that had vanished without a trace.

It was a filthy, revolting dream. His whole body was clammy with sweat, and his throat was dry.

With trembling hands, he reached for the water bottle on his bedside table. But the bottle was empty, releasing only a single drop into the cup before running dry.

“D*mn it…!”

Shed cursed and threw the bottle against the wall. The porcelain shattered, scattering pieces across the floor.

“Ha… ha…”

He thought of Liana.

He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms right now—hold her so tightly it might break her, consume her completely until she belonged to him alone.

Uncontrollable desire filled his mind, and only then did Shed realize: the primal l*st of the Lupus was awakening within him, too.

He pulled open the nightstand drawer with rough hands and grabbed a small key. Stepping past the shattered pieces of the water bottle, he jammed the key into the little dresser across the room.

“D*mn it.”

His hands trembling with excitement, he scraped the key along the edge of the lock several times before it finally slid in. The lock clicked, and he roughly pulled the drawer open.

Inside was a small vial of pills. Unscrewing the cap revealed about thirty white tablets. He poured a handful into his palm, tossed them into his mouth, and swallowed them dry.

Eclace had warned him to take only one pill at the start of his heat cycle, but he couldn’t care less about the dosage right now.

Clutching the bottle in his shaking fist, he waited for the medication to take effect. His body still burned, aching and throbbing, hypersensitive to the touch of fabric against his skin.

Annoyed by every sensation, he ripped off his robe and threw it onto the bed, then squeezed his eyes shut.

But the moment he closed his eyes, she was there, her smile from the dream looking as vivid as ever. Yet the last image of Liana that haunted him was of her glaring at him with reddened, tear-filled eyes. This gap tormented him, and he could barely breathe.

“D*mn it!”

Overcome with desire, he threw everything off the bedside table. The sound of things crashing to the floor only added to the chaos.

The damned pills still weren’t working, and the heat inside him only grew stronger, consuming him entirely. He loathed himself for becoming nothing more than a beast devoured by l*st.

In an attempt to restrain his feverish body, he dug his nails into his arm so hard that blood began to well up. Even that wasn’t enough to drown out the excitement, though.

‘Other Lupus, the medicine seems to work right away—so why…?’

Shed gritted his teeth, crushing the bottle in his palm as sweat ran down his taut, overheated muscles.

He’d always seen the other Lupus regain control as soon as they took the suppressant and return to their daily lives. He’d assumed it would be the same for him. But strangely, the pills had no effect on his body.

Frustrated, he opened the bottle again and shook more pills into his hand.

“The suppressant is very strong, so be careful. Like any drug, an overdose could kill you.”

Eclace’s warning when he first handed over the pills meant nothing now.

Calming this animal hunger took priority over everything else.

He shoved the pills into his mouth and bit down hard, crushing them between his teeth.

He didn’t care about side effects—he just wanted this desire deadened, now. If it didn’t stop soon, he might…

Knock, knock.

A tiny sound tapped at his hyper-sensitive senses. Shed, having just swallowed the pills, snapped his head up. The room, thick with his ragged breaths, fell into silence.

And then—

“…Your Grace, I brought your water.”

Ah.
D*mn it.
Of all times, you had to come now.