Liana looked at the merchant, who had an open and friendly face turned towards her.

“The day will come soon.”

The plan had taken shape.

Once the Holy Festival ended, the hunt for the heretic would begin.

“When the hunt starts, Shed Lester and High Priest Dietrich will both leave Faradel. I’ll be heading out before the festival begins, to the southern port town of Hellingern.”

He’d decided it would be best to move separately, to avoid suspicion.

“So, what should I do?”

“You’ll help alongside my loyal falcon. She’s someone you can trust, so you don’t need to worry.”

Eclace glanced over Liana’s shoulder.

Following his gaze, Liana turned to find a woman standing behind her—a woman she hadn’t noticed enter, so silent she had no idea when she’d appeared.

“Let me introduce you. This is Greeta—the one who’ll be helping you.”

Eclace introduced the sharp-eyed merchant woman, her long black hair tied back in a single braid.

Greeta had striking gray eyes and stood rather tall. She wore tight-fitting leather pants that showed off her long legs, and a turtleneck that reached all the way up her neck. There was something about her—quick and agile, almost catlike.

“Nice to meet you, Greeta.”

When Liana greeted her, Greeta gave a curt, expressionless nod.

“Ah—Greeta can’t speak. She doesn’t have a tongue. That makes her all the more trustworthy.”

Eclace explained, asking for understanding at Greeta’s lack of response.

Liana, almost unconsciously, glanced at Greeta’s closed lips, then quickly looked away, realizing it was rude.

“Officially, Greeta will be overseeing the merchant group’s affairs here in Faradel. Even after I leave, she’ll be managing the Vitel Trading Company’s business for a few days. She knows the route to Hellingern, so all you have to do is follow her lead. She’ll also take care of anything you need to disguise yourself along the way.”

Liana listened as the details of what lay ahead were explained to her. The reality of leaving this place was slowly starting to sink in. Her heart pounded with a nervousness that felt almost like she was conspiring in a crime.

“When the heretic hunt gets fully underway, it’ll be dangerous—so as soon as the hunting party leaves, we’ll move out too.”

At Eclace’s words, Liana found her thoughts snagging on one point.

‘…Will Shed and Dietrich really be enough for the heretic?’

‘Is it right for me to run away, leaving something so dangerous in their hands? After all, it was Ideana’s sins that brought about this heretic, and here I am, just escaping…’

‘Not that I’d be able to reveal my powers anyway…’

Steeling herself, Liana tried to be realistic.

‘It’s not as if I can do anything to help capture the heretic. I don’t want to ruin everything out of misplaced guilt.’

“Thank you, Lord Eclace. And I’ll be counting on you, Greeta.”

Liana spoke with clear, resolute eyes, as though she had made up her mind.

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

The days until the Holy Festival passed in the blink of an eye. With the heretic hunt drawing near, Shed, Giselle, and Dietrich were all busier than ever. The same went for the servants and knights remaining in Faradel.

“Unfortunately, it seems our wager still hasn’t been settled.”

Eclace smiled as he stepped out of the old Ideana mansion in Faradel.

“That bet is still going on?”

“Of course! You can’t just let a game of this scale fizzle out. The wager still stands, Lord Lester, even after I’m gone.”

“A wager? What wager are you talking about?”

Giselle, who had been listening nearby, looked between the two men.

Eclace laughed.

“It’s best not to talk too much about what happens at the gambling table, High Priest.”

With a sly grin, he pressed a finger to his lips.

“Well then, I’ll be off now, Lord Lester.”

Eclace offered a bright smile as he said his goodbye to Shed.

“We’ll meet again, Viscount Vitel.”

“Oh, and one more thing…”

Just as he was about to leave, Eclace paused and leaned in close to whisper in Shed’s ear.

“Always keep the sedative I gave you on hand.”

He murmured, his words as soft as the wind.

It was clear that the sedative he’d given him last time wasn’t fake, but equally clear that it had had no effect on Shed.

Eclace had since acquired an even stronger sedative for him. Most lupus cases had regular, predictable cycles, but Shed’s were still unknown. It had been about a month since the last episode, so they needed to be careful.

Eclace had also advised him, “If you notice anything unusual, take the sedative in advance.”

“I won’t be around, so you’ll have to handle things on your own this time.”

“I’ll remember.”

Shed nodded briefly.

For now, only Eclace and Liana knew the truth about his heat.

Eclace repeatedly warned Shed not to let anyone else find out.

“Well then, I’ll truly take my leave.”

After a light bow, Eclace turned away.

He watched the group’s procession fade down the road, his thoughts turning to the bottle of medicine he had tucked inside his coat.

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

“Shed…”

Shed opened her eyes at the sound of a sultry whisper brushing past his ear. He was lying in bed, half asleep.

Luise smiled, her eyes narrowing mischievously. Shed stared at her, wide-eyed with surprise. Her long, golden hair fell across his cheek as she leaned over him.

“Luise…?”

The way Luise smiled just for him—like always—told Shed at once that this was only a dream. And, as always, he decided to let himself drift along with it, pretending not to know.

If not for these dreams, he would never be able to hold her again in his lifetime. If he could just disappear into this dream forever, he would.

Luise moved in closer, caressing his cheek.

“Do you love me, Shed?”

Her teasing, ticklish voice whispered right at his ear. He felt like he could melt from the gentle laughter coloring her words.
Her smile seemed to pass to him, spreading across his own lips.

Did he love her?

“Yes.”

‘You have no idea how long I waited to say those words. How long a mere slave had to wait before daring to speak them—you’ll never know.’

“I love you, Luise.”

Shed slipped his arm around her slender neck and leaned in for a kiss. He caught her small, soft lips between his own, savoring them like candy.

Luise let out a soft laugh against his kiss before answering in kind, catching his lips gently between her teeth. Their breaths mingled, sweet and warm. No words were needed—love spoke in a language older than any tongue, the way the gods themselves had once taught.

He drank in her scent deeply, as though he could never get enough of it. Luise pressed closer, moulding her body tightly against his. She could feel his heart beating hard against her own chest.

Her mere presence sent a tremor through him.

“Shed.”

Her voice, as soft as a spring breeze, fluttered at the edge of his lips. Her white, slender fingers traced over his waist. Veins standing out on his forearms, Shed clung to her as if he never wanted to let go.

“Ha, Luise…”

He couldn’t hold back any longer. He sat up and lay her down beneath him. The look she gave him from the bed scorched his throat.

Her white legs peeped from beneath her chemise as she pulled him closer, her slim arms circling his neck. The intense desire swelling within him was impossible to restrain — he felt as though he would burst from it.

And, in that instant, he lost himself in Luise’s embrace.

“Hah… hah…!”

Shed jolted awake with harsh, ragged breaths. The burning desire he had felt moments before vanished like a mirage, leaving a crushing emptiness in its place.

The eerie call of an owl late at night dragged his soul back to reality. Yet his body still burned, suffused with the lingering heat of the dream. Breathing hard, Shed pushed himself upright, sweat soaking his skin.

He realized it instinctively. Heat was coming.

Thankfully, he still had enough sense left to think clearly. But the fear coiling inside him was so much greater than before—several times greater.

‘D*mn it…!’

It was the day before the Holy Festival. And in just two days, he’d have to join the hunt for the heretic.

‘Not now. Not now…’

Shed pulled open the drawer of the bedside cabinet beside his bed. A brown glass bottle rolled and rattled inside, caught by inertia.

He opened the bottle — Eclace’s medicine — shook a pill into his palm and tossed it into his mouth, washing it down with water.

But the fever didn’t subside immediately. The longer his body burned, the more anxious Shed became.

He reflected on his past experiences. Eclace had warned him before, but had he ever really listened?

The last time he took the medicine, he finished the entire bottle and still didn’t improve. There were no side effects or relief — the lupus hadn’t been suppressed at all.

Frightened, he tipped more pills into his palm and swallowed them whole. He checked the clock as his pulse thundered in his veins.

‘D*mn it, please…’

His nails dug into his arms, as if trying to claw the savage desire down. The loud ticking of the second hand echoed through the room.

As his desire surged, so did his self-loathing. But even through that, his wretched instincts twisted Liana’s scent and presence into every corner of his mind.

The sultry look in Liana’s eyes from his dream—the sensual lips, the intoxicating scent. Even though she wasn’t really there, she felt so vivid, as if every sense could touch her.

Shed waited, desperately, for the tidal wave of feeling to ebb again.

“Haa…”

Gradually, his breathing slowed, and the fire that had threatened to consume his mind began to fade. Like mist clearing, his head grew clearer.

With trembling hands, he picked up the bottle he had thrown aside in his panic. It had worked. He clutched it to his chest as if it were a vial of miraculous holy water.

Just a few pills. That was all it took to make him feel as though he had been saved from his monstrous instincts.