Without question, Eclace Vitel could never be called an honest man. He did not mention that Shed had been gravely wounded in his battle with the heretic, nor that the curse left him still unconscious. There was no benefit in telling her such things.

He admitted that he was the kind of man who would twist the truth to his advantage by exaggerating or even lying. Lea had no way of knowing otherwise.

“Ah… thank goodness.”

Eclace was her only link to the outside world. If he chose to blind her, she would never discover the truth. That was the price she had to pay for his protection, the price he paid for keeping her hidden away. He wanted to hold her completely in his grasp.

He watched the light fade from her face.

“Are you disappointed?”

“No. It’s not that.”

She smiled and shook her head in answer. But Eclace had seen everything. She was troubled by the thought that Shed seemed untouched by her absence. He pretended otherwise, but he knew the truth.

He also knew that the beast in heat had already taken Liana Serpens to his bed. The report made him regret leaving Faradel too soon. Still, it was too late for regrets. Calmly, he devised a tighter, more self-serving plan — just as he was doing now with this lie.

‘To be treated like nothing by the man you spent the night with must hurt. Especially when the relationship had lasted for years.’

It was, in fact, the best outcome.

‘That is how you sever Shed Lester completely, Luise.’

Eclace thought this as his fingers toyed idly with the coins in his pocket.

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

When he opened his eyes again, he saw the ceiling of a place that was very familiar to him. As his blurred vision cleared, his memory returned piece by piece.

He had seen the heretic’s face. The vivid, familiar face surged back into his mind and a searing pain split his skull.

‘Pamen…!’

What had happened to him? He had to catch him. He had to ask why he was alive and how he had become this way.

He forced himself upright instinctively, only for the world to spin and his vision to plunge into darkness.

“Khak—!”

A cough tore from his chest, heat surging from deep within.

“My lord!”

“Shed!”

Those nearby caught him as black blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. His whole body burned, as if fire consumed him from the inside out.

“Are you all right, my lord?”

But his body would not obey. His limbs tingled, stiff and unresponsive, as though eaten away by worms burrowing into his veins.

“What were you thinking, moving all of a sudden!”

A sharp voice lashed him. Only then did Shed realize Giselle was at his side.

With a rigid hand, he clutched his splitting head.

“Pamen… no—the heretic.”

His voice came out ragged, torn to shreds.

“Do not worry. High Priest Dietrich has already captured and dealt with him. The temple has received word that the hunt was successful.”

“Dealt with…?”

Shed’s face drained of color. Pamen was dead. His brother was dead.

He could still feel the sensation of the blade piercing flesh, raw in his palm. For eight years, since that day, he had hated Ideana for killing Pamen. He had sworn to kill the count who slaughtered his kin. At times, his helpless rage had even turned toward Luise.

And yet… who had slain his brother in the end? Not Ideana. Not anyone else. Shed Lester himself.

Nausea churned in him. His memories, once clear, tangled together into a foul mire.

Had the Lupus massacred that night truly died? Or—had some, like Pamen, lived on? What in the name of the gods had happened in Ideana?

“Liana…”

His teeth clenched.

“Bring me Liana.”

His trembling hand gripped the bedclothes as he gave the order. He had to ask her. About Pamen. And about the mark etched on his body—the same crescent-shaped sigil she bore.

At that, Giselle’s lips stiffened.

“…Even with me here at your side, you still call for her?”

It was Giselle who had stayed with him while he writhed under the curse. She had poured out her divine power, scoured every text she could find, and kept him alive.

Yet Shed had no room to care who was beside him.

“D*mn it—I have to hear it from her…!”

He had to ask why Pamen was alive, why he wielded black magic, why Shed had come this far in ignorance.

If he had known Pamen still lived, he would never have hated her so bitterly…

“Enough. That woman is gone.”

Giselle clenched her teeth as she looked at him, consumed with nothing but Liana.

At last, Shed lifted his head to stare at her.

“Gone…?”

“She vanished. After you left for the hunt.”

“What are you talking about!”

His voice, hoarse with emotion, thundered through the chamber and the knights rushed to restrain him. Giselle almost wished his rage would worsen his condition, in the hope that it might shock her foolish fiancé back to his senses.

“She left. This place.”

Giselle drove Liana’s absence into his mind like a nail.

But Shed only shook his head, dazed.

“Then let’s pretend it never happened.”

The words she had once spoken came back to him. The calm mask she had worn, hiding the tears beneath it. If she had meant them, then she should have remained as always—coming to his chamber, changing the water, bringing fresh towels. Serving with the same dull composure, as Lester’s maid.

But instead, while he was away, she had fled.

That, more than anything, proved she did care.

“Your words don’t match, Liana…”

The veins in his jaw stood taut as his teeth ground together.

Now he understood the weight he had carried when he set out for the heretic hunt. Foolishly, he had believed her lies. He had mistaken her tears, hidden under feigned indifference, as nothing.

And so he had grown careless.

Liana had not missed the chance when the cage door was left open.

Regret crashed over him. He should never have left her free. He should have locked her away, placed guards at her side.

But he hadn’t. Because of his arrogance.

The arrogance of believing she would remain at his side forever.

Shed staggered to his feet, his body still wracked with pain.

“My lord!”

“You—your treatment isn’t finished yet! If you keep moving like this…!”

Giselle rushed to steady him, but he shook her off and turned on her with blazing eyes.

Ah. So it was true. Could it be—?

“…Was it you? Did you drive her away?”

Everything now seemed tainted with suspicion.

“What are you talking about…?”

“You never approved of her.”

He spat the words like venom.

‘You were afraid of scandal. You were afraid that your perfect, unblemished reputation would be tarnished. You couldn’t bear the thought of me calling off the engagement because of her.’

At that, Giselle’s lower eyelids quivered.

“Don’t be ridiculous! She left on her own. After what you did—how could she have stayed here?”

Her eyes locked on his, sharp and unflinching.

“Face the truth. You’re the one who crossed the line—not me.”

Shed’s gaze faltered.

“I’m already burdened enough… and it’s unbearable.”

Liana’s voice echoed through his mind like a curse. The chain of misfortune that bound them together grew heavier, threatening to pull him down further. What he thought was the bottom revealed only a darker abyss beneath.

“Come to your senses now. Stop clinging to a woman like that. Don’t be a fool.”

To give her up? To live as though it had never happened—just as she had told him to?

His eyes grew cold.

No… he would not. He had to know. He had to hear it. What had happened to Pamen? What had truly transpired between her and Ideana? What had she tried so desperately to hide from him?

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

“There it is. The place you’ll be living.”

Disguised as Egon, Eclace pointed toward a low shore nestled between the islands.

The island of Janna was hidden so well that even as he gestured, it was hard to make out among the cluster of land.

And when they reached it, Lea understood why he had called it paradise.

The beach glittered like powdered silver. The emerald sea was so clear that it seemed to be made of glass, with vivid coral reefs unfurling beneath the waves. Bright fish darted through the shallows and a great turtle glided past with slow grace.

Farther inland, a small village nestled among palm trees and towering broad-leafed trees that swayed gently in the breeze.

In the centre of the island stood a small, modest mountain that anyone in good health could run to the top of. A horse could circle the island in a day. Although small enough to grasp in its entirety, it brimmed with quiet charm.

Lea stepped off the boat and crossed the narrow dock. Warm sand shifted beneath her feet, cradling them in its soft embrace. The sound of white waves crashing against the shore filled the air with a tranquil rhythm, breaking into foamy spray. From the trees, birds of strange and brilliant colours sang as if welcoming a new guest.

Egon guided her along the beach until, not far from the water’s edge, a house came into view.

Built from smooth stone and timber, the dwelling was crafted from costly materials, yet it blended seamlessly with the natural surroundings—like a painting drawn into the landscape itself.

“This will be your new home. What do you think? Do you like it?”

Lea blinked at the sight of the house by the shore. It wasn’t large, but it had a small garden fit for a kitchen plot and a terrace just wide enough for a table. A two-story cottage, simple at a glance, but comfortable.

For a moment, she recalled Eclace’s office back in Scizlon. Like that room, this place pretended at rustic simplicity, but every detail was meticulously designed. A refined villa disguised as something humbler.

“You wouldn’t be giving me this house for nothing.”

Lea said, turning to him, remembering well that nothing from House Vitel ever came without a price.

Egon smiled.

“Of course. There are conditions.”

“And what conditions would those be?”

“Come this way.”

He led her to a table set in the garden and laid down two sheets of paper.

“I’ll need you to sign here.”

Lea took the papers in her hands and began to read. The moment her eyes caught the first line, they widened in shock.

“A marriage contract?”

He had placed before her a marriage contract bearing the names Egon and Lea.