The two spent a long time in Karl’s bedroom.

If it were a simple audience, they would have had to be mindful of surrounding gazes, but the excuse of painting a portrait was perfect for spending time alone together.

“Doesn’t this hurt?”

Lumiere asked, examining the fake skin she had removed from his face.

Staring blankly at Lumiere, who sparkled in the orange sunset light filtering into the bedroom, he belatedly shook his head.

“It’s stuffy but not painful. Actually, I don’t wear makeup for long, so I don’t put on enough to cause strain.”

He answered while tucking her hair behind her ear.

Thinking that the softness at his fingertips felt like a dream.

“Ah…… Still, it must be difficult. It must have been suffocating.”

Lumiere murmured regretfully while fiddling with the fake skin.

Karl glanced at the fake skin she was touching.

His casual glance was cold.

He felt jealous even of the fake skin he used, when it received her touch.

Like a sausage stuffed to the point of bursting, his greed and obsession for her swelled ravenously.

Perhaps the truly hideous thing was not this fake skin, but his heart that contained her.

He wanted Lumiere’s touch to reach only him.

Only Lumiere could fill him with warmth.

He was consumed by a terrible obsession, painful in its intensity, wanting to take all of her warmth for himself, no matter how small.

Of course…

“It’s fine. More importantly, Lumiere, have all your memories really returned?”

Though he didn’t show it to Lumiere.

Karl carefully asked while gently stroking her cheek as she lay on top of him, as if she were precious.

Lumiere held his cheeks and said with a smile.

“They’ve all returned. Completely. Were you frustrated while I had no memories?”

“No, not at all. It felt fresh, like starting anew.”

Even as he said this, Karl couldn’t hide his inner joy.

Lumiere without memories was still Lumiere, but it had been sad that their shared memories had vanished.

Remembering alone the memories they had built together one by one gave him a loneliness like being left alone in the world they had created together.

Lumiere stared into his eyes, then kissed his lips.

Her delicate tongue tip carefully stimulated his lower lip.

Karl’s temperature rose instantly, and he swallowed her saliva, which tasted only sweet to him, whispering in a voice heated with desire.

“……What does this mean? Can I do it one more time?”

“No, can’t I just kiss you? If you’re like this every time I kiss you, how could I dare to kiss you out of fear?”

“Where in the world is there such a thing as ‘just a kiss’? If you kiss me, you must take responsibility.”

Karl spoke nonsense with a rather serious face.

Lumiere, bewildered, pinched his cheek and nagged.

“Listen here, Your Majesty. This isn’t a dream but reality, okay? What if someone barges in again for an audience with you?”

“I’ll say I’m not feeling well.”

“My goodness, what a convenient excuse.”

“If that excuse didn’t work, how could I have been away from my post for the past three months?”

Come to think of it, his boldness in being completely absent for the past three months was truly surprising.

Even with a stand-in, how could he do that?

“With a good stand-in, a good physician, and very loyal confidants, it’s doable.”

“But why are you here now? Can’t you say you’re sick and leave?”

“That’s……”

Karl grabbed Lumiere’s chin.

His lips touched her ear.

While she flinched, he whispered the reason.

“The condition of my dear stand-in, who has been substituting for me until now, isn’t good.”

Karl stroked her back gently as she flinched in surprise.

Even with that light movement, her body, accustomed to his touch, quickly kindled a subtle heat.

“If I’m out and about and happen to hear news of the king’s death, that wouldn’t be good, would it?”

“Ah……”

Lumiere nodded while pulling at her ticklish earlobe.

She glanced at the location of the secret passage he had told her about.

There was a hidden door between the tapestry bearing the royal emblem and what looked like a wine rack hanging on the wall.

Karl had said that if you open that hidden door, there’s a secret room.

That room was a very important place that could lead both outside and inside.

Karl had said he chose this Luperia as his palace because of that very room.

“……But what if someone suddenly opens the door from there while we’re like this?”

“There’s a bell connected to that room. Unless someone rings it, they generally don’t come out from there into this room. They can’t risk being seen coming out by outsiders in the bedroom.”

“Ah……”

Karl explained kindly.

Lumiere lay on his body, enjoying his caressing touch, then looked out the window with regretful eyes.

“The sun has completely set, Karl. I really think I should go now.”

“……”

He didn’t respond, pretending not to hear.

He only held her waist tighter than before.

“I’ll come again tomorrow.”

Lumiere giggled and brushed his hair back.

She kissed his exposed forehead and whispered.

“A portrait can’t be painted in a single day, you know.”

……I don’t want to let you go.

That was Karl’s honest feeling, but he didn’t say it aloud.

“Yes, come again tomorrow. Don’t be late.”

Being trapped in this dark and gloomy palace was enough for him alone.

He hoped that none of the darkness and coldness of this place would touch Lumiere.

“Okay. I’ll go now. See you tomorrow, Karl.”

Lumiere hurriedly gathered and put on her scattered clothes, checking her appearance as if she were late.

In the end, clutching her art supply bag that she hadn’t opened once today, Lumiere turned to look at Karl before opening the door.

“I love you.”

Her pink cheeks as she said goodbye were lovely.

So lovely that his chest ached.

She smiled, said goodbye, and disappeared, closing the door behind her without a trace of lingering attachment.

Karl sat blankly on the empty bed, then slowly got up and approached the window.

Standing there and waiting for a while, he saw a carriage leaving the palace along the yellow dirt road.

He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and watched for a long time until the carriage disappeared.

And when even the shadow of the carriage had completely vanished, he returned to the bed and lay down.

A faint scent of Lumiere remained on the sheets and pillow.

He stroked the empty space beside him with his fingertips, then buried himself deeper under the blanket.

The bed, which had been merely spacious and cool, now had enough warmth to endure, just from her scent.

“……The positions have completely reversed.”

He used to be the one leaving her home, and Lumiere was always the one waiting.

Karl smiled wryly and took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

He needed to fall asleep quickly so tomorrow would come.

Tomorrow, he would see Lumiere again.

That alone was reason enough to fall asleep.

Karl fell asleep waiting for tomorrow to come, for the first time in this place.

But the next day.

Before the person he wanted to see as soon as he opened his eyes, an uninvited guest arrived.

It was Schultz Tartien.

* * *

“……”

Karl frowned at the middle-aged man sitting before him.

Is this a nightmare?

Why must he face Schultz Tartien first thing after waking up?

“……You don’t seem to be in a good mood, Your Majesty.”

Surprisingly, it seemed he hadn’t come this morning without reading the atmosphere.

“Haah.”

Karl sighed and habitually rubbed his forehead.

There was no fake skin attached to his forehead, so he could brush it lightly.

“……Yes, why did you come so early in the morning?”

Though he had woken up refreshed in anticipation of Lumiere’s visit, his mood plummeted in an instant.

He urged the other to state his business in a deeply subdued voice.

Schultz glanced at the king’s subtly different demeanor today and pulled out a document to present to him.

“What is this?”

“……I received a recommendation from the temple that it would be better to move up the wedding date.”