* * *

Karl had traveled nonstop for seven days by train from Yanzak.

Yanzak was a city at the northeastern tip of Levania, almost at the opposite end from the capital, Karien. Even though he took the fastest train, crossing the country in just a week was quite a feat.

‘I hope I’m not too late.’

Karl’s golden eyes turned cold.

Since ascending to the throne, he had tried not to stray far from the capital. Unless it was something that could be resolved within ten days or a month, he rarely moved.

When he played the role of the sick prince, he used to stay at his maternal family’s estate in Berhe for months or even over a year, but now he couldn’t leave his position carelessly.

If he hadn’t pretended to be a sickly king who could collapse at any moment, this trip would have been unthinkable.

‘Perhaps that would have been better…’

Karl’s gaze, staring into the dark outside the carriage, grew even darker.

— You called just in time. I had something to tell you. A strange woman visited this morning.

‘A woman?’

— Yes. She brought a painting…

‘Check it and discard it.’

— I couldn’t. It was a portrait of you, sir.

‘I never commissioned a portrait.’

— Miss Lumiere sent it.

‘Ah.’

Lumiere. The mention of her name softened his guard. He even smiled slightly.

‘Finally, I hear from my lady.’

When he was away, the two of them would act as if they were in a contest to see who could hold out longer without contacting the other.

Of course, Lumiere was usually the winner. Karl rarely lasted more than two weeks before seeking her out or sending flowers and letters.

But this time, he hadn’t been able to contact her for over two months.

The area near the Tenma Mine, where the explosion occurred, was so remote that it didn’t even have a telegraph office, let alone a telephone exchange. While dealing with the accident, he even got trapped in the mine for several days.

Initially, he had left to handle a minor fire at a hotel, but it had kept him from returning to the capital for two months.

Even though his double was holding the fort in the palace, it was a bold outing.

‘I need to hurry back.’

Fortunately, he had just captured the bomber and gotten a confession about the mastermind. He had planned to leave the rest to his remaining secretaries and depart the next day.

That’s how he managed to take a train to the city for half a day and make the call.

— But sir, there’s something strange.

‘What is it? Speak quickly.’

— …It’s a bit odd.

‘What is?’

— The woman left a strange message. She asked us to protect Miss Lumiere.

‘What?’

— Yes, she said to protect Miss Lumiere.

At that moment, his heart sank. No, it felt like all the blood in his body had drained away.

Karl clenched his cold fist silently and immediately hung up the phone. It was fortunate that he had already sent Chris ahead, thinking the work was wrapping up. Thanks to that, he didn’t have to delay for even a moment.

And he didn’t hesitate. He immediately set off for the capital.

What on earth could have happened to Lumiere?

Of course, Lumiere was a stunningly beautiful woman and a brilliant artist, but she wasn’t someone who would make enemies just because of that. She had a harmonious personality, knew how to compromise when necessary, and didn’t particularly like standing out.

Even if she suffered a bit of a loss, she would rather yield or give up than cause a fuss. However, she wasn’t entirely soft; once she disliked someone, she never got close to them.

As a result, she didn’t have many people around her who would harm her.

The only variable in Lumiere’s life was Karl Winger.

The fact that she was his hidden lover. To be precise, the only real lover among the many women who claimed to be his.

The businessman from Berhe, the maternal family of the current king, the owner of the Cissus Opera House, the pinnacle of pleasure, and the Count of Cissus Island. The unfortunate puppet king, Laedro Stings, had created a fake identity.

Karl Winger.

Karl’s eyes narrowed as he stared into the void. His clenched fist crumpled the paper in his hand.

He looked down at the crumpled paper in his palm. It was a note his secretary, Chris Gunther, had run over to deliver as soon as he arrived at the train station. He didn’t need to read it again; the contents were already vividly etched in his mind.

[I will forget you. It seems it’s finally time to see our end, Karl. The portrait is my last gift to you. Please cherish it.

P.S. No matter what happens to me, do not get involved. You are no longer a part of my life.]

The most troubling part was the last sentence in the postscript.

[No matter what happens to me…]

It implied that something might happen to her, or she was certain it would.

That meant someone had already done something to her. Someone might have discovered his secret. The long-running play might finally be coming to an end.

Karl had prepared for all of that long ago.

But Lumiere was not supposed to be part of the danger he had to face.

In this dangerous and precarious play, she was only supposed to appear as one of Karl Winger’s many lovers.

Someone he sought when he felt like it, broke up with when he was tired of her, and could be replaced by a new lover at any time. So that no matter what he did, no one would suspect Lumiere.

Karl endured quite a lot to make it seem that way.

Fake lovers that seemed plausible, the times he had to leave her alone, even the fake engagement he staged across the sea in Berhe. All were measures taken to protect Lumiere.

To Karl, Lumiere was that special. So special that he wanted to hide her thoroughly.

So that no one could touch her, so that no one could harm her.

But if someone had already laid a hand on her…

“……”

Karl’s eyes turned cold.

His golden eyes, filled with murderous intent, gleamed sharply and ominously. It was a useless thought, an unnecessary assumption.

She was the air that allowed him to breathe, the life-giving water that kept him alive. If anything were to happen to her, Karl would not survive.

He would die without her. Without a doubt.

No one could take away his air, his life-giving water.

No one.

* * *

Bang! Bang!

A heavy knock echoed on the wooden door with the latch. Startled, Lumiere flew down to the first floor in a heartbeat.

‘Who is that man?’

Who could make her heart react so violently?

She wouldn’t react this way to a complete stranger. But she couldn’t distinguish what kind of tremor this was. As she descended from the third floor to the second, and from the second to the first, her heartbeat grew louder and more intense.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

The sound inside her chest was so loud and immense that it even evoked fear.

“Miss!”

Cindy and the twin brothers, who were already on the first floor, were outside. The three exchanged glances as they looked at Lumiere.

Lumiere sensed that they were hesitating about something.

“Who is that person outside, Cindy?”

“Well, that is…”

Cindy bit her lip, looking troubled.

The twins, who were glancing at Cindy, nudged her side and spoke.

“We can’t hide it any longer anyway.”

“Yes, it’s better for Miss to know now.”

Cindy’s eyes wavered slightly at the twins’ words.

But her hesitation didn’t last long. After all, they would meet eventually, so there was no need to hide it now.

Meanwhile, the knocking on the door grew louder. Perhaps hearing their voices, the knocking became more insistent.

Cindy took a short breath and, with a resigned look, shouted.

“That person is Miss’s lover, no, former lover!”

Lover.

Just those two words sent a chill through her heart.

“…Former lover?”

“Y-yes, Miss said you broke up a few days ago. But Miss, it seems like he’s trying to break down the door right now. What should we do?”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Lumiere walked directly to the door. If it was a lover she had broken up with a few days ago, he might have lingering feelings and come to see her at this hour.

And then there was that sentence in the diary.

You must not love him.

That one sentence, written with such emphasis, kept floating in her mind.

Could it be that the breakup wasn’t amicable?

If she wanted answers, her course of action was clear. Lumiere firmly grasped the doorknob and pulled it open with force.