“Theo knew my feelings very well. We were incredibly good at reading each other’s feelings. At that time, Theo didn’t seriously consider the concept of ‘living together’, so he just brushed my feelings aside. Until I met you, there was no need for serious consideration. We generally got on well and were good partners.”

I listened calmly without interrupting him. It was clear that Theo had been aware of Noel’s feelings, so he had been sensitive when Noel had given me the bouquet and I had responded, however slightly.

“Theo tried several times. He obsessively researched ways to prevent me from seeing those moments, especially after you and he started having s*x. The conclusion was that it was impossible. After you broke up, Theo thought a lot about the problems between us, but also about you. If you didn’t want to be with us, then we could never really be together. Still, Theo is the kind of person who is determined to get what he wants. The situation with his mother was the exception – he was too young at the time. After she died, he called for me, and using a similar principle, he brought Cane into the picture to hold you. Through the process of adapting, merging, and splitting, he found a way to fully possess you.”

I felt the urge to say this is the wrong way rise in my throat, but I knew I could never say it.

“I understand. You said it was because you loved me too much…”

“Exactly. Both Theo and I do.”

Noel splashed his face with water.

“I say this calmly, but it was a tough time.”

“It will all be okay.”

I replied, gripping his hand tightly.

“Theo, you, and Cane—all of you.”

It felt like I was also reassuring myself. Everything would be all right. I couldn’t say that my approach to saving those three men was the right one. But I was even less convinced that Theo’s plan was the right one.

He said he had kidnapped me because he loved me.

I had to escape because I loved them – all three of them. For their sake and mine.

My belief that Theo needed treatment remained unshaken.

***

I felt full and refreshed after washing up. The time was now approaching 10 pm. I leaned against the headboard and read a book while I waited for Theo. The area around my an*s where the ointment had been applied was still throbbing, but not as bad as it had been in the afternoon. It was clear that the medicine made in Arkel was the best.

From the lights Noel had brought and the new medicines he was carrying, it was clear that everything was made in Arkel. I could deduce that this place wasn’t the capital of Arkel, but it was certainly in the region.

If I had gone to the northern continent, things would be a bit more complicated. But if I stayed in Arkel, escaping and moving on wouldn’t be too difficult. I just had to be clever enough to avoid being caught by Theo again before I made my escape.

Staying here in this place wasn’t so bad. I had spent half of my twenties studying abroad in a similar environment. I knew the language and had many acquaintances. The real problem would come when I went to the northern continent. The language was different and I did not know the geography, so escaping would be a challenge, but the bigger problem would be what came after the escape.

I had completely ruled out Seyon as a possibility. Seyon was a closed country with an absolute monarchy, making it difficult for ordinary people to enter. While Arkel also had a king and nobles, it allowed intellectuals to actively seize power and offered a relatively free class system. In contrast, Seyon was a brutal and barbaric nation where ministers who opposed the monarchy had recently been executed.

Since Noel could easily obtain items from Arkel, I had no choice but to believe that I was actually in Arkel.

I suddenly realized that I had dozed off while reading. Rubbing my tired eyes, I put the book down on the table and stretched out.

If Theo was coming, he should just show up; I didn’t understand why he was taking so long. It had been over an hour since he was supposed to arrive and I still hadn’t seen him.

I crawled into bed and pulled the blanket over me. The freshly laundered sheets smelled nice. I hadn’t imagined Noel doing the laundry himself; although he looked after me in this room, he had grown up as a nobleman next to Theo and retained that refined manner.

That meant there had to be at least one discreet servant somewhere in this mansion. I didn’t have high hopes, though. They wouldn’t have chosen an ordinary person to serve in a house where I was being held captive. As time passed and the guards relaxed enough for me to walk outside, it was likely that any servant I encountered would be a watcher rather than an ally willing to help me escape.

Lost in these thoughts, I drifted into a light sleep. I wasn’t sure how long it had been when I heard the faint sound of a door opening and closing.

So he’s finally here…

I slowly opened my heavy eyes.

“Are you asleep?”

His deep voice reached my ears softly. It was Theo. I jerked awake, rubbing my eyes and yawning as I sat up. He was dressed casually, not in his usual button-up shirt and trousers, but in a light white t-shirt and black shorts. He had slicked his hair back, but it wasn’t waxed, which made his slightly disheveled appearance seem more natural than usual.

“I didn’t sleep. Why are you so late?”

I grumbled, indirectly expressing that I had been waiting for him.

“I had something to drink and eat, then I had a shower and changed.”

“Does that take more than an hour?”

“There were also things I had to take care of from the call I got from the base.”

He sat on the edge of the bed and stared at me intently. He was handsome. In the past, I would have admired him, but now that admiration was mixed with a feeling of annoyance. Even if that annoyance filled me 100%, it wouldn’t diminish the appeal of Theo’s appearance.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing in particular.”

Something seemed to be bothering him. I couldn’t help but let my imagination run wild. After all, it had been some time since I had disappeared, so perhaps Dr Leoton or the Marquis of Fiorne had contacted some of the people I knew. Perhaps the guards had received a missing person’s report and launched a full investigation. Any one of these possibilities could be true. There was no way that Theo, who had been my partner for four years, wouldn’t have received some news.

“I had s*x with Noel.”

I said matter-of-factly. It wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to announce, but I did it with a sense of nonchalance.

“I know. You don’t have to tell me everything.”

Theo said with a slight smile.

“I just wanted to see your reaction. If it were the old days, you would have stormed out in a rage”.

“If it were the old days… I probably would have killed Noel.”

“…”

I was at a loss for words, just blinking in silence for a long time. Beyond the cruelty of his words, one question came to mind.

“Is it possible for you to kill Noel?”

“…Maybe”

Theo replied casually as if the weight of my question didn’t matter.

“Come to think of it, Cane once said something like that. He claimed that to be hired by you, he killed five personalities right in front of you. Your mental world must be quite detailed, huh?”

At a loss for words, I blinked in silence. Beyond the cruelty of my statement, there was a question in my mind.

“One of the things Noel and I are happy about in this situation is that we can now tell you everything without having to hide anything.”

He didn’t answer my question but made a brief comment about the situation instead. I remained silent, simply waiting for his response.

“It’s possible to kill a personality with your own hands. You asked before—what if Cane went mad and killed me?”

Why had I even asked such a question? I suppose it was because Cane was such an unpredictable figure that I entertained the idea. But I had never once thought Theo could kill Noel.

“Of course, I wouldn’t kill Noel. He’s practically my brother. If I could’ve killed him, I would’ve done it a long time ago. He got on my nerves plenty, especially after you met him.”

Who is this man standing in front of me, speaking so casually? It feels deeply unsettling.

And there was only one person who could make nearly fifteen years of medical study feel so utterly meaningless—Theo Blaine. The phrase killing a personality—I had never imagined it could happen. I always thought Cane’s words were just symbolic.

“So, the five personalities Cane claimed to have killed were fragments that had originally been dormant within you?”

“Yuel, you and I operate on fundamentally different concepts. Do you want to go back and dive into endless theories again?”

Theo was saying that Noel and Cane were entirely different beings. I sighed and shook my head.

“So, what you’re saying is that Cane is a being from somewhere else, and the five personalities he killed are also from somewhere else?”

“To put it simply.”