She finally understood why she couldn’t argue with him. He was right. She was the one who judged the two personalities based on their appearances. But now she knew for sure. She didn’t know who the real owner of that body was, but both personalities were men she couldn’t handle.

Belita felt like she had fallen into a trap.

But strangely, she wasn’t afraid of him anymore. She couldn’t believe everything he said, but he seemed different now. She almost wanted to believe him. Because then she wouldn’t have to run away from him every time it thundered.

“Now answer me.”

“……Answer what?”

“Is it still so horrible to have me here instead of him? Are you scared that he won’t come back?”

“……”

“Do you still think he’s the better man? Don’t tell me you don’t believe me because I’m the bad guy?”

The wind swept between their gazes. Belita’s hair fluttered in the wind. Her heart ached as he reached out and gently brushed her hair back. For the first time, Belita didn’t flinch at his touch.

His eyes, when she first saw them with a different heart, were kind and gentle. It seemed like he wasn’t lying about everything. She was just scared of the unfamiliar situation and overlapped the sound of thunder with him. Looking into his eyes, she couldn’t call that a lie.

Rian’s expression as he looked at her was still gentle, but somehow bitter. He seemed to think she didn’t believe him because she didn’t answer his question. But Belita couldn’t answer.

What difference would it make if she said she believed him now? She couldn’t handle him.

Rian’s lips moved as if he had more to say. Belita waited for him to speak first. After a long hesitation, he gave a bitter smile.

“It’s a shame, but I don’t know how long I’ll have to watch for.”

“……?”

What was he talking about now? His revelations weren’t over yet.

“This bastard won’t wake up.”

“What… What do you mean…?”

“……I don’t want to tell you.”

“What?”

“If I tell you, you’ll just worry about him again.”

The man turned his head away as if offended and looked at the mountains again. It seemed that it wasn’t really thunder that made him switch. If it was a coincidence, it was a very unpleasant one. Still, it was something she needed to check again.

“Rian……”

“Yes, I’m Rian. That bastard is the one you call Your Grace. So think carefully from now on. Who is the husband you need?”

She was confused about how to take and understand this. They were clearly one person, but it felt like she was the crazy one for seeing him as two people, and he was the crazy one for talking about himself as a completely different person and competing with himself. Belita felt like she was going crazy if she didn’t come to a conclusion. She carefully called out to him.

“Rian.”

“Yes.”

“Can you tell me…?”

“Tell you what?”

“Why…. Why did this happen…?”

“What do you mean?”

Belita decided to ask him what she couldn’t bring herself to ask before. She thought if she knew the reason, she might be able to understand him a little better, even if she couldn’t handle him.

“Why……. Why are there two of you?”

His gaze, which had been fixed on the mountains, fell on her. Her heart felt strange at his wavering eyes, a first for him.

* * *

Unlike when they came, the way back was quite leisurely. Perhaps because he saw her throwing up, Rian didn’t run and rode the horse slowly. Come to think of it, this man had taken care of her in his own way. She just hadn’t been able to see it because of her prejudice.

He was lost in thought the whole way back, as if he had a lot on his mind. Belita, awkwardly nestled in his arms, recalled their last conversation.

‘Why……. Why are there two of you?’

‘Everyone has two sides to them. It’s just a matter of whether it shows or not.’

‘That doesn’t mean they split into two. You’re treating His Grace like a completely different person.’

‘……Of course, he’s me, and I’m him. But you see, ……young Rian didn’t want that.’

Young Rian……. What in the world happened to him when he was young?

He closed his mouth after those words. His expression was so dark that she couldn’t bring herself to ask any further. She couldn’t push someone who had experienced such a painful past to talk so easily just to satisfy her curiosity. More than anything, her mind was already overwhelmed by the shock she had received today, so she didn’t ask any more questions.

He won’t wake up……. What does that mean? Does it mean he doesn’t want to come out…? Why?

Her head felt like it was going to explode from all the questions swirling around. It was already complicated enough with her own situation, but with his existence added to the mix, her head was pounding.

“Sigh……”

“Are you still worried about that bastard?”

Belita, who had let out a sigh unconsciously, was startled by the man’s blunt question as he rested his chin on top of her head.

“Am I still scary?”

His question weighed heavily on her heart. Was it really right to see them as two separate people? The words ‘young Rian’ seemed to be engraved in her heart. Because of those words, or perhaps because he just seemed unwell, she felt sorry for him.

“……N-No. It’s not that I’m worried about you, and it’s not that you’re scary.”

“Hmph, what’s that supposed to mean? You’re talking as if you see us as one.”

“You’re not ‘us.’ You’re just you. I only have one husband, and that’s you.”

“Yes, I’m your husband. And your husband is……”

He pulled the reins, stopping the horse, and lifted her chin. She was forced to look up at him, but he wasn’t looking at her roughly or scary like before.

“If you see me as a gentle lamb, I can be a gentle lamb for you. So stop being scared of me. I’ll act accordingly to how you see me.”

“Gasp.”

Belita was startled by his lips, which were rough yet soft, and grabbed Rian’s arm. Her heart pounded at the kiss, which began with a gentle touch and escalated into a passionate tangle of tongues. As if her body was already used to his from just a kiss, her lower abdomen tightened pleasantly. Their lips, meeting in the middle of the forest path on their way home, didn’t part for a long time.

When she was so short of breath that she could barely breathe, his hand that was holding her chin fell away. As she let out a gasp of air, he licked her lips and said with a smack of his lips.

“This is the kind of bastard I am. I’m going to have you whenever I want, and I’m going to express my feelings. I’m not like that bastard. I don’t hide my true intentions. Of course, I’ll fulfill my husbandly duties. So you fulfill your wifely duties, too. And don’t be afraid to claim your rights, too.”

“……“

“Like I said, if you fear me, I might become even more violent. So don’t tremble when you see me. I enjoy it when people are afraid of me. I’m only telling you this because you’re my wife.”

“Thanks for the information….”

She wasn’t sure whether she should take this well or badly. But one thing was for sure, as long as she didn’t fear or avoid him like he said, he would probably continue to be nice to her like this.

And if he continued to act like this, she wouldn’t have to be afraid of him either. It was a simple formula in words. For some reason, she felt like she had put a leash on the neck of a ferocious beast. Of course, if this crazy beast wanted to, it could break the leash at any time.

Rian, who started riding again, kept grinning as if he was pleased with himself all the way back to the mansion. Belita had a lot more she wanted to ask, but she decided to organize the information she had heard so far. Otherwise, she felt like her head was really going to explode.

* * *

After dinner, Belita returned to her room. Rian headed to his study, as if he was going to work even though he seemed like a different person. To be honest, she thought he would pounce on her as soon as they got home, so this was unexpected.

“……What’s so unexpected? Are you saying you were waiting for him to pounce on you? Ha, you really are out of your mind.”

She clicked her tongue at her own ridiculous thoughts. She should be locking the door and going to sleep, what was she even thinking? She locked the door as she remembered and got into bed. She didn’t know when that bastard would barge in again.

She was exhausted from riding a horse, throwing up, and hearing all those unbelievable stories on top of not getting enough sleep. Perhaps because of that, Belita fell asleep immediately.

And about an hour later, the locked door to her room opened. The man who entered quietly took off his clothes as if it were natural and slipped into the bed where Belita was sleeping. She must have been completely asleep because she didn’t open her eyes even when Rian pulled her into his arms.