He had already decided to sever ties with Bleria Heaven. Keeping her alive had been an act of lingering sentimentality; rationally, killing her would have been the cleaner choice.

The fact that Bleria was dead could not possibly be a bad thing for him. He would soon come to terms with it, even if it was because of him, just as he had done over a decade ago.

Gopher erased all emotion from his face, straightened his back, and walked forward.

***

The sound of the door closing was harsh. Damian exhaled a shallow breath and patted his chest. He found nothing there—he was in the middle of quitting smoking. Letting out a sigh, he instead tilted his coffee cup.

The bitterness rushed into his mouth, filling it entirely. It was lukewarm, and the flavor was so pronounced it stung his tongue. Who made this trash? He laughed like a madman as he leaned back on the sofa.

Right.

It’s best to never cross paths with a bastard like that again.

Though he’d never had deep conversations with Bleria, he still knew. How could he not? Gopher had toyed with Bleria’s expressions like they were playthings, pushing and pulling until the end before quickly choosing to break the engagement at the Duchess of Allnight’s single word.

He had kept her in limbo, making it unclear whether he cared for her or not, and when he heard she was dead, he made that kind of face.

What a clueless little brat who doesn’t even understand his own feelings.

It was just a shame that Damian wasn’t in a position to criticize.

In any case, it was fine. It was all over now. The second Bleria had escaped this hellhole. They would never meet again.

As he reflected on it, his mood sank even further. This time, he cursed at himself.

You pathetic bastard.

As if to punish himself, he emptied his cup. It was then that his personal servant rushed in to deliver a message.

“Young master, the young lady has learned about the discovery of the body!”

When Damian hurried into the bedroom, Harriet was propped up with cushions at her back, leaning against the headboard. Her head, facing forward, turned away from him when he entered.

The news she had heard didn’t seem to be a misunderstanding. If only their childhood friend Beckers hadn’t visited unexpectedly, they might have kept it hidden longer.

Swallowing a sigh, Damian approached the bed.

“They said you collapsed.”

“I just lost strength in my legs and fell. Don’t exaggerate. The baby is fine, so stop worrying and leave.”

“The baby isn’t the issue here.”

“Then what is?”

Harriet stubbornly refused to turn her head, but even from her profile, it was clear her face was tear-streaked.

Damian cautiously embraced her. She didn’t push him away, but neither did she reciprocate.

It wasn’t unusual for Harriet to reject him recently, but it was the first time she didn’t hide her tear-stained face. He had hoped to speak to her when she was more composed, but there was no choice now.

He whispered,

“She’s alive.”

He felt Harriet freeze. Tightening his hold, he repeated,

“She escaped alive.”

It had only been a short while since he received word that a body had been found.

Feeling his chest grow cold, Damian rushed out immediately. He needed to confirm the body before anyone else—before Harriet or his father.

What he saw was a corpse, its face unrecognizable, likely from striking the rocks. The knight who first discovered it was convinced it was Bleria due to her pale, coarse hair and clothing. But Damian thought differently.

“When Bleria was with me, she often lowered her head. She had a small mark along her part—it wasn’t on the body.”

“…It could be a mistake.”

“The shape of the ears was different, and she was right-handed, yet the muscles in the corpse’s left arm were more developed. Her hair was slightly shorter, and only her face was extensively damaged. It’s not her.”

At first glance, it was difficult to tell, but for someone who knew Bleria well, the more they looked, the stronger the sense of incongruity. That’s why Damian had ordered the body to be cremated immediately upon retrieval.

In the end, only Damian knew the truth.

Well, now two people knew.

Harriet’s body went slack, and Damian felt one of his shoulders grow damp. She suddenly turned her head, clinging to him as if holding on for dear life. Her whole demeanor seemed to scream relief, and Damian relaxed as well.

Resting his face against the crown of her head, he said,

“Don’t tell Father.”

“…Why not?”

“If he finds out she’s alive, he’ll try to bring her back.”

Damian’s father had been talented in many ways since his youth, but accepting permanent goodbyes had never been one of them.

Bleria was dead. Dragging someone who had finally found freedom back into captivity would be far too cruel.

If only he had realized that earlier—both he and his father.

“When I brought her here, I made a promise. If her identity was exposed, I’d ensure she was safely sent away.”

Ultimately, he had neither fulfilled his promise nor properly let her go. Leaving her alone was the least he could do now.

Bleria had claimed she needed no compensation as if she had anticipated her departure. Even that statement weighed on Damian’s heart, a debt that would gnaw at him for the rest of his life.

“It was you who made her a fake, wasn’t it, Damian?”

“…Yes.”

“Then why were you so cruel to her? You should have treated her well. You shouldn’t have been so cold even if you thought of the real Bleria. At the very least, you could have pretended during the rumors.”

Faced with such undeniable logic, Damian gave a bitter smile.

His feelings toward the second Bleria were deeply tangled—gratitude, rejection, guilt, and familiarity. Over the years, the mold growing in his heart had spread to his throat.

He could faintly smell blood. Thinking of someone he could no longer meet, Damian managed to respond.

“You’re right.”

***

Even though it was midday, the windowless carriage was pitch dark. Only the lamp Bleria clutched illuminated the space around her.

In that dim light, Bleria recalled the events at Egle Mountain.

After parting with Gopher and fleeing north, she encountered the mountain keeper at Egle Mountain. He had disguised her as a fellow keeper, and just as they were about to leave, the knights arrived.

She had hidden behind a tree in haste, but it felt like she could be discovered at any moment. Then, a silver-haired woman wearing identical clothes to hers leaped off the cliff. She only saw the woman’s back, but she looked strikingly similar to Bleria.

It was likely a ruse, but even Bleria was stunned at that moment. A knight belatedly shouted.

“L-Lady Bleria has jumped off the cliff!”

Amidst the chaos, Bleria escaped with the mountain keeper and boarded this carriage. That was several days ago. With nothing else to do, she remained stuck in the events of that day.

Judging by their attempts to capture her, the duke must have learned the truth by now. Was Damian angry? She hoped Harriet wasn’t too shocked. And Gopher…

“You’re not precious enough for me to give up my entire life.”

Bleria curled up and muttered to herself.

“Bastard.”

Even in hindsight, it seemed as though he had been determined to hurt her. It wasn’t as though she had wanted to love someone like that. If she could have chosen, she would have cared for someone better.

What was more miserable was that, even now, she kept recalling Gopher’s face. Though she would never meet him again, she didn’t want to forget him too quickly.

It was infuriating and unfair, but even so, it was Gopher. He was the only one who had asked for her opinion, hadn’t turned away upon learning she was a fake, and was the only one she had loved.

“Did he really mean it when he said he’d help me escape?”

Perhaps he had intended to dispose of her where no one was watching. With things as they were, she would never know the truth.

As she was lost in thought, the carriage suddenly stopped. Was it mealtime? As Bleria straightened from her curled position, the door opened, and a familiar woman climbed in.

“Ah. Hello, my lady.”

Daisy Cape, the maid—or instead, a spy for Mixel—used to bring her rumors. Avoiding Bleria’s gaze, Daisy spoke.

“There were too many people for the count to shake off, so I came ahead. You must be curious about the situation outside.”

“…”

“Everyone seems to believe the body that washed ashore was Bleria Heaven. Neither the Heaven nor Allnight family seem to suspect you’re alive or are pursuing you, so you can rest easy.”

Should she get angry or ignore her? Neither seemed like a wise choice at the moment. Softening her expression, Bleria asked.

“There’s something I want to know.”

“Ask anything, my lady.”

“I’m no longer a noble.”

“Even so, if I used casual speech with someone I serve, I’d get scolded. You might say you don’t care what happens to someone who deceived you, but…”

Daisy gave an awkward smile as though embarrassed. If she wanted to be spoken to casually that much, Bleria saw no reason to refuse.

“…How are the others doing?”

Though she hadn’t named anyone specifically, there weren’t many people Bleria might be curious about. Watching Daisy roll her eyes, Bleria spoke again.

“Be honest with me.”