She knew his friends had upset him, but she hadn’t realized what had actually happened.

Barmas readily admitted the truth.

“Yes. It might sound ridiculous to you, but I kept picturing them being intimate with you.”

“…?”

“I thought they couldn’t possibly know about the mole on your collarbone unless you had been together.”

When Romei looked confused about why the conversation suddenly took this turn, Barmas honestly revealed his reasoning.

Nevertheless, his expression remained uncomfortable.

Beyond this being one of the greatest sins he had committed, the jealousy and possessiveness that had nearly driven him mad still simmered in his chest.

Meanwhile, Romei found it absurd that he had been jealous of her friends for such a trivial reason.

“I don’t know how they knew about my mole, but they were just friends. How could someone who’s never even received a confession have s*xual relations?”

“…I don’t know. Strangely, I couldn’t remember that fact at the time.”

“Are you still jealous of my friends?”

At Romei’s question, Barmas fell into thought. He was mentally considering various scenarios that might make him jealous.

“…Not as much as back then, but I would probably feel jealous if you told me one of them was your first love.”

“That’s fortunate then, since I don’t have a first love. I won’t have to struggle to save my friends like last time.”

Though she spoke without malice, Barmas felt pricked by an unexpected conscience and replied:

“I won’t make such threats anymore. I told you before, kill me if you don’t like me. You hold my lifeline now. I won’t struggle; I’ll die quietly by your hand, so do whatever you wish.”

“I told you then too, I didn’t want to kill you; I wanted to die myself. And now… at least I don’t want to kill you.”

“…”

“About the mole, I’m not sure exactly when they saw it, but I injured my shoulder once during training. They had to give me emergency treatment and removed my top. They probably noticed it then. I don’t remember undressing in front of them any other time.”

“Ah…”

Barmas let out a soft sigh, seemingly accepting Romei’s explanation. He felt incredibly stupid for not considering such a possibility.

If only he had asked Romei directly about her relationship with them and why they knew the location of her mole, like today.

Such regrets came far too late.

Romei, perhaps feeling the same way, smiled a faint, almost disappearing smile and said:

“It’s somewhat disheartening that the problem could have been solved so simply. If we had just talked about it earlier, things wouldn’t have escalated this far.”

“…”

“Don’t you think so?”

Saying this, Romei turned her head to look up at Barmas standing beside her. Her clear blue eyes were deeply clouded with regret like a thick fog.

Barmas also offered a slight smile, agreeing with her words.

“Indeed. I should have asked earlier. I don’t know why I was too stupid to think of that then.”

“Well, I suppose these things happen sometimes.”

Romei shrugged lightly, speaking of it like an insignificant mistake that commonly occurs in life.

However, both Barmas and Romei knew that what she had endured because of this was far from insignificant. They had simply gained enough distance from it over time to reflect on it more objectively.

Romei suddenly asked:

“If we had talked like this back then, would you still have tormented me?”

“…”

“I think you would have made me cry all day, embracing me constantly and complaining about my mouth.”

“…Perhaps I would have.”

Barmas acknowledged her accurate assessment, unable to deny it. This made him freshly realize what garbage he had been.

However, Romei had no particular thoughts about it. It was merely a hypothetical about a past that could never be changed.

An atmosphere that was awkward yet somehow comfortable enveloped the two. The tension had dissipated in an unexpected way, creating a peculiar mood.

Barmas stroked Romei’s now shortened hair and said:

“…Shall we return to the bedroom, Romei? Your haircut is finished.”

“Should we?”

Romei casually agreed to his timely suggestion.

Barmas then naturally lifted Romei, who had been sitting in front of the mirror, into his arms. He carried her to the bedroom to continue her practice for living.

Upon arriving at the bedroom, no trace of Romei’s breakfast remained. Everything had been thoroughly cleaned, and the bedding was neatly arranged.

“They must have cleaned up already.”

“I always have the bedroom kept clean. It’s unpleasant to enter your bedroom for sleep and find it messy.”

“Then you probably didn’t like me using your bed either.”

“What are you saying? I liked it very much.”

Barmas replied firmly, seemingly baffled by her nonsensical statement. Just then, as he was carefully placing Romei on the bed:

“Ugh…!”

With a groan, Barmas’s upper body suddenly collapsed onto Romei, and before she could react, he fell onto the bed.

Romei struggled briefly under his weight, then noticed his rough breathing through the fabric between them. She looked down to check his condition.

“Barmas…?”

His expression was more serious than Romei had expected. Though he didn’t seem feverish, his breathing was extremely irregular, and his features remained contorted in pain.

He was clearly hurting somewhere, but she couldn’t tell where, and her inability to walk properly prevented her from seeking help, which was frustrating.

All Romei could do was ask the person in pain:

“Are you alright?”

“Haa…”

“Where does it hurt? Is it bad enough to make you collapse suddenly? If it’s serious, I’ll call a servant.”

“…I’m fine.”

After a long silence, Barmas finally answered. Then he slowly regulated his breathing and rose from his position.

He had been perfectly fine just moments ago. Now he stood with a pale, shadowed complexion, looking nearly at death’s door.

“It’s nothing serious. I just get dizzy occasionally. I had no intention of falling on you.”

“…You look terrible. Shouldn’t we call a servant?”

Setting aside his intentions, she asked out of concern for his health, but Barmas shook his head.

“I’m fine. It will pass with time.”

He then pulled up a nearby chair and sat down, acting like nothing had happened.

True to his word, his complexion gradually returned to normal over time, but a thread of doubt that had blossomed in Romei’s heart didn’t disappear.

‘He never had episodes like this before…’

As far as Romei knew, he had always been excessively strong and healthy. In bed, she had always been the one to collapse from exhaustion first, and he had remained perfectly fine even after three days and nights of battle.

It seemed unnatural for such a person to suddenly experience dizziness.

‘Even seemingly healthy people can have hidden ailments, but still…’

Dizziness was a symptom that didn’t suit Barmas at all. Moreover, his attitude suggested this wasn’t the first time it had happened. He was calm and composed.

‘If he truly had such a chronic condition, I should have witnessed it at least once. But there was never any sign of it. Furthermore…’

Beyond feeling sorry for suddenly collapsing, Barmas seemed to feel dismay that she had seen him in this state.

And dismay was an emotion that emerged when something that shouldn’t have been revealed was exposed.

‘There seems to be something more to this…’

However, before Romei could nurture her suspicions, Barmas returned to normal and casually asked:

“Aren’t you going to practice?”

“…”

“I believe you mentioned practicing with a spoon. And walking practice too.”

“Ah, yes, I will.”

At Barmas’s prompting, Romei couldn’t press further. She simply took the clean spoon they had used for yesterday’s practice and continued her exercises to make her joints move smoothly.

* * *

By the time Romei had succeeded in getting up and taking a few steps with Barmas’s help, the sun was already setting outside.

Romei lay sprawled on the bed, looking at the ceiling tinged with sunset colors while catching her breath.

‘I never realized simply moving my body could be this difficult…’

The changes in her body from prolonged bed rest both challenged Romei and filled her with gratitude.

She realized how precious the everyday acts of walking, sitting, and moving her joints had been, things she had previously done without a second thought.

‘Though I still have a long way to go, I’ll improve with effort.’

Romei held onto this hope.

Moreover, despite the difficulty, moving her body had improved her appetite and restored her vitality. She was spending much more lively time compared to when she had just lain in bed waiting to die.

Above all, being alive no longer felt as painful as before, it seemed bearable now.

Of course, this change came because Barmas’s attitude toward her had changed, and because Romei had begun to think that his words and actions, which she had firmly believed were lies, might actually be sincere.