At Breti’s question, Karsten let out a low, mocking laugh.

“My, who am I, you ask?”

“Answer me!”

“It’s me, isn’t it? Karsten.”

His nonchalant reply only made Breti press the knife closer to his throat.

“I know you’re not His Grace.”

“And how would you know that?”

“Stop dodging the question and answer me!”

“Well, first…”

Clatter—the knife slipped from Breti’s hand and hit the floor.

“Why don’t we talk without the knife?”

He disarmed her in a flash. Caught off guard, Breti barely had time to react before Adrian seized both her wrists in one hand and pinned her against the wall. In an instant, their positions were reversed.

Now trapped between Adrian and the wall, Breti struggled desperately to wrench her hands free.

“Let go of me! Right now!”

“Hold still, Breti.”

“I said let go!”

But Adrian’s grip was ironclad—there was no escaping. Breti fought to break free from his hold for what felt like ages, until exhaustion finally overtook her. Frowning, she glared up at him.

“Who are you—really?”

“My, after all this time calling me ‘Your Grace,’ now I’m just ‘you’?”

Karsten let out a soft, disappointed laugh.

“I asked you—who are you!”

“Are you really going to be so cold to me, Breti?”

Adrian seized her chin with his free hand and pressed his lips to hers.

The kiss was rougher and deeper than she expected. With her wrists and even her face held firmly in his grasp, Breti was utterly powerless against him.
She could feel his breath, hot and insistent, brushing over her teeth. Squeezing her eyes shut, Breti bit down as hard as she could on Adrian’s lower lip and shoved him away.

She finally broke free, quickly wiping her lips with the back of her hand.

“I asked you—who are you?”

A sharp, metallic taste filled her mouth—she must have drawn blood when she bit Adrian’s lower lip. Sure enough, he wiped at the blood trickling from his lip with the back of his hand. The sight sent a jolt of fear through Breti.

She was certain this wasn’t the Karsten she knew, but still, the fact that she’d injured his body unsettled her. As Breti hesitated, Adrian strode toward her.

“Me? Are you that curious?”

He closed the distance in a heartbeat and gently stroked her hair.

“Of course. If our Breti is curious, I should tell you. I’m Adrian…”

“…?”

“Another self—the other side—of Karsten.”

Another self?

Breti stared, wide-eyed at what he’d just said.

“You mean… His Grace has a split personality?”

“That’s right.”

Breti’s heart thundered in her chest. With trembling eyes, she forced herself to meet Adrian’s gaze.

“How is that possible…?”

“Because he’s so helpless.”

Adrian said, gesturing toward himself.

Breti frowned at his choice of words.

“His Grace is not helpless!”

“You only say that because you don’t know, Breti.”

Adrian leaned in close, his voice a low whisper at her ear.

“Karsten is a truly helpless man.”

“…?”

“He’s so helpless, he pushes everything he can’t handle off onto me.”

Adrian let out a bitter laugh and took a step back from Breti.

“If that’s not helpless, then what is?”

He turned to look in the mirror. The eyes that stared back at him were filled with self-loathing.

Breti’s hands began to tremble.

‘It’s real…’

Karsten truly did have another self.

Breti didn’t know much about dissociative identity disorder, only that it meant another personality could exist within the same body.

“Yes. I think you’re right—it seems to be sleepwalking. I probably can’t fall into a deep sleep because I end up wandering around in my sleep…”

Breti’s mind was a tangled mess. Karsten had no idea he even had another self, and she couldn’t begin to guess how she was supposed to explain any of this to him—let alone how to cure it.

She looked at Adrian and asked,

“Why did you appear?”

There had never been any sign of this when she first arrived at the mansion with Karsten—so why now, all of a sudden?

“Who knows?”

He seemed in no hurry to answer, his nonchalant attitude only making Breti more anxious.

“Tell me! Karsten can’t rest properly unless you do!”

“And why should I care if that fool gets his rest? It sounds like a waste of time to me.”

“It’s important to me!”

“Hmm. All right. Since you’re so curious, I’ll give you one answer.”

For a moment, Breti’s eyes glimmered with hope.

“I can only appear when a certain condition is met.”

“A condition…?”

“On rainy nights.”

Adrian stepped close again, lowering his voice to a whisper at her ear.

“And when Karsten’s desire awakens.”

The words sent a shiver through Breti—her eyes trembled.

Looking back, every time Karsten had come to her, it had always been on a night when it rained. The night of the imperial ball, the night he’d come back from the dead—every single time.

‘It’s the rainy season now…’

The capital was right at the heart of it all.

As Breti fell briefly silent, lost in thought, Adrian seized the moment to grab both her wrists and pin her against the wall again.

“Let go—let me go!”

Breti tried to break free, but Adrian only tightened his grip.

Pressing her body back with his own, he made sure she couldn’t move.

“What’s wrong, Breti?”

“Let me go!”

“You’re not losing anything, are you?”

Adrian whispered against her earlobe, his voice carrying the same chill it always did.

With her eyes closed, Breti could not tell whether it was Karsten or Adrian speaking; their voices were almost identical. Confusion flooded her heart.

“You like Karsten, don’t you?”

“…!”

“That’s why you never pushed me away—why you let me come to you night after night.”

Adrian dragged her hand over his chest, letting her feel the tension and strength in his body.

Breti’s face flushed hot.

“Wasn’t it because you wanted this body—even if it was just for a little while?”

“S-stop…”

“Be honest, Breti.”

Adrian caught her chin in his hand again.

“You enjoyed it too, didn’t you?”

He pressed a brief kiss to her lips.

“Just cry under me. Give in, and let yourself get wet.”

His lips moved slowly—from her forehead to her eyes, from her eyes to her nose, and finally to her mouth.

“That’s your purpose.”

Breti’s struggling stilled at that word—purpose.

“That’s your value. Your use.”

Suddenly, she remembered what he had said when he first asked her to be her sister stand-in. The same face, the same voice—now she didn’t even know which of them was speaking.

Adrian pressed kisses all over her face.

“Just let me cherish you like this.”

“…”

“You don’t want to be cherished like this?”

As his kisses threatened to deepen, Breti pushed him away, more firmly than before.

Adrian frowned at her reaction.

“Why are you pushing me away? Don’t you want to be cherished?”

“What I feel from you isn’t affection—it’s humiliation.”

“Humiliation? How cold.”

“Yes. Like you said, I do care for him. But—”

Breti’s eyes flashed as she met Adrian’s gaze.

“It’s Karsten I care for. Not you, Adrian.”

Her voice rang with conviction, and for a moment, Adrian’s hand stilled in midair.

Breti didn’t waste the moment and pressed on.

“I have no intention of continuing this, not behind his back—not just because I can’t win his heart.”

She walked steadily to the door and opened it, her voice unwavering.

“Leave my room. Now.”

The determination in her gaze was unmistakable.

But Adrian, ignoring her words, slammed the door shut.

With a loud bang, Breti blinked—only to find herself trapped between the door and Adrian.

His eyes flashed dangerously as he demanded,

“Do you really want to see Karsten disappear?”