At Adrian’s words, Breti held her breath for a moment before responding.

“D-Disappear? What do you mean by that?”

Her voice trembled with anxiety. Adrian gave a soft, mocking laugh as he stroked her face.

“What’s wrong, Breti? Are you scared?”

“Stop talking nonsense… Just tell me what you mean. Now.”

She brushed his hand away from her face, her eyes sharpening, but she couldn’t hide the trembling in her voice.

Adrian grinned.

“Why? Are you scared now that you’re about to hear it?”

“….”

“Your lips are trembling, Breti.”

He gently touched the corner of her mouth. This time, Breti couldn’t push his hand away and looked away instead. She was scared. She didn’t know what Adrian would say next, or what she might do after hearing it. If Karsten really were to disappear… what would she do then?

“You’re such a foolish girl.”

Adrian murmured, running his fingers over her neat lips.

“Why don’t you just open your heart to me instead?”

His other hand sensually traced the line of her waist.

“I could make you happy, you know.”

“…Please stop.”

Breti pulled herself free from Adrian’s grasp, putting distance between them.

“You’re not actually going to tell me what’s going on, are you?”

“That’s not true. Haven’t I been telling you all along?”

“…What?”

“I’ve awoken from the desires of that useless Karsten.”

“…!”

“Breti. Are you pretending to be innocent, or do you really not understand?”

Adrian stepped closer, his hand lingering suggestively on her body. Once, she had longed for his touch, but tonight, it only made her feel uncomfortable.

Breti sharply brushed his hand away. Adrian looked down at his hand, a glint of regret in his eyes as if he truly wished things were different.

“Whether or not I disappear will depend on how well you satisfy me.”

It became clear to Breti—what he wanted, the only way to bring him back, was through her body. But that was the one thing she wanted to avoid more than anything.

‘I must not let myself get close to him again. Not physically.’

This wasn’t just for his sake—it was something she needed to do for herself. She had already given him her whole heart. She couldn’t let herself be swayed by him anymore.

Staying as calm as she could, Breti opened the door once more.

“Please leave.”

Adrian let out a quiet, amused laugh, then grabbed the hand that was on the doorknob. He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.

“Breti, don’t blame me for this.”

Breti quickly jerked her hand free from his grasp. Without any further hesitation, Adrian turned and left her room.

“See you again, Breti.”

As he walked away, he called over his shoulder, ensuring he didn’t miss his usual farewell. He offered nothing more than his back as he disappeared down the corridor.

‘Why do I feel so uneasy?’

Watching his figure fade into the distance, Breti’s anxiety only grew stronger.

💙💙💙 💙💙💙

The next day, Breti found herself standing in her room, clutching a tin of tea leaves said to help with sleep. She paced for a long time, unable to settle.

‘Should I go? I just want to check, that’s all.’

Her indecision was all because of Karsten. She couldn’t shake the fear—she didn’t know how Karsten was doing now, or if Adrian was still in control of his body.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally opened the door.

“Young miss? Where are you going?”

Just then, Bagi appeared, carrying lunch upstairs. She looked puzzled to see Breti stepping out of her room.

“Bagi, just leave the lunch in my room. I need to go see my brother.”

Before Bagi could even reply, Breti darted down the stairs.

Her steps were quick as she went down, but as soon as she reached the floor where his office was, her hesitation returned in full force. Standing in front of the large office doors, Breti took a deep breath.

Then—knock, knock—she called out.

“It’s Laterna.”

“Come in.”

The answer came almost immediately from inside.

In those few short seconds between her knock and his response, Breti’s mouth went completely dry from nerves. Taking another deep breath, she opened the door and walked in.

Inside, Karsten was seated at his desk, sorting through a stack of documents. He glanced up, quickly taking in Breti as she entered the room.

“What is it?”

Karsten’s low voice drifted calmly through the office.

‘He’s back!’

She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed hearing that cold tone. The worry that had clouded her face all night finally began to fade.

Unlike all her anxious fears from the night before, Karsten had returned to his usual self.

Hurriedly, Breti lifted the tin in her hand and showed it to him.

“I brought you some tea leaves.”

“Tea leaves?”

“You mentioned yesterday that you haven’t been sleeping well lately, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

“This way.”

He said, gesturing her closer. Karsten stood up and gestured for her to sit on the sofa arranged at one side of the office. Breti took the seat across from him and placed the tin she was holding on the table.

“If you brew tea with these leaves before bed every night, it should help you sleep.”

Karsten picked up the tin and opened the lid. The strong scent of tea leaves filled the room.

“Even a small amount of these leaves is enough—”

She was about to say that just a little would be effective, but suddenly, she stopped mid-sentence and stared at Karsten.

Clatter.

The tin slipped from his hand and fell to the floor, scattering tea leaves everywhere.

“Your Grace?”

All it took was the scent of the tea leaves, and Karsten seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep. Startled, Breti hurried to scoop the leaves off the floor and put them back in the tin, snapping the lid closed.

“Your Grace, are you all right?”

Pale with worry, Breti put the tin back on the table and shook his shoulder. But Karsten didn’t stir at all.

Then, suddenly, his eyes flew open.

“Breti.”

He grabbed her wrist, which was still resting on his shoulder, holding it tightly.

Breti immediately realized—

“You… you’re…!”

“Nice to see you again.”

The person who had called her name wasn’t Karsten—it was Adrian.

Breti tried to pull her hand free from his grasp.

“You said you’d only show up at night!”

It was still raining, but it was clearly broad daylight, just past lunchtime. This wasn’t the condition he had set.

While Breti was still lost in confusion, Adrian closed the distance between them, leaning in until their faces were almost touching.

“I told you, Breti.”

“G-get away from me!”

“Don’t blame me for this.”

Adrian pushed her back onto the sofa and urgently pressed his lips to hers. The suddenness of it all made Breti’s lips part instinctively, and he wasted no time, his presence flooding into her.

By the time she realized what was happening, his breath was already filling her mouth.

“Mmph!”

Berti pounded on his chest, but her blows were as light as a feather. They didn’t hurt, but Adrian pulled back quickly. Nevertheless, he stayed on top of her and gently stroked her hair.

“I told you, didn’t I?”

Adrian brushed a kiss through her hair as he spoke.

“You’re the only one who can quiet this man’s desires.”

“….”

“If you don’t, I’ll keep showing up in front of you—whenever, wherever, just like this.”

“Th-that’s…!”

Breti’s face went pale. Adrian looked at her with a trace of pity, then pressed a kiss to her ashen cheek.

“Breti.”

“….”

“Do you want this man’s whole day to be ruined?”

His hand trailed down, teasing the nape of her neck as he whispered against her ear. The sensation of his fingers on her skin, his low voice right by her ear, made Breti feel as if the world was spinning into darkness.

Although she knew he wasn’t Karsten, he reminded her so much of him in the way he looked and moved that she couldn’t help but feel shaken.

Adrian whispered again.

“Breti, you already know, don’t you?”

“….”

“You know exactly what you have to do to bring him back.”

“….”

“It’s time to be honest, Breti.”

Breti squeezed her eyes shut. Seeing this, Adrian took it as her consent, and his hands began to undress her with practiced ease.