“Breti.”

She must have dozed off for a moment. At the sound of Karsten—no, Adrian’s—voice, Breti opened her eyes.

“…!”

But she was lying on his broad chest. She hurriedly slid off his body, only to realize she wasn’t properly dressed. Flustered, she tried to grab her clothes scattered across the floor, attempting to cover herself.

But his hand moved faster.

“This?”

Adrian dangled her clothing with a teasing tilt of his head.

“Give it back.”

“Come take it.”

He replied, holding out the neatly straightened clothes.

Breti hesitated, but finally took his hand. She worried he might try something, but to her surprise, Adrian only helped her get dressed, tying the ribbon behind her back—though he did press a kiss to her bare shoulder as he finished.

“Stop that.”

“Why? I’m not nearly satisfied yet.”

Tap, tap—the sound of raindrops hitting the window pricked at her ears.

Breti fell silent, feeling Adrian’s breath against her back.

‘Thank goodness.’

Without meaning to, she found herself relieved that it was still raining.

Breti shook her head, burying her face in her hands.

‘I’m out of my mind.’

She knew, in her head, that he was not Karsten. But whether he was Adrian or Karsten, her heart longed for him all the same.

Once she was dressed, Adrian wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“Just so you know.”

“…?”

“It’s best you don’t let him find out about me, Breti.”

Breti’s brow furrowed.

What did he mean by that? Why shouldn’t Karsten know?

“What are you talking about?”

“If you tell him about me, well…”

Adrian trailed off, clearly debating with himself.

After a brief pause, he spoke lightly.

“Never mind. Go ahead and tell him.”

“First you say not to, and now this—what are you trying to say?”

Breti pulled away from his arms, her voice edged with irritation.

Adrian lounged back on the sofa, idly stroking her cheek.

“It’s nothing. Just means you’ll get to watch his life fall apart even more.”

At those words, Breti’s heart thudded with dread.

What could possibly be worse than what they were already enduring? Why did the idea terrify her so much?

“Go on. Try telling him.”

“…No.”

“Really? But I’d like to see it.”

He smiled as if he found the prospect entertaining.

“I’d like to watch him come undone—so broken he can’t even lift a hand.”

Adrian, sounding almost delighted, rested his head on Breti’s lap. Then, with his eyes closed, he whispered,

“See you again, Breti.”

No sooner had he shut his eyes than it happened.

Before Breti could even move, Karsten’s eyes flew open.

He blinked rapidly, quickly taking in his surroundings—then sprang up, startled.

“What just happened?”

“Your Grace, you must have dozed off for a moment.”

“Oh dear… I must have made you uncomfortable without meaning to.”

Karsten—no longer Adrian—immediately put a careful distance between himself and Breti, almost to the point of being overly polite.

Realizing what had happened, Breti suddenly tasted bitterness on her tongue.

“It’s nothing.”

She said quietly, snapping the lid onto the jar of herbs and handing it to him.

“The scent is just too strong. I think you’re sensitive to these herbs, Your Grace. So when you brew tea, only use the smallest amount.”

Karsten nodded silently and rubbed the back of his neck. He had only closed his eyes for a moment, but somehow hours had passed. He didn’t remember anything, but it seemed that he really had slept. Still, he couldn’t shake the sense of fatigue.

While he puzzled over it, Breti spoke up, her voice tentative.

“And…”

“Do you have something to say to me?”

He looked at her, his eyes cool, a hint of impatience there.

Breti opened her mouth, closed it, then tried again, struggling to find her words. She knew, logically, that she should tell him about his other self right away.

But…

“I want to see him completely fall apart — so shattered that he can’t even lift a finger.”

Adrian’s last words echoed in her mind, and Breti couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Seeing her hesitation, Karsten spoke, voice colder than before.

“If you have something to say, just say it.”

“Ah, well… I think you’re suffering from sleepwalking, Your Grace.”

In the end, Breti chose the lie. Her heart ached sharply, as if pricked by a needle, but she forced herself to stay calm.

‘It’s better this way. Any more confusion will only make things worse.’

Adrian had spoken in riddles, always half-explaining and half-concealing the truth. But when he’d talked about Karsten’s condition spiraling further out of control, Breti had sensed genuine emotion in his voice.

Karsten nodded gravely.

“Is there any way to get better?”

“Sleepwalking is often caused by psychological factors, the most important thing is to calm your mind before you go to sleep. Always drink your tea before bed.”

“All right. I’ll do that.”

“You’ll get better soon.”

“Thank you. You may go now.”

Turning his back to her, Karsten returned to his desk.

Breti made her way to the door on the opposite side of the room, quietly reciting to herself as she went.

“The rainy season will be over soon.”

Which meant, in turn, that Adrian’s visits would become less frequent.

‘…But honestly, I almost wish the rainy season would never end.’

Just before stepping out, she looked back at him one last time, swallowing down the words she dared not say, and left.

💙💙💙 💙💙💙

Raindrops tapped lightly at the windows of the Diquero Palace, where the Crown Prince resided.

In a lavish reception room, a man and woman sat facing each other. The man was Fedriol; the woman, his fiancée, Selenel.

Fedriol had never once invited Selenel to the imperial palace before. She was so happy to finally receive an invitation that her cheeks were tinged with pink as she poured tea into his cup.

“Thank you for inviting me, Your Highness…”

“Let’s call off the engagement.”

A sharp, shattering sound rang out between them. The maids nearby exchanged nervous glances, hesitating to approach.

The word “call off the engagement” had barely left Fedriol’s lips, and Selenel’s face had gone utterly pale.
No one wanted to approach them for fear of being scolded at the wrong moment.

‘What is happening…?’

Selenel finally managed to lift her head and look at Fedriol. He was brushing drops of spilled tea from his clothes, his brow furrowed.

Her gaze trembled as she stared at him.

“Your Highness, what… what do you mean by that…?”

“Did I use difficult words?” Just as you heard—I want to call off our engagement.”

Selenel’s eyes darted in disbelief, as if searching for any way out.

“This engagement has been in place for generations.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“Then how could you end it so easily?”

“Because I don’t want you.”

At those words, Selenel clenched her fists tight.

“Does that answer your question?”

Fedriol, catching the look on her face, couldn’t help but add with a biting tone,

“I’ve never once seen you as a woman. What meaning is there in this engagement?”

His bluntness made Selenel’s cheeks flush red with humiliation.

Not missing her reaction, Fedriol allowed a faint, mocking smile to play at his lips.

“Isn’t that so?”

Selenel’s eyes flashed as she glared at him.

“Then what about Lady White? Do you see her as a woman?”