Valoid’s expression turned cold and rigid.

“Explain properly.”

“She ate dinner and went to bed as usual last night, but it seems she woke up before dawn and left her room. One of the maids said she saw Lady Serine in the hallway at around 4am. After that, no one knows where she went.”

“D*mn it, Rivi! I told you not to let Serine out of your sight! How can it be that nobody tracked her movements at all last night?”

“I’m sorry!”

Rivi’s shoulders shrank beneath the sudden outburst.

“I already checked under the bed in case Lady Serine disappeared with the documents inside the box. Thankfully, everything was still there. But since she has such a good memory, perhaps she already—”

“Who the f*ck said I cared about that?”

This time, Rivi truly felt as though her mind had split in two from the shock.

Valoid had always been lenient with her, having known her since childhood.

He had rarely used bad language around her. More than anything, it was the fact that he genuinely didn’t care what happened to the box that left her stunned.

“Go find Serine! Have you forgotten how many times she nearly died after coming here?”

“Y-Yes! Understood.”

“Did you search the garden? She might’ve gone to see the dogs or cats.”

“We’ve already sent people out to search. I’ll also have them check around the animals.”

“Forget it. I’ll go myself.”

Spitting the words out harshly, Valoid turned away.

Startled, Rivi hurried after him and called out,

“Your Highness! Don’t you have to appear in court?”

“Postpone it.”

“H-However, today is the day for the defendant’s rebuttal, isn’t it? I’ll find Lady Serine myself, so—”

Valoid gave no further warning.

The gaze he cast back over his broad shoulder was razor-sharp.

It looked as though even reaching a hand toward him would end with it being cleanly severed.

“Lady Serine!”

“Where are you?!”

All the servants at the Grand Duke’s estate were sent out to search for Serine.

They ran frantically through the halls, shouting until their voices were hoarse. Deep down, however, they all knew it was futile.

The woman they were searching for could neither hear their cries nor the sound of approaching footsteps.

Suddenly, Valoid was reminded of a dream he had once had.

In it, Serine was unable to hear or escape as blazing red lava engulfed her.

Just like in a house fire, even if the danger was right in front of her, she would never realize it in time.

“You’re the only one I can trust. I’m begging you.”

Woof!

As though in answer to him, Milk barked briefly.

The hand stroking the dog’s curly head trembled violently.

After unclasping the lead and chasing after the dog as it bolted forward, Valoid felt his heart sink further.

‘Did something happen to Serine?’

No, perhaps she had run away.

With all the conflict between them lately, that wouldn’t have been at all surprising.

And yet, at that moment, Valoid would have preferred to be betrayed by Serine.

The mere thought that she might have encountered another assassin or that her life could be in danger was enough to darken his vision.

‘D*mn it.’

“I really do love her enough to lose my mind.”

Crazy bastard.

It would have been better for Serine to leave him than to die.

Then at least he could have chased after her and brought her back.

The hellish realization scorched him from the inside out.

As though sensing the turmoil within him, Milk circled restlessly around the estate.

At least he now knew for certain that Serine was still inside somewhere.

But that only made Valoid more anxious.

If she was in the mansion and still nowhere to be found, then it was highly likely that something had happened to her.

Not long ago, an assassin sent by Marquis Penrose had infiltrated the estate.

One servant had been murdered for their uniform, and their body had been stuffed into a cupboard.

Another unfortunate maid who crossed paths with the intruder had been forced into the kitchen fireplace chimney.

The faceless corpses he could no longer remember suddenly took the form of Serine in his imagination.

The horrifying thought nearly made his legs give way.

“Ugh!”

His knees buckled against the marble staircase.

Warm blood spread beneath his trousers and trickled down his shin.

Ignoring the pain, he clenched his teeth and continued to chase the swishing tail ahead of him.

‘Please. Please let you be safe.’

Woof! Woof!

Milk suddenly stopped and barked.

They stood before the half-open door of the study.

‘They definitely said they already searched the study.’

The fireplace was still burning, yet the room felt cold.

Where was the draught coming from?

On closer inspection, he saw that the balcony window, which projected from the outer wall, had been left open.

The loose curtains fluttered in the wind, repeatedly veiling and unveiling the window.

It was an unnerving sight, as though a ghost were silently beckoning them closer.

Without hesitating for a moment, Milk slipped beneath the swaying curtains.

“Ah!”

The startled cry from inside shattered the last of Valoid’s restraint, causing him to violently tear the curtain aside.

Behind it, which collapsed weakly as if seized by a ghost, sat Serine.

Her sleep-heavy eyes were half-closed and unfocused, and she was wrapped tightly in a dark green tartan blanket, almost the same color as the curtain.

At first, the distorted glass made the balcony appear empty.

A strange sense of déjà vu pulled at him.

When he searched his memory, he realized…It had been exactly like this the first time he had seen Serine in the ballroom.

“Milk? How did you get here?”

A loose braid rested over one shoulder.

She looks soft and dazed, as if she is not quite awake yet.

When he saw her holding the dog, whose fur matched the color of her hair, a heavy, overwhelming emotion crashed through him.

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was forced to realize it once again: He truly loved her enough to lose his mind.

Perhaps it had started much earlier.

Back at the ballroom, which he had only attended to vent his foul mood.

That night, he had grabbed a woman by the shoulders, forcing her to face him, no matter how many times she turned away.

Was he still trapped in that moment?

“Valoid?”

The moment Serine noticed him, she lowered her gaze slightly.

The slightest movement of her delicate eyebrows knitting together crushed his heart with absurd ease.

He clenched his damp palms tightly and forced a calm smile onto his face.

“It’s cold. Why are you sitting out here? You had me worried.”

Serine clearly did not believe him.

And that was only natural.

After all, he had pushed her to the brink countless times.

No matter how sincere his concern was, she couldn’t hear it anymore.

“You’ll catch a cold. At least put this on.”

The coat, tailored to fit his tall frame, swallowed Serine completely, hiding even the tips of her feet.

The sight strangely satisfied him.

Yet at the same time, his throat went unbearably dry.

He felt as though, like a cheap trick by a second-rate magician, if he lifted the coat, Serine might simply disappear forever, beyond his reach.

“How long have you been here?”

He only spoke because he wanted to hear her voice. However, the moment he had finished speaking, he realized he had made a mistake.

Her head was covered by the coat.

There was no way she could see his lips.

But Serine pushed the coat away herself.

“Take this off.”

Her tousled, light brown hair.

Her cheeks were flushed pink like winter berries.

She was so beautiful that it felt as though his chest was being squeezed apart.

Yet every word that came from her lips wounded him.

“I don’t need it, so take it back.”

To Serine, it felt as though her sweet afternoon nap had been rudely interrupted.

The deep masculine scent lingering inside Valoid’s coat—a mixture of cologne and his natural warmth—still clung stubbornly to her body.

‘Come to think of it… why is he sweating?’

Valoid was dressed in a pristine formal uniform.

When someone as disreputable as him dressed so impeccably, there could only be one reason: he was going to the royal palace.

Maybe he was nervous about meeting Princess Ivry.

“How’s your hand?”

He paid no attention whatsoever to the expensive coat rolling across the snowy floor.

He looked ready to stand there like a statue until Serine answered him.

“It’s fine.”

How bothersome.

Had there been a sigh mixed into those short words?

It seemed his eyes wavered slightly.

“If you want to read, go inside and do it there. If you stay out here any longer, you’ll catch a cold.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

He should just go meet the princess already.

Serine knew exactly which card would shut him up.

“Have you found a way to let me leave yet?”

“…Not yet. There’s still time left.”

“I see.”

As though she had nothing more to say, Serine rose to her feet.

A cold gust followed the small body brushing past him.

It felt sharp enough to slice across his throat, and before he realized it, he hurriedly grabbed her arm.

“I’m sorry.”

The unrefined apology burst out like an accident.

Even to his own ears, it sounded tainted and impure.

It was only natural that Serine’s reaction remained icy.

She merely gave a careless nod.

“That’s all?”

“What else is there?”

Whether he was truly sorry or not no longer mattered to Serine.

And in that moment, Valoid realized something.

Just as overripe fruit rotted and fell from the branch, his belated apology carried no value at all.

“If you have nothing else to say, let go of me.”

The slight force of her trying to pull her arm away hurt more than being beaten across his entire body.

“Wouldn’t it be better if you just hit me instead?”

He asked despite knowing it was a foolish question.

“You can do whatever you want until your anger settles. You could even stab me with a knife.”

Compared to the way she looked at him now—with absolutely no emotion at all—he thought he might actually prefer that.

“I’m not talented with knives. And my hand is injured.”

“If you’re leaving anyway, you should at least let out your resentment first.”

“If I’m leaving anyway, then there’s no reason to.”

“I want you to.”

His grip refused to loosen.

A cold blue sharpness flashed through Serine’s eyes.

“So my opinion doesn’t matter, does it? Just like always.”

Words sharper than blades spilled from between lips delicate as flower petals.

“You’ve never listened to me even once. Because you’re the smart one. You decided the course of my life entirely on your own, didn’t you? So this time too, I’m just supposed to obey quietly?”

Her gaze cut through him mercilessly.

“Like some obedient b*tch. Or was I never anything more than a hole to you?”