He couldn’t stay like this forever. The night had cooled, and cold air was rising from the floor. Even in her sleep, Lily shivered.

He quietly got up, put on his pants, and lifted Lily. He carried her to the bed, tearing off her half-removed clothes. They were already ruined, and he didn’t want to wake her by trying to save them.

Then he headed to the kitchen. He scooped water from a full bucket, then took a fire spirit stone from his infinite pouch and threw it into the water. The water quickly boiled.

He soaked a towel in the hot water, wrung it out, and returned. Lily, in a sleepy voice, reached out and asked.

“Breck…?”

“Shh… Just sleep.”

“Mm…”

Lily turned over, whining in her sleep. Breck placed the warm towel on her body. As expected, her thighs were marked with hand-shaped bruises.

‘I need to make some ointment for bruises.’

He no longer needed it, but the ointment recipe was essential during his mischievous boyhood. He carefully cleaned Lily’s body.

When he tried to spread her thighs to clean between them, Lily mumbled in a sleepy voice.

“I can’t… anymore…”

“I’m just cleaning you.”

Seeing her groin, not fully closed, messy with their mixed fluids, another part of him almost raised its head.

If he cleaned her too deeply, she would wake up. He gently wiped the surface and pulled up a thin blanket to cover her. Even if it was hot now, sleeping n*ked would give her a cold.

“No…”

As he went to put the towel away, Lily grabbed his wrist. Breck looked at her curiously. She, slightly more awake, let go and opened the bed covers.

“Can’t you…?”

Breck, holding the towel, sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked her head.

“Should I sleep beside you?”

“I wanted to try. Ah… But Eva will come in the morning…”

Lily mumbled, pulling the covers up to her nose. Breck chuckled and said,

“That woman doesn’t matter.”

“Really?”

“But, rumors might spread from somewhere.”

Breck implied that she might be the one concerned, not him. Lily whispered softly,

“Still… it’s just the two of us here.”

The moment he heard that whisper, Breck threw the towel aside and climbed into bed next to her. Lily rested her forehead on his chest and spoke in a soft, low voice,

“I’m not ashamed of wanting you.”

“……”

Breck momentarily forgot what to say. It was a simple statement, yet it took time to process and react to it.

And he realized that to change something, he had to make a decision.

‘She doesn’t know who I am.’

Lily was already willing to take a step forward. But she didn’t know him.

If he were just the apprentice gardener Breck, she would have already made her decision and expressed it. She was a coward, but also brave in some ways.

But she didn’t know him, so it was natural to think that the role he gave her was all there was—enjoying false appearances and moderate pleasures.

No, it wasn’t a wrong judgment. Until a while ago, he had no intention of shedding his gardener Breck persona.

‘Until when? Until the limit of the relationship approaches?’

Well, secretly enjoying as a gardener and lady is fun, but…

Games can’t last forever. He felt frustrated that he couldn’t hold Lily’s shoulder proudly. Yet, he wasn’t ready to suddenly reveal he was Revaston.

He gently stroked Lily’s shoulder. She seemed still half-asleep. Knowing that his constant touch was disturbing her sleep, he couldn’t stop. It was peaceful.

Evangeline had read his mind correctly.

‘I could maintain this life.’

What if he fabricated a suitable identity and past for Lily? The Imperial Secret Intelligence Service could perfectly forge over ten years of history. They would even create a regular general store she frequented.

If he didn’t want to owe the empire, he didn’t have to. Just attaching a story to one of his existing IDs would suffice. Lily would readily accept it. How about Baron Revis? He could fabricate a story about a commoner from the kingdom rising to prominence in the empire or hiding his identity for some reason. Anything would seem more realistic than Revaston’s adventures.

“……”

He stared silently at the ceiling. Doing so would provide a plausible explanation to Lily. But it would still be piling lie upon lie.

Did he not want to lie to her? It seemed like an overly serious thought. Did he need to explain such a troublesome matter to his family? It was true that he’s Breck, it was true that he’s Baron Revis, and most things associated with that name were true.

“Why? Can’t sleep?”

Lily’s voice broke his thoughts. Breck looked down at her. She seemed awake.

Breck smiled.

“There’s something I wanted to try. Can I?”

“Uh, what?”

Lily blushed, thinking his ‘something’ was about s*x. Her hand groped the nightstand beside the bed, but her glasses weren’t there. They had been thrown off at the entrance.

Breck got out of bed and picked her up, blanket and all.

“Ah!”

“Let’s go see the sea.”

“Like this?”

“So what? It’s right in front, and no one will be there.”

There might be a watcher left by Evangeline, but Breck decided to do as he pleased like Lily. As long as Lily didn’t know, it didn’t matter if someone was there.

Convinced by the assurance that no one would be there, Lily quietly wrapped her arms around his neck. Breck stepped out of the villa, carrying her with light steps.

It wasn’t far to the sea from the garden. The beach wasn’t ideal for swimming because it was a pebbled shore.

But the moonlit sea was beautiful. The ripples shimmered silver like fish scales. Breck walked slowly along the shore, carrying Lily. She asked incredulously,

“Was the thing you wanted to try a walk?”

“Please add, ‘under the moonlit sea.’”

Then she laughed.

“How about the sea in the daylight tomorrow, with the sun shining?”

“It would be better if we had a picnic.”

Lily didn’t ask why she had to come out without even wearing clothes in the middle of the night. Somehow, she felt the same way.

It felt like there was nothing under the sky but the moonlight, the sea, and the wind. Whether they walked holding hands or walked n*ked while embracing, no one would know.

Breck suddenly said,

“Eva won’t come from tomorrow.”

“What?”

“I’ll just cook the meals myself.”

Lily’s face turned red at his words. It was because she realized that he noticed what she was concerned about.

Breck smiled broadly. Lily, feeling annoyed that he didn’t elaborate, said mischievously,

“You can only grill meat, right?”

“I can make salad too.”

“That’s just cutting vegetables. What about the dressing?”

“Can’t I just sprinkle olive oil?”

Lily sighed. It was better than being disturbed, but she didn’t like Breck’s cheekiness.

When she wriggled to get down, Breck looked around and then placed her on a large flat rock. Lily beckoned him to come over, then pulled his ear and said,

“I can’t do anything.”

“Shall I bring a chef next time then?”

“Next time…”

Lily muttered. Breck chuckled and briefly touched his lips to the corner of Lily’s eye. It was because the stars in the dark blue sky were twinkling in her eyes.

“Why, won’t you bring me next time?”

“Well.”

She muttered ambiguously. Would Breck be here around this time next year? She couldn’t be sure. It would be better not to forget that it could end at any time. Not just because it was a physical relationship, but because romance is inherently like that.

“It doesn’t have to be the sea. Is there anywhere else you want to go?”

“I actually prefer the mountains. I don’t like climbing though.”

“That’s great. I’m a mountain person. I’ll carry you up.”

“That’s nonsense. No matter how strong you are, hmm…”

Their lips sweetly overlapped. Breck gently released her tightly held hand and interlocked their fingers.

The mountains would be better in winter than in summer. Since it’s the hardest season to climb, he could show her a view that ordinary people couldn’t see.

After that, spring would come. Two more seasons would pass, and it would be a year.

If you think about planting flowers and sweeping away fallen leaves, the next season would come tirelessly like the gears of a clock. Breck knew that he could live both eternity and moments equally.