Lesia looked up at him. He appeared to be around her age. The boy wore a half-mask, and judging by his short hair, he was likely male.

His eyes seemed to shift between black, red, and brown as they reflected the light, making their true color difficult to determine. The tailcoat he wore confirmed he was indeed a boy around her age. And now this suddenly appearing boy was extending his hand toward her.

Lesia stared blankly at the offered hand. In her moment of distress, this mysterious figure had appeared to help her. To Lesia, he seemed like a fairy.

Perhaps that was why she forgot Juliana’s warning never to follow strangers and took his hand.

That very moment, there was a click! Something seemed to snap, and suddenly everything went dark.

“Uh, wait…”

Lesia was helplessly led by the boy. He moved through the crowd with remarkable grace, as though the darkness didn’t affect him at all, and successfully descended from the stage. Yet he didn’t stop there and continued moving forward.

Unable to distinguish her surroundings, Lesia had no idea where she was heading, relying solely on the small hand guiding her. She only realized they were heading somewhere unusual when she felt leaves brushing against her skin. 

The rustling leaves gradually increased in number until they were completely pushing through underbrush.

Though her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, the constant collision with plants and leaves made it difficult to keep her eyes fully open. Belatedly, Lesia broke free from the boy’s grip. At that moment, her vision cleared.

“…!!”

Seeing the scene before her, Lesia forgot her complaints and stood with her mouth agape. It was a view even more dreamlike than the banquet hall.

“Wow… it’s beautiful…”

A small lake where silvery-blue moonlight scattered like stardust. The night sky rippled like silk with the movement of the water. It looked like the night sky reflected in an enormous mirror. The black pine trees surrounding the area made it feel even more secretive and mysterious.

The scene was so enchanting and fantastical that fairies could have been flying around without seeming out of place. Lesia momentarily forgot about the boy’s presence. When she finally remembered and looked for him, she saw he was trying to leave her behind.

“Wait!!”

How could he leave her alone when she didn’t even know where she was! 

Panicking, Lesia reached out toward the boy. She only meant to grab his clothing, but as his pace quickened, her urgency made her grab his nape instead.

She felt something catch on her fingertips before it snapped with a soft sound. 

“Ugh…!!” 

As Lesia lost her balance and began to fall forward, the boy quickly caught her. Unable to withstand the sudden weight, he fell too, with Lesia landing on top of him.

Fortunately, Lesia managed to brace herself with both hands, avoiding crushing him completely. 

After a moment of chilling silence, Lesia cautiously opened her eyes, which she had closed in anticipation of impact. Immediately, she was met with bright red jewels… no, eyes.

‘So they were red.’ 

Despite the inappropriate timing for such an observation, Lesia felt a sense of satisfaction at having her curiosity resolved. Now that she could see his eye color, she also noticed the boy’s unmasked face.

She couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. 

“Wow… you’re really beautiful…”

Like a fairy. No, more beautiful than a fairy. No, the most beautiful in the world. Well, except for her mother… The boy was so beautiful that it confused her standards of beauty.

His glossy black hair resembled the star-studded night sky, and his bright red eyes were like… 

‘Rubies,’ Lesia thought. She had never seen a ruby in her life. In fact, she had only heard about gems but had never seen any.

It was Grandma Lulu who had told her about rubies: “There’s a gem called ruby, bright red just like cherries. But its clarity and transparency are incomparable to cherries. The most beautiful red in the world. Yes, that’s what a ruby is, my dear.”

After hearing Grandma Lulu’s description, Lesia had imagined the most beautiful red she knew. But now she painfully realized how shallow human imagination could be. The boy’s eyes were truly beautiful and magnificent.

And his appearance matched the beauty of his eyes. Sharp, slightly upturned eyes like those of a languid cat. A straight, high nose. Tightly closed, straight lips with reddish coloring. Finally, flawless skin without a single scar.

It seemed a waste to hide such beauty behind a mask. While Lesia was entranced by the boy’s appearance, his expression suddenly contorted. Thinking it was her fault, Lesia hurriedly moved away.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to do that. Are you hurt anywhere…?”

Despite being overwhelmed by his beauty, meeting someone her age was also a first for Lesia, making her question awkward. 

“…” 

But there was no answer.

Instead, the boy’s expression grew even more pained as he clutched his chest tightly and curled up. 

“Ugh…” 

A groan escaped through his tightly clenched teeth.

Startled by this sudden turn of events, Lesia could only stare with wide eyes, unsure of what to do. Cold sweat dripped from the boy’s forehead, suggesting his pain was intensifying.

“Um, are you okay? Are you hurt somewhere?”

It was clear that the boy was in pain. He slightly moved his lips. “…neck… lace…”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“…neck… lace…”

Though his voice was as faint as the flutter of an insect’s wings, Lesia realized he was trying to say “necklace.” Once she understood, she remembered something catching on her fingertips before snapping when she had tried to grab him.

She hadn’t known what it was then, but now she realized it must have been his necklace. Though she didn’t understand the situation, she instinctively knew that finding the necklace was crucial to helping the boy.

“Just hang on a bit! I’ll find it for you!”

Immediately jumping to her feet, Lesia began searching the area, leaving the boy behind. But it was already dark, and the dense underbrush made finding a necklace seem nearly impossible.

Time passed until the moon that had been rising began to set, and sweat dripped from Lesia’s forehead like dew on the grass, yet she couldn’t find the necklace or anything resembling it. Most people would have given up by that point.

Cesar, leaning against a large tree and watching Lesia through clouded eyes, thought the same. He didn’t even dare hope that this small girl would actually find the necklace in the pitch-dark underbrush.

Cesar closed his eyes in exhaustion. When night fell and the curse manifested, he felt pain like a giant hand squeezing his body tightly. His internal organs seemed to lose their places and tangle together, while his head felt ready to explode.

If he hadn’t rescued Lesia from the crowd, he could have spent at least this one night without pain. 

‘Why did I do that?’ he suddenly wondered. Why did he do that?

Contrary to Teresa’s expectations, Cesar had not the slightest interest in finding a companion. He had merely wanted to experience being among people one last time before dying, so he impulsively put on a mask that would prevent anyone from recognizing him and went outside.

Like Lesia, this was Cesar’s first time seeing so many people gathered. However, his feelings were cynical. Why were these people smiling so foolishly? 

Did they even know that if he fell in love with one of them and made them his companion, they would live a terminal life in his place?

If they knew that, this banquet would no longer seem so pleasant. They would try to flee from him immediately. 

“…” 

Thinking this way, these people no longer seemed interesting to him. So he adjusted his mask and was about to leave when…

“…?”

He saw her. A girl in the center of the stage, trapped among people, unable to move in any direction. She would try to step out, only to be pushed back to her original spot by incoming people.

With shoulders drooped like a frightened rabbit, she trembled slightly. With her white hair, she really did look like a rabbit. Finding her appearance both amusing and relatable, as she seemed isolated among people just like him, Cesar impulsively pushed through the dancing crowd and grabbed her arm.

Just then, as announced, the banquet hall went dark. Though he had known this would happen, the timing was unfortunate, causing Cesar to miss his chance to release the girl he had hastily brought out. He had hoped she would break away from him, but for some reason, she didn’t.

This was his first time experiencing such a situation, especially holding the wrist of a girl his age, so Cesar was momentarily confused. Then suddenly, a place came to mind. The most beautiful spot Cesar knew in the Velius Grand Duke’s castle.

Intending to release this frightened rabbit there and leave, Cesar started walking without much thought. The entire way, all his attention was focused on the girl whose hand he held.