“Huh… it— it hurts…”

“Shut up! Who gave you the right to wag that filthy mouth of yours?”

Slash!

In response to her plea for mercy, a vicious hand lashed out. Light exploded before her eyes as the force of the blow drove her hip against the corner of a table, rocking her body.

“You dare, smelling of your mother—such low birth—”

A woman’s voice, dripping with scorn and contempt. The world turned red and blurred; she couldn’t make out the face of the woman who struck her.

“Ugh—! Ugh…!!”

Her ribs felt as if they had been crushed and she could not take a proper breath. The woman grabbed handfuls of the little girl’s silver hair and started shouting hateful things at her.

“Remember this well. Your maid-born mother was a vulgar wretch who dared to lay hands on my husband when she tried to climb the social ladder. So you’ll be the same, won’t you?”

“…ugh……”

“If you don’t want to die at my hands like your mother, you’ll live as if you’re already dead. Do not cross me.”

Slash!

Another sharp crack split the air, leaving Laila’s cheek raw and burning, and her face battered and bruised.

The pain rendered her unable to move a muscle. Then someone gathered her limp body into their arms.

In that instant, she was wrenched from the nightmare.

“Haah—haah…!”

Laila bolted upright in bed, clutching her chest and gasping desperately for breath. Sweat drenched her entire body.

Terror coiled around her like invisible hands, as though someone were still strangling her. Instinctively, she curled up into a ball, remembering that the blows hurt less when she made herself smaller.

But who had done this to her? And why?

Pressing a trembling hand over her heart, she forced herself to remember the dream.

It was the first memory to resurface in seven years.

She could not bear to lose it again.

***

The next day, Carlo arrived at the ducal estate for his planned outing with Roselina.

“I hurried here as fast as I could, yet it seems I’ve kept a lady waiting.”

“Oh, not at all. I’ve only just come down.”

“Next time, I’ll make sure to arrive earlier—so that I’m the one waiting. Shall we?”

He held out his hand like a gentleman and spoke with easy charm. Roselina nodded shyly and took it.

As they approached the carriage, her gaze shifted towards Laila.

Not a good sign.

Then she said lightly,

“I’ve decided not to bring my maid today. Since Lady Laila’s hands are so quick and precise, I thought I might have her attend to me instead.”

“…”

Had the humiliation she’d endured yesterday not been enough? Roselina was insistent—she wanted Laila to attend her personally.

‘If I’d known this would happen, I never would’ve come.’

She could easily have made an excuse and stayed behind, saying that she had other duties to attend to.

However, when Carlo asked her to accompany him, she was unable to refuse. It was a habit born of years of unrequited love.

Still shaken by the nightmare that had plagued her all night, Laila lowered her gaze, silently cursing her own foolishness.

“As my lady wishes.”

And, as always, Carlo cast her aside far too easily.

She was growing weary of loving him without receiving anything in return, of clinging to the hope that he might recognize her feelings someday and of watching him slowly destroy himself in the name of vengeance.

The rational part of her screamed at her to leave him.

But she had surrendered her heart to him long ago.

Ever since losing her memories, Laila’s entire life had revolved around Carlo.

He was the first person she saw when she opened her eyes, and he gave her a name and taught her everything she knew. They had always been inseparable.

How could she possibly leave him now?

‘But why… why has Carlo never told me anything about my past?’

She knew she was partly to blame for never asking, yet the question continued to gnaw at her.

Carlo had never once asked if she wanted to regain her lost memories.

He had never spoken about her past.

It was almost as though he were warning her: ‘Don’t remember.’

Did he know how terrible those memories were? Were they terrible enough to haunt her dreams?

‘Is he protecting me because he is afraid I will get hurt?’

Once, she would have believed that without question.

That was why she had always obeyed him, placing absolute faith in every decision he made.

But now, doubt was beginning to take root within her.

What if her forgotten past was somehow connected to his revenge?

What if that was the reason he had brought her to Cerclezia and kept her hidden in the shadows?

For the first time, Laila truly wanted to discover who she had once been.

***

“I didn’t realize my lady had taken such a liking to my knight.”

As Laila wandered through her private torment, Carlo sat in the carriage with Roselina, his tone light but probing.

“Well, she’s a knight, so her movements are quick and precise. It’s only natural that I’d notice.”

“Yes, I suppose so. But as a lady, her manners leave a lot to be desired. I’d hate for her to make a mistake and cause you any harm or offence.”

Carlo knew perfectly well that Roselina couldn’t stand Laila. Their mutual dislike was clear every time they met. It was impossible not to see that.

That was why he’d planned to leave Laila behind. However, the night before, Roselina had sent an urgent letter demanding that Laila accompany him.

“There’s no such thing.”

“Oh, really?” Roselina tilted her head, her voice honey-sweet. “Surely… you’re not saying you dislike the idea of me being attended by your knight, are you, my lord?”

As if testing his heart, Roselina narrowed her eyes and asked her question.

“There’s no such thing. I only wished to give my lady the very best.”

Laila suppressed her disgust and bitterness as she watched him pacify Roselina’s jealousy by suggesting that she was not the best. It was infuriating, but she had to endure it. The important thing now was to win Roselina’s trust — or rather, to make her fall so deeply in love with him that she would give him everything.

“I’ll prove my devotion from now on.”

“I look forward to it.”

Roselina said with a coy smile.

“At Princess Lenoa’s party, I’ll make sure you shine brighter than anyone.”

When he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, Roselina’s smile deepened, pleased and smug.

“I was so tired of watching Princess Lenoa flaunt her engagement to His Highness the Crown Prince, but thanks to you, I feel much better now.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Carlo had not forgotten how furious Roselina had been when she first found out about Princess Lenoa’s engagement to Crown Prince Theodor. It was also the day she first hit Laila, simply because she was in a bad mood.

Years ago, when Theodor visited the Cerclezia Empire, Roselina had fallen in love with him at first sight. Everything about him seemed perfect, and she dreamed of becoming his bride. However, when his engagement to Princess Lenoa was announced, Roselina could do nothing but swallow her tears.

From that moment on, her deep-seated inferiority complex and envy of Princess Lenoa began to grow. Her affection for Carlo gradually twisted into a desperate obsession intended to fill the emptiness left by Theodor.

Of course, her behavior still resembled that of a woman in love, so Carlo didn’t notice the difference.

“Come to think of it, I heard that His Highness, Crown Prince Theodor, who is about to marry Princess Lenoa, is expected to visit the Cerclezia Empire.”

“Yes, that is correct. He should arrive any day now. You cannot imagine how eagerly I have been waiting…”

“My lady, if you speak like that, you will make me jealous.”

He smiled as he spoke, but the dangerous gleam in his eyes suggested possession rather than affection.

Roselina’s breath caught. His intense gaze was enough to make any woman tremble. Slowly and deliberately, she leaned closer until her lips nearly brushed his ear.

“Do not be jealous. I like you as well, my lord.”

She was greedy, yearning for Theodor while refusing to let go of Carlo, the man she believed was hopelessly devoted to her. She wanted them both: the unattainable crown prince and the man who burned with desire for her.

But Carlo did not care.

If indulging her delusions brought him closer to the truth, so be it.

If she pressed herself against him, he would merely draw her closer.

‘As long as she tells me where the man who framed my mother is hiding…’

His hand glided up to her shoulder before slowly tracing its way down her arm in a deliberate caress.

His fingertips grazed her skin so lightly that they almost tickled, sending a shiver of pleasure through Roselina.

As her breathing became shallower, Carlo tightened his grip and pulled her onto his lap, unable to restrain himself any longer.

Roselina gasped softly, startled by the sudden movement, and her face flushed crimson. There was something intoxicating about watching a man lose control because of her.

“Are you serious?”

Carlo asked, his voice low.

“…What?”

She breathed, her composure faltering. Their noses almost brushed when Carlo’s lips grazed hers—barely, fleetingly.

“When you said you liked me, did you mean it?”

He moved his hand to the curve of her neck, touching her gently yet possessively. The air between them grew thick with heat and unspoken desire. Roselina’s eyes softened and became unfocused, and the look alone filled Carlo with triumph.

‘Finally… she’s fallen.’

Their breaths mingled, shallow and uneven, their lips hovering a whisper apart. Roselina’s chest rose and fell with desire, but she kept her eyes open. She wanted to watch and see how long he could resist the temptation right in front of him.

‘What a cruel woman.’

Carlo swallowed hard, running his tongue over his lips as if bracing himself. His breath came ragged, his gaze burning with a hunger he no longer bothered to hide.

Seeing that wild, restrained longing made Roselina’s heart quiver in anticipation.

“Roselina…”

Her name fell from his lips like a sigh, and the moment his mouth brushed hers, the air inside the carriage seemed to ignite.

“Please.”

He whispered—a plea, a confession, and a request for permission all at once.

When Carlo finally lost his restraint and caught Roselina’s lower lip between his teeth, she shivered and closed her eyes.

‘Too easy.’

He showed her exactly what she wanted to see: tenderness, hunger, and the illusion of surrender.

While she melted into the moment, Carlo was already laughing to himself.

He would soon bring this performance to a perfect close.