A hand burning hot.

It was questionable how he had managed to contain such intense heat within his body all this time.

She could feel his heat, mixed with Kasha’s naturally low body temperature, penetrating into her body.

An aggressive heat that was far from human. A desire that a human body could not endure.

For a moment, she bore that which was boiling inside his body together with him.

If anyone had seen that scene, they might have mistaken them for lovers just starting out.

Holding each other’s hands, blushing in confusion, not knowing what to do next.

In reality, how much time had passed in that sticky moment where confusion, anger, fear, and desire coexisted?

“S-stop it.”

He shook off the hand he had entrusted to her as if entranced.

He turned his back, clutching his forehead. Kasha looked at her own hand from which he had escaped, seeming a little regretful.

It had been warm.

‘I too, am just as terribly lonely as you are.’

Her lips twisted in a painful smirk.

“Just leave.”

Leon commanded in a hoarse voice. The confusion he felt was evident in his voice.

“Lord Leon.”

“You are… too dangerous a woman. I’ll send a letter soon, until then, don’t approach me.”

He looked lonely, like a crouching beast. He cried out again, as if pleading.

“Leave. Please.”

His back as he said those words seemed to overlap with the final image of the ruined temple.

‘Is this woman really the villainess Kasha?’

Those empty eyes that had muttered thus came to mind.

Kasha didn’t say anything more. She slightly bowed her head and quietly walked out of the room.

[This is the timeline separator]

It was just as Kasha, having closed the door behind her, was about to pass the entrance to the reception room while descending the stairs.

Sob, sob.

“…?”

The muffled crying of a child. Kasha moved towards the sound as if drawn to it.

The sofa in the reception room where Kasha had sat earlier. In its corner, a small girl with platinum blonde hair was curled up. The face of the baby in the portrait in Leon’s study automatically overlapped with the girl’s face.

‘Eve Aranias.’

She could tell at a glance due to the face that closely resembled Leon’s.

Why on earth was she crying alone?

Kasha unconsciously approached the girl.

Sensing someone’s presence, the girl raised her face and opened her reddened eyes wide.

“Who are you?”

Features identical to Leon’s with lovely violet eyes. A smile naturally appeared on Kasha’s face.

“I’m Kasha Lyuschino, a guest of your brother Leon. Nice to meet you, Eve.”

Eve tilted her head at the greeting from a guest who knew her name before being introduced.

“Brother Leon’s guest? This is the first time a female guest has come to see brother Leon.”

The eyes that had been wet with tears immediately sparkled with curiosity. Meeting those pure eyes steadily, Kasha opened her mouth.

“But why are you… crying alone? Should I call brother Leon?”

Shake, shake. Eve shook her head with a gloomy face.

“No. Brother Leon is always busy… and lately he doesn’t even let me get close. I must be very bothersome to him.”

Kasha, remembering Leon’s sad eyes as he talked about Eve in the abandoned temple, wanted to tell her that wasn’t the case at all. However, at the same time, she could roughly guess why Eve thought that way.

Recalling what Leon had told her before the regression, Eve’s mother had passed away when she was three, and Grand Duke Osilote was always busy and indifferent to his children. So Leon had to act almost like a father to his siblings.

Especially the youngest, Eve, was said to have followed him very well. And no wonder, in the lonely grand duke’s residence, Leon was the only adult who would lift Eve up and shower her with affection.

However, after the curse of lust manifested, even that became difficult.

Regardless of age or gender, he would have been reluctant to make physical contact with anyone.

Considering the point when Kasha lost the magic stone, and the stories of Leon’s past she had heard before the regression, it was probably about 9 months since Leon’s curse had manifested.

That’s exactly how long Eve had been lonely.

At that moment, Eve stood up and carefully sat down next to Kasha, whispering.

The soft, fragrant smell of the little one wafted over.

“Um, but… may I ask you one thing?”

“Sure.”

“Well… Miss Kasha, have you ever hosted a tea party?”

“…A tea party?”

There’s no way she would have. She’d never even been to one.

“You see, it’s actually my turn to host a tea party soon, and well… how should I put it. As you know, there’s no one in our house right now to ask for advice about this.”

Eve expressed her difficulties with a serious face.

“Just last week, the Fenilton baroness’s daughter hosted a tea party, and everyone was full of praise. The baroness’s mother decorated the party venue beautifully. But I…”

Eve trailed off.

She has no one to ask because she doesn’t have a mother, that’s what she means, right?

So that’s why she was crying alone. Although she’s the only daughter of Grand Duke Osilote, in reality, she’s a ten-year-old girl with no one to confide in about such trivial worries.

Kasha asked in a calm voice.

“Hmm… what about your aunt?”

“Aunt Sheila visits often, but she’s too strict and fussy. If I were to host a tea party with her help, everyone would suffocate to death. Sigh.”

Eve’s delicate eyebrows drooped as if just thinking about it was stifling.

Kasha pondered for a moment.

A tea party.

Of course, she was a novice in that area, but this could be a good opportunity to become close with Leon’s family.

Moreover, remembering that Eve was a victim of the magic stone, she simply couldn’t ignore this child’s worries.

Kasha muttered casually.

“Hmm. I think I might be able to help.”

“Really?”

Evidently pleased, Eve sprang up from the sofa.

“But in exchange, this stays a secret from your brother. For now.”

“Why?”

“He’ll surely say it’s not allowed. That we shouldn’t accept help without reason.”

“I see… You really do know our brother well.”

“When the date and place for the tea party are set, send a letter… to the Lyuschino Count’s residence.”

“Alright!”

Excited at the prospect of corresponding with an adult, Eve smiled brightly.

At the fresh smile, like a young flower blooming, Kasha couldn’t help but smile as well.

[This is the timeline separator]

Having finished her small conspiracy with Eve, Kasha came out to the entrance. The waiting butler respectfully opened the front door himself.

Along with the intense late afternoon sunlight, the sultry air from the garden rushed in.

Kasha hurriedly set foot on the stairs.

‘The coachman must have been waiting for quite a while. I should hurry.’

As she descended the stairs, holding up her skirt, she felt an oddly chilling sensation down her spine.

‘What’s this?’

Kasha stopped in her tracks and turned her head to look up at the mansion.

At that very moment, she noticed the curtain of one of the second-floor windows fluttering.

‘Is it Leon? But I don’t think his study was in that direction.’

Kasha tilted her head for a moment before continuing down the stairs.

All the while, a sharp and dark gaze clung persistently to her back.

[This is the timeline separator]

Five days later.

Second floor of the Lyuschino Count’s residence, Kasha’s room.

Sena placed a few envelopes next to Kasha, who was buried in blueprints.

“My lady. Please eat lunch first. If you don’t want to go downstairs, shall I bring it to your room?”

“Are these for me?”

Kasha ignored Sena’s question and picked up the envelopes.

There were three envelopes in total.

One was from the Imperial Library. She hastily opened the envelope but soon her face darkened.

‘…As expected, the loan was rejected.’

As she had told Leon, she was in the process of developing a method to convert the power source of magical tools from mana to holy power.

In fact, creating magical tools themselves wasn’t difficult.

They were things she had researched herself in her previous life.

However, actually implementing the idea of powering magical tools, which usually use mana as a power source, with holy power wasn’t as simple as she thought.

‘I need to finish developing the power source conversion as quickly as possible.’

She was in a hurry for various reasons, but couldn’t get the book she was looking for.

In the past, Simon had procured all the necessary books and materials, so she was a novice in this area.

Finding a blacksmith to turn the blueprints into actual magical tools wasn’t a simple task either.

‘I need people to help, after all.’

Thinking this, she picked up the second envelope and examined the exterior.

Whoosh.

However, as soon as she recognized the handwriting on the second envelope, it went straight into the trash can.

“Oh my, my lady… Have you really decided to break up with Simon?”

Sena, who had been watching Kasha’s actions, whispered with wide eyes.

The second envelope was from Simon.

“Yes. Of course. If he comes again, just tell him I’m not here, no matter what.”

Sena nodded vigorously at Kasha’s words.

“Yes, of course. To be honest, although I shouldn’t say this, I always thought he was a bit… you know. Talking down to you from the start, always putting on airs and such.”

Once the floodgates opened, complaints about Simon flowed endlessly.

These days, Sena seemed to feel much more comfortable around Kasha compared to before.

It was a bit awkward, but listening to Sena’s chatter had a way of putting her mind at ease. She could also practice speaking while conversing with her.

Kasha nodded halfheartedly as she examined the third envelope. Her face immediately brightened.

‘It’s finally here.’

Kasha hastily opened the envelope. Seeing this, Sena quickly left the room.

‘I should bring something for her to eat, she’ll probably skip meals again. She was taking care of herself for a while, but now she’s absorbed in something again. But you know, I never noticed before, but these days when she’s so focused with her glasses on, she looks kind of cool…’

Unaware that Sena had left, Kasha began reading the letter inside the envelope.