Cassian sends a special gift every year on Anette’s birthday.

The first year, he sent a quill pen for writing letters.

From the second year onwards, he sent desserts.

This was because in her letters, she would always talk about which desserts were delicious.

Last year, she had sent an evaluation of blueberry macarons written like a thesis.

So on her birthday, blueberry jam arrived.

And it was homemade jam at that!

After tasting it once, all sorts of thoughts came to mind. It was so delicious that Anette even wondered if Cassian could be a patissier. So Anette had visited every dessert shop in the capital. But none could match this taste.

So she had constantly asked about how to make jam in her letters.

Until now, he still hadn’t told her.

But to forget that?

‘No matter how busy you are, how could you forget a handmade gift you made because you said you liked it?’

Even trying to understand, this was too much.

“Did you really forget?”

Her head started to throb.

Seeing Michael unable to open his mouth hastily, her throat choked up.

Was I the only one who thought he was the closest person I had given my heart to all this time?

“No, that’s not it… Of course I remember. I made blueberry jam at the mansion and sent it, and after that you kept writing letters saying you spread the jam on bread and dipped cookies in it.”

“If you remember everything, why did you say you couldn’t remember again?”

Even as I said it, I felt like I was being petty.

“Let’s talk about it later.”

We couldn’t fight in front of Hertian.

“Your Highness the Duchess… I understand.”

Michael hesitated and slightly bowed his head.

The title he uses to address me feels natural. More so than when he called me Anette.

“I’ll go wash my hands for a moment.”

I stood up from my seat.

Washing my hands was just an excuse, and I needed time to sort out my feelings right now.

Otherwise, I felt like I would leave while still feeling uncomfortable.

After leaving the dining room.

I was lost in deep thought.

“Is there anything else you need?”

Seeing me come out with a troubled face, the butler came and asked.

“No. I was just going to wash my hands for a moment.”

“Yes. Then please come this way. I’ll instruct them to prepare water.”

Following his guidance, I sat in the room waiting for him to come.

Soon a maid entered and brought out a washbasin.

“I’ll wash slowly and come out, so go out first. Don’t come in until I call.”

“Yes.”

After the maid left, I dipped my hands deep into the water.

As the cool water touched me, I felt like my throbbing head was calming down a bit.

Only then did I realize that my emotions had gotten ahead of me and I had pushed Michael.

“What am I doing right now?”

Interrogating after inviting Michael. I pushed him just because I was upset that he didn’t remember me.

Michael must be busy with his own work too.

On the other hand, he was compared to Hertian, who stays up all night to accommodate me even though he’s overwhelmed with his own work.

‘I wish Cassian had been Hertian.’

I even had such a pathetic thought.

Saying Cassian is precious but wishing he was someone else.

My greed was excessive.

“Let’s go have fun and leave.”

I pulled my hands out of the water. I wiped my hands on a clean towel and looked at the mirror placed on one side of the room.

It was a foolish expression. And what about those flushed cheeks.

“What am I going to say when I go back like this. Let’s smile a bit.”

I deliberately tried to smile brightly. Does smiling make me look even more foolish?

For a moment, a silly laugh flowed from my clumsy expression.

Slowly, the corners of my mouth in the mirror dropped. And my eyes were swollen and red. As if I had been crying for days and stayed up all night.

“This isn’t me.”

The woman in the mirror is not me.

I tried to take a step back, but my body was frozen and wouldn’t move.

My eyes met Anette’s in the mirror. Goosebumps ran from my toes. That wasn’t me.

“He-Hertian.”

As I tried to call someone, my mouth closed on its own. It felt like someone was controlling my body. And contrary to me, the swollen lips of Anette in the mirror opened.

[Be careful of… Be careful.]

I hear a pitiful voice telling me to be careful of someone. It’s the same voice as mine, but the sunken metallic sound unpleasantly scraped my eardrums.

‘Please move.’

My body wouldn’t move as if tied up with ropes.

It was painful to look at her. I’m not that kind of person. It was agonizing as if she kept reflecting me.

The only way was to forcibly close my eyes.

But even my eyelids wouldn’t move according to my will.

I rolled my eyeballs halfway back. Tears flowed down my trembling body.

Bang, Anette inside the mirror knocked on the door.

“Huh!”

My gaze returned.

She, shedding black tears, clings to the mirror looking at me.

‘Why are you doing this to me?’

This was a nightmare. Otherwise, this couldn’t be happening.

My shoulders ache.

[You have to be careful……]

With her tearing voice as the last, I blacked out.

[This is the timeline separator]

‘What’s the big deal about some dessert!’

Michael swallowed.

It was because Anette’s disappointed expression lingered before his eyes.

If things continue like this, he could ruin everything.

The reason for setting up a fake Cassian would disappear, and if that happened, he would be mercilessly cast out.

‘I can’t lose the viscount position.’

He clenched his fist under the table.

He had to go out and either coax Anette or apologize to restore the relationship.

It was when he was about to stand up to chase after her before it was too late.

“Since Anette’s not here, shall we stop the act?”

A heavy voice stopped his movement.

When he turned his head towards the voice, Hertian was looking at him with a sharp gaze.

Michael’s gaze wasn’t kind either.

After all, it was the Duke’s side that stirred up trouble by bothering Anette who was just sitting quietly.

“You invited me to see this spectacle, didn’t you? From the beginning.”

“If you knew, you shouldn’t have come. I didn’t expect you to respond to the invitation right away.”

Hertian leisurely took a sip of wine.

He was dumbfounded that he had so brazenly sent an invitation in the Duke’s name, and yet came so confidently to act naturally in front of him.

“Did you think I wouldn’t come so you could scheme behind my back?”

“Isn’t it you and Serdis who are scheming, not me?”

Hertian snorted.

“If you were going to do it, you should have done it properly. It’s too sloppy, so this… I had a hard time holding back my laughter.”

“……”

“The more you pretend to be Cassian, the more disadvantageous it will be for you and Serdis. Now that you’ve even stolen the letters, there’s no evidence that I’m Cassian. If you keep acting in front of Anette like this, I could turn Cassian into trash.”

“I’ve read all the letters. I just made a mistake for a moment today, but I won’t be easily fooled from now on.”

“You seem to feel wronged? It doesn’t seem like you’re putting on such a passionate performance after receiving a few coins from Serdis. Did you get a guarantee for the next viscount position?”

Michael flinched. Hertian keenly noticed that.

“I’m also an illegitimate child plagued by inferiority like you. That’s why I understand your feelings better than anyone. If I had been offered the crown prince position, this kind of acting would have been nothing.”

His teeth gritted.

But if he got angry here, he would be caught up in the pace.

He tried not to lose his composure.

“Then what are you going to do? Nothing will change even if Your Grace knows.”

“That’s true. I can’t look after your viscount position, so I can’t ask you to stop now.”

“Th-that’s right.”

“But you know, young viscount.”

Hertian called him in a gentle tone.

But his eyes were as cold as they could be.

“Know your limits.”

A single sentence as cold as ice.

Michael could no longer refute or provoke him.

Hertian wiped his mouth as if he was done talking.

“If you’re done talking, why don’t you get up and look for Anette?”

“…I’m going.”

As Michael stood up, Hertian followed suit.

“Are you following?”

If that was the case, why did he tell him to go look?

He glared at him with an unpleasant face.

Hertian ignored those words and walked out the door.

“Try your best to find her if you can.”

Watching him leave the dining room, Michael bit his lip in exasperation.

“Are all the royal family like this?”

The prince and the duke. It didn’t seem normal to be acting like this over one woman.

He let out a deep sigh and hurriedly left the room.

For now, it was important to find that woman.

Hertian was exchanging words with the butler. Michael couldn’t lose either.

“Where did Her Grace the Duchess go?”

He asked the butler.

The butler looked at Michael with inorganic eyes and just bowed his head slightly.

“I cannot tell you.”

“What? Why?”

“……”

The butler completely sealed his lips.

The culprit who sealed his lips was right in front of him.

“Are you really going to be this petty?”

It could only be Hertian, the owner of this townhouse.

“Earlier you said I was scheming, and now you say I’m petty. Aren’t you introducing yourself too often? Young viscount.”

“Are you… hiding Her Grace the Duchess somewhere? If you’re trying to drive out a guest after inviting them, I will tell Her Grace the Duchess all about this fact the next time I meet her.”

Michael grumbled, grinding his teeth.

For him, gaining Anette’s trust was the most important mission.

If Hertian keeps interfering, there’s no other way.

The only method left is to drive a wedge between the Duke and Anette as Cassian.

However, this method was only possible if he could meet Anette right away. If he left like this, who knows what Hertian would say about him.

“Now you’re even resorting to threats? Did the prince tell you to pretend even if you had to do that? Well, I don’t mind. You won’t have a chance to meet Anette again anyway.”

Hertian coldly turned his head.

Michael immediately dashed in the direction Hertian was going.

“Do you think I’ll let that happen?”

Seeing Hertian walking away while completely ignoring his words now, Michael followed him with large strides.

The fact that he wasn’t stopping him made it seem like he had prepared something too.

But Michael was confident.

After all, she’s just someone he has a contract marriage with.

Married for a month.

And he, whom she believes to be Cassian, is a friend who has been in contact with Anette for 5 years.

It’s not a relationship that would easily crumble over dessert.

‘If I sweet-talk her well and make up words as if we’ll never see each other again, that’s all.’

But, in the room where Hertian opened the door.

“My lady…?”

The Duchess, who said she went to wash her hands, had collapsed unconscious.