Adel couldn’t take her eyes off his broad back and muscular flanks, and the slender waistline that continued gracefully below.

His body, trained as a knight for over a decade, felt like a kind of weapon every time she saw it.

It was strange that even if what was contained inside had changed, there was not the slightest sense of discomfort on the outside.

“What are you thinking about so intently?”

When their eyes met as she was staring at him absently, Valentin’s eyes narrowed with amusement.

Adel opened her mouth, half impulsively.

“I saw the name written in the book you gave me.”

“Oh, really?”

He replied nonchalantly and pulled a clean new shirt over his head.

Even in the dim light, his imposing body was covered, and soon a strange silence descended. Neither affirming nor denying.

Adel clenched her cold fingertips and pressed him again.

“The name in the book was also ‘Adelheit’. ‘Adelheit Desiree Bathildis Nürnberkian’.”

“…”

“Who is it, why does she have the same name as me, and why were you keeping a book with that name?”

“…”

“Are you not going to answer this either?”

Only then did Valentin raise his eyes to look at Adel.

His lips curled up smoothly as usual, but Adel could sense that his mood had sunk.

“Ask me something else, Adel.”

“…”

“Something other than what you already know the answer to.”

It was an extremely affectionate voice. Only then did Adel realize that Valentin had intentionally handed her the book with ‘that name’ written in it.

Because she had been denying her past life or soul all this time, drawing a strange line saying it was different.

“At least, I thought the name you called me was…”

She murmured, gripped by a sorrowful jealousy.

That it didn’t matter who he overlapped with her, as long as it was her name he called so affectionately.

All those confident thoughts now seemed like a very distant past.

The moment Adelheit’s signature flashed before her eyes again, Adel gathered up every last bit of her remaining rebellious spirit.

“I thought it was tenderness you showed only to me.”

“I don’t understand why you think the two are different.”

He strode closer to the bed. His long, massive shadow fell over her head.

Valentin lifted her pale chin with his long fingers.

“I’ve told you before. Why isn’t someone with the same body, soul, and memories your husband? To me, you’ve always been that.”

“…”

“Is it difficult to understand with human concepts? I don’t know. To my eyes, there’s no difference.”

“…I don’t have that person’s memories.”

“You’ve just forgotten. And only for a very short while.”

“The idea that the bodies are the same is really absurd…”

“I wish I had painted a portrait. Then you wouldn’t dare say it wasn’t you.”

Adel looked at Valentin’s face with astonished eyes.

The lips that had kissed her speaking of eternity, the eyes that curved sweetly as if looking at something dear, felt so distant today.

Valentin, who had been quietly looking down at Adel, suddenly smiled.

“What should I do to make you believe me?”

His eyes and lips were tinged with the scent of lies, concealment, and deception.

Now, an unfathomable impatience had settled in as well.

Perhaps he had been in that state ever since entering the imperial palace.

Without a shred of composure, pushed to the limit, always hiding even the smallest things from her.

“…”

Misunderstandings were bound to pile up if they didn’t talk.

But even if she tried to ask, if he continued to take this ambiguous attitude under the pretext of ‘protecting’ her, their relationship would stagnate without progressing. In the end, it would rot like that.

She was not a child who needed protection.

Even if she lacked in ability or heart now, she wanted to stand beside him someday.

Someday, she wanted to be someone he could rely on completely. She had at least that much resolve.

But you can’t build eternity on a sandcastle that could crumble at any moment.

‘Why doesn’t Valentin understand that?’

She gripped the edge of the blanket tightly. Tears seemed about to fall, but she managed to hold them back.

Barely suppressing her surging emotions, she opened her mouth.

“I’ll try to believe you.”

“…”

“As long as you promise to honestly tell me someday, no matter what memories you’re holding alone, no matter what terrible secrets you’re hiding from me.”

This was the compromise she had managed to find.

Even if he couldn’t be honest right now, if there was at least a promise that he would be honest about their relationship someday.

Then, in the far distant future, they could someday look at each other from the same position.

“You remember the promise you made then, don’t you? That you would tell me everything when I was ready.”

“…I haven’t forgotten.”

Adel nodded as if that was enough. Valentin looked at her with deep eyes of indecipherable meaning.

She pushed his hand away as if to change the heavy atmosphere and continued.

“I was thinking of going out today instead of just staying in the tent.”

“…Going out?”

He seemed to have answered almost reflexively. As if this suggestion was more terribly unpleasant than the shock of their conversation.

Adel met his gaze without avoiding it, as if this was something she couldn’t concede.

If she still didn’t realize that Valentin had been subtly blocking her from going outside since coming to the capital, she would just be a fool.

Moreover, how he had even managed to persuade the emperor so that he didn’t have to perform even the minimum duties…

“I was planning to go to the Pragma downtown area.”

“…It will take at least two hours just to get there.”

“You spend up to six hours when you go into the forest. I heard His Majesty never ends the day’s hunt until he catches a deer.”

“…”

“When Margaret arrives, I’ll go with the knights. There won’t be any problems. I’ll be back before the evening banquet.”

“…Rather, wait until after the banquet is over and we’ll go together.”

“It will be the middle of the night by then.”

He pressed his lips shut with an unwilling attitude, then narrowed his eyes as if he had thought of a good excuse.

“Have you finished your homework? I said I would check it.”

“I’ve read all the books except one. I’ve even memorized the parts related to healing magic.”

“What about mana?”

“That’s…”

Adel trailed off, mumbling. To be honest, she hadn’t even attempted to practice materializing mana.

She had been preoccupied with other things all night…

Valentin let out a light sigh at Adel’s bewildered face.

“Do you really have to go?”

“I want to go.”

“…”

“Um, they say someone saw Grita in Pragma.”

Adel hesitated a little before honestly confessing.

It was ridiculous to expect honesty from the other person while not being honest herself.

Valentin’s eyes took on a strange look at her words.

“According to the witness, she seems to be living in very poor conditions. Do you remember? She was my nanny…”

“Of course I remember.”

“I know you won’t like it, but if I can find her, I want to help her somehow.”

The corner of his mouth curved crookedly.

“For a woman like that?”

“Grita may not have been an affectionate person, and maybe that’s why she only pretended to care for me, but without even that, I would have withered and died long ago…”

Valentin raised his hand to stop Adel’s words. Then there was a sound of movement outside the tent.

“Your Grace.”

“What is it?”

“His Majesty has sent someone.”

Valentin responded to the servant’s cautious urging with a tired face.

“I’ll be out soon.”

He fastened his belt, put on a leather hunting vest, and picked up his cloak.

The neck of the cloak was designed to be fastened with an intricate and complex knot.

Even looking in the mirror, it was difficult to tie by oneself.

“Let me do it for you.”

Adel hurriedly got out of bed. Valentin raised one eyebrow as if displeased.

“…Your feet are touching the ground.”

“It’s on the carpet. Come on.”

As he silently bent down, Adel stood on her tiptoes and carefully completed the knot.

Valentin, who had been staring at her with a persistent gaze for a long time, finally let out a deep sigh as if he couldn’t help it.

“Morigg is vicious and persistent by nature. He probably knows by now that I’ve taken this body. And that I’m keeping you close and cherishing you.”

“Nothing will happen. Morigg loves all people, doesn’t he?”

“Well… Was that his personality?”

“…”

“If he smells me on you, he’ll throw off that mask of pretending to be gentle and his eyes will roll back in his head.”

Adel’s shoulders flinched.

Even now that she knew everything about Valentin’s identity, her heart still trembled when she heard such irreverent words about ‘Morigg’.

Valentin withdrew his cynical gaze and furrowed his brow as he continued.

“So when you go out, please be careful of everyone who approaches you. Doubt and be wary of every word you hear.”

“Does that mean I can go?”

“If you take Margaret with you.”

No sooner had she felt relieved than Valentin’s eyes narrowed. He grabbed her chin again and leaned down.

“Open your mouth.”

Adel’s breath caught at the crude string of words.

Their lips met immediately at an angle. Her spine trembled at the soft, moist movement.

His mana flowed over her lips, pooling overwhelmingly.

He grabbed the back of Adel’s neck as she tried to escape. It deepened a little before breaking off cleanly.

The moment she realized his neat lips were moist, Adel’s cheeks flushed pink.

He laughed lowly at her innocent reaction.

“Keep it well. You never know when you might need it.”