A deep furrow formed on Cedloy’s forehead. However, Mayana, without noticing it, stubbornly averted her gaze and continued speaking.

“I’ve made it clear that I have no intention of sharing a bed with you, My Lord. That’s still true. However, yesterday… Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t even know what happened to me. I spent the morning regretting it. I…”

Mayana, her words trailing off, bit her lower lip.

She had truly not left the room all morning. Despite Bainthi, Bridget, and Ivie expressing concern, she ignored them all and lay wrapped in the sheet.

Lying on the bed, with the sheet still carrying Cedloy’s scent, she covered her face with it, contemplating what to say to him. Like memorizing lines for a play, she repeated the same words to herself dozens of times.

She had come here with the belief that she could speak to him confidently. If not for that, she would have stayed in the room, using the excuse of pain to avoid Jemero. The lines were perfect, and the reasons were plausible.

Mayana thought that this was the best way. Blaming everything on her mistake, making Cedloy angry enough to lose interest in her. Thus, he would no longer pay attention to her.

However, when she stood in front of him, she couldn’t speak as fluently as she had thought. Her voice trembled, and her words came out sporadically. It couldn’t be like this. Mayana scolded herself inwardly, closing her eyes tightly. It couldn’t be this sloppy…

Cedloy, who had been maintaining silence, spoke.

“Is that all you have to say to me?”

Mayana stared at Cedloy with a slightly raised head. But that alone couldn’t reveal anything. What his intentions were in asking her such a question, what emotions he was feeling.

She prided herself on understanding people’s inner thoughts. Although she wasn’t outgoing and sociable, having one more life than others unexpectedly became a powerful weapon. Since there was no knowledge that could surpass experience.

However, even now, that wasn’t useful. She couldn’t know anything about Cedloy standing in front of her. The only thing becoming increasingly clear was that there was nothing good in prolonging this conversation. She became more restless as if hearing sharp danger signals.

“If you’ve said everything you want, it’s my turn to speak.”

Mayana raised her head, stepping back.

“No, My Lord, I…”

Before she could finish her words, Cedloy spoke in a calm tone.

“Just listen. This is a request. If you reject it again, as your employer, I’ll have to give you a direct order.”

Mayana, with furrowed eyebrows, stopped moving and looked at him. His usually confident brown eyes were now filled with confusion and faint anger.

Cedloy continued speaking.

“I remember what you said to me. You said that it would never happen with me. And I suppose you spent the entire morning regretting that. But was it really just regret?”

“What are you talking about…”

“You should know what I’m talking about, Mayana. It’s a simple question that you can answer with yes or no.”

Mayana felt a shiver as his firm footsteps echoed on the solid floor. However, it wasn’t a sensation caused by fear or disgust. It was a pleasant kind of fear.

Knowing exactly what would happen next but pretending not to know, the anxious feeling when feigning innocence, and the anticipation of a gift inside a box even though you already know what it is – it was a similar sensation.

When Cedloy’s body came closer, Mayana saw the two shadows cast on the floor, barely touching and blending as if merging with each other.
The outline of light that existed between him and Mayana disappeared, and all that remained were shadows that seemed to touch as if kissing.

So, when Cedloy gently cupped her cheek, she wasn’t surprised. She only sent him an imploring gaze.

“Did you really just regret? Those apologies you made to me, is that all your sincerity?”

“…What if I say that’s true? What will you do?”

Mayana’s voice was sharp, like an arrow shot. Cedloy, like someone momentarily lost in thought, lowered his gaze, then traced her lower lip with his thumb from her lower lip to her chin.

“If you answer like that, Mayana. If you really mean that, then you shouldn’t tremble like this.”

He lowered his head, seemingly smiling, his gaze lifting while keeping his head bowed.

“If you say so, there’s nothing I can do. I can only believe your words. For you, what happened last night might be just regret. It could be just that. But your apology is wrong. It wasn’t you apologizing to me for making a mistake. You know that, right? It wasn’t ‘you’ unilaterally committing something against ‘me’; it was ‘us’ being together.”

Cedloy’s gaze went down once again. However, this time, he just glanced at her instep, not contemplating for long.

“So, while you may not know, I don’t regret what happened last night at all. I made it so you had to lie in bed all morning, and that, in a way, is quite satisfying. Saying this, you might blame me for being despicable. But honestly, I truly feel that way. It was our affair, Mayana.”