The prayer room on the west side of the Great Temple.

The slow footsteps approaching the altar came to a stop.

Jade gently dusted off the portrait covered in years of dust.

“Larien, how have you been?”

He greeted warmly, meeting the gaze of those ocean-like eyes.

“I meant to come earlier, but I had some things to take care of. I’m sorry.”

He grasped the withered lilies scattered around, crumbling easily in his hand.

“Larien. Ayla’s getting married soon. Isn’t it surprising? I thought she wouldn’t with that nasty temper of hers.”

“…”

He sneered while taking out the wedding invitation his sister had written herself, but his smile quickly faded.

“Still no answer from you, huh.”

Once again, a loneliness that sank into the mire dominated him.

“Larien. It’s been almost 5 years since you died.”

Though quite some time had passed since Larien’s death, it still didn’t feel real. In fact, he still wished it was all just a misunderstanding.

‘…I suppose I should start clearing this place out soon.’

In the end, it was all just his own selfish desire.

He had kept Larien from resting in peace even after death.

“…Happy birthday, Larien.”

As he celebrated her twenty-fifth birthday, Jade remained stuck at the age of twenty when Larien had died.

It didn’t feel like he was truly living. If not for the letter Larien had left behind, he would have ended his miserable life long ago.

Even just continuing to live felt like a sin.

It was repulsive to live another day after having killed Larien.

“Whose birthday is it today? Can Shuhu celebrate too?”

At that moment.

“Hello!”

A child entered, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.

‘…How dare they.’

Jade had been pouring massive donations into the Great Temple, comparable to a year’s budget for the territory.

To maintain this prayer room in her memory.

Jade had only one condition for the Great Temple.

That no one else’s footsteps should touch this prayer room.

‘Utterly incompetent. It wasn’t even such a difficult request.’

The prayer room was his private space, not even allowing his sister entry.

It was unpleasant that a stranger had entered such a prayer room.

“Shuhu had a birthday recently too. Shuhu is 4 years old!”

“How dare you enter this place…”

Jade’s irritation was cut short as he got a closer look at the child’s face.

A delicate nose, snow-white skin that looked soft to touch.

“Was this a place I shouldn’t have entered?”

The child with light brown hair tied in two braids blinked her violet-tinged sea-colored eyes.

“You…”

The hair and eye color were exactly the same as Larien’s.

Even the features were so similar that one could believe it was her childhood self.

‘It’s amazing how alike they can be.’

His rising anger subsided, seeing the resemblance to her whom he thought he’d never see again.

“You’re too tall, Shuhu’s neck hurts! Can you bend down a little?”

Jade graciously bent his knees to match the child’s eye level.

“Thank you! Now I can see well!”

“Your name?”

He wanted to see more of that face resembling Larien.

Even if it was just someone who looked like her, with no actual relation to her.

I was abandoned by my parents at birth and grew up in an orphanage.

After becoming an adult, I didn’t go to college and started working right away.

Even with strict budgeting, the salary from a small company was barely enough, so I delivered newspapers while everyone slept at dawn.

Delivering newspapers and nodding off from fatigue, I was hit by an oncoming truck.

The truck driver fled without even calling an ambulance.

It was cold, painful, and lonely. Even in the moment of death, I was alone.

Lying alone on the frigid snow, I slowly lost consciousness.

I think I must have died.

When I opened my eyes, it was a completely different place.

The dazzling chandelier before my eyes, the soft and spacious bed, the warm touch of someone holding my hand saying they had been waiting for me to wake up.

These were things I had never experienced in my life.

Seeing the wavy light brown hair and violet-tinged sea-colored eyes of the girl reflected in the mirror, I realized.

I had been reincarnated into the childhood of the villainess in a tragic novel where all the characters were beast-people.

The upbringing of Larien Belaste, the villainess of “Trapped in the Black Curtain’s Snare”, was unfortunate.

Her mother passed away from postpartum complications after giving birth to Larien.

Duke Belaste, who had deeply loved his wife, hated Larien.

He treated her coldly, not even considering her his child.

Larien, starved for affection, became jealous of the beloved female protagonist and tormented her, eventually being killed by the black curtain.

I felt sorry for Larien.

Perhaps because I related to her as an orphan without parents, I didn’t want to let her die again.

No. Now that I was her, I didn’t want to die.

For that, I had no choice but to befriend Jade, the black curtain who killed Larien.

It was easy to win over the young child who had lost both parents in a carriage accident.

When I found and returned his lost pocket watch, Jade let down his guard.

Thanks to that, I was able to reform him so he wouldn’t become the black curtain, and we became close as childhood friends.

As I got to know him closely, Jade grew up to be a completely different person from the original black curtain.

Though his personality was a bit sensitive and he disliked socializing with others, he was kind to me.

I also got to know Ayla, Jade’s sister, and the three of us grew close like siblings.

Perhaps because we stayed close even after coming of age.

Rumors spread in high society that the relationship between Jade and me was suspicious.

Rumors.

When the time came for each of us to find a spouse, it became a critical issue.

To quell the rumors, I avoided Jade.

Repeatedly refusing his requests to meet, one day. In the dark early morning, I received a letter from Ayla.

Sensing something was amiss, I hurriedly read the letter.

Brother is very sick. His fever is so high he needs to take medicine, but he keeps asking for you.

They say it’s dangerous if he keeps refusing to eat and enduring with such a high fever. Can you come?

I’m sorry it’s so late.

−From Ayla. ]

‘Jade is sick?’

Worried about Jade, who was reportedly in critical condition yet refusing medicine and asking for me, I secretly arrived at the Rowe mansion.

“Sister, you came…?”

“Ayla. Where’s Jade? Why is he suddenly sick?”

“Um, well… Just go into brother’s bedroom for now.”

Ayla, who had come out to greet me, avoided my gaze and evaded the question.

Entering the bedroom, Jade was tying the sash of his robe.

His silver hair was damp, as if he had just bathed.

“…You really came. If I had known, I would have told Ayla to send the letter earlier.”

I was dumbfounded by his perfectly fine appearance.

“Jade. I thought you were sick?”

His silver hair gleamed dazzlingly in the moonlight.

“Do you know how worried I was when I heard you were sick? You’re faking, aren’t you? How could you pull such a prank?”

“If I hadn’t done this, you wouldn’t have come.”

I let out a derisive laugh at his brazen attitude, having fabricated an illness just to see me.

“…Jade, I won’t come anymore even if you say you’re sick.”

As I turned to leave after a brief scolding, Jade grabbed my wrist.

The blatant scent of flesh lingered close, stirring my once calm heart.

Click.

Jade locked the door and pressed even closer to me.

I was so shocked that I immediately tried to push against his chest to get away from Jade.

“Jade!”

Suddenly I felt weightless. Jade had scooped me up with one arm.

“Jade, let me go!”

“You’ll get hurt if you move. Stay still, Larien.”

Jade held me tightly as I struggled and laid me on the bed.

In an instant, I was pinned beneath him.

‘He’s not drunk, he must have gone mad.’

Jade’s gaze was clearly different from usual. His eyes held only me.

“Women like this sort of thing, they say.”

“…What?”

“They said if I just do this, you’d fall for me easily.”

Jade spoke incomprehensibly while caressing my waist.

“So, it’s alright to continue, isn’t it?”

With lustful, lingering touches.

“Jade, don’t do this. You’ll surely regret it tomorrow−”

He pressed down on my body with his arm, blue veins bulging.

The bed shook from the force, causing the front of Jade’s robe to part.

Seeing a water droplet precariously perched on his collarbone, my face flushed hot.

“I won’t regret it.”

“…Jade.”

“Do you know how long I’ve been holding back?”

His low voice rumbled dangerously, almost like a whisper.

“Larien. Why are you trying to leave me?”

Tears that fell from Jade’s eyes landed squarely on my cheeks.

“You promised you’d stay by my side no matter what.”

“When did I…?”

“When we were young.”

At Jade’s words, a childhood memory flashed through my mind.

‘Don’t worry, Jade. I won’t leave. I’ll always be by your side.’

‘…You promised, Larien.’

It was nothing more than comforting Jade, who feared separation due to his parents’ deaths.

I never imagined he would still consider it a promise after all this time.

“Jade, that was…!”

“…If you really don’t want this, turn your head away. I won’t do it then.”

How could I possibly avoid it.

Those insistent red eyes drawing closer.

“I gave you plenty of time to run away, Larien.”

Overwhelmed by his gaze, even swallowing was difficult.

Jade swallowed my lips whole.

And so began a long night.