“…I thought you’d get over it soon.”

Jade snickered at my words.

“Larien. There’s no way I’d be that kind of person to you.”

At the end, there was anger mixed in as well.

A resentful look in his eyes, saying it was impossible for him to get over it quickly.

A pitiful confession that he wanted to die, but couldn’t because he was told to live.

I thought even my death would pass by insignificantly.

Not realizing his expectations were completely off the mark, Jade assumed that would be the case.

‘I thought I knew Jade well, but I didn’t at all.’

He left a cruel letter telling me to live.

I abandoned Jade in order to live.

His words about being unable to abandon me and living on conveyed how Jade had lived, even without hearing more.

‘You endured with the memories we made together.’

The sound of firewood burning permeated as we shared a quiet breath.

We had come too far to share the breaths we couldn’t let out in front of each other until now.

Even though we had more time together than apart, the distance that had grown was deep.

To the point where it was uncertain if we could even return to how we were before.

“…I’ve said my piece, so now it’s your turn to speak. Larien, where have you been and what have you been doing?”

Jade asked, suppressing his anger.

‘There’s no point in hiding it now that he found out I’m alive. If Jade looks into my whereabouts, he’ll easily find out.’

I honestly revealed everything, sensing he wouldn’t let it go if I didn’t answer properly.

“The Boston Trading Company has a branch in Rucar. I stayed at the villa and received heir training.”

“Rucar… That’s a place you have to take a ship from Rangrasa to get to. How did you go there?”

“I used the identity of my uncle’s daughter, Diane, to board the ship.”

Jade tilted his head to the side and lowered his eyes. It was one of his old habits whenever he was gauging something.

“…So that’s why the Earl called you his daughter. I figured you were receiving help from the Earl in some way, but I didn’t know you were receiving heir training too.”

“He’s someone I’m grateful to. Uncle has helped me in many ways.”

“I’m glad you seem to have been doing well. Ah, there’s one thing I’m curious about. Who is Aaron?”

I was surprised Jade mentioned Aaron, wondering how he knew about him.

“How do you know about Aaron?”

“You said Aaron handles the company’s business affairs.”

He smiled bitterly, referencing the conversation I had with Mary.

“It sounds like a man’s name. Am I right?”

I trembled at the heavy atmosphere Jade created by speculating Aaron was a man.

I was shocked it was overheard from the rooftop, but quickly understood.

There was something I learned while raising Blanche that Jade never told me.

Wolves have exceptionally good hearing.

“Don’t tell me, is he the child’s father?”

Jade gestured at Blanche, who was absorbed in stacking blocks.

The child’s father.

It seemed Aaron’s safety would be at risk if I lied and said he was the child’s father.

“…No. He’s just a proxy who teaches me the refinement and company lessons I need to know as a Viscount.”

“Anyway, he’s a man, right? Is he young? How old? What’s his family name?”

Jade didn’t let go of his deep suspicion and dug for information about Aaron.

A way to reassure him as he persistently asked.

“Aaron is a snake shapeshifter.”

“A snake shapeshifter?”

“With a different race, how could he be Blanche’s father?”

I uttered the reason I never thought of Blanche as my daughter.

“…That’s true.”

Jade narrowed his eyes smoothly, as if satisfied with the answer.

“Jade. Why did you come to the temple? You don’t believe in God.”

“…You believe.”

I wondered what he meant by saying he went to the temple because I believe in God.

The vague answer didn’t resolve my curiosity.

“More importantly, Larien. Don’t ever do that again.”

He warned strongly, pressing down on his breath.

Telling me not to die like that and leave his side again.

“If you do that again, I might really follow you and die this time.”

“Are you threatening me now?”

I was appalled by Jade saying he might follow me and die.

‘Why are you so blindly devoted to me?’

“Threatening? It’s just a request as a friend who doesn’t want you to die again.”

Friend.

He was a friend again.

Jade always confused me like this.

He openly displays an obsession you’d only see between lovers, yet always defines our relationship as friends.

‘Larien. We’re friends, aren’t we?’

‘…Friends?’

‘Can’t friends do this much?’

Just like back then when I felt pathetic for having expectations.

It was uncomfortable and unpleasant.

“Jade. When are you getting married to Lady Winst?”

It was a topic too raw to discuss with him when he had a fiancée.

“Married?”

“You’ve been engaged for a long time.”

The engagement seemed quite trivial to Jade.

‘Even in the past, I later recalled talks about engagement with Lady Winst going around.’

Seeing how he forgets every time the word engagement comes up.

“But how do you know I’m engaged?”

Jade’s tone became subtly sharp.

‘Why is he getting upset?’

He showed an inexplicable irritation.

“I happened to hear it. That you and Lady Winst have been engaged for quite a while.”

“…I’ll break off the engagement soon. Larien, she’s a woman you don’t need to worry about. I’ll handle it myself.”

“Did Lady Winst agree to the broken engagement too? And I don’t think ‘handle’ is the right word.”

“I maintained the engagement with the intention of breaking it off from the beginning…”

Unlike Jade who was answering ambiguously, I realized Lady Winst didn’t want to break the engagement.

The day he announced he would get engaged to her was one of the many reasons I hid Blanche’s existence.

Having done that, now trying to remove Lady Winst felt empty.

“Did you try to love Lady Winst?”

“Love? Why do I need to make that kind of effort?”

When asked if he loved her, he said it was ridiculous and that it was just a union between families.

‘He said he got engaged to Lady Winst in exchange for her family’s investment.’

For a fiancée who waited several years, receiving a broken engagement notice was humiliating enough.

I wanted to dissuade his choice to break up with her. However, I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the thought of Jade really getting married.

These contrasting emotions coexisted because of Blanche.

There was no need to discuss feelings beyond friendship with Jade anyway.

‘If Jade gets married, this ambiguous relationship will come to an end.’

It was right for Jade to keep his faith with Lady Winst.

“Jade. I hope you show at least a minimum level of courtesy to someone who waited for you.”

“Minimum level of courtesy?”

Jade took a deep breath. He had a momentarily complicated expression.

“Enough. Larien.”

He expressed not wanting to have any more conversation with me related to her.

“Larien, you… I. No, more importantly, you’ll be staying in Rangransa, right?”

“Why did you stop talking midway?”

“It’s not something to discuss with a child present. We met after a long time and I don’t want to fight with you either.”

Even if I wanted to pursue it to the end, I belatedly realized Blanche was with us.

‘He probably didn’t hear while building the castle. But it’s not something to talk about with Blanche here.’

I shut my mouth as he intended.

“…Damn it.”

Jade suddenly massaged his shoulder, frowning.

“Jade. What’s wrong? Does it hurt somewhere?”

I got up from the sofa and approached Jade, seeing him in pain.

As soon as I came to his side, Jade grabbed my hand.

“…Jade!”

“Just for a moment. Let’s stay like this.”

He used a grip I couldn’t break free from and made me sit next to him.

Jade leaned on my shoulder, making me unable to move.

“…Don’t fake illness. You startled me.”

His breath touching my neck tickled, and I remembered something from long ago.

Jade preferred this position to read books and take naps.

“Fake illness? I’ve been having pain because of the pattern recently. It really hurt earlier.”

Jade protested as if wronged and pressed even closer.

“…What do you mean? Pattern? Jade, you had divine power?”

It was the first time I heard Jade possessed divine power like Blanche.

“Not now. When I was young. Right before it went out of control, my father absorbed my divine power.”

“Absorb? Is that possible?”

“If the flow of divine power is the same. Usually when there’s a blood relation, the flow is similar.”

Then, even if Blanche went out of control, it was possible for Jade to absorb it and calm her down.

“Right. To Blanche…”

I tried to say Blanche had developed divine power but hesitated.

‘Even if absorption works when she loses control…’

It was only possible if Jade knew Blanche was his daughter.

‘It’s better for her to learn to control divine power at the temple as a priestess candidate.’

“What? Keep talking.”

“…No. I misspoke.”

Jade stared at me suspiciously as I stopped midsentence.

“A-Anyway, this is the first I’m hearing you had divine power.”

“Hmm, but. Larien. You already saw the pattern on my shoulder. You couldn’t have been completely unaware.”

“I’ve never seen it…?”

“You don’t remember that day?”

Jade retorted as if asking if I didn’t know.

“You got on top of me and marveled at the vine pattern on my shoulder.”

“When did I ever get on top of you…!”

“Am I the only one who remembers?”

At his low and slow voice, forgotten memories came flooding back, covering my mind.

…I did get on top of Jade. On the night we spent together, sharing thin lines of each other’s saliva with excited breaths.

‘What’s this, Jade? There’s a vine drawn on your shoulder.’

‘I had divine power. It’s a pattern.’

Jade licked his lower lip with his tongue.

Like a beast licking its chops before hunting its prey.

“I heard repeating the actions done in that situation brings back the memory.”