‘I should not have ignored the creaking sound earlier!’

I closed my eyes tightly, thinking I would fall without fail.

“Why doesn’t it hurt…?”

I slowly opened my eyes as I felt no impact. In my sight was Jade, holding the ladder and breathing heavily.

“Jade…? When did you come…?”

His shoulders heaved as if he had rushed over in a hurry.

“…Larien. You’re shortening my lifespan.”

He rubbed his face and held out his hand.

“Hold on and come down.”

“Th-Thank you.”

I obediently took his hand and carefully climbed down, but my ankle stung and I slumped down.

“Larien!”

“When did I sprain my foot…?”

“Last time you dropped a glass and got hurt, why are you so careless?”

Jade pressed his brow and chided me.

“Why did you climb up the ladder?”

“Ah, this. The book was up there, and I couldn’t reach it, so I tried to get it…”

“If you couldn’t reach it, why didn’t you call for me?”

It seemed if I didn’t stop him now, the nagging would go on.

“If I hadn’t come here, you might have fallen and gotten hurt. What if you hit your head…”

I hurriedly covered Jade’s lips.

“Jade, I’m really sorry but save the scolding for later. There’s a way to save Blanche written here.”

He narrowed his eyes and gently bit my index finger.

“J-Jade, what are you doing, why are you biting!”

I reflexively pulled my hand away.

“You don’t look sorry at all. What’s this method to save Blanche?”

Red teeth marks were already left there.

“Ouch…”

Sensing it would be unwise to provoke him further, I quietly pointed to the relevant part.

“Read this here.”

“If one swallows another’s jewel, it causes a rejection reaction and collides, making them spit out the jewel…?”

Jade read the sentence aloud, raising his eyebrows.

“…When did Wales Rowe write his daughter’s medical journal and leave it in the library?”

Jade read the medical journal from the beginning.

“It’s similar to the records I know. Since Wales Rowe clearly recorded it, it’s credible. We can try it on Blanche.”

The joy of not having to send Blanche to the snowy mountains was short-lived.

“How do we get someone else’s jewel?”

“We can feed her this.”

Jade detached his brooch and pointed to the sapphire embedded in it.

“If we give the jewel to Blanche, what about you, Jade?”

“…I might have a bit of trouble breathing. It’s fine.”

He was deliberately saying it was no big deal to ease my worry.

I knew that without a jewel, one’s life would be in danger.

‘Wales Rowe discovered this method after his daughter died, so it’s not certain, and even if Blanche eats that sapphire, will she spit it out right away…?’

What if something goes wrong and both Blanche and Jade are lost?

What if I’m left alone in an instant?

My lips trembled with anxiety at the series of terrible imaginations.

‘Above all, even if Blanche lives, it’s a life exchanged for Jade’s… Absolutely not.’

I was just happy to find a solution, without considering the process.

“Jade, isn’t there another jewel? One that won’t endanger anyone if we give it to Blanche.”

“Another jewel?”

Jade fell into deep thought at my question.

“…The watch.”

“Huh?”

Then he gave a brief answer.

“Father’s jewel is embedded in the pocket watch you found for me when you were young.”

“Really?”

I remembered. To get close to Jade, I had used information from the original story to win the watch at an auction.

‘I gave it to him to lower his guard and become friends, but to think it would become the thing to save Blanche…’

It was amazing how things were connected like this.

“Ayla has the watch now. I’ll go to Salome Castle to get it.”

“Are you going alone? Can’t I come with you?”

“With that ankle?”

I tried to stand up to show I was fine, but immediately let out a silent scream of pain.

“See? Wait here for a moment. Don’t move.”

Jade left those words and quickly exited the library.

‘What is he trying to do?’

I frowned as I massaged my swollen ankle.

“I should have called Jade instead of climbing the ladder.”

My ankle hurt too much to follow him, so I stayed put.

‘Come to think of it, he took off his brooch without hesitation earlier.’

Even though he’d be in danger without that jewel, he was trying to give it to Blanche, even lying about it.

‘Anyway…’

I smiled, clutching my throbbing heart.

‘Blanche would be happy if she knew.’

I couldn’t help but smile despite the pain.

It really felt like we had become a family.

“Larien. Why are you grinning?”

Jade came back in holding an ice pack.

“Why the ice pack?”

“Put it on for a moment. To reduce the swelling.”

Jade placed the ice pack on my ankle.

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

I felt additional pain from the coldness of the ice.

“Bear with it.”

Jade rolled the ice pack mercilessly and responded coldly.

“I’ll ice it when we get back to the earl’s mansion. Jade, hurry and go to Salome Castle, okay?”

“I’ll check when I get back. Whether you did it properly or not.”

“Alright, help me to the carriage.”

He placed the ice pack in my hand.

“Hold this for a moment.”

Jade put his hands between my legs, wrapped his arms around my waist, and lifted me up as he left the library.

“Jade!”

“You asked for help, didn’t you?”

“I meant to support me, not carry me. Put me down quickly!”

Jade showed no intention of putting me down, instead adjusting his hold and tightening his grip.

Passing servants stepped aside and bowed deeply.

I hid in Jade’s arms every time we encountered servants.

Jade’s lips curled up.

I was afraid of the rumors that would spread among the servants who saw me in Jade’s arms.

“Larien. Don’t worry about the servants.”

“No, how can I not…”

“It’s fine.”

Unlike my anxiety, Jade was perfectly calm.

“The servants decorated the banquet hall, but news of Ayla’s marriage didn’t reach Grand Duke Usith’s ears. Why do you think that is?”

“What is it…?”

“I pay the servants higher wages than their experience warrants. They know they’ll be fired if they gossip, so they keep their mouths shut.”

…The reason for his composure was that he had already taken care of it with money.

‘I wondered why he suddenly brought up Grand Duke Usith.’

“But wouldn’t Ayla’s marriage to Viscount Lumiere be known by now?”

“They’ve already been making a fuss, sending people to complain about holding the wedding without notice. I should have their tongues cut out.”

Cut out their tongues. This psychopathic side of him was still present.

“Jade, you. You’re Blanche’s father.”

“Why bring that up?”

He looked at me as if wondering why I was mentioning something he already knew.

“What will Blanche learn from seeing you?”

“That’s why I’m careful with my words in front of the child.”

“Change your way of thinking itself. Think more normally, I mean.”

Jade murmured as if he couldn’t understand.

“…Isn’t cutting out tongues quite normal? It’s not like I’m saying I’ll kill them.”

“It’s not normal at all. Killing is absolutely not okay. You, how have you not changed since then? Even trying to abandon an injured lark…”

It was when we were young.

I found an injured lark that had fallen from a tree and took care of it for days.

Worried, I didn’t sleep at night and fed it, but Jade tried to throw the lark away.

Saying there was no value in pouring affection into a lark that would die again even if we saved and released it.

‘Jade, how can you say such things? There’s nothing worthless or valueless in this world.’

‘I don’t understand why you’re angry. I was just trying to help so you wouldn’t struggle.’

‘If you don’t understand, just memorize it. Come on, repeat after me. All life is precious. We shouldn’t treat it carelessly or kill it just because we don’t like it.’

I was surprised and educated him almost like brainwashing, but I lamented thinking that effort had been in vain.

“All life is precious. We shouldn’t treat it carelessly or kill it just because we don’t like it.”

But Jade recited it without missing a single word.

“What? You remembered it all?”

“I don’t forget what you say.”

“Then why are you like this?”

Jade averted his gaze and opened his lips.

“I said I don’t forget, not that I do it.”

It really was useless. I gave up trying to persuade him further.

“Anyway, for Blanche’s sake, refrain from saying such things. Understood?”

Jade nodded his head up and down halfheartedly. It was a response that he would just not forget the words this time too.

Jade helped me into the carriage.

“Larien. I think I should take you to Earl Boston’s mansion first−”

“I told you it’s fine. It takes a long time to get to Salome Castle, right?”

“I can be back in an hour.”

“An hour?”

Salome Castle was half a day’s journey by carriage.

‘…Ah. He’s going in wolf form.’

I knew it was fast, but the time difference compared to a carriage was stark.

“Anyway, hurry and go.”

“Alright.”

“Be careful. Jade. I’ll wait for you.”

It was better for him to quickly get the watch rather than waste time taking me back.

“Okay. I’ll go after watching you leave.”

Jade closed the carriage door and approached the coachman.

I could hear him repeatedly instructing not to rush and to drive carefully so the carriage wouldn’t shake.

‘Why go that far…’

My excited heart wouldn’t calm down at his worried voice.