The man reached out to the portrait, touching the woman’s face depicted with delicate brush strokes. He smiled bitterly.

“If you knew, would you scold me? I’m already a sinner to you. Forgive me this once.”

He left the trapped passage and strolled through the castle for the first time in centuries. However, an unpleasant aura permeated the castle.

The stench was so overpowering it felt like his nose would rot. He moved towards the source of the smell.

“Why is the kind lady acting like this?”

“It must be because of that wicked woman. Ever since she met her, she hasn’t been well.”

“Right, that woman gives me the creeps.”

The maids and servants, who were huddled in the corridor, gasped in shock and bowed their heads as the man passed by.

“…….”

The man simply looked down at them. Their inscrutable dark blue eyes made the women bow deeper and quickly leave.

He entered the room, striding past Noel, who was startled by his presence. The man paid no attention to Noel and picked up the stone plate that Irene was holding.

“What are you doing!”

“Ah, I wondered where the stench was coming from. Why is this in my castle?”

“Give it back! It’s mine! Mine!”

Irene lunged at the man in a panic. He easily grasped her throat.

“Ugh-”

“Poor child. You’ve placed your desires in something wicked. You don’t even realize you’re being consumed by it.”

Holding Irene’s throat in one hand and the stone plate in the other, the man’s grip tightened, and the plate crumbled to dust. As the plate shattered, the red aura spreading throughout the castle began to dissipate.

Irene’s eyes reddened in fury at the ease with which the plate was destroyed.

“No, I need that. I need to be the Duchess!”

Irene, reaching out into thin air, was suddenly silenced. The chilling sensation, like being in front of a giant predator, made her break out in cold sweat.

He didn’t exert any force on his grip, just looked sternly at her.

Her instinct forced Irene to shut her mouth under that silent command, a look that held enough authority to suppress the influence of the stone plate.

“Brother! What’s happening?”
Upon hearing from the maids that Roderick was heading to Irene’s room, Felice hurried over.

The room was a complete mess, with all the furnishings broken. The most disordered seemed to be Irene, who was held in Roderick’s hand.

Roderick, tilting his head slightly, handed over Irene to Felice almost as if he was throwing her.

“Brother?”

“Is she your fiancée or something?”

Felice frowned as if genuinely offended by the suggestion.

“What are you talking about?”

“Alright.”

“Are you not going to tell me what happened?”

“Sort this out.”

The man patted Felice on the shoulder and left the room leisurely.

“How long are you going to keep staring? If you have something to say, follow me.”

Noel, who had been watching him warily, followed him silently.

The man, familiar with the castle’s layout, walked confidently. He stopped as he was about to go to the lord’s room, frowning. He found Roderick’s room in Roderick’s memories.

The man, sitting on the sofa as if it was his own, leaned back arrogantly and crossed his long legs.

“How did you get out?”

Noel was the first to speak.

“Hmm, this descendant’s wavelengths matched mine quite well.”

Noel clenched his teeth. He was sure he had magically sealed the passage.

Damn Schwarzes. With only partial memories, Noel harbored resentment towards the Schwarzes.

“Why are you in my castle?”

“I’ll be leaving soon. Don’t worry.”

The child puffed his cheeks and turned his head away.

The man tapped his fingers on the sofa armrest. His gaze, filled with interest and murderous intent, lingered on Noel.

“I really don’t like you.”

“Leave now.”

“What?”

“Oh, except for the descendant of Beatus. He seems to like this guy a lot, doesn’t he? He doesn’t seem to know how deep his feelings have become.”

“Very pleasing to me.” The man smiled broadly. Finally, a connection with her had been established. The love they couldn’t have could now perhaps be fulfilled by their descendants.

“Don’t joke. If I leave, Diana leaves with me.”

“That girl seems to be under a curse, too. Isn’t that why she needs the curse of my descendant?”

Having scanned through Roderick’s memories, the man had grasped the whole situation.

“And you. Noel, was it? You don’t even remember what you were originally.”

“I, I am a human!”

The man laughed heartily as if truly amused.

“Act like a beast if you are one. Don’t act like a human.”

Enraged by his words, Noel’s pupils elongated vertically.

“You’re powerless anyway. Why are you meddling beside Beatus? If it weren’t for you, I could have sought forgiveness from her.”

It was a very old story.

A dragon in love with a woman gave her all his power to fulfill her wish. However, the woman loved another man and used the power of the wish for him.

If only the woman and the man could have lived happily.

The tragedy began when the woman died.

The man resented the dragon for not protecting her, and the dragon resented the man for failing to protect her.

“……I may not remember everything, but I do remember this. Because of you, Angela cried until her death.”

“…….”

“You should live in agony. That’s why your soul remains trapped here.”

“…….”

“I will live. Live as a human. Angela told me to be happy no matter what.”

Noel, with his short stature, got off the sofa and glared at the man.

“Don’t interfere. This time, I’ll protect her no matter what.”