With a loud slam, Noel bit his lip as he shut the door forcefully.

The past was just that, the past. He wouldn’t dwell on an unremembered past but look forward and move on.

He ran with his short legs, heading, as always, to where she was.

“Oh, Noel. I was just looking for you. Did you notice that ominous aura suddenly disappeared?”

“Uh-huh.”

“How did it happen? Did the curse’s medium break?”

Without answering her question, Noel silently hugged Diana.

“That’s good. It saves us the trouble of having to remove it, right?”

Noel nuzzled his cheek against her, acting like a spoiled child. It seemed like he might have regressed to infancy, but it didn’t matter.

“Sister.”

His voice sounded like a whimper.

“Hmm?”

“Don’t abandon me.”

Don’t leave me. Noel held Diana tightly with his small arms.

“Of course, my little brother.”

Diana’s comforting touch brought Noel some peace, but his expression quickly darkened.

Brother. What would Diana do if she found out he wasn’t her real brother?

How long could this false relationship last? The magic that manipulated his memories might unravel someday.

“Why so glum, Noel?”

Diana asked with concern in her gaze.

The affectionate Diana might accept him. Clinging to that hope, Noel pushed away his negative thoughts.

“Sister, I like you. I love you.”

“Is it because of the thunder? My little Noel is being so clingy.”

Even though it could be bothersome, Diana gently soothed Noel until he fell asleep in her arms, unaware of the tears streaming down his face.

It was a day when snowflakes fluttered like petals. A beautiful woman with particularly lovely pink eyes was gazing at him.

“Levant Schwarz. Levant. I love you.”

The man couldn’t bring himself to reach out to her longed-for image. Realizing his feelings for her too late was his mistake, and he regretted it deeply.

If only she had become the Duchess, he wouldn’t have had so much regret.

Boom! The thunder, loud enough to shatter the sky, broke the man’s reverie.

Under his long eyelashes, his blue eyes darkened. Outside the window, it was raining endlessly, not snowing.

The raindrops harshly hitting the window seemed to remind him that this was not a dream.

Knock, knock. He would have ignored the late-night knocking if it weren’t for that small voice.

“Roderick. Are you asleep?”

Surprised by the sudden opening of the door, Diana’s eyes widened, but then she softly smiled.

“Were you sleeping?”

“…….”

“Can I come in?”

Without waiting for a response, she entered his room. The spring scent unexpectedly visiting his storm-tossed heart fluttered around.

Roderick’s heart pounded heavily.

Roderick out of anxiety, the man out of longing. Both men’s emotions resonated.

“Why the visit? I thought you’d ask to sleep together,” Diana teased with a playful smile.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her face.

The nostalgic fragrance blurred his vision.

Her clear eyes, the pink irises he couldn’t forget, were right in front of him.

He reached out a hand he had not dared to extend in his memories.

His fingers trembled as they touched her soft, smooth skin, feeling even the fine down on her face.

Diana tilted her head and nestled her face into his large palm, undeterred by his touch.

The thick fingers twitched at the trust blooming on her slender face. Emotion choked him.

Burnt-out emotions flickered back to life. The man was overwhelmed by the emotions stirring within him.

“Roderick.”
Roderick’s gaze at her was unusual, his usually dark blue eyes quietly swirling with something deeper.

Both Noel and Roderick seemed off, appearing somewhat precarious. Roderick, with his brows knitted in restraint, managed only an awkward smile.

“Are you crying?”

His hand, filled with her face, suddenly shed a tear over his melancholic expression.

“…….”

Who said it? That a handsome man’s tears are always right. Lost in such a trivial sentiment, she tasted the bitterness on her lips.

“Wait a moment.”

Thump. Pushed onto the bed by Roderick, Diana looked at him strangely as he pounced without warning.

“Roderick.”

She couldn’t read his expression. Even though his usual impassiveness was readable, today was different.

“Hold on.”

Her wrists, pinned down by his hand, expressed her discomfort to his urgent touch,

“Stop it.”

But he didn’t listen.

“Stop it, I said!”

At the end of her patience, Diana flipped him over with a sudden burst of strength.

Straddling him, she pressed a hidden dagger against his carotid artery.

“Didn’t you hear me tell you to stop?”

One hand pressing on his solar plexus, the other holding the dagger, Diana’s posture prompted one of his eyebrows to arch significantly.

“……A Beatrice, but different.”

A chill ran down her spine. An alien voice was emanating from Roderick’s mouth.

“Who are you?”

“Can you harm Roderick’s body recklessly?”

Ha. What’s he saying? She aggressively swept back her hair.

“I don’t know who you are, but I can show you whether I can harm you or not.”

If Roderick is playing a trick, he won’t get away with it.

It was hard to believe that he was possessed or had a split personality.