There was clearly something behind the furniture. The Duke pushed the furniture to the side.

The hinges were fully exposed, revealing a hidden door.

Like Adeline had done in the past, the Duke opened the door and began descending underground.

At the end of the long staircase was an iron door.

As he pushed open the cellar door and entered, dust clouded his vision.

The Duke quickly covered his mouth with the edge of his sleeve.

After the dust that had been scattered in the air for a while cleared, what became visible were paintings.

Canvases of various sizes, from larger than the Duke’s body to medium and small.

Judging by the cool air enveloping his entire body, it seemed to be a cellar used as a storage room.

Though he didn’t understand why the storage room was hidden behind furniture.

He moved his steps and walked to the center.

The most eye-catching was a large-sized canvas.

‘… Is that me?’

A portrait depicting a woman holding the young Duke.

‘Then this woman… is she my mother?’

Strangely, the moment he saw that painting, the Duke was surrounded by an inexplicable sense of discomfort.

“Ugh.”

Lost memories began to rush in all at once, overwhelming him.

Unable to bear the headache tearing through his mind, the Duke soon collapsed onto the cold cellar floor.

This villa was where he had hidden memories with his mother that he couldn’t tell anyone about.

The woman called Del, who claimed to be his lover to his amnesiac self, did not exist as a lover anywhere in his memories.

‘A stranger.’

Yes, we were perfect strangers. Not an intimate relationship like lovers…

‘Adeline Credion.’

The imperial debutante ball held this spring.

All the young ladies undergoing their debut had to wear white dresses and pin white corsages on their chests.

At that ball where it was natural to want to stand out the most among the sea of white.

Women with flushed expressions showing off themselves using elaborate patterns and decorations. Among them, there was one young lady who particularly caught the eye.

A woman with an indifferent expression, as if she had no interest in the debutante at all.

Rather, her dress without any decorations and the unusually small corsage, harmonizing with her wheat-colored hair, looked so pure and beautiful.

The Duke was instantly captivated by her.

Adeline’s eyes turned to meet his intense gaze.

‘I’ve been captivated by a meaningless woman.’

The woman with blue-tinged gray eyes bore a striking resemblance to Viscount Credion, who was in stark opposition to his family.

The Duke immediately realized she was Adeline Credion.

As the brief reminiscence ended, the Duke opened his eyes.

Despite the headache surging again, his mind was filled only with Adeline.

Now he felt like he might go mad from confusion.

‘Why…’

Why was the only daughter of the Credion viscounty at his villa?

The injured Duke’s retreat to this villa had not been planned.

Yet Adeline had been staying in this house even before he sought refuge.

‘What on earth is she plotting?’

If she was from the Credion family, she wouldn’t have missed the chance to kill the Duke.

But she had even treated and saved him when he was meant to be killed.

Also, she had made up the nonsensical story about being lovers and stayed by his side… Despite having a lover named Hyle.

“Adeline.”

He murmured her name in a low voice.

As her name left his lips, countless memories flooded in.

That woman who had cared for him when he lost his memories.

Adeline, who boldly claimed they were lovers when he asked if they were married.

With each memory of her resurfacing, the Duke felt a heat like blood rushing in reverse.

His heart raced at a maddening pace.

It was an indescribable feeling. He felt angry, betrayed, and at the same time, dejected.

“Ha…”

The Duke let out a sigh.

Due to his memory loss, he had been away from the ducal residence for far too long. There were mountains of tasks waiting for him right now. And some of them were time-sensitive.

But.

“I need to know. What you wanted from me.”

He couldn’t bring himself to leave.

Adeline Credion. What her true intentions were.

Why she had been at Torpeo’s hidden villa that no one else knew about.

No. Even putting all that aside, he needed to know the true nature of the emotion that was making Cassis boil over now.

[This is the timeline separator]

The sound of the rusty villa door opening was heard. It seemed Adeline, who had stormed out angrily, had returned.

She was about to pass by without noticing Cassis.

“Did you enjoy your walk?”

“Were you waiting for me? It’s hot outside, I need to wash up.”

Adeline, who had run out after an argument, answered him curtly.

Not knowing that his memories had returned.

“I was sensitive due to my memory loss. I apologize.”

Offering a polite apology that made his earlier anger seem out of place, Adeline’s mood softened.

“Ah… Alright! I’ll go wash up.”

Feeling suddenly embarrassed, Adeline hurriedly went into the bathroom.

She failed to notice. That the temperature surrounding him was a bit cooler than usual.

After finishing her shower, Adeline came out of the bathroom with wet hair as usual.

She walked comfortably in front of him as always.

Not realizing that her chemise, wet from the water, was revealing her naked body.

‘It seems she’s not even conscious of me. She’s been living with me so defenseless like this?’

A sneer formed on Cassis’s lips.

It wasn’t behavior befitting the daughter of a viscount. And that wasn’t all.

He couldn’t understand why this woman was in this villa with him, the enemy family.

And not only was she here, but she was also pretending to be his lover.

‘Were you sincere, I wonder.’

Had the actions she’d shown him so far been sincere?

As his thoughts reached this point, he wanted to test Adeline.

The Duke approached Adeline abruptly.

He took the towel clutched in Adeline’s hand and began drying her hair.

“Adeline.”

Hearing that name, Adeline held her breath.

“What did you just…”

“That newspaper. It says the name of the Credion viscount’s daughter is Adeline.”

[Breaking News! Beautiful Young Lady of Credion Viscounty Missing]

The Duke pointed to the newspaper on the table in front of the sofa as he continued speaking. It was part of the newspaper Adeline had brought.

The Duke deliberately mentioned Adeline’s real name to gauge her reaction.

“Ah…”

“I think the name Adeline sounds similar to your name.”

The Duke continued to probe Adeline, pretending not to know.

“Not at all. My name is just one syllable.”

Adeline just wanted this conversation to end.

“Del.”

The Duke stopped drying her hair and turned Adeline around.

The hand that had been gently stroking Adeline’s not fully dried hair now wrapped around her slender waist.

“Do you love me?”

Asking if she loved him was a kind of test.

The daughter of Viscount Credion who had diligently nursed and treated his injured self.

That woman had acted like a lover to him when he woke up with no memories. Quite affectionately at that.

Although it was a time of less than two months, the summer spent together made Cassis feel as if he had been intoxicated by a sweet dream.

So he asked.

If the emotions she had shown during their summer together were sincere.

Cassis’s heated gaze became deeply entangled with Adeline.

Adeline’s lips trembled as she stared at him intently.

“…”

Cassis moved even closer to Adeline.

Whatever reason the Credion daughter had for approaching him, he felt he could forgive everything if she revealed the truth now.

Without realizing it, he had given Adeline a lot of affection.

Even now, at this moment, he felt a strong urge to steal her breath as she shamelessly remained by his side, deceiving him.

‘I must be truly mad.’

Was it the feeling of betrayal that made him want to break her?

Or did he want her to be completely his? The Duke himself didn’t know his own heart.

The Duke picked Adeline up and laid her down on the soft bedding.

Adeline, suddenly about to be placed on the bed, struggled not to lie down.

When she reached back to grasp the bedspread to avoid lying down, he enveloped her hands and gradually approached her.

Adeline’s two hands were trapped in the Duke’s large hands. He slowly lowered his head, drawing closer to Adeline.

“I like you. I think I like you, Del.”

With the Duke’s words, their lips met.

Overwhelmed by the dizzying feeling, Adeline’s strength left her hands and her entire body was gradually enveloped by the bedspread.

Unable to withstand his weight, she slowly tilted backward.

When her back fully touched the bed, the Duke slightly parted their lips, which had been pressed together without the slightest gap.

“If I say I love you, will you never leave me?”