Riz turned around, and instead of Cane… or Hersis, all she saw was the curtains fluttering in the breeze that had blown in through the open window.

Hersis could only step out of the wall once he confirmed that Riz’s bedroom window had been closed.

He was about to return to the room when he noticed the dirt buried at the base.
The moment he leaped out of the window and landed, one of his knees touched the ground, probably where the dirt was buried.

He brushed off the dirt and muttered to himself, “I can’t believe I’m burying things like this now.”
Taking comfort in the fact that nowhere on his body was broken, he was the owner of an exceptionally agile and nimble physique.

“If Ishar finds out about this, he’ll probably laugh his head off. I guess I’m getting old now,” he thought to himself.
But despite feeling pathetic about himself, his mood seemed good.

It was a first. Revealing a secret to someone other than Ishar. A secret that had to be kept hidden at all costs.
He appeared to confess boldly, but in reality, he was quite nervous. He focused all his attention on not missing any change in Liz’s expression.
Would she consider me a monster, perhaps? Would she faint upon seeing my face change so dramatically, turning into a completely different person? What if she says she never wants to see me again? He genuinely worried, taking it very seriously.
Of course, even if she says she never wants to see me again, she probably won’t leave it at that. But still, I hope she would be a little less horrified. No, it’s okay if she’s horrified. I just wished she wouldn’t find me repulsive. But…
Reese was much more composed than he had thought. Of course, she was surprised, but it wasn’t because of the process of his face changing. It was because he realized that the changed version of himself was the same person she had known before.

He felt a deep sense of relief in that moment.
“What’s my name? What did you say you’d do if you couldn’t remember when we meet next?”

“Um… let me think. Uh… Henry? Heros? Hesent?”
He knew that getting even a single letter right was quite an achievement. He couldn’t help but realize how unreasonable it was to expect her to remember his full name. After all, they had spent ten years together.
He knew that getting even a single letter right was quite an achievement. He couldn’t help but realize how unreasonable it was to expect her to remember his full name. After all, they had spent ten years together.

The man’s name that Liz remembered, as far as meaningful male names go, was only Cain. He only realized this after her interest had waned. That was quite a remarkable privilege.
But now, he had to gradually erase that name and replace it with the name Hercesis in her mind. He could no longer live as Cain, and that wasn’t even his real name.
Liz also knew that this face had the same body and soul as Cain’s, so it wasn’t that difficult. Hercesis looked at Liz’s room once again.
Moments ago, the window that was transparent was now covered by crimson velvet curtains. Liz must have done it herself to ensure that Mirabel couldn’t look outside.
With the thought of her closing the curtains in a flustered manner, Hersis couldn’t help but chuckle.

“You’re cute, Liz Verium.”
He needed to leave this place before it got any later. It wouldn’t be good if people spotted him wandering the garden in his unfamiliar appearance.

After one last glance at the blood-red window that didn’t emit a single ray of light, he moved his steps.
However, he stopped abruptly after a few steps.

It was because of a word that was recognized belatedly.

“Handle everything for me. I don’t know.”

Liz felt as if he were under some sort of spell.
The man consistently seemed to extract Liz’s soul and disappeared in an unusual manner until the end.

Come to think of it, it was the same when they first met.
Capturing everyone’s attention, she appeared in a splendid manner, sometimes gracefully, and sometimes passionately leading the dance, confusing Liz’s mind.

It was the same when she defeated the delinquents in the backstreet square.
A lithe and wild body language, a lightning-fast decision-making with not a hint of hesitation, and absolute self-confidence.

There was undoubtedly a power in her that made onlookers lose themselves in admiration.
Looking back, when Hersis appeared, it seemed like everything around her momentarily became blurry. Only she appeared as a person with distinct contours and vivid colors.
It was a painful mistake to dismiss that as simply a sense of discomfort felt around an exceptional individual, a mistake I made as a possessed person.
If I had thought a little more deeply, I could have realized it. It was the very presence, the sense of being the protagonist in a novel.
Just by standing still, Lillia emitted the same kind of presence that cast a halo behind her.

If I had known earlier, I would have avoided the meeting by any means.

I was foolish.
As I held his hand and walked the streets at night, and as I woke up facing him in bed, remembering those moments, Liz’s face gradually turned pale.

“Do you have someone you like? If not, would you like to officially date me?”
I believed it was a confession without doubting, but now that I know it’s Kane, my certainty has disappeared.

After ten years of building a wall around his heart, it’s unlikely to change now. Besides, I didn’t do anything.

Why did he do that?

Was he bored?
Or was it curiosity? Did he find the sudden change in my attitude intriguing?

Liz’s thoughts continued to circle in one place.

It was too cold and clear-cut for Kane’s previous rejection to be attributed to something else.
“I’m sorry, but Miss Liz, I’ve never once thought of you as a woman. I will continue to do so in the future.”

In the original work, he was described as a man who didn’t speak empty words, and in reality, he was just that.

*Note: The text in brackets “[대쉬]” appears to represent a dash or pause, and it can be translated as “…” or simply left as a pause in the translation.
Liz sprawled on the bed and let out a deep sigh.

She couldn’t fathom his thoughts at all, but it didn’t seem particularly important.

What mattered was his decision regarding her… only that.

“What will become of me now?” Liz wondered.
“Did he realize his feelings for the heroine?”

She wondered about that too.

Suddenly, she recalled the gaze of the man who had just been looking down at her in this very spot.

He appeared to be smiling lazily, but his eyes blazed like yellow flames.
“Is it revenge after all? Because I hit Lilia?”

Liz felt a chill run down her spine.