IMMCFC 33

Yawn. Letting out a yawn and slowly opening my drowsy eyes, I gently sat up.

In the darkness, a small pink bundle came into view. Melody was curled up beside me, fast asleep.

She must have been deeply asleep—my body felt refreshed.

“…So I really passed out.”

I carefully got out of bed.

Glancing out the window, I saw the moon hanging in the sky.

It was roughly close to midnight.

It seemed like several hours had passed since I had taken the antidote and collapsed.

I moved my arms and legs around, checking my condition.

“Yeah, as expected.”

Just as I had hoped, there was nothing wrong with my body. It meant the antidote had worked properly.

Thank goodness.

I let out a breath and pressed a hand to my chest, though part of me felt like this outcome was only natural.

If there had been any real risk, I wouldn’t have done something like that in the first place.

I was confident. Confident that nothing would go wrong.

I did know the original story’s information, but I had already confirmed the antidote’s effects in advance.

“I still don’t want to die yet.”

Jaden’s treatment had only just begun, and Melody still had a long way to go before becoming an adult. I couldn’t die until I finished everything I had to do.

“But still… I think I worried Kain a lot.”

My memory was hazy since I had been semi-conscious, but I remembered Kain’s face from my blurred vision.

He seemed quite angry at me for doing something so reckless.

“I should apologize later…”

It was true that I had startled him.

As I stretched my stiff back, something suddenly came to mind—something I had forgotten.

“Now that I think about it…”

I had promised to go for a night walk with Kain today.

Ah. I’m doomed. We were supposed to meet at 11. I was already beyond late.

I panicked for a moment, then quickly regained my composure.

“Calm down first.”

Logically speaking, the meeting had probably been canceled. After all, I had caused a major incident right in front of him.

It would be better to just lie down and sleep until my body fully recovered.

But…

Contrary to my thoughts, my feet moved not toward the bed, but toward the wardrobe, and my hand reached for my coat.

“I already slept a lot during the day anyway, and I’m not sleepy… I’ll just go out for a bit.”

Even though I knew better, I couldn’t help but wonder—just in case Kain might still be there.

The moment I grabbed the coat, something felt off around my chest.

“Oh, the necklace is out of place.”

Had I tossed and turned in my sleep? The necklace under my clothes had shifted slightly from its usual position.

I had worn it since childhood, so much so that it felt like part of my body now.

A necklace I had owned since before becoming the adopted daughter of the Dvore Marquess House.

According to the letter left by the late marquis, it was a keepsake from my biological mother and something I was told to cherish.

I carefully adjusted its position before putting on my coat.

“Of course there won’t be anyone in the garden.”

Even as I thought that, my steps toward the outside grew slightly faster.

A few hours earlier, in the Duke’s office.

Kain found himself unable to focus on his work, staring out the window instead.

All he could hear from the garden was the rustling of leaves in the wind.

“…So quiet.”

The daytime commotion felt as if it had never happened, and the garden was peaceful—but that silence was soon broken.

Knock knock. Along with a hesitant knock, an unexpected visitor arrived.

“…Your Grace.”

It was Jaden.

Three years had passed since he became his guardian.

The boy who had always avoided even meeting his eyes had come to his office on his own.

His fists were clenched so tightly they had gone pale as he lifted his head to meet Kain’s gaze.

“…Celicia Dorn tried to kill Viola.”

Kain quietly observed Jaden.

“How surprising.”

The boy who always ran away in fear whenever he saw him was now making such an expression.

Deep within Jaden’s eyes was still fear, but also a strong will to protect someone.

“So you want her to be punished.”

Kain answered calmly.

“As you wish, it will be done.”

“…Thank you.”

Only then did Jaden’s tense expression loosen slightly.

After that brief exchange, Jaden left, but in truth, there had been no need for him to come so dramatically.

Kain had already issued the order before Jaden even knocked.

By now, Celicia Dorn would already be loaded into a carriage like baggage and sent back to her family estate.

Kain set down his pen and recalled what had happened after leaving Viola’s room.

Celia Dorn was dragged into the office by knights, her arms restrained.

She collapsed onto the floor, disheveled, eyes filled with terror as she babbled incoherently.

“I, I’m innocent! I was just… trying to catch a fraud for Your Grace! Jaden—”

She had caused a disturbance in Jaden’s room and now looked completely crushed under the cold pressure of dragon blood aura.

Kain looked down at her with ice-cold eyes.

Regaining a bit of composure, she hurriedly spoke again.

“T-the girl just ate poisonous herbs on her own! Even if I forced her, I didn’t actually make her open her mouth—!”

At her endless excuses, Kain’s brow furrowed.

“Enough.”

“Your Grace…! I truly did nothing wrong—”

“Did you think I wouldn’t know you and the Dorn Count family were investigating my guest behind my back?”

“…!”

Celia froze.

“Conrad warned you, didn’t he? To be careful with your actions.”

Celia was nominally Jaden’s attendant, but in reality she was little more than a guest.

She had only been given the title of maid due to the relationship between the former duke and the Dorn Count family.

Of course, attempts had been made to assign proper servants to Jaden, but each time Conrad had reported:

“The young master does not wish it, Your Grace. If I may be so bold… perhaps you should trust him and wait?”

At those words, Kain had allowed Celia’s position to remain. Instead, he secretly assigned attendants to support the workload.

So Celia Dorn remained in Asheln as a hollow maid in name only.

Asheln was not a house that would collapse over a single parasite.

But there were limits that should not be crossed.

There was nothing left to discuss.

With a gaze colder than ice, Kain ordered:

“Take her away.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

The matter was settled there.

From that moment, Kain severed all ties with the Dorn Count family, which had long remained due to his father’s connection.

They were a major source of income, so the impact on the family would be severe. In effect, it would bring their house to ruin—but that was not his concern.

It was the punishment Jaden had wanted.

Silence returned to the office.

Then his eyes fell on the clock on the wall.

It was late at night. The time he had promised to meet Viola was approaching.

He knew the appointment had likely been canceled.

Kain picked up his coat.

Under the moonlight, Kain stood still, finally freeing himself from his thoughts.

“Too many distractions today.”

The reason he usually took night walks was to clear his mind.

Walking through the quiet garden always eased his tense nerves.

That was why, despite his indifference toward most things, he preferred the stillness of night.

And yet…

Why did this familiar silence feel so dull today?

Perhaps it was because the voice that had been chattering beside him last night was gone.

A subtle sense of emptiness kept tugging at him.

They had only walked together once—but already he felt the absence.

“How foolish.”

They had agreed to meet again tonight, but Kain knew the truth: the promise had effectively been canceled.

Viola would not come. She was probably fast asleep in bed by now.

And yet, knowing that, Kain still stood in the garden.