Chapter 6
Would she die…? No, thinking like that was weak. She had survived countless hardships so far. She only needed to survive this as well. Lanya forced herself to stand and inspect the room in earnest. Truthfully, there was almost nothing worth looking at—but there was one thing she liked.
“At least the window is nice.”
She walked to the round window and struggled to remove the rusted latch. With effort, it finally opened. Beyond it lay the steep ridges of the fortress wall, the silhouette of distant mountains, and a sky painted in clear blue. Lanya closed her eyes, letting the breeze brush against her face as if greeting her.
As Katukan had said, the maids brought meals at regular times and helped her wash when needed. And when night came, they locked the door from the outside without a word. Exhaustion overwhelmed her before she could dwell on it. Lanya climbed into bed and fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow.
Tap.
Something brushed against her nose. She frowned, turning her head away in her sleep. Again, something tapped lightly at her nose. What on earth…? Forcing her eyes open, she saw a man’s face hovering before her. A scream burst from her lips.
“Aaaaah!”
The one smiling as if delighted by her reaction was none other than the Berkian Duke.
“Found you.”
He leaned in close and grinned like a boy.
“My bride.”
“T-the… how did you get in? The door was locked…”
“It was locked. But the window wasn’t.”
The Duke gestured toward it. Only then did she remember opening the window for fresh air. He couldn’t have come in that way… could he? Lanya stared at him in disbelief.
“D-don’t tell me you came in through the window?”
“Yep. Through the window.”
The Duke continued to smile brightly, as though nothing could ruin his mood.
“So why are you holed up in a place like this?”
He edged closer. Lanya scooted backward, trying to put distance between them. His expression darkened slightly, one brow lifting in irritation. Seeing it, Lanya thought he looked like a pouting child—but she quickly dismissed the thought. Calling the Duke a sulking kid? Even thinking it felt disrespectful.
“I told you before, didn’t I? Stay by my side.”
“You told me to stay in this room.”
“That was me?”
He studied her for a moment, then his gaze sharpened.
“Ah… that must’ve been the other one. That annoying fellow.”
His expression shifted into a smile.
“From now on, listen only to me. Whatever the daytime version says, got it?”
The “daytime version”? It was as if he regarded his night self and day self as different people. Was she going mad—or was he?
“Day or night, you’re still the same person, aren’t you?”
“Do I really look the same to you?”
“Well…”
“Take a closer look.”
Suddenly, he sat cross-legged and propped his chin on his hand, leaning in.
Lanya swallowed hard as his face came so close. It was undeniably the same man—same features, same voice, the one she had once thought, almost involuntarily, was beautiful. Yet… his eye color was different. Earlier, it had been a dark grayish black, but now it was red.
Though the same person, he felt different—an unsettling contradiction. She asked, confused:
“Don’t tell me… you actually turn into someone else at night?”
“Something like that.”
He nodded.
Lanya was thrown into even greater confusion.
“How is that possible?”
She had seen many strange things in her life, but this? A person changing into someone else every night? It was absurd—something she had never even heard of.
“Who knows? I’m curious myself. But I don’t dislike this life.”
He muttered to himself and smiled.
“Because I met you.”
He stared at her with an intensity that made her uncomfortable. Lanya tried to scoot away, but her back hit the wall. There was nowhere left to go. Fear and unease tangled in her gaze.
“W-why are you looking at me like that?”
“Anyway, I need you.”
“Me…?”
“Yes. I really need you. Look at this.”
He reached out—and his hand trembled slightly. Sweat glistened on his brow. Worried that he might be ill, she hesitated, but before she could speak, he collapsed into her arms as if unable to hold himself up.
“Just being close to you… I feel alive. Haah…”
She ought to push him away immediately—but for some reason, she couldn’t. He wasn’t trying to force himself on her. Instead, he looked like a child writhing in pain, burying his face against her legs and curling up. She felt a twinge of pity.
Gently, she wiped the sweat from his forehead with her sleeve.
“Are you really sick? You’re burning up. Shouldn’t we call a physician?”
“No need for a physician. I’m only hurting because you weren’t here.”
His voice sounded like a child’s complaint.
“That doesn’t make sense. Why would you hurt because I’m gone?”
“It’s true. I used to endure pain easily, but since I met you, it’s become unbearable. I can’t stand it.”
He lifted his head and looked at her with red eyes filled with desperation.
“But when I’m touching you like this… the pain fades. It’s as if your scent heals me, like your blood alone can save me.”
Listening to him, she thought he seemed entirely different from the man she had seen during the day. Yet… that couldn’t really be true. Perhaps he was simply mentally unwell—more than anything, he seemed like someone suffering.
“No matter how I look at it, you seem sick.”
“Yeah, I am.”
“No, I mean… in a different way.”
“You think I’m crazy?”
She couldn’t bring herself to say it outright, but he chuckled and finished the thought.
“Fine. Maybe I am.”
He laughed for a while, then suddenly leaned in close again.
“But not tonight?”
“Not what?”
“The first night.”
“Oh—absolutely not!”
She shoved him away in a panic. He pouted like a child.
“Tch.”
Then he flopped down, resting his head on her thigh and pressing his face against her stomach.
“Fine. I’ll just sleep like this.”
“Well, but…”
Katukan had told her not to let anyone in. Yet he closed his eyes as if he had no intention of listening.
It was a dark night.
Deep within a narrow underground cavern, two figures entered—a woman with her face hidden by a black veil and a man in a black robe. They passed through a long, cramped passage and stopped before a wall. When the woman touched it, the surface slid away as if it were not stone at all, revealing a hidden room. Inside were tools of sorcery and experimentation—objects of unknown purpose.
There were also several bowls filled with blood. The veiled woman stepped in first and approached a desk.
“This time, it seems we succeeded.”
The robed man followed.
At that moment, the corner of her lips curled upward.
“…Really?”
“It is time to witness the end of the Berkian Duke.”
The woman with the black veil smiled thinly and looked down at the portrait of the Berkian Duke spread across the desk.
‘It hurts… sob… it hurts…!’
Where was this?
A cavern-like ceiling came into view. The air stank of blood and something burning. Around Lanya stood figures in black robes.
‘All you must do is remain by the Duke’s side. Until the moment the butterfly engraved on your back ends his life.’
As the pain intensified, she screamed.
Then she jolted awake.
“What… was that dream?”
She stared ahead, dazed. Suddenly, a sharp sting came from the back of her neck.
