Bang.
Luzbel appeared.
“What do you think you are doing?”
The Luzbel who was always gentle and devoted to Aisha was nowhere to be found.
A murderous glare was directed at Lisellon, and striding forward, he snatched Aisha into his arms.
But Aisha didn’t stay still.
“What do you think you are doing yourself?!”
She shouted as she tried to shake off Luzbel’s arm. Of course, it didn’t help much.
“I’m going to Lisellon, let go!”
“…Isha.”
Luzbel had been nothing but cold when looking at Lisellon, but he couldn’t be the same with her.
Moisture quickly welled up in his wounded eyes.
Even so, Aisha was merciless.
“Let go!”
She struggled with all her strength, trying to break free.
“Was it really all an act?”
Looking at Aisha like that, Luzbel asked with a sneer.
It had been a trap he had set with a faint hope, but if he had known it would turn out like this, he would never have done it.
Even if everything had been an act, it would have been better to live as a fool who knew nothing.
“What kind of bullshit are you talking about?!”
“…You said we would be together for life.”
“…Am I insane?!”
Aisha let out a hollow laugh in disbelief and resisted even harder, and in the end, she bit down on Luzbel’s arm.
She bit him so hard that his jaw bulged, but Luzbel didn’t even let out a scream.
“Ugh.”
It was the behavior of Aisha who, before losing her memories, had hated him so intensely.
Luzbel’s head cooled instantly, and he slowly regained his composure.
“…It seems I was completely deceived by you. I was foolish.”
“Your Grace, Aisha is saying she dislikes this, so please let her go now.”
At that moment, Lisellon, who had been displeased by the scene, spoke in a refined tone.
“Hah.”
Luzbel scoffed, rendered speechless by the absurdity.
“Let go! Lisellon came to take me with him!”
Aisha shouted triumphantly. She looked as though she might run off in a lovers’ elopement with Lisellon at any moment.
“Is that so?”
Luzbel asked.
“…Are you planning to run away together in some kind of love escape?”
“I said yes!”
Aisha answered immediately, but Lisellon remained silent, as if his mouth had been glued shut.
“Marquis. Answer.”
“…”
“Lon…? Why are you not answering? You came to take me, did you not?”
“…”
With no response from Lisellon, Aisha turned to look at him in disbelief.
At the same time, her body suddenly collapsed, as if a fuse had blown.
“Isha!”
A startled Luzbel caught the collapsing Aisha in his arms.
***
From the moment she collapsed, Lisellon no longer mattered in the slightest.
Luzbel simply held Aisha tightly and ran, again and again. There wasn’t even time to call for the attending physician.
Bang.
But the attending physician wasn’t in his room.
Then he remembered that Jeron had collapsed earlier and ran to where Jeron was.
As expected.
“Your Grace…?”
The attending physician was tending to Jeron. Hearing the rough noise, the physician and the servants turned around and were horrified.
“Why is the Madam…!”
“Check her immediately. She was shouting in agitation and suddenly collapsed.”
Luzbel looked completely distraught, and the attending physician hurriedly laid Aisha down on the bed and checked her pulse.
“Hmm.”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“No. She is perfectly fine. She has no fever, and her breathing is very steady. But why did she suddenly become so agitated?”
“…”
Luzbel’s lips trembled.
From that cold gaze in the banquet hall, to the moment he went after her, Aisha had clearly recognized Lisellon and had even tried to kiss him.
“Your Grace? What is wrong?”
“Aisha, she…”
“Yes?”
“…I think Aisha has regained her memories. No, it was all an act.”
“What?”
If he had known it would turn out like this, he never would have called Lisellon.
He had only wanted to see whether Aisha could remain unaffected even after seeing Lisellon.
“Your Grace!”
The attending physician, startled, called out to Luzbel and raised his hand.
From the tightly clenched fist, blood was dripping down, showing how much force he had put into it.
“…Physician.”
“Yes. Your Grace, please let me see your hand for a moment. It needs treatment.”
The attending physician took out medicine to treat Luzbel’s hand, but Luzbel showed no sign of wanting to be treated and didn’t loosen his grip at all.
Luzbel simply stared at Aisha, his fist clenched tightly.
In his calmly sunken eyes, an obsession and madness of unfathomable depth briefly surfaced.
“…Your Grace.”
Watching from the side, the attending physician felt chills run over his entire body and shuddered.
Just what had happened in that brief moment, for someone already mad to become even more unhinged?
As the physician swallowed dryly, Luzbel spoke.
“Inform them.”
“Pardon?”
“…As of today, the banquet is over. And no one is to enter this room. The same applies to you unless I permit it. Take Jeron out as well.”
“…Yes.”
The physician bowed his head, and at the same time, quietly withdrew with the servants, carrying Jeron in their arms.
With the click of the door closing, only a chilling silence remained in the bedroom.
“Isha.”
Luzbel murmured as he stayed by Aisha’s side alone.
“This is all something you brought upon yourself.”
“…”
“I wanted to accommodate your wishes as much as possible, at least this time.”
“…”
A gentle touch, as if handling fine porcelain, brushed against Aisha’s cheek.
“Get some rest.”
The voice that had been filled with anger returned to a gentle warmth as if nothing had happened, and after taking one last look at the sleeping Aisha, Luzbel quietly closed the bedroom door.
Click.
And shortly after, a large padlock was fastened outside the closed bedroom.
***
She opened her eyes, but Aisha couldn’t tell whether her eyes were open or closed, as her vision was pitch-black.
‘Why is it so dark?’
Groping her way up, she called for Mika.
“…Mm. Mika, can I have some water?”
But no sound came in response.
“Mika?”
It was silent, as if no one was there. With no attendant in sight as there always had been, Aisha had to move on her own.
Looking around, Aisha drew the curtain aside.
It seemed to be night outside, and she wondered if everyone had gone to sleep, but she was flustered because this had never happened before.
Because of Luzbel’s excessive overprotection, there had always been attendants staying near her.
Clatter—
“Huh? Why is the door like this?”
She tried to open the door, but it would not budge.
“Um, is anyone outside?”
When Aisha banged on the door, she finally heard someone’s voice.
“Madam, please stay where you are for a moment.”
“Huh? It seems like the door is broken, so fix it before you go,”
Tap tap tap.
But before she could say anything more, the sound of footsteps faded away.
Aisha thought they had simply gone to get help, so she waited quietly.
A moment later, the door did open, and Luzbel appeared. The attending physician was with him.
“Luzbel!”
She greeted him with a bright smile, but seeing that his face looked quite worn, Aisha tilted her head, then asked,
“But why am I here? Is the banquet over?”
“Isha, do you not remember?”
“Huh? Remember what?”
“…Physician, please check her condition first.”
Luzbel felt different somehow. No, his gaze and tone were still gentle, but there was a subtle sense of distance.
Sensing something strange, before Aisha could say anything, the attending physician stepped forward.
“Please, let me take a look.”
“Ah, uh…”
The physician lightly moved closer, took Aisha’s wrist, checked her condition here and there, then asked,
“Madam, do you not remember what happened a few days ago?”
“A few days ago?”
“You collapsed suddenly during the banquet.”
“I did?”
Aisha shook her head from side to side, as if she had no recollection at all.
Then her face crumpled into a distressed expression.
“What? Then does that mean the banquet ended before I could even make friends for Jeri?”
“…Yes. Everyone has already gone home.”
“Ah, I did not even get close to anyone…”
Clearly upset, Aisha asked again,
“Then why did I collapse?”
“I am not entirely sure either. For now, Madam’s condition is very good. Of course, since you have been sleeping for several days straight, you should start exercising again and make sure to eat well.”
“Alright.”
Aisha nodded lightly, then immediately reached out toward Luzbel’s face.
In fact, ever since Luzbel had come in with the attending physician, his complexion had looked so poor that it had been bothering her.
She had wanted to tell the physician to look at Luzbel first, but knowing Luzbel’s personality, she felt he wouldn’t budge until she herself had been examined, so she stayed quiet.
Flinch.
When her hand touched his cheek, Luzbel trembled.
“Physician, please check Beli too. What did this man do while I was collapsed for his face to look like this?”
“…Ah.”
For a moment, Luzbel’s face twisted miserably.
“Why, does it hurt?”
Startled, Aisha made a fuss and pressed the physician, who replied,
“There is nothing to examine. Ever since Madam collapsed, he has neither eaten nor slept and has done nothing but work, so it is only natural that his complexion worsened.”
“What did you say?! Beli, did you really do that?”
“…Isha.”
Not sleeping or eating for several days?
Insane.
“Hurry, hurry and bring something to eat. I am hungry too, so we can eat together. And what about Jeri? He has been doing well, right?”
“…Mm.”
The attending physician remained silent in a frightening way.
Seeing his expression darken, which didn’t seem like a good sign, Aisha abruptly pushed herself up from her seat.
“I want to go see Jeri.”
But.
“You cannot.”
She was stopped by Luzbel.
“Huh? Why?”
“I will have Jeron brought here, so you need to stay here.”
“I am fine now.”
Even when she tried to emphasize that she was fine, it seemed useless. Luzbel answered firmly.
No.
