Seth chuckled at the plausible suggestion. He dropped his plan to socially and physically destroy the insolent secretary.

The secretary, who had thought he had been helpful to his respected boss, blushed and bowed his head in farewell.

Flicking through the documents for approval, Seth flitted his eyes back and forth vigorously across the pages.

‘Yeah, going out might be okay, considering I was just trying to avoid being spotted by those bastards.’

He wasn’t the only one aware of the author’s presence.

Which was why Seth didn’t want Litrie to leave the room, the building, or the mansion.

‘It’s clear that not only the stupid Knight Commander, but also the Mage Tower Master didn’t notice. Yeah, well, if they did, they’d never let me keep her all to myself.’

Because it was “they” who summoned the author.

“I’m going to leave early today, so you can just separate the papers here and leave.”

“Yes, Your Grace. Please take care.”

The secretary, pleased to have been of service to his esteemed boss, bowed.

Seth didn’t give the secretary a second glance as he left the main building of the Imperial Palace, which housed the Chancellor’s Office.

Home was merely a place where necessary things were gathered and a place to do various things for stress relief, but lately, it had become a place he liked.

Because of someone in his home.

“Mr. Milan.” 

The sound of a woman’s voice calling his name as if she’d been waiting for him, however, sent Seth’s mood plummeting. He narrowed his eyes and smiled out of habit.

Usually, when people did this, their guard dropped, and Seth had played this trick several times.

“Mr. Milan, do you remember who I am?”

“Of course, Lady Florance. I heard that the empress is holding a tea party today; you must be on your way there.”

“Yes.”

“Then you may enjoy yourselves with the others; I must take my leave.”

The woman with flushed cheeks and furrowed brow and parted lips wanted one thing, but Seth ignored her and walked away.

Rather, he tried to leave.

“Mr. Milan.”

“What is it?”

Although he was smiling, the woman hesitated for a moment at the unfamiliar coldness in the man’s voice.

“If you have nothing to say, I’ll be going.”

“Mr. Milan, I want to continue our relationship!”

As he turned away, she called out in panic.

“We were passionate that day, and I-…It had to be you, Mr. Milan.”

The man’s face turned back to her; his expression set with a coldness that could almost make one sick.

‘Is that person Mr. Milan?’

The bewildered woman couldn’t bring herself to speak again.

Instead, Seth looked down at her with a cold gaze and spoke.

“So, are you trying to claim that the child in your womb is my child?”

The woman’s face paled as her intentions were exposed.

“You were having a relationship with a man with red hair so you could pass him off as my child?”

The woman’s red lips trembled, but Seth paid no attention.

“Lady, I know that you have feelings for me, but I’m not interested in you.”

He was irritated by the time wasted on this.

“If you bother me with this kind of thing again, Lady Florance, there won’t be a second chance. I will let everyone know in front of you whose child is in your womb.”

“But Mr. Milan, you also had feelings for me…”

“Lady Florance.”

The woman was a little relieved to see the man smiling at her; yes, surely the night must have been special for this man as well.

“I think you’re mistaken about something.”

“What?”

“Who treats the woman they have their heart set on like this?”

The woman’s pale face turned blue. She already understood the meaning behind Seth’s words.

“Why would anyone treat someone important to them like a piece of trash?”

After he finished speaking, Seth swiftly turned away, though he could hear her hesitating behind him.

“Master, my master……,” he muttered.

Seth’s cheeks were flushed as he got on the carriage.

‘Is this also her intention?’

To feel affection instead of hatred for someone who should be hated.

That day he discovered, to his surprise, that the world he lived in was a work of fiction, and that there was an author who wrote it.

Seth felt some sort of affection for himself for the first time that day.

He realized that everything he had done was not of his own volition, but by someone else’s plan.

In order to survive in a world that negates everything you’ve done; you have to love yourself.

The thought that someone arbitrarily determined his personality sent chills down his spine. What if what he believed to be his own will was actually the work of the author.

‘Should I kill her after all?’

Would that set him free?

“Master…….”

As the image of a woman with black hair and eyes came to his mind, a smile unconsciously formed on Seth’s lips.

She was so lovely that he felt like strangling his past self who had thought of killing her. Killing her was impossible.

‘Was she planning that too?’

Apart from a few things, that woman was excessively ordinary. She was so ordinary that it made him feel pitiful for observing her.

Weak, unremarkable humans like that were one of the things Seth despised most.

‘Now I want her so badly that I don’t care about any of that.’

Interesting.

Seth felt his blood boil when he was confronted with something he couldn’t solve in his life.

‘Surely, the others must be similar to me.’

He was certain that upon seeing her, they would be irresistibly drawn in, so he didn’t let her leave the house.

She was never going to be taken away.

Litrie…. She was the first thing Seth Milan desired in his life.

When Seth arrived at his mansion, there was a message waiting from the palace. The person who delivered that message was a servant named Pavarma. 

“I’ve heard that the daughter of Duke Florance committed suicide in the palace.”

“Oh, really? Send someone to investigate.”

“Her Grace’s last encounter was with Lord Milan. The emperor’s inquiry letter asked if you knew anything about it.”

“Tell them I know nothing.”

“Why doesn’t the Master go and see him for himself?”

“As if I have time for that.”

At his master’s irritated response, the servant wisely kept his mouth shut; he had already decided to pay the duke a higher than usual condolence fee.

“What has my master been up to today?”

“She’s been in the room the whole time.”

The butler bowed his head apologetically at his master’s distorted face.

“What about meals?”

“That… well…”

Watching the butler stutter as if it were difficult to report, Seth clicked his tongue.

“She hardly ate, I assume.”

After instructing servants to bring dinner to the room, Seth ascended the stairs. When he opened the red door, he saw Litrie sitting and staring blankly by the window.

“Master.”

Her attitude, not even bothering to look up properly in response to his call, caused his mood to rapidly sink. However, he approached her without showing it.

Her cheeks, slightly sunken due to weight loss, came into view.

The anger that had started to rise within Seth quickly dissipated.

Earlier, he had confirmed that she hardly touched her food. He sat on the chair next to Litrie and pulled her into his arms.

“Did you eat well?”

“Mm.”

“What have you been up to?”

“I looked outside.”

As he sensed her desire to leave this place and leave him behind, Seth’s heart sank even further. To avoid losing his temper, he took a moment to catch his breath.

His emotions were not properly regulated when it came to this woman. Perhaps it was because he didn’t feel the need to hide his true self in front of her.

Yet.

Seth couldn’t forget Litrie’s expression when he confessed his past.

The deeply wounded face and the gaze that expressed a desire to die.

“Look at me, Master,” he said softly, resenting that his voice sounded desperate even to his own ears.

“I am looking.”

“Not like that,” he said, tightening his jaw.

“Then how?”

‘Not with eyes that look like you’re looking at an inanimate object!’

Seth desperately suppressed his desire to shout like this. Instead, he pulled her further into his embrace and bit down on her plump lips.

As expected, the saliva was sweet, and the moans that pierced his ears were mesmerizing, not letting up until the other person was out of breath.

“Master.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve missed you.”

He bit down hard on the pale woman’s neck.

“It hurts, Seth.”

Looking at the bite marks he made, Seth chuckled. This was how he could feel at ease.

Yes, he was not just words written on paper. He was able to leave his mark like this.

Overwhelming anxiety and endless longing overlapped within Seth as he firmly grasped the woman’s chest and coveted her lips once again.

“Ah.”

Seth was relieved to see desire – finally, something, not just emptiness – creeping into the woman’s eyes as she gasped for air.

“Desire me, Master.”

He whispered his thoughts softly, with a smile.

‘Want all of me, Master.’ 

And some thoughts still went unspoken.