Lucy clenched her teeth as if to hold back the tears, but eventually let go.

It was then that the smile on Liel’s face vanished. As if he didn’t need to smile anymore, he wiped it off his face.

That’s when Lucy’s limp body, leaning back against the tree, spilled over the side. Liel stood still for a moment, admiring her stunned form, before quickly catching her as she tried to roll over.

“…….”

He didn’t look at Lucy after that. His mouth set in a straight line, he looked like he was thinking about something.

But it was only for a moment, and then his face brightened and he gently picked Lucy up.

Yes, this must be the answer.

By now, Liel’s face was full of conviction.

Kkak-! Kkak-!

As if to rebuke him, the birds let out impatient cries. Their cries were accompanied by the sound of their wings.

[We told you to find the king, but what are you doing now!]

[Don’t waste time, find the king now!]

The birds shouted back at him.

Then the corners of Liel’s mouth curled upward once more. Even more so than a moment ago.

Fools.

He was glad for this situation, for the king’s men to criticize him. This alone proved that he was the most finely crafted creature among them.

He wanted to enjoy this feeling of superiority for a while, so he didn’t chase the birds away as he usually did.

Until he approached the mansion.

* * *

Mamon, the mansion’s only maid, was surprisingly diligent.

She didn’t particularly consider herself diligent, but she was definitely in the diligent camp, judging by the way she started her day at the crack of dawn.

Today, Mamon woke up before Liel to sweep the garden.

Tsak, tsak, tsak.

At regular intervals, stirring up the dirt.

Her steps evened out the dirt that stretched from the mansion’s entrance to the path. Occasionally, she noticed the imprint of a human foot, but Mamon paid it no mind.

Squeak—

Mamon’s nimble hands had just completed a full lap around the mansion when the front door burst open.

Mamon’s gaze immediately went to the door.

A woman stood there, her purple hair flowing, her eyes vacant.

“Ah, yes, greetings. Have a nice day.”

After staring at her blankly, Mamon snapped out of it and bowed, and the woman, who looked like Lucy, gave her a satisfied smile.

“You don’t have to prepare breakfast. Instead, make sure lunch and dinner are ready in time.”

She gave the familiar order.

Mamon nodded in understanding and went back to sweeping.

Lucy pushed past her and into the bushes.

Saak–

She could hear the wind.

The wind carried Lucy’s humming through the air.

The path that had disappeared was still there. Lucy’s steps along the path could not have been lighter.

She could still feel the birds overhead. The birds, the beasts were paying attention to her, unlike yesterday.

No, actually, it was no different.

They had always been watching.

“Marquis! G, good morning.”

As she emerged from the woods, she recognized the coachman who had been waiting since dawn. The coachman’s voice was somber as he greeted her.

He had returned to the Marquis of Seywint to fetch her early in the morning at Lucy’s insistence that she sleep here for the night.

It had turned the Marquisate upside down. Not in a bad way, but in a good way.

‘Finally, the two of them……!’

It was a misunderstanding, born of a false perception.

But from their point of view, the misunderstanding was understandable.

He was right because once they had reached a certain age, Lucy no longer stayed overnight at Liel’s house.

The reason was simple. To avoid any possible misunderstandings between them.

Of course, that was no longer necessary.

“Yes, good morning.”

Lucy rolled her eyes and smiled at the coachman, who called her Marquise. The coachman’s eyes widened in surprise at the sound of her voice.

Then he shook his head, not sure why he was surprised.

“What’s wrong?”

Lucy asked him. The coachman shook his head, saying it was nothing.

Only after he shook his head did Lucy climb into the carriage.

The coachman heard the door close, along with the small rattle of the carriage, before he slammed the reins down on the horse.

Soon after, the carriage pulled away.

The coachman hadn’t realized until then what he was feeling.

Meanwhile, Lucy, sitting cross-legged in a chair inside the carriage, was giggling as if she knew what to expect.

But despite the coachman’s puzzled reaction, she was confident that she would never be found out.

Inside the rattling carriage, Lucy rested her chin on the window sill and tapped her foot. Her relaxed toes tapped with confidence.

* * *

“Are you awake?”

Heok!

I opened my eyes and saw Mamon, who looked like a cursed doll, staring down at me. I was so startled that a lone scream escaped me.

“I brought you lunch.”

She held a large plate in one hand and a bed tray in the other.

I admired Mamon’s ability to hold that in each hand and not falter in her posture.

‘Not again.’

When I woke up, I realized that I had passed out again. This was the third time this time.

I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with my body.

I wondered if it was because of the mental shock.

I tried to reason with myself and looked out the window.

The sun had risen in the sky, and instead of moonlight, sunlight was shining through the window.

I sat up straight and looked around the room at the now-familiar scenery. Yes, it wasn’t a dream.

There was no way I could have stumbled into the room I had just escaped from, so Liel must have moved me.

“Or would you like to wash your face first?”

While I was lost in thought, Mamon asked again.

“I want to go home to …….”

Now, the honorifics came out automatically.

No matter how I thought about it, this house, Liel, and Mamon casually offering me a meal in front of me were all too strange.

It didn’t take long for fear to give way to fortitude.

“I wasn’t ordered to send them back, only to prepare a meal.”

“To Liel……?”

“Yes, to my employer.”

She still called Liel by his first name. I nodded with a half-resigned look. Mamon shook his head as if she didn’t understand, then asked again.

“So which one are you going to do first?”

Mamon was persistent in a strange way.

Not knowing how long her persistence would last, I finally answered in an almost sobbing voice.

“Food first…….”

By this time, my stomach was rumbling with hunger.

“I think you’ll be crying soon, so I’ll also get you something to wipe with, I only have a handkerchief because I thought you’d only be wiping your mouth.”

“…….”

“Well, if you’re going to wash your face anyway, you can use this.”

I tried my best to ignore her. Mamon didn’t bother to tell me twice, either, and went right back to preparing the meal.

By the looks of it, she knew I was stuck here, but her loyalty to Liel was evident in the way she didn’t say anything.

That’s a lot of loyalty for someone who’s only just started working.

I looked down at the tray in my lap and asked Mamon.

“Did you know this was going to happen?”

Mamon set the tray down and straightened his bent back.

“I’m not sure why you’re suddenly talking to me formally, but I knew.”

[T/N: It doesn’t show in English translations, but Lucy started to use Korean formal language with Mamon]

As I suspected, Mamon was in cahoots with Liel. I glared at her as if I had just been betrayed.

Then Mamon shrugged and said.

“That’s why I asked.”

“……?”

“I asked, are you going inside the mansion?”

Was that what you meant……?

Who understands you when you say it like that?

* * *

As soon as Lucy reached the marquis’s mansion, Sarah ran toward her, panting.

“Marquis! Is Lord Liel all right?”

Unlike the other servants, who were anxious to hear whether their relationship had progressed or not, Sarah was concerned about Liel’s well-being. Lucy stared at her for a moment, then spoke up.

“Sarah…….”

Instead of answering Sarah’s question, Lucy asked a question of her own.

“Are you still worried about Liel?”

“What?”

A look of bewilderment crossed Sarah’s face as if she’d said something so obvious. Still, Lucy’s expression remained questioning.

“I don’t understand. I thought he talked to you pretty coldly then…….”

“What do you mean he talked to me coldly…… ah!”

Not knowing what Lucy was talking about, Sarah paused for a moment and suddenly exclaimed. It was like a flashback.

If Sarah’s guess was correct, it had been more than a year already.

She remembered the argument she’d had with Liel, who had insisted that she couldn’t leave a fainted Lucy in the palace and told her to go back immediately.

“That’s one thing, and this is another; I’ve known the Marquis and Lord Liel since you were little, and it was my fault for not doing what he said back then.”

Sarah said in a firm voice.

“But how does that explain why the Marquis has said something like that…… I haven’t been difficult with Lord Liel since then?”

True to her word, Sarah’s demeanor hadn’t changed since then. Hence, the words that came out of Lucy’s mouth.

“Liel told me.”

At least people here don’t hate him for that.

In the middle of her answer, Lucy let out a smirk. It was a languid, seductive smile that the usual Lucy would not have worn.

“Really? Marquis…… seems a little…… different than usual.”

And Sarah hesitated, as if she, too, had noticed that Lucy was different.

“Really? What is?”

I don’t know. (Sarah)

Lucy, who had been standing in front of the carriage talking, suddenly took a step forward, and Sarah followed closely behind her.

“What should I say…… you seem mature…….”

Or should I say, calmer? (Sarah)

As she said that, Sarah glanced over at Lucy. But there was no response from Lucy.

Instead, she just turned her head slightly and smiled at Sarah.

Sarah blushed. After that, neither Sarah nor Lucy commented on the change in Lucy’s mood.

A sly smirk crossed Lucy’s face when Sarah shut up.

Liel knew human psychology well. Humans were aware of the presence of demons, but they didn’t realize they were there.

He knew he could change form at any moment and blend in among them, but he never dared to think it would be around him.

Like now.