Diana finished setting the table with a cheerful “Ta-da!” and pointed proudly at the food. She nudged me toward the table, and I let her guide me to my seat.
“Let’s eat!”
The table was filled with all my favorites—wild herb salad that tasted faintly of kiwi, smoked bacon, perfectly fried wild bird eggs with yolks shaped like little suns, and tropical fruit-flavored berry porridge. Every dish was beautifully arranged and plentiful, a proper birthday feast. I couldn’t help but look at my sister in awe.
“Wow. You’re amazing, Sis! You’re the best chef in the house!”
“Oh, you. Don’t embarrass me like that. He might be a kid, but he can hear you, you know.”
“…Right.”
Well, he didn’t seem interested in any of this, honestly.
“But Amy, don’t you think I’ve improved every year? Doesn’t this taste better than last year?”
The sad truth was that my sister’s cooking skills hadn’t really improved, but I decided to bury that truth deep.
“…Sure. You’ve improved.”
Beaming, Diana tapped my nose playfully with the handle of the ladle she was holding.
“Sixteen already. Happy sixteenth birthday, my pretty girl.”
“Thanks, Sis.”
I smiled warmly at her, then turned my head.
“Hey, Nox?”
“…”
The boy had been staring at me the whole time, and I felt awkward under his gaze. He could at least join in the celebration or, at the very least, stop staring holes into me.
Nox just lifted his head and continued to look at me, silent as ever. I frowned.
“Sis, are you sure he can talk?”
“Yes, he can. He just doesn’t remember anything.”
Tilting her head like a curious meerkat, Diana tapped the table with her finger and asked him,
“Hm, Nox! You know what a birthday is, right?”
“…”
Nox didn’t answer. Diana’s bright expression faltered, and she laughed awkwardly, clapping her hands together.
“Alright, alright. The food will get cold. Let’s eat!”
I swallowed the words I wanted to say, picked up my spoon, and took a bite of the soup. Hm, a little salty? As I smacked my lips, I heard Diana fussing over him again.
“Nox, do you not like salty things? If you’d just tell me, I’d know. I can’t tell what you like or not.”
“…It’s nice you’re taking care of him, but you should eat too, Sis.”
“Oh, right! What am I doing? Look at me, losing track of myself.”
The way she fussed over him reminded me of how she used to take care of me when I was little. She was my sister, after all. A pang of jealousy rose for a moment, but then again—who competes with a kid?
“Sis.”
“Yes, yes, I’m eating! See?”
But even as she said that, she grabbed her spoon and tried to place it in Nox’s hand.
And then—
Clang!
“...Don’t touch me.”
The spoon clattered to the floor, and a strange, tense silence filled the table.
“…Oh.”
Diana froze, her hand awkwardly suspended in midair. Nox, who had thrown the spoon, looked emotionless, leaving only Diana bewildered by the rejection of her kindness.
At that moment, Nox’s sharp amethyst eyes turned to me. He suddenly got up and trotted over, making me realize just how small he really was.
But why was he grabbing my clothes?
“…I don’t like her.”
…Excuse me?
Did he just pull on my clothes because he thought I was on his side? I didn’t know what to feel about that.
“She’s my sister.”
“I don’t like her.”
What was I supposed to say to that?
I looked down at him, his eyes shimmering with something complicated. God, he really was beautiful—his glossy eyes sparkled like amethysts in a cave, and not a single feature of his doll-like face was less than perfect. I had known this was all because of the curse, but seeing it in person felt strange.
So this is the power of that magic…
The ancient magic inherited in Iberich turned him into a child for fifteen days every month. The problem was, his mind also became that of a child. Right now, Nox was every bit a boy of seven or eight.
“I don’t like her.”
“Me? Are you talking about me? That’s mean. I like you, though.”
“Don’t come near me! I don’t like you! I said I don’t like you!”
“I don’t dislike you.”
“I don’t like you!”
“But I like you.”
“…Don’t lower yourself to his level, Sis.”
You’re just making him more defensive. Look, he’s practically on guard now. I stared at Nox, who clung to my clothes with pleading eyes.
“You’re the one who’s wrong.”
He flinched. I gently pried his hand off and calmly picked up the spoon. Walking over in small, brisk steps, I placed a new spoon in front of his seat and guided him back to sit down. Somehow, I had a feeling he’d listen to me. Weird.
“You don’t throw spoons.”
“…”
I took his hand and folded his index, middle, and ring fingers one by one. There. This is how you hold a spoon, Your Grace.
“Right, Sis?”
“Ah… Ah, yes, that’s right.”
“See? In this house, we listen to the oldest.”
…Even his mind turns into that of a child. Is this curse designed to produce blackmail-worthy moments or what? Should I even be letting this happen?
Still, thinking about it, my sister, who had accepted everything about the male lead in the original book, was basically a saint.
I moved his hand.
“You don’t throw spoons away. You use them like this to eat.”
“…”
He still looked uncertain, so I brought the spoonful of soup to his mouth myself. I figured he wouldn’t eat, and I was about to pull it away when, unexpectedly, he opened his mouth and ate, even holding onto my hand as he chewed.
“Is it good?”
…He nodded.
“Kyaa! Oh my gosh! He’s adorable! Adorable!”
“Sis, keep it down.”
Nox, who had been staring straight at me, reached for the food, wiggling his fingers like he wanted me to feed him again. The look on his face was… complicated.
“Amy! This too, and this one, feed him with this, please? Please?”
Diana grabbed my sleeve excitedly, handing me… Wait. Was that my old baby fork? Seriously, was she trying to raise every death flag in existence?
“There’s no way he’s going to—”
Munch.
“…Apparently, he will.”
To my shock, Nox ate everything I gave him—the salad, the bacon, the fruit—chewing obediently as I fed him. I was speechless. You’re not supposed to be like this! You’re the Mad Grand Duke! The infamous demon of the battlefield, and now you can’t eat unless someone gives you a baby fork? What is this, corn doing a tap dance?
“Wow, Nox really listens to you. Amy, maybe he thinks you’re his mom?”
“Don’t turn me into someone’s mom. Your little sister is only sixteen, you know?”
And inside that little boy body is a perfectly adult man!
My sister probably thought he was really just a child because he barely talked and couldn’t hold a spoon properly. Understandable, but still… she kept asking me to feed him.
While I was spacing out, Diana peeked closer.
“Amy! I found this in the storage earlier, should we try it?”
“No. No, no, don’t you dare!”
A bib? Was she insane? Did she want to get herself killed in the future?
A long, awkward, suffocating meal later, it finally ended.
“Amy, I’ll go wash the pot in the stream!”
While my sister left to clean, I stayed behind to clear the dishes. Nox sat quietly, watching me the whole time. …It was unsettling. I couldn’t help but worry about how he’d remember this in the future—being fed tomatoes with a baby fork, wearing a bib. Would he bring a whole army of knights to burn down this forest one day because of this humiliation? Even if I escaped safely, who knew what kind of revenge awaited me later?
I was scowling at the thought when—
Rustle. Something tugged at my collar.
“…Hm?”
Nox was holding onto my clothes, looking up at me with those steady eyes.
“Amy.”
That’s when it hit me—I hadn’t even introduced myself to the male lead.
“What is it?”
He looked around seven or eight years old. His thin, fragile arms made me feel a pang of pity. The Crown Prince’s ambush had been ruthless and well-planned; he must have gone days without food before making it here. The faint injuries I could see were likely from that time. I frowned slightly.
“…Are you mad?”
“Huh? Why would I be mad?”
His long eyelashes lowered, then lifted again, and those clear eyes looked straight at me.
“…”
“…Are you going to abandon me?”
I froze without meaning to. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand him—it was just that pleading, almost desperate look that caught me off guard.
“If I kneel, you won’t abandon me, right?”
“Why would you kneel?”
“I don’t remember. But… there was someone… if you knelt, begged, and took the beating, you were forgiven.”
“…”
Someone. I knew instantly. He was talking about his father, the former Grand Duke of Iberich. His father had abused and locked him away.
Even without his memories, he must have recalled it instinctively, like a brand burned into him. The thought made my chest tighten with pity. But what was I supposed to say? Comforting people had never been my strong suit.
I hesitated, then awkwardly placed a hand on his head.
“…Should I?”
“Ah, n-no!”
Before I even realized what I was doing, I shook my head sharply. His expression remained calm, almost too calm, which only made me feel more uncomfortable. I forced my voice to stay steady as I spoke.
“Don’t.”
The firmness in my voice startled even me, and his clear, bright gaze locked on me instantly. I crouched down in front of him, hesitating, but spoke anyway, carefully enunciating each word so he would understand.
“From now on, don’t kneel to anyone. You don’t need to.”
“…”
“Is this because I frowned? Did you think I was mad at you?”
He nodded.
“It’s not because of you. This is just…”
I trailed off and pressed my lips together, saying nothing more. That’s when I noticed his clothes. Once, they must have been expensive, but now they were stained with dirt, likely from trudging through the forest to get here.
“Ah. Let’s change your clothes first, they’re dirty. Can you change by yourself?”
…He nodded.
I quickly got up, rummaged through a chest for some of my old clothes from when I was younger, found a pair of pants and a shirt that might fit, and handed them to him before sending him into the other room. Only when he was gone did I finally let out a shaky breath.
‘Abandon him?’
The Nox from the book wasn’t incapable of understanding people’s emotions—he simply couldn’t empathize with them, and he was ruthlessly intelligent. He rarely bothered speaking to others, but when he did, his words could chill you to the bone.
Even now, looking at him as a boy, I couldn’t help but picture that future—the mad Grand Duke consumed by his mania. His character had been that striking.
But despite that, I couldn’t stop feeling sorry for him. The reason he became that way was because no one had ever loved him as a child. If I gave him love now, if I treated this boy—this current Nox, once known as Lennox—with kindness, maybe… maybe when the curse broke and he grew into a man, he wouldn’t turn into the monster he was in the book.
Just then, my sister came back from washing the pot.
“Amy, where’s Nox?”
“I sent him to change. Turns out the pants and shirt I wore when I was ten fit him just fine.”
“Oh, good thing you kept those.”
I nodded, lost in thought. Living with the male lead was inevitable now, and once he was in our house, my soft-hearted sister would never agree to sending him away.
Maybe… should I just show her what he looks like as an adult?
…No. Not yet.
I pictured the man he would become, the Grand Duke from the book, and shook my head. No, the best way was to keep treating him gently as a child. That way, when I eventually escaped before the Crown Prince’s assassins arrived, he wouldn’t seek revenge when we met again in the future.
“Sis, you’re going to give him the storage room, right?”
“Mm-hm. We’ll tidy up your room tomorrow and move him there. You can sleep with me.”
“Right. So tonight, he’s sleeping in that storage room with no windows…?”
“Why? Is there something wrong with it?”
“No, it’s fine.”
I sank back into thought. During the day, Nox’s body and mind were entirely that of a child. That was when he was weakest, and that was also when the Crown Prince’s ambush had happened.
But at night… he turned back into himself—the Grand Duke. His mind returned to that of an adult.
The realization made me swallow hard.
…Maybe tonight, I’d see that other side of him.
* * *
I’d been tossing my blanket on and off for a while now, debating whether to get up.
The reason was obvious. Nox.
Should I go see him? No, just ignore it. No… damn it.
I buried myself deeper under the blanket, grumbling. What kind of birthday night is this? I couldn’t help but resent him a little. Pulling aside the neatly tied pink curtains, I stared at the moonlight spilling in. No, this wasn’t going to work. If I stayed like this, I’d be lying awake until morning.
I let the curtain fall back in place, blocking out the silver moonlight. Fine. I’ll just check. Nothing more. Pushing the soft pillow aside, I stood up and opened the door.
Sis should be asleep by now, right?
Our house was small, a secluded little place in the forest, with our rooms facing each other. We’d started sleeping in separate rooms when I turned fourteen; Diana had been reluctant at first but still helped me decorate it. Now it would be Nox’s room starting tomorrow.
I stopped eight steps from my room, right in front of the storage room. The storage had been for tools we barely used; there was plenty of space left. I hesitated, staring at the wooden door, unable to reach for the handle.
Why did I want to see him as an adult? Because I wanted to confirm if this really was the story from the book. If he was still just a boy in there, maybe everything I knew was wrong, maybe the tragic future wouldn’t happen. I wanted—no, needed—that hope.
Even if this is just denial… please, just this once.
People liked to see what they already knew to be true. Even when you know something, seeing it with your own eyes is what makes you truly accept it.
If he’s asleep, I can sneak a look… right? It’s not like anything bad will happen… right?
I swallowed hard, imagining how stupid I’d look if something went wrong—no body left to bury. Meeting the madman from the book in real life… I couldn’t even imagine what that would feel like. But I’d already come this far, and there was no turning back.
I reached for the doorknob when—
“Amy?”