I lifted my head with a fearful glance. No, not quite lifted—just rolled my eyes upward, stiffly.
“I-I’m… the owner of this house…”
Even in the darkness, where only the outline of his face was barely visible, his sharp, striking features stood out.
“…Owner of the house?”
“Y-yes… the owner here…”
The hand gripping my wrist loosened slightly.
Nox, who was holding me, quickly turned his head left and right once before looking back at me. From his expression, I could read frustration. His face twisted into a scowl as he tightened his grip again. With the moonlight behind him, his face was cast in backlit shadows, making me forget for a moment that my fear had slightly ebbed—and then it all came rushing back stronger.
“…Where is this? What the hell…?”
My eyes widened.
‘Wait. Don’t tell me… this is his first time waking up at night?’
Whether he was just a heavy sleeper or there was some other reason, it was clear that Nox had only now realized his situation. No wonder he looked confused.
Thinking back, he had been oddly quiet during the nights. If he had woken up even once, wouldn’t he have caused some sort of commotion?
I had more evidence: young Nox had always fallen asleep early in the evening for the past few days. Once his door closed, it never opened again until we woke up. Granted, that was partly my doing, but Nox had also been unusually tired, which didn’t make Diana suspicious. And every morning, he would come running to me.
So… he really hadn’t woken up even once at night.
“Why can’t I remember anything…?”
The low murmur brought me to a startling conclusion.
‘Wait. Does that mean he doesn’t remember anything from when he’s a child?’
I forgot my fear for a moment and opened my mouth.
“Y-you were sleeping deeply the whole time. I just came to check if you were sleeping well.”
His bare chest flashed in my vision. Being pinned beneath him like this was embarrassing, but there was no time to think about that. Fear still gnawed at me, but right now, figuring out what to do mattered more.
One of my arms was still trapped in his grasp. From the way he looked at me, it was obvious he didn’t believe I was the house owner.
“C-could you maybe let go of me first… please?”
In the novel, Nox reveals his ancient magic to the woman who saved him. Diana had been the first person outside of his trusted knights and a handful of vassals to learn his secret.
A man unloved, who had never known what love was—those moments when he first learned kindness and understanding were priceless. It was no wonder Diana had been such a precious person to him.
“A stranger. Why should I trust you enough to let go?”
Of course, it was natural for him to be growling and hostile like a wild beast, not knowing anything about the situation. In fact, knowing what he had done in the book, I should be grateful that he was acting this calmly.
“Where is this place?”
“My house…”
“I meant the location.”
Originally, this was Diana’s role—to be caught like this. But somehow, I had planted the flag here too, hadn’t I?
I tried to steady my trembling hands. ‘Even if you fall into a tiger’s den, keep your wits about you.’ I needed to handle this carefully.
I raised my eyes.
“This is the Night Forest. The eastern safe zone of the Night Forest.”
“…Night Forest? What’s that?”
“…Do you remember anything at all?”
“…No.”
At that moment, I cautiously looked up at Nox and held his fingers.
“Y-you look like you really don’t. Could you please let go first? Nox, my arm hurts.”
He didn’t seem to be gripping me on purpose, but his strength was no joke—my hand had gone numb.
“…Nox?”
“Your name.”
He froze.
In my mind, he was still the boy who looked like a dried birch branch. I couldn’t quite reconcile this grown man with the Nox I knew. And his bare chest moving up and down in front of me was so distracting I thought I might die of embarrassment.
Finally, Nox released my hand. But the brief relief vanished immediately as he grabbed me by the neck.
“Lies. I can’t remember anything, but… I know that’s not my name.”
“I named you.”
“…You named me?”
He growled low in his throat, leaning closer as if demanding an answer. Nervously, I nodded. Instantly, his grip loosened.
His fingers brushed my neck, sliding past my collarbone, almost like an animal cautiously inspecting me. It felt so careful it was almost secretive.
I recalled how young Nox had treated Diana. That same wary tension was in his adult eyes now. It was as if the way he used to watch my sister overlapped with his current actions.
“What do you mean by ‘sleeping deeply’?”
“Huh? Ah… Yes. I mean… you might not believe it, but you’ll have to.”
“Believe it?”
“Yes. The truth is… during the day, you look like a child. About this tall? Around seven or eight years old.”
He really didn’t remember, did he?
I looked at him nervously as I explained why he couldn’t remember anything despite staying here for days.
He frowned, clearly unconvinced. Well, who would believe that they turned into a child every day?
“…You’re saying I’ve been here, in a child’s form, during the day for the past few days?”
“Yes. Y-yes, exactly.”
“What nonsense.”
His cold, fierce gaze locked onto me. Hic. I hiccuped before I even realized it.
“I-it’s true! When you were little, you’d cling to me all the time, eating your meals, and even poking at tomatoes with your fork and—”
“…”
“…You ate them.”
I nodded hastily, tripping over my words. More than his frown, it was his sheer presence that frightened me. I knew very well this beautiful man was the infamous Mad Grand Duke who thought nothing of killing.
And honestly… having such a huge man practically pinning me down? Anyone would be nervous. Of course. Definitely.
…Dear heavens, please save me.
I had never even properly held a man’s hand before, and now here I was, lying in bed with one. I missed my sister’s side, where she was no doubt sleeping peacefully.
Nox raised an eyebrow, watching my twitching fingers.
“Stand up.”
“Huh? Y-yes. Yes, yes!”
The moment he moved aside, I immediately tried to get up—only for him to grab me again with a frown.
“Where are you going?”
“…Huh? T-to my room.”
“Your story sounds like utter nonsense. You know that, don’t you?”
“Well, yes, but… it’s true!”
“Then we’ll confirm it.”
“…Sorry, what?”
Confirm it? How exactly?
I stared wide-eyed at him as he tilted his head, pulling me gently this time. He led me to sit back on the bed.
Only now, with him sitting opposite me, could I clearly see his face. I sucked in a sharp breath.
His amethyst eyes shimmered in the moonlight. People used to say violet was a color that bewitched others—and looking at him now, I believed it. His sleeping face had been beautiful, but awake, he was breathtaking. His clear, bright eyes glowed even more against his dark hair, scattering a jewel-like luster.
I snapped back to my senses when he sat fully in front of me.
“W-what exactly are we confirming?”
“Your story.”
I flinched as he leaned in slowly. His movements were unhurried, like a well-fed predator examining its prey, his gaze sweeping over me from head to toe.
My sister was the one who brought you here, I almost blurted, but bit my tongue.
Then Nox spoke.
“If your words are true, we’ll know by waiting.”
…What? His words echoed in my mind as I desperately tried to process them.
Wait a second. Did he just mean… spend the night together? With you?
“By… waiting?”
His face was unreadable, expressionless as stone. His amethyst eyes made it clear he was still suspicious.
“In my current state, I have no way of knowing if you’re someone who tried to harm me. I need proof.”
“I-I’m innocent…”
“Good. Then you’ll need to prove your innocence.”
Thinking about it, what he’d said was no different from: ‘I don’t trust you, so I’ll keep watch on you all night.’ And for a second, I had misunderstood.
“Look there. Morning isn’t far away now.”
I looked toward the window. It was already well past the middle of the night when I had come to see him. Just as Nox said, the sky showed the last traces of dawn’s darkness. Around four or five in the morning, maybe? It looked like the sun would rise soon.
…Ah. So he meant we’d stay together until then?
Startled, I quickly shook my head vehemently.
“No, no, no, no! I need to go back to my room…”
“We wait like this.”
Ah… no, absolutely not. But his firm tone left no room for argument. I shook my head desperately. How could I sleep here? Forget sleeping—Diana could wake up any minute!
More than anything, I was terrified and wanted nothing more than to run away. But Nox, staring at me impassively, clearly had no intention of letting me leave.
“I-I-I have to go.”
He sat down beside me, close enough for his hip to touch mine, and spoke in a low voice.
“Did I say you could leave?”
“…What?”
The hand that had been loosely holding me tightened.
…Dear heavens, couldn’t this terrifying man spare a little mercy for a powerless side-character little sister like me? I sucked in a breath, tense all over.
Fortunately, Nox merely changed his posture, leaning his back slightly against the wall as he sat beside me. But with him sitting closer, I could feel his bare skin brushing mine, and it felt… strange.
“…Besides, I’m a little tired…”
He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. Only then did I notice how exhausted he looked. His disheveled hair and wrinkled sheet made it obvious he had forced himself awake.
Come to think of it, young Nox always rubbed his eyes around early evening, fighting sleep even though he didn’t want to be apart from me. It seemed both the child and adult versions of him carried deep fatigue. Maybe it was from wandering the monster-infested forest for so long?
There was nothing I could do now. I swallowed dryly, staring at him with his eyes closed.
“…Um, Nox. Could you… scoot over a little?”
“…Nox.”
“Yes, Nox. Just a little to the side…”
He opened his eyes and looked at me. His gaze was nothing like young Nox’s—it was cold, sharp, the kind of look that said, ‘Touch me and you’ll die.’ Ah. So this was the infamous Mad Grand Duke’s signature stare. Feeling that razor’s edge of danger, I immediately corrected myself.
“…Actually, this position is perfectly fine.”
…Right. My childhood dream was to be a chair. Sure. Let’s stick with that.
Nox stared at me intently. Even in the pitch-black night, his amethyst eyes gleamed as if they were colored lenses catching light. Something unreadable flickered in them before he finally lowered his head.
“If what you said is true… you clung to me when I was a child. So it shouldn’t bother you, right?”
His head slowly tilted and rested against me.
“Think of it that way.”
I flinched when his hair brushed against my neck.
‘It’s different. Completely different…’
No matter how tense I was, Nox stayed leaned against my shoulder, his breathing gradually evening out. His breaths touched my neck, ticklish and strange.
…Was he asleep?
I waited quietly, counting the passing moments, and tried moving carefully when—
Tap.
I froze as his hand tightened around me, sending a chill up my arm.
“Better not think about running away.”
“…Yes, sir.”
I nodded quickly, staring at the firm grip on my wrist. So that’s why he was leaning on me—resting more comfortably while keeping a closer eye on me.
His hair spilled over my shoulder, and I had to fight the sudden urge to touch it.
“…My leg’s numb.”
Flinch.
I felt his gaze. Slowly rolling my eyes upward, I saw him looking at me again. He raised an eyebrow.
“Then straighten your leg.”
“…I can’t… it’s cramped…”
“…That bad, huh.”
“W-what?”
Before I could react, my back was against the wall. Nox reached for my leg, his hand lifting my skirt slightly as he pulled my foot, straightening my leg for me.
“You said it was cramped.”
Trembling, I turned my head awkwardly, trying not to look at him. His hand, gripping my ankle like a cuff, looked far too big against my pale ankle. The sight alone made me feel embarrassed.
“…There. That’s better, right?”
“Y-yes… thank you…”
I was genuinely grateful, of course, but wasn’t the leg cramp his fault in the first place? Yet he accepted my thanks as if it were only natural.
Regardless, he still held my wrist firmly.
“What’s your name?”
“Amy. …No family name.”
His large hand looked like it could snap my wrist at any second, and I stiffened nervously. I needed to return to my sister by early morning, but if I stayed trapped like this until sunrise…?
God, please. Either let Nox faint or let my sister sleep through until morning. Not that the latter would happen—Diana could drink like a fish and never get a hangover.
While I worried, a subtle scent drifted from beside me. A clean gardenia fragrance, like a summer forest. It felt strange, so different from the faint powdery smell of young Nox. The male lead even comes with his own signature scent? Being aware of it only made it feel stronger.
Then Nox muttered slowly.
“…My last memory was of the forest.”
His low, rough voice seeped into my ears.
“Did you bring me here?”
“….”
I hesitated before answering. …Technically, I hadn’t—my sister had been the one to pick him up.
Nox had been attacked by the Crown Prince near the forest, so of course his last memory as an adult would be of the woods. And from the way he didn’t remember Diana picking him up, it seemed he didn’t just lack memories of the past but also of his time as a child.
I had taken the place where my sister should have been. For a fleeting moment, a thought crossed my mind—if I played this right, I could save Diana.
One year.
If I stayed by his side, treating him well in her place for just a year, I could keep her alive. And after that? I’d run, far away. As long as I kept him placated until his pursuers tracked me down, maybe… maybe when he remembered everything later, Nox wouldn’t think too badly of me.
“Yes. I was the one who brought you here.”
I widened my eyes deliberately, nodding earnestly as I met his gaze. Trying to look as trustworthy as possible, I added,
“That’s right… I took very good care of you. I did.”
“….”
…Hmm. Maybe that was overdoing it.