It was just because I was nervous. I swallowed hard, glancing cautiously at Nox, waiting for his response. But no answer came. Instead, I heard a steady, rhythmic breathing.
No way…
Slowly, I waved my hand in front of his face. No reaction. Not even the slightest flinch. He seemed to be truly asleep this time.
I sighed.
‘If I move now, he’ll probably wake up, won’t he?’
Yeah, it felt like he would.
Unintentionally, I ended up staying awake all night, watching as the sky outside the window gradually shifted to a reddish-orange hue. I sighed again. I needed to return to my room before Diana woke up… But why wasn’t sleep coming?
I was exhausted. Maybe because my body had finally relaxed after all that tension, but this wasn’t good. I slapped my cheeks lightly and even pinched them, but my eyelids felt as heavy as stone. I couldn’t afford to sleep…
But in the end, as the first sliver of the sun rose above the mountains, my eyes slid shut.
* * *
“Amy! Amy!”
When I opened my eyes, bright light poured into the room.
Clang, clang, clang!
Why was it so noisy? I rubbed my eyes and blinked—there was Diana, crouched in front of me, holding a ladle in one hand and a spoon in the other, banging them together. So that was the source of the noise.
“…Ugh… Diana.”
“You weren’t in your room this morning. I thought you went to do laundry or something! Really, Amy. Do you like Nox that much?”
“What are you talking about?”
I mumbled groggily, still half-asleep. Diana, crouching in front of me, tapped my forehead with the end of her ladle, giving me an incredulous look.
“My goodness. Hugging him so tightly—you’re going to make your sister jealous.”
“…Huh?”
I blinked, following the warmth pressed against me. And there, nestled in my arms, breathing softly, was young Nox. My eyes widened as I hastily sat up.
“Diana? Wait, I can explain—”
“Oh, relax, I’m joking.” She grinned.
“No, Diana, you don’t understand—”
But Diana only shook her head with a knowing smile, as if she couldn’t be bothered with my stammering. And then she dropped a bomb.
“Honestly. From now on, just sleep with him. Share a room with Nox.”
…What?
“Stay in the same room together.”
“What?”
“Actually, it doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Nox is still a child, and having someone by his side will make him feel better. Don’t you think?”
I shot up as if I’d just seen a burglar in the middle of the night.
“W-what are you talking about, Diana, he’s—!”
“Hm? Nox? What about him?”
She blinked at me, tilting her head in confusion. And that’s when I realized—I couldn’t say anything.
“…He’s just a kid.”
“Exactly. He’s only seven or eight.”
This kid, who was hugging me just yesterday night in his half-naked adult form!
I almost blurted it out, but Diana, who knew nothing, simply smiled and patted my head.
“You’re such a good girl. Taking such good care of him.”
“…”
“I’m glad you finally have a little brother. Nox hasn’t been here long, but I know we’ll all get along well, right?”
“…Yeah…”
Though we were sisters, Diana always loved my slightly different hair color—tangerine mixed with sunset hues. Since childhood, she’d often patted me like this, saying I looked cute. Now, as she stood with a little grunt, she smiled again.
“Alright, come have breakfast soon.”
I stared blankly at the closing door.
Should I clear up this misunderstanding? No. How could I even begin to explain this? I wanted to object to her idea, but I knew it was already too late to change her mind. Groaning, I held my face in my hands.
“…Amy?”
I froze. Amethyst eyes blinked up at me. Nox was awake now, staring at me with a puzzled look.
“Good morning…”
The boy blinked, still gripping my clothes tightly. I let out a small, helpless laugh.
“…Why are you crying?”
“I’m not crying.”
…Congratulations, Nox. My sister just officially approved of us living together.
Sharing a room.
* * *
After my first encounter with Nox in his adult form, half the day had flown by in a haze. Having barely slept, I was a mess all morning—breaking a cup while doing dishes, spilling water while doing laundry, even hitting myself in the face with a dust cloth while cleaning.
Eventually, even during Nox’s lesson, Diana gave me a worried look.
“Amy, is something wrong? Are you sick?”
She set down a basket full of herbs and walked quickly over to me.
“Are you sure you’re not sick?”
She placed her hand on my forehead, mumbling, “No fever.”
I gently patted her hand.
“No fever. I’m fine. Really.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
She tilted her head, clearly concerned. I shrugged lightly.
“Just not feeling great today, that’s all. Other than that, I’m fine.”
She gave me a strange look, then pointed at me.
“You’re holding your book upside down.”
“…Oops.”
I quickly turned it right-side up, forcing a sheepish smile.
“Is teaching Nox too much for you?”
“No.”
“Just don’t overdo it, alright? It’s fine to take it easy.”
“It’s nothing like that. Everyone has off days sometimes. By the way, did you go far to gather herbs today? Looks like Alten herbs in your basket.”
The basket was full of Alten herbs, a valuable spice similar to pepper, highly prized outside the forest.
Glad for the topic change, Diana shrugged, nodding.
“Yeah. I went to the isolated house again. Still creepy as ever.”
The “isolated house” was another safe zone not far from here, rumored to have once belonged to a mage. Wild vegetables and herbs grew abundantly around it, supposedly due to lingering permanent magic. Mages often chose remote places like this safe zone to live in, according to Diana.
“It feels like a ghost might pop out at any moment, but what can I do? There’s no better place for gathering herbs.”
While she spoke, Diana’s round eyes slid to my side.
“Anyway, Nox, you’re going to bore a hole into Amy’s cheek staring like that.”
“….”
Only then did I notice Nox staring at me quietly. The boy, still clutching my clothes, spoke in a soft, hesitant voice.
“Amy, are you hurt?”
“No. Just tired. A good sleep will fix it. Now, look—let’s read this next one.”
I opened the book, pretending nothing was wrong. Today’s lesson was like any other, though seeing him now felt different after witnessing his true form last night. Thankfully, Nox obediently followed along, pointing at the picture with his small finger.
“Ventus.”
“Right. That means air.”
…Like this, he seemed so gentle.
Watching him look at me with those soft eyes—so different from last night’s cold gaze—filled me with strange emotions. I didn’t know how to handle it.
Diana, in the book, had treated him so well. But me? I had no idea how to do that. Just like every plant needs different care, people do too. I needed to figure out what Nox liked and adjust accordingly.
I found myself studying the boy’s face as he leaned on his arm, diligently reading.
How do I get the grown-up you to like me?
Truthfully, even as a child, Nox was strikingly beautiful. His clear, jewel-like eyes and pale skin made him look like a young prince from a fairy tale. Even in my old clothes, his natural nobility shone through. It wasn’t hard to imagine the man he would grow into.
…It’s hard to believe such a sweet child becomes that cold, terrifying man.
The lesson ended early today—no one could focus properly anyway.
“…Amy.”
On my way to help Diana with dinner, Nox tugged at my clothes.
“What is it?”
He hesitated, shuffling his feet. I thought he was just hungry, so I tried to move away, but he quickly darted in front of me, grabbing my clothes again. His other hand fidgeted with the book. Finally, his small lips parted.
“…Don’t get hurt.”
“Ah… Yeah, thank you.”
Clutching the book I had read to him, Nox blinked his clear eyes, then suddenly lifted his head with determination.
“If you get hurt, I’ll get hurt instead.”
“…Instead of me?”
He nodded.
“Yeah. I’m used to it.”
“…Why are you used to it?”
“I don’t know.”
My chest tightened.
His childhood flashed through my mind. His own father had beaten him as easily as breathing. For him, pain might be as familiar as air. Maybe he didn’t remember, but his body still knew.
The way he said it so casually, not realizing how heartbreaking it sounded, made my chest ache.
“Don’t get hurt,” he said again, eyes sincere though he didn’t seem to understand why he was saying it. I couldn’t ignore it. I nodded gently.
* * *
After dinner, Nox fell asleep before evening.
I busied myself with house chores while he slept soundly—washing dishes, folding laundry. It was only a short while… Well, maybe two hours.
But when I returned, the boy was gone.
In his place sat the man—the adult Nox.
I glanced quickly at the door. Diana had already gone to bed early, tired from the day’s gathering.
As long as I didn’t make any noise, there wouldn’t be a problem.
It was close to midnight now. I resolved to be careful not to wake her, but when I looked up, Nox had already moved.
“…Oh.”
Startled by the sudden large shadow, I murmured unconsciously. Nox’s eyes turned toward me. Sitting casually on the bed, his long legs stretched out, he spoke slowly.
“So it seems what you said was true.”
The moon hung behind his shoulder, his eyes glinting coldly. The curtains flapped in the night breeze.
He reached out his hand.
“Come here.”
I swallowed hard, recalling the child Nox’s innocent gaze.
…Why does he seem so different? The boy and the man are the same person, yet they feel like two completely different people.
It had to be because the adult Nox had learned resignation and cruelty through years of neglect and abuse. Even though both versions of him had lost their memories, the adult Nox had those cold, calculating eyes the boy never did.
Instinctively tense, I approached cautiously, nearly tripping over a basket on the floor.
Before I could fall, a strong hand caught my arm. Startled, I stared up at him, his quick reflexes leaving me speechless.
The night had deepened; stars glittered faintly outside the window.
“…Th-thank you…”
Nox ignored my words, pulling me gently to sit on the bed. My throat tightened, recalling how we’d sat just like this last night. Would he pin me down again?
But instead of pulling me closer, he simply watched me.
“It seems your words weren’t complete nonsense.”
“Ah… y-yes. Yes, that’s right.”
…They say beautiful people are always right, huh?
His gaze swept over me, cool and calculating, yet strangely fitting his beautiful face so well that I couldn’t even feel annoyed.
“Tell me everything you know.”
I tilted my head nervously.
“Everything I said yesterday… that’s all I know…”
He frowned slightly.
“Not just that. Tell me about the circumstances when you brought me here, and what I did during the days I was here. Everything you know.”
Well, I hadn’t been the one to bring him here—Diana had. I only knew the rough story she’d told me.
Rolling my eyes slowly, I opened my mouth.
“…I don’t really remember. I just… brought you here.”
“…”
“I’ll think about it. Maybe I’ll remember more.”
Looking into his sharp, dangerous eyes, I felt a chill run through me. Facing a man who looked like he could kill someone on a whim, I figured I could probably make something up if I had to.
“You were wandering in the forest when we found you. You were in your child form, alone. It was during the full moon, when monsters are most active… Diana said it was a miracle you were alive.”
Now that I thought about it, it really had been a dangerous time in the forest. How had he managed to survive so long in that vulnerable child form?
As the Grand Duke, even if a monster king came, he could cut it down effortlessly. But as a child, he’d been weak enough to be hunted by the Crown Prince’s men. That had always been his only weakness… which still felt strange to me, even if it was all just part of the novel’s plot.
The magic that cursed him had made him so weak. In the novel, this curse was what gave him his first love—Serenada, who cared for him in his child form, reminded him of his first love, Diana. That’s how he fell in love with Serenada eventually.
But as for the curse itself, the book had barely explained it. Only a passing mention that some mage had cast it.
“Diana? So you don’t live alone.”
“No. I live with my sister. And during the day, you… um… Can I really say this?”
“Say it.”
“…You’ll regret it.”
“What?”