Chapter 07
Carlton sighed as he looked at the hand still tightly grasping his.
What he couldn’t understand was why—despite knowing there was an ulterior motive behind the gesture—he didn’t feel angry.
Sure, his hand had been grabbed, but it wasn’t exactly unpleasant.
Still, staying like this for too long wouldn’t do either of them any good.
There was no rule saying no one could see the man and woman standing on the open balcony. If someone happened to spot them, it would definitely cause a stir.
‘More so for her than for me, I suppose.’
He didn’t know why he cared, but he couldn’t just leave her like this.
Carlton glanced down at Belia, who was still holding his hand tightly, and hesitated.
He’d seen this happen countless times—people drawn to him purely because of his looks.
Even when he deliberately let bad rumors circulate about himself, people still approached as if they didn’t care.
In the past, he might’ve been concerned to see the sweat beading on her forehead…
But now, he couldn’t trust anyone.
Years ago, while helping an elderly count who had collapsed at a funeral, Carlton had been molested. Since then, he hadn’t been able to trust a single soul.
“…I think you should let go now. If someone sees us, they’ll think we’re in quite the intimate relationship.”
“Huh?”
Belia, who was slowly regaining her senses, looked up in surprise.
She was much smaller than Carlton and had to crane her neck to meet his gaze.
Their eyes met, and a cool breeze swept across them.
“It’s not the usual approach, I’ll give you that. But honestly—just a word of advice—this kind of tactic can make people uncomfortable.”
“What do you mean…?”
Belia looked genuinely confused, and Carlton hesitated again.
“I mean this as sincere advice.”
His eyes held a hint of sympathy.
“This kind of thing happens to me a lot… but, well, people each have their own unique charm. If you approach someone with care and sincerity, that’s enough. Sudden physical contact like this can be unpleasant for the other person.”
He had never dated before, but he had read enough books to recite that much. Carlton spoke seriously.
“…Huh?”
Belia had no idea what he was talking about—but the longer she processed it, the more the meaning of his words began to dawn on her.
She gulped.
“Wait… are you saying… that I…”
She pointed to herself, then at Carlton.
“You thought I was… trying to seduce you?”
Carlton tilted his head as if to ask, weren’t you?
“WHAT?!”
Belia shrieked before she could stop herself.
The sound rang out loud enough for the men and women mingling in the imperial garden below to turn toward the balcony.
Carlton furrowed his brow, feeling the sudden shift of attention.
“You might want to tone it down a bit.”
“No, I mean, the reason I grabbed your hand—!”
“When I see you, I keep seeing these strange visions. My back gets hot.”
She wanted to explain herself—but even in her own head, the words sounded utterly insane. Belia clamped her mouth shut.
“It’s fine. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. It’s just, you’ll meet all sorts of people in life…”
“No! No, I get what you’re saying. But you’ve misunderstood. I’m not interested in you, Master of the Tower.”
Belia laughed awkwardly and raised one hand as if to swear it.
Carlton, still holding her hand, raised their clasped hands slightly—as if to say, then what’s this, exactly?
“Ah.”
She’d forgotten they were still holding hands.
She knew she should let go, but something—fear?—made it hard to release him right away.
“I will… in just a second?”
Her voice was small and unsure. Carlton looked mildly troubled.
It was a dull banquet anyway—he didn’t mind indulging this a little longer.
But he had an appointment with the Crown Prince soon.
He had finally found a trace of his master in the Empire. If he wanted to stay in this place to track him down, he couldn’t afford to be late.
“Sorry, Lady Belia. But I really have to go now.”
Pretending not to notice Belia’s reluctance, Carlton gently released her hand.
The moment their fingers separated, Belia’s eyes widened.
“Please!!!”
“You have to live… I’ll be fine.”
Through her blurred vision, she saw a black-haired boy crying out.
The girl smiled at him.
Broken and bloody, she still managed a faint smile—reassuring him that she would be okay.
The vision vanished as suddenly as it had come.
Belia’s eyes snapped open.
“What was that…?”
“You’re sweating a lot,” Carlton remarked, taking out a handkerchief and wiping the hand that had just been holding hers.
Belia stared at him blankly.
“W…what?”
“What?”
For a moment, the boy from her vision seemed to overlap with Carlton.
“Eight years ago… No way.”
A chill ran down her spine.
The place she had seen in that vision—it was unmistakably the mansion where the accident had occurred eight years ago.
Belia reached out and urgently grabbed Carlton.
His red eyes widened slightly.
She took a sharp breath and blurted out, “What is this? Was it you? I mean… no, wait…”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s just…”
Am I going crazy? Am I seeing these illusions because I’ve repeated the regression too many times?
Belia swallowed hard.
Her desperate expression made Carlton tilt his head in confusion.
“If you’ve got nothing else to say, I’ll leave. You want this balcony to yourself, right—”
He stopped mid-sentence.
A breeze swept through, pushing aside Belia’s long, silky black hair—revealing a faint purple mark on the nape of her neck.
“No way…”
Carlton inhaled sharply.
He thought he was seeing things, but the small marking was unmistakable.
He knew that symbol.
“Why…?”
His eyes widened, locking on Belia.
Their eyes met again, breaths quickening.
“Hey!”
The silence shattered as a new presence intruded.
A man dressed entirely in black appeared suddenly on the balcony railing, inserting himself between them.
“Ah…”
Belia pulled away from Carlton at the sound of the unfamiliar voice.
“Huh. Carlton, I didn’t know you were into romance.”
The stranger shrugged, eyes fixed on Carlton.
“You were taking so long I came looking… Did I interrupt something?”
Belia turned to Carlton, confused by the odd remark.
Carlton’s red eyes were still fixed on her, stunned.
Then he grabbed her by the shoulders.
“Do you know Baine?”
“Huh?”
“Do you know him? Have you met him before? Blond hair, golden eyes—looks like an angel.”
The desperate question turned into a near-shout.
The man in black grabbed Carlton’s arm.
“Easy now. Even if you’re the Master of the Tower, you can’t treat a noble lady like this.”
“Ah…”
Realizing he’d lost control, Carlton took a deep breath.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but we have to go. We won’t get another chance if we’re late.”
Prompted by the stranger’s words, Carlton looked back at Belia with a troubled expression.
Right. Tonight, he had to enter the Forest of Mist to trace Baine’s tracks.
Tonight—when the moon shone bright—was his only chance.
“What’s your name?”
“Huh?”
“Tell me your name.”
Belia still seemed dazed as she answered softly.
“…Belia.”
“Belia…”
Carlton let her name roll off his tongue.
For the first time, the stranger looked at her with real interest.
“Wait!”
Belia reached out and stopped Carlton just as he turned to leave.
“Ugh, we’re in a hurry. Can the romance wait…?”
Ignoring the muttered complaint, Belia asked Carlton directly:
“Can we… meet again?”
It was a baseless question, but she needed to know the truth behind that vision.
Carlton glanced at her hand clutching his sleeve and gave a small nod.
“I’ll find you.”
With those parting words, Carlton moved away.
“Wow. Didn’t think I’d live to see something like this.”
The man in black, momentarily surprised, also disappeared into the shadows.
Left alone on the balcony, Belia rested her hands on the cold railing.
“…What was that?”
Her heart was still pounding.
That vision…
If she was right, the vision had to be a fragment of the memory she lost when she was eight.
“I was switched when I was eight!”
Through the fog of her thoughts, Rene’s voice echoed.
* * *
“That’s unexpected.”
Arlendo glanced at Carlton standing beside him.
He’d been brooding like this for a while now.
“Belia… She’s the lady of House Arphedi, isn’t she?”
“You know her?”
Carlton turned his head swiftly.
The quick reaction made Arlendo smirk and nod.
“Of course. She’s the youngest daughter of the Arphedi family.”
“That’s it?”
“What else am I supposed to know?”
“Has she ever visited the Magic Tower?”
“Hmm… I don’t think so. If a noble lady of the Empire had requested a visit to the Tower, I would’ve heard about it.”
“Then why…”
Carlton’s expression turned even more grave.
Arlendo racked his brain, repeating the name “Belia” to himself—and suddenly, something clicked.
“Oh. I remember now.”
