When the Emperor faced Zikharun, whom I had brought, he was utterly shocked. Not only was it uncomfortable to meet someone he considered an enemy again, but he was also astonished to learn that despite his pardon, Zikharun had been living as a malnourished child.

He reluctantly agreed to take in Zikharun. There was a need to reinforce the imperial palace’s strength after Irefi’s disappearance, and it also served as a form of atonement for past wrongs.

Since one more mouth to feed wouldn’t make a difference in the imperial palace, the Emperor put his mind at ease. In fact, he sometimes couldn’t believe his ears when hearing about Zikharun’s good reputation.

“Could you dry this for me?”

“Yes, I’d be happy to, Sir Zikharun!”

Zikharun’s excellent reputation stemmed mainly from the servants, especially the maids. He would use spirit magic to effortlessly complete laundry that normally took all day, and he built goodwill by showing them various magical tricks.

With a handsome nobleman extending help to everyone regardless of status, his positive reputation only grew. Moreover, his unclear background only added to his mysterious charm.

“Ah, you’re here again today?”

Zikharun peeked his head into the kitchen where meal preparations were in full swing. Like clockwork, he would appear in the kitchen around this time every day.

“Thank you for fixing our oven last time. We happen to have some leftover tart—please have some when you get hungry!”

“Hmm, thank you as always.”

Zikharun munched on a piece of tart as he headed toward the garden. His daily routine included taking a nap in the garden after enjoying a snack.

He lay down sideways on a flat bench. Occasionally, people passing by would glance at him. His confidence in not caring about others’ gazes was almost enviable.

‘Looking at him like this, he really does resemble a cat…’

A black cat receiving offerings in the ultra-luxurious wealthy home that was the imperial palace. That was how I saw Zikharun now.

He was such a beautiful cat that there were even noble ladies who came just to watch him lounging about.

Yet even the carefree Zikharun, who roamed the imperial palace without restraint, had one difficult opponent. That opponent was the blonde girl approaching steadily—Charle Millote, with whom he had a troubled past.

Click, click.

As the footsteps drew closer, Zikharun curled up like a shrimp. He squeezed his eyes shut, desperately pretending to be in deep sleep. But Charle had always seen through his poor acting.

Charle casually greeted him.

“Hello, Sir Zikharun.”

“Zzz…”

“The weather is quite nice today.”

“Zzzz…”

“I came out for a walk, and it seems this is the only place to sit. May I?”

Zikharun responded with clear pronunciation to Charle who was about to sit at his head:

“What about that table right across from here?”

“That’s for tea time. It’s not meant for walking breaks.”

“Zzzz…”

“It feels better now that I’m sitting. Don’t you agree?”

“…”

Charle sat down at Zikharun’s head without permission and spoke to him casually. Judging by his reaction, this wasn’t the first time he had experienced Charle’s brazen attitude.

I found it suspicious that Zikharun, who usually made sarcastic remarks one-sidedly, was now on the defensive.

‘I’m not thrilled about this, but I have no choice.’

I had an obligation to respond to the Emperor’s earnest request. He seemed worried that Charle might be heading down the wrong path.

Just this once, I would be a loyal spy and eavesdrop on them.

◇

“I’ve been hearing good things about you lately. It seems your gentlemanly charm is attracting people.”

“Not really…”

Zikharun’s halfhearted response was something she had experienced often. Charle wasn’t bothered by his indifferent attitude. Rather, she found it amusing that he was trying to avoid her.

Charle hadn’t actively pursued Zikharun from the beginning. She was clearly a victim of Zikharun’s schemes, a Lost Blood who nearly suffered a terrible fate.

She got goosebumps when she heard that Zikharun had been “adopted” into the imperial palace. Though she knew he had reformed and was supporting the system, overcoming psychological trauma was a separate issue.

“I’m glad you seem to have adapted well to the palace already.”

“Mmm.”

“It feels like just yesterday when I first spoke to you.”

“I… guess.”

She had undergone internal changes after experiencing major events like kidnapping and the Chainlich Phenomenon. Courage and boldness—qualities that the past Charle had lacked—were now part of her.

As long as Zikharun was roaming the palace, encountering him was inevitable. If so, she might as well face him first and shake off past wounds. Not for him, but for herself.

It was truly a resolution worthy of a brave woman.

However, the reunion she pursued with courage turned out quite differently from what she had imagined. While Charle swallowed hard and clenched her fists, it was actually Zikharun whose face turned ashen.

From across the past, she had opened her mouth with difficulty.

[Excuse me.]

[… Lady Charle.]

[Don’t you… have anything to say to me?]

[Something to say?]

[Say… say something. You even had the audacity to greet me at the debutante ball.]

[…]

Zikharun had slightly opened and closed his lips several times. The faint metallic sound that escaped him led to his choice: escape. Zikharun turned his back and fled from the completely unarmed Charle.

That was when the persistent chase between Charle and Zikharun began. Fueled by his cowardly behavior, Charle, filled with determination, persistently tracked Zikharun.

This is where the problem arose.

Charle began to feel a strange pleasure in reversing positions with her kidnapper, becoming the pursuer instead of the victim. It felt like following a cat that refused her touch.

On the other hand, she was captivated by the thrill of tormenting none other than Zikharun himself.

It was the awakening of a hidden sadism.

Tired of the aggressive pursuit, Zikharun gave up resisting. As a result, Charle was able to shake off her trauma while enjoying her position of complete dominance.

Sitting at Zikharun’s head, she asked:

“Why do you avoid me?”

“I should ask you the same. I can’t imagine I’m suitable company for conversation.”

“How could that be? You’re Sir Zikharun, the nobleman with the excellent reputation.”

“That’s not what I—”

“What? You mean the fact that I, the unilateral victim, am following you, the perpetrator, even calling you ‘Sir’?”

“Mmm.”

She understood his intentions well enough to leave Zikharun speechless. From Zikharun’s perspective, Charle’s behavior was an unknown terror.

If it hadn’t been for my father’s possession, Charle would have certainly died during the kidnapping incident. She was the optimal test subject for experimenting on Lost Blood. That’s why, despite his hesitation, he ultimately kidnapped her.

If Irefi had left the system to chase after Charle, it would have been a “jackpot.” Even if she had stayed within the system, he could have devastated other places.

The complex past entangled with emotions was twisted by the same possessor. Thanks to that, Charle’s future was redirected toward the path of proper salvation.

‘I owe Father for that.’

It was a past incident caused by a misinterpretation of his mother’s dying wish. But mistakes are far from being grounds for absolution.

The person who corrected him when he had completely gone astray was the possessor of his biological father. He felt he had received a debt of gratitude too great to repay.

As a beneficiary of such grace, a man who was nothing but a mass of sin could not dare to apologize.

Charle would probably accept an apology. She was a sharp but tender and kind lady. Sins that shouldn’t be washed away would be diluted.

Even if she didn’t accept the apology, the act of apologizing itself would lessen his sense of debt. The accumulated evil deeds were too deep to selfishly lighten his burden.

To Zikharun, who was brooding alone, Charle said:

“You saved my life.”

“What?”

“I saw it. When Elfi’s barrier broke, you were the one who burned the monster.”

“So what?”

“Consider it a favor—I’ll pretend the past never happened. After all, you did save me.”

“I was just paying for giving you the disease by providing the cure.”

“My goodness, why are you being so difficult when I’m saying it’s fine?”

“…Huh?”

Zikharun instinctively sat up straight, feeling a chilling sensation. Charle, sitting demurely beside him, was smiling with narrowed eyes. A coldness seemed to overflow from her unnatural smile.

“You’re right. I admit it. I suffered many illnesses, but the payment for the medicine was insufficient.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Taking your opinion into account, I think I’ll actively collect the payment for the medicine from now on. I hadn’t particularly thought about it, but since you insist, what choice do I have?”

“What… are you planning to do…”

“Naturally, something you’d hate?”

Charle grabbed both sides of Zikharun’s temples with her hands and forced him to lie down.

With a soft thud, Zikharun’s head landed on Charle’s lap, bewildered by the gentle sensation.

Zikharun opened his ruby-like eyes wide. Reflected in those red eyes was not the blue of the clear sky, but Charle’s emerald-green eyes.

“Hohoho, just like a big cat.”

“You, you…?”

“The way you walk around proudly alone, the way you lie down in your territory—it’s perfect. Oh, I should add how you receive food offerings too.”

“I don’t understand!”

“Of course you don’t. If you understood, it wouldn’t count as payment for the medicine, would it?”

Charle laughed cheerfully. Zikharun’s submissive posture on her lap made Charle’s sadistic tendencies bloom. Her trembling eyes contained intense excitement.

Stroke, stroke.

Charle’s sadism brilliantly executed actions that would humiliate Zikharun.

As she stroked his head like a child would, Zikharun’s entire body stiffened like an old tree.

Given the severity of his own words, he couldn’t bring himself to shake her off, only blushing instead.

“This is… surprisingly nice. I could get used to this.”

“Ugh…?!”

Charle felt like she was dealing with an overgrown kitten. If she could have her way, she would have unbuttoned his shirt and stroked even deeper. The look in Charle’s eyes as she restrained her truly vulgar and lustful instincts was a masterpiece.

She was completely unaware that her breathing was unconsciously becoming rougher…

“The pleasure of taming the villain who tormented me… is this sadistic pleasure…?”

“Are your inner thoughts leaking out, Lady Charle?”

“Oh my, I got excited at the thought of receiving compensation for the medicine.”

“Ugh… It seems a lady of marriageable age isn’t afraid of scandal.”

“I’ll be executed if I get pregnant. In other words, I’ve been forcibly removed from the marriage market. So, I have nothing to be concerned about. Being an old maid isn’t something to boast about, so I’ll attend fewer social gatherings… Fortunately, I’ve found a good conversation partner at just the right time?”

“Gah?!”

Charle’s dangerous ideology began to grow from this point onward.

Their future was as invisible as the night in a treacherous ravine.

A treacherous ravine is so rough that if you misstep, there’s no way out. Just like Zikharun, whose life was mortgaged by the principle of karma.

Silent screams and excited sadistic pleasure intersected in the imperial garden.

◇

“Um… Your Majesty.”

“Tell me. Is that villain Zikharun corrupting Charle?”

The Emperor questioned with eyes full of expectation. His hopes were sadly destined to be in vain.

“I would like to pose a philosophical question about whether the hidden sides of humans are innate.”

“What’s with that all of a sudden?”

“…I’ve learned quite a bit while observing Charle.”

Even if this man heard the truth, could he truly accept it?

I judged it impossible.

Above all, since Zikharun’s suffering was amusing to watch, my decision led to silence.

I only fervently prayed that Charle’s collection of her “debt” would continue for a long time.