[Warning: This chapter contains mature scenes that may not be suitable for younger readers.]

And so, Haniel and I returned to the tower shortly.

My brother seemed surprised that I came back earlier than intended, but Servan didn't ask me anything. He was just overjoyed to see me so soon.

That aside, Haniel told me that he will persuade his father to send us to the south with an official reason. How he will coax Sir Ion, I'm not sure.

"Leave it to me," The purple-eyed mage gave me a reassuring smile. "I'll convince him somehow. As for you and Servan, start packing your stuff."

I nodded to him obediently.

"Well, then." He patted my head. "See you later."

I watched him as he made his way to the senior mage's office. On the other hand, I could feel someone's piercing gaze from the sideline.

It was Servan, who was hiding in the corner.

"Kyah!" His eyes twinkled. "You lovebirds!"

I gave him a bored look. There he goes again, jumping into his own conclusions. He's like a paparazzi. Does he have nothing better to do?

"Sister, don't look so guarded!" My brother nudged my shoulder. "Brother is just happy that you found yourself a handsome, rich, and strong lover. Ehe!"

While I do have a handsome, rich, and strong lover, I'm afraid it's not Haniel. Worse, he's a married man, and a grand duke at that.

I breathed an exhausted sigh. It's so troublesome, but I have to set the record straight, otherwise he'll keep misunderstanding our relationship.

I jotted down on my paper then showed him.

Haniel and I aren't lovers. We're just friends.

"Eh? No way!" Servan waved his hand in disbelief. He was grinning from ear to ear. "He doesn't look at you as a mere friend. I'm telling you, his eyes stare at you like you're the love of his life, sis!"

I rolled my eyes upwards. He's so stubborn!

As usual, my brother didn't listen to me and he got caught up in his own delusions. Well, it's true that Haniel likes me, but the feeling is... not mutual?

Anyway, I decided to change the subject at hand and informed Servan that we might have to go into Surinam, that's why we need to pack up.

"Surinam? That's quite far from here, isn't it?" His eyes widened in wonder. "Will it just be the two of us? Why haven't I heard anything about this, sis?"

I quickly wrote down my answer.

Haniel will also come with us.

As soon as he read that, Servan's spirit got lifted even more. At this point, he's gonna ascend to heaven in that good mood. So easy to please!

"An outing with my sister and my brother-in-law!" Servan clapped his hands gleefully. "A trip! Yay!"

Jesus, he's acting like we're some kids going on a field trip. Also, what brother-in-law? Don't just make someone your family on your own, dude!

As we went to our makeshift quarters in the tower, my brother was bouncing in bliss.

At this point, it's pretty obvious that Servan cares for his sister more than anyone else in the world.

I'm not sure how old exactly he is, but he looks about in his late thirties. Isn't it strange that he isn't married yet? He must have chosen to stay single just so he can take care of his mute sister.

From that alone, he already earned my respect.

"A trip with Allari and her lover!" Servan said in a singsong voice. "I'm their third wheel. Hehe!"

Gosh, does it make him that happy?

I watched my older brother as he folded some of his clothes while humming a tune. Incidentally, I noticed some portraits displayed on his bedside.

They were portraits of us when we were kids.

Well, Servan and the original Allari, that is.

I couldn't help but peruse the images. When Allari was young, she looked exactly like the lowborn Callista, except that she was clean and well-fed.

What a curious phenomenon.

If you think about it, Isabelle and Allari were both people living their normal lives before I took over their bodies. I wonder what happened to them.

Have their souls completely disappeared?

Callista was an exception since she belonged to the streets as an orphan. Therefore, I had no qualms in possessing her body. It felt right to live as her.

On the contrary, with Isabelle and Allari who both lived long enough to grow into full-fledged adults, I can't help but think that I stole their own lives.

Well, it's not like I enjoy dying repeatedly, either.

While I was looking over the portraits of Allari and Servan throughout the years, something odd caught my eye. It was a subtle detail that can be easily overlooked, but it was quite intriguing.

Allari, not once did she smile in their pictures.

At first, I thought it simply depicted her meekness as a child, but it was too strange. She had the same expression in all of their portraits, her eyes dead.

It gave me an impression that she was quite a gloomy and unhappy child, which is surprising, since she was raised by a buoyant and impish person like Servan. Am I overthinking this?

In order to seek answers, I asked my brother.

Servan, what kind of child was I?

At that moment, the smile on his face froze.

We both know that I supposedly suffered from amnesia recently, so it's not strange for me to ask that kind of question. It was the perfect excuse.

"Eh?" Servan laughed nervously. "You were cute."

But his reaction was totally not what I expected.

Even though he tried to conceal it, Servan was a lousy liar. He couldn't look me in the eye and he was perspiring profusely. Why is he so fidgety?

I was expecting him to ramble on and on about how adorable his sister was, but Servan simply answered in one phrase, and he seemed antsy.

"Yes," Servan mumbled to himself while touching his neck. That's when I noticed that he had a long scar on his throat. "You were a cute child, sister."

Somehow, a wild idea was planted on my head.

That Allari might not be the person I think she is.

---

The night of that same day, I couldn't sleep at all.

I kept thinking about the original characters of the second arc, especially Allari. She was a significant extra, a female mage who betrayed her own lover.

But, why exactly did she do it?

Back then, I surmised that Servan might've been the reason. After all, he was her only family, so his safety must have been compromised that she had no choice but to betray the tower and kill Haniel.

However, my gut tells me otherwise.

This is nothing but a wild guess on my part, but Allari didn't seem like the affectionate type. The portraits captured her face in the same blank expression, like she was dead inside and out.

Moreover, Servan's reaction was so suspicious.

So I don't think he's the reason why she did it.

If it wasn't related to her sibling, then why did the original Allari betray Haniel? In the first place, did she even love him? Or did she become his partner with the intention to deceive him from the start?

I have so many questions. What a headache.

If only I knew the answers, it could have served as my reference. The story has changed now, but the original plot would have given me a clue, anyway.

I feel like I'm missing something important.

What is it? What exactly am I missing?

I was racking up my brain for answers when someone knocked on the window of my drafty chambers. At first I hesitated to open it, until I heard a familiar baritone voice from outside.

"Isabelle," Grand Duke Averill called. "It's me."

Truth to be told, Alistair was indeed outside the window. What is he doing here? Outsiders aren't permitted to roam around the tower at this hour!

I flailed my arms around in panic.

"Relax," He gave me a small smile. "Haniel gave me permission to be here tonight. This is legal."

In fear that someone might see him, I hurriedly invited His Grace inside my room. It's good that Haniel is aware of his secret visit, but it would be scandalous if anyone else were to see us together!

Technically, he's still married and I'm his mistress.

"I'm sorry." Alistair whispered as he embraced me into his arms. "You're soon to be southbound after all, so I wanted to meet you before you depart."

His words were full of affection and longing.

"I missed you so much." Grand Duke Averill breathed to my ear, his hands on my waist.

The two of us drowned in each other's soulful stares. Once again, I was mesmerized by his pair of eyes that were comparable to melted gold.

His silver hair, as expected, looked good in the faded hues of midnight. I couldn't resist the urge to brush my fingers into those silver strands.

Alistair never broke his gaze from me, his eyes filled with desire. The warmth of his skin on mine was also making it difficult for me to stay sane.

And so, we found ourselves succumbing to the temptation. We were two people in love, after all.

Our fire may have been put out for years, but it only took seconds to reignite it. At this point, our moral compass was nowhere to be discovered.

An unfaithful man and his sordid mistress.

That's what we are in reality.

But in the arms of the person you love, there's no way to distinguish what is right and what is wrong. You just get drunk from the pleasure.

Grand Duke Averill groaned. "Isabelle..."

Tonight was supposed to be a sweet memory.

However, something unexpected happened.

As our bodies got basked in the heat, a passage from the novel suddenly appeared on my mind. Why now, of all times? Are you shitting with me?

At that moment, I was dumbfounded. Obviously, the man on that scene was Haniel... and it was during his intimate moment with his lover.

The image of his face filled with lust, one that I've never seen on Haniel, was engraved on my mind.

Oh, christ. This is bad. Why are they doing this?

I can never look at him the same way again.

---