The woman in front of me.

As I gazed upon the appearance of the woman I had longed for, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was dreaming.

I had spent countless sleepless nights picturing her in my dreams.

I even questioned whether the woman in front of me was just an illusion that would vanish if she regained her senses.

However, the sensation I felt in my hands…

The firmness of her body, which I pulled into a tight embrace, clearly told me that this was not a dream, but reality.

“I missed you… I’ve never stopped longing for you.”

“I… I felt the same. I’ve always missed you, Mr. Santana…”

As we shared warmth, we both expressed our yearning for each other.

There were so many things I wanted to ask her, and a lot I needed to clarify from my side too.

Why was she here in this form? What had happened during her absence?

And… what had occurred to me while she was gone?

But at this moment, neither of us spoke of such things.

The emotions of longing we both felt were simply too overwhelming…

At least for this moment…

I wanted to focus solely on feeling the person right in front of me.

*

I couldn’t tell how much time had passed.

Yet, even though there were still remnants of yearning, we both felt that we had somewhat satisfied our overwhelming need for each other.

Cautiously, we let go of each other’s bodies and began to speak the words we needed to say.

It was challenging for both of us to bring certain topics up, but thankfully, Polena came to my aid and explained my side of things to her, allowing us to clarify the current situation with more ease than we had expected.

The status of Cazerose that I was unaware of…

And the engagement I had involuntarily entered into while she was gone.

“I’m really sorry. Honestly, I didn’t want to get engaged at all…”

“N-no, it’s me who should apologize… If I had revealed my status earlier, this wouldn’t have happened. I’m so sorry for putting you in such a predicament, Mr. Santana.”

“No, that’s not true. Cazerose only didn’t want to make me uncomfortable. This is entirely my fault for not living up to your trust.”

“But you still went ahead with the contract engagement for my sake, didn’t you? Just that decision alone, considering my lowly status at that time, I’m very grateful for.”

After we shared our respective situations, neither of us could do anything but sincerely apologize to each other for a while.

Cazerose, repeatedly apologizing for hiding her status from me…

However, her apologies meant very little to me.

Whether she was originally a beggar or an empress, it didn’t matter to me.

What mattered was that the person in front of me was the one I loved…

Cazerose Sophia.

In fact…

It was I who should be apologizing at this moment.

Though it was a contract, my act of getting engaged to someone else while having her was inexcusable.

No matter how unavoidable it was, the guilt in my heart didn’t easily fade, and all I could do was bow my head in shame.

Thus, our apologies continued for some time.

Even though it was a bizarre situation where we argued over who was more at fault, through this, we both realized one undeniable fact.

While it might have been reasonable to argue and point fingers…

We could forgive one another to the extent that we could blame ourselves for everything.

That’s how deeply we both loved each other.

*

The scene in front of me, between two lovers.

Watching it from a third-party perspective, she…

Polena couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“Honestly… Showing such a side to each other in front of me…”

After a long time apart, they confirmed each other’s existence.

Since then, quite some time has passed, and Polena had completely disappeared from their minds.

Even though she had helped explain the engagement situation, they only seemed focused on her words, showing no interest in her presence at all.

And this continued, even as the apologies unfurled one after another.

While they were engrossed in the one they loved standing right in front of them, Polena thought it best to step back, knowing she was just a nuisance at this point, and quietly made her exit.

“Since the first time I saw them… they really do make a perfect pair. I can’t help but feel genuinely envious.”

Honestly, during the time Cazerose was absent, Polena had occasionally extended subtle invitations to Santana.

Though her advances were not overly bold, and unless one paid close attention, it would be hard to notice, she was fully aware that they couldn’t be brushed off completely.

It was a bit strange to evaluate herself like this, but she knew she had considerable charm as a woman.

However, despite this, Santana continued to turn a blind eye, never crossing the line he’d drawn—even if he showed hints of wavering.

Marvelling at that fact and simultaneously feeling a twinge of regret that her efforts had come to nothing, she slowly opened the lounge door and stepped outside.

And just after that,

She caught sight of Blood, who stood anxiously at the door.

Tensing as she looked towards Polena.

With that, Polena wiped the smile off her face and calmly spoke to her.

“You don’t need to be so tense. I’m not planning to do anything to you for now.”

“Th-thank you…”

Seeing her visibly relax at those words,

Polena stood beside her and lightly gestured to cast a soundproofing spell around them.

After setting up precautions against any unexpected situation,

Polena turned to Blood and spoke in a calm tone.

“From the looks of it, it seems you’ve completed the task I gave you well.”

“Yes, although it seems Duchess Kattlena didn’t fully trust my words… it appears at least the Master’s existence has gone unnoticed.”

“That’s to be expected… it was the purpose of the command from the start.”

“So what are your plans now? Do you intend to maintain secrecy going forward, or…”

There was a hint of curiosity—and maybe some hope—in Blood’s voice.

However, Polena slowly shook her head.

“I don’t intend to jump in myself for the time being. I don’t want to get involved in troublesome matters, you see. But…”

“…?”

As she spoke, Polena took something from her bosom.

Blood cautiously accepted it.

“What is… this?”

Questioning, Blood looked at her,

Polena’s voice changed, filled with quiet yet discernible fury.

“This is the whereabouts of that guy I found.”

“!…”

“Prepare yourself, but don’t jump in recklessly. Once again, I’ll say it, I’m not planning to act just yet.”

“Ah… Yes. Understood, Master.”