Hmm… Enfrise was acting strangely again.

“Frii, why is Enfrise acting like this?”

It was different from before, when he would avoid me out of embarrassment or because he couldn’t control his impulses. There was a certain firmness to him now.

Still, he didn’t make eye contact.

Even if our eyes met, he quickly looked away. He didn’t seem flustered or embarrassed; instead, he finished what he was saying calmly. The skinship that had become common recently had also decreased. He used to give me back hugs while teaching me letters, though he wouldn’t do that anymore.

This change started right after that night.

The night I seduced Enfrise.

“…Could he be sulking?”

If that were the case, it would likely show on his face or in his actions. Was he angry? Because I fell asleep alone after seducing him? Still, Tambor said Enfrise stayed in my room until dawn that night. If he were upset, it would probably show on his face.

So, what was it? Why was he suddenly distancing himself from me?

Could it be…

“Is he upset…?”

Enfrise had already tasted the thrill of secrecy and the joy of kissing Chaperil for the first time. Did my overly aggressive approach make him lose interest?

Could affection really fade just because of that? Wasn’t that a bit much? But thinking about it, it was quite common in possession stories for the original characters’ feelings or behaviors to change. Maybe my actions weren’t quite like Chaperil’s, causing his feelings to cool…

If that was the case, it made sense why he seems so indifferent now. It would mean he has no real feelings left for me.

“…Frii.”

“Ppi?”

“Is it true that unchanging feelings don’t exist?”

When a novel became reality, did it always end up like this? I wish I had read more of the original story. If I had, I might know how Chaperil acted, what she said… and why Enfrise’s feelings didn’t change.

Maybe this wouldn’t have happened.

“…Well.”

I tapped Frii’s nose with my fingertip. Frii flapped around and wiped its face with its little hands. I smiled at its cuteness and flopped down with a sigh.

“Lies always come to light in the end.”

No matter how hard I struggled, I could never truly imitate Chaperil.

The flower of high society. The saint. Chaperil was undoubtedly a lovely person. The appearance of a character reflects their personality, after all.

She must have been as beautiful and lovely as people described.

Even if I have taken her place and body, the essence of who I am remains. It was only natural that things would turn out this way. But somehow, Enfrise misunderstood and felt I was similar to the old Chaperil. That’s why our relationship has continued so far.

However… now that I’ve taken the initiative, he’s probably become disillusioned. He might think I was dirty or disgusting.

“Still, Enfrise… won’t just abandon me, right?”

Enfrise was kind and gentle. He would likely feel guilty about his cooling feelings and would try to treat me well. However, once my situation was resolved, he would likely send me away… under the pretense of letting Chaperil go freely.

To me, that would be the beginning of hell.

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

For now, or at least until I find a way to survive, I should be grateful that he was letting me stay here. Though, I wasn’t sure.

Could I endure it?

For the first time, I gave my heart. I was closer to Enfrise than the friends I kept at a distance, who would offer help but were pushed away because I didn’t want to be a burden. With him, I could ask for anything and be spoiled. I could speak freely without suppressing my feelings.

It was the first time I had ever told someone everything about me.

Would I ever meet someone like that again in my dream? Probably not. This might be the punishment for my greed.

“I was best at being quiet… just existing.”

Without being greedy, existing as if I wasn’t there and believing that I wasn’t truly part of this place and that I had somewhere else to go someday.

I was best at being there quietly.

…But my greed grew.

Enfrise and I were the same.

It was fine when I didn’t know. When I didn’t dream of such happiness because I didn’t know it existed in this world. Of course, I’ve seen it often in novels, comics, and dramas, but that was all fictional, right? It was the story of the main characters.

My life, not of a main character, was definitely one that barely appeared on the edges of the screen, like an extra, and then disappeared. But now, I’ve become the lead. I’ve discovered what it was like to be a lead. I’ve realized that such happiness exists in this world.

I wanted more, more.

Was it wrong to desire that? Was it just me?

“It must have been wrong.”

Not being satisfied with an extra’s life, wanting to escape from it. Being thrilled by the happiness in my hands and wielding it recklessly.

Greedy people always end up losing everything they have. Even the fairy tale about the greedy dog showed that.

“Frii, I—”

What should I do now?

….

….

….!

‘D*mn it, this just isn’t me!’

Thinking alone only leads to vain answers circling in my mind. How many times had it been like this? How many more times was I going to repeat the same mistake? If I wanted to know what was true, I should just act as usual!

“Frii, let’s go!”

“Kkiiu?”

Seeing Frii tilt its head as if asking where to go, I smiled and picked up Frii and shouted.

“To Enfrise’s room!”

* * *

“Your Grace!”

I burst into the study with force, swinging the door open. Enfrise’s eyes widened in surprise as he held a bundle of unknown papers.

“You… why are you here…?”

Was this deja vu? I felt like I’d seen a similar scene before.

“I came to see the Grand Duke.”

“…Me? Didn’t we just meet? Was there something you couldn’t say?”

“Yes!”

Although I tried to answer as usual, I was actually quite nervous. After giving Frii, who was wrapped around my neck and quietly observing me, a gentle pat, I took a deep breath.

…Here we go!

“I have something I want to ask!”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

Enfrise set the bundle of papers aside and moved aside. And this time, too, I didn’t sit in the chair.

“Why are you suddenly avoiding me?”

“Avoiding…? I haven’t avoided you.”

“I felt like you were avoiding me.”

As I took a step closer to Enfrise, he subtly backed away toward the bookshelves.

“That… why would I avoid you?”

“That’s what I came to find out. Why are you avoiding me?”

Enfrise, who seemed about to say something, looked into my eyes and then tightly shut his mouth. He must have realized that his current excuses wouldn’t make me back down. However, I didn’t want to continue like this, with this awkwardness every day. I didn’t want to let my mind wander into strange thoughts.

“Do you hate me now?”

“What—!”

“Did the Grand Duke hate it when I held you back and kissed you first? Did it make you disgusted?”

“Absolutely not! Why would you think that? I could never feel that way about you.”

“Then, why do you keep avoiding eye contact? Why do you avoid touching me? Why are you even moving away now?”

Enfrise, who had positioned himself towards the bookshelves, was losing ground. Every time I moved closer, he backed away, but eventually, his back hit the shelf and he had nowhere else to retreat. It would be difficult for him to dodge sideways as that would mean acknowledging my words.

I finally pressed myself against him, blocking his escape by placing my hands on either side of Enfrise’s waist.

“I’ve got you.”

“Well, really, I…”

“Look me straight in the eyes and tell me. Are you really not avoiding me?”

Our eyes met for a second. He turned his head sharply away.

His ears were still bright red.

Seeing that… it still seemed like he liked me.

“If you don’t hate me, then why are you avoiding me?”

When he tried to slide away to the right, I pressed even closer. With the determination to hold him tight, I watched him let out a low sigh.

What, he was sighing?!

“How could I ever dislike you? You are…”

I wanted to know what I was to him. Looking up at him with those eyes, he again sharply turned his head away.

“Because I… I asked you to leave, didn’t you end up in another dangerous situation?”

…Huh?

“Me?”

“I’ve never seen you so worked up before. It’s clear… that the medication alone couldn’t have resolved it. Still, I couldn’t even muster the courage to reach out to you properly…”

But that wasn’t Enfrise’s fault.

It was mine.

“Grand Duke.”

“I won’t repeat the same mistakes again. I’ll make sure not to ask too much of you, not to overstep my bounds…”

“Grand Duke?”

“I’ll be careful. From now on… I’ll keep a proper distance from you…”

“Enfrise!”

The way he muttered to himself without looking at me reminded me of how I had been earlier, lying on the bed and digging into the ground alone, so I called his name loudly.

Was I too loud? Or maybe it was just that it had been a long time since I called his name in front of him. Or perhaps it was the sound of Enfrise’s heartbeat that I had caught. My own heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.

“….”

Enfrise looked at me with a face as red as a tomato. Was it for the same reason as mine? Or for another reason?

Why was I so curious about him?

“That day, the Grand Duke kept me safe from being kidnapped.”

“No, if I hadn’t left in the first place…”

Ah, he was digging into it again. If I left him like this, the earlier situation would just repeat, so I decided to stop him from speaking.

“You’re dangerous…?!”

Enfrise’s eyes widened in surprise.

__