Just as I was startled upon seeing Dekain’s face, he too seemed to realize soon after that he wasn’t wearing a mask.

It was when he stiffly reached up to touch his own face.

Swish—

I quickly spun around and shouted with my eyes tightly shut.

“I didn’t see anything!”

A moment of silence passed.

Though I couldn’t see Dekain’s expression since I had turned away first, I soon heard him chuckle softly.

“If you say that, anyone would think you saw something.”

“No, seriously, it’s too dark to see properly. That’s why I even fell into the stream…”

While I was rambling excuses, the water rippled. Even though I hadn’t moved, waves began stirring from behind me.

Soon, I sensed Dekain approaching closer toward me.

“You really didn’t see anything?”

It was a dark, quiet forest. Dekain’s low voice sounded as if whispered right into my ear, secretive and intimate.

Honestly, I felt I shouldn’t tell the truth. But I didn’t want to lie either.

Without realizing it, I pressed a hand to my forehead and quietly replied,

“I’m not even sure what I saw because it was so dark. But even if I did see something, I won’t remember it—so don’t worry.”

It was the best answer I could give. I hoped this would quietly let the matter of seeing Dekain’s face pass without issue.

But even after my words, Dekain remained silent.

Just as I was growing increasingly puzzled, his voice came again—lower and more subdued than before.

“Are you worried I’ll force you to take responsibility?”

“What?”

“Merchants are commoners, after all. No matter how large the Igteon Trading Company you operate, without a title, you’re still lowborn. Are you afraid I’ll try to extort something from you?”

It was an unusually sharp remark, uncharacteristic of Dekain.

I had avoided this situation because I knew the original novel’s plot—but apparently, he’d misinterpreted my behavior.

“What are you talking about? I thought it was too romantic when you said you’d only show your face to the woman you love, so I assumed I wasn’t supposed to see it.”

“…What?”

“So… I’m allowed to see your face?”

Once again, Dekain gave no reply.

Worried I might have unintentionally hurt him, I spoke up first.

“I always thought it must be something very important since you kept your face so tightly hidden behind a mask—but it wasn’t?”

“…It’s just Igteon Trading Company’s stuffy old rule. As the son of the company’s head, I can’t openly break it, so I wear the mask publicly—that’s all. I only follow it to avoid getting caught.”

I hadn’t realized Dekain wore the mask out of concern for others’ gazes.

In the novel , the scene where Dekain removes his mask to show his face to Noxia Brellof was so breathtakingly cool that I’d unconsciously assigned it great significance.

“What? That’s all it was?”

There was no one else around the stream.

Since only Dekain and I were here, according to his explanation, as long as we both kept quiet, seeing his face wouldn’t cause any trouble.

Slowly, I turned my head to look at Dekain standing behind me.

I’d glimpsed his face earlier, but seeing it again up close, Dekain’s beautiful features became even more vividly clear.

His hair and face, wet from the water, shimmered under the reflected moonlight, giving him an almost dreamlike aura. His delicate, slender lines—usually associated with women—made his appearance unusually beautiful for a man.

“Such a pretty face. It’s such a waste to hide it behind a mask.”

For some reason, Dekain’s face seemed to flush red at my words. But since it was a dark night, I might have imagined it.

“…That doesn’t mean I was inviting you to look.”

“What? You just said it was a rule you didn’t necessarily have to follow.”

“Well, you reacted so strongly I got momentarily hurt, so I said that.”

What? What did he just say?

So absurd I didn’t even realize I’d opened my mouth, I stared at Dekain.

Seeing my shocked expression, Dekain smiled, his eyes crinkling slightly. Only then did I realize he was teasing me.

“This is—seriously!”

Annoyed, I splashed stream water at Dekain.

He chuckled, covering his face with both hands to block the spray.

“Hey, we’re friends, right? Can’t even take a little joke?”

“Just one! Just one splash! I was startled for a second.”

After splashing around for a while, it suddenly occurred to me—he wasn’t wearing anything.

I stopped splashing and stared at Dekain.

“So… what were you doing here?”

“Can’t you tell? Taking a bath.”

“A bath? Why here…?”

“Your lab’s shower facilities are too inadequate. Especially, there’s no private space for a man to wash alone—and as you know, the mask makes it awkward for me. Also, I happen to enjoy bathing outdoors.”

As I pieced together Dekain’s words, I realized something I’d momentarily forgotten due to the shock of seeing his face.

Right now, he wasn’t just bare-chested—the parts hidden underwater were completely naked too.

“This is insane…!”

I muttered a curse under my breath as I scrambled out of the stream.

Dekain, hearing me, stared at me with a surprised expression.

“You know how to curse like that?”

“Who in the world doesn’t know how to curse? People just choose not to use them. More importantly, you should’ve said something sooner! You’re making me embarrassed.”

“Who knew you’d suddenly show up like this?”

I grabbed Dekain’s neatly folded clothes from the rock and tossed them at him.

“Get dressed. Quickly.”

“We’ve already seen everything there is to see.”

“Who said I saw anything!”

I was genuinely indignant. I swear to the gods—I was only mesmerized by Dekain’s beauty and stared at his face; I didn’t properly look at his body at all.

For some reason, Dekain found my indignation hilarious—he laughed, shoulders shaking.

“Tanashia, the more I see you, the more you seem different from ordinary noble young ladies.”

“Before you leave, put your clothes on first.”

I turned around to give Dekain privacy to dress. Soon, I heard the soft rustling of fabric and gentle splashing behind me.

After a moment, Dekain tapped my shoulder and said quietly,

“I’m dressed. Let’s go.”

I remembered to pick up a suitably sized stone before we left. Then, I began walking toward the direction where the lab was faintly visible in the distance.

I hadn’t noticed on the way here, but returning now, the path felt dark and treacherous—I stepped carefully.

Dekain must have noticed too, because he extended his hand toward me and said,

“Hold on.”

I stared at his hand for a moment, then accepted it without refusal.

“Thank you.”

If I stumbled and got injured, Ascan would scold me endlessly.

Better to safely hold Dekain’s hand than risk that.

He walked a step ahead, clearing the path so I could walk more comfortably. Then, as if a thought suddenly struck him, he asked,

“By the way, what brought you all the way out here?”

“Well… I came to look for some stones.”

“Stones?”

“It’s hard to explain right now—they’re necessary for my research.”

“But at this hour? Just send a maid.”

“How can I? Everyone’s already resting. And I need a specific size—I felt awkward asking someone else to do it.”

“Then just have them keep looking until they find the exact stone you want.”

Dekain wasn’t wrong.

It might seem like a noble’s way of thinking, but typically, that’s how things were handled.

I just hadn’t thought that far. I didn’t want to burden anyone else when I could do it myself.

“Maid or not, they’re still people. I’d feel bad treating them like servants.”

At my words, Dekain hesitated. He stopped walking completely and slowly turned to face me.

Under the dim moonlight, Dekain’s red eyes held an unreadable, deep emotion.

“Maid… as a person?”

“Are they monsters, then?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what do you mean?”

I stared at Dekain, confused. But he looked even more bewildered.

“In your eyes… do maids appear as people?”

“I don’t even know how to answer that—it’s such an obvious question.”

“What do I look like in your eyes?”

It was such an unexpected question I couldn’t help but stare at Dekain’s face.

What did I see when I looked at him?

Illegitimate son of Emperor Largent. Adopted son of the Igteon Trading Company’s head. The novel’s secondary male lead. A face as beautiful as a flower. A man of great ambition.

Countless descriptors floated through my mind when I thought of Dekain.

I didn’t know why he asked this, but one answer felt utterly obvious to me.

“You’re… just Dekain.”

At my words, all traces of laughter vanished from Dekain’s face. I was startled—I’d never seen him wear such a serious expression before.

“Did I… say something wrong?”

Dekain shook his head in response. Then, uncharacteristically stiff and solemn, he replied very briefly,

“…No. Nothing at all.”

After that, Dekain didn’t speak another word.

The atmosphere made further conversation impossible.

Somehow, I descended the mountain quietly alongside Dekain. When we finally reached the lab entrance, I scratched my cheek awkwardly and said,

“Thanks. I’ll head in and rest now.”

I immediately turned to head toward my room—but from behind me, Dekain’s voice, silent until now, called out.

“Tanashia.”

I stopped mid-step and turned my head. In the darkness, untouched even by moonlight, Dekain stood motionless.

“To me, you were the young lady of the Marquis Brellof family—and a genius in magical engineering.”

Every word described me. Confused by his meaning, I stared at him questioningly.

Somehow, his voice sounded hoarse as he continued,

“But even if none of that were true… today, I just grew fond of Tanashia.”

For some reason, the novel flashed into my mind.

Specifically, the scene where Dekain removes his mask and confesses to Noxia Brellof.

—I like you. Even if you weren’t the young lady of House Brellof, even if you had no water-manipulating powers—I’ve come to like you, Noxia.

I couldn’t clearly recall why Dekain, who initially approached Noxia for ulterior motives, suddenly opened his heart to her.

Lost in thought, I barely noticed when Dekain’s quiet voice spoke again.

“I just wanted to tell you—you’ve become simply Tanashia to me too.”

Was it just my imagination…

That his phrasing felt eerily similar?

Dekain grew up as the adopted son of the Igteon Trading Company’s head.

Even in noble society, capital mattered—but it remained a rigid class society defined by titles.

No matter how prominent the Igteon Trading Company was as the representative trading house of the Largent Empire, the fact remained—they were commoners without titles.

—How dare you spill tea? Beat that lowly wretch until she dies!

The nursemaid who had raised Dekain since infancy was beaten to death before his eyes—simply for spilling tea on a high-ranking noble.

Dekain had clung to the noble’s trouser leg, crying and begging—but no one listened. They only mocked him.

—Tsk tsk, do you want to be beaten too? Stop being annoying and get lost!

—Haha, isn’t he the son of the Igteon Trading Company’s head? Show him some courtesy.

—What does a mere merchant’s son matter? Even if I beat that brat to death right here, could the Igteon Trading Company dare retaliate against me?

To the nobles, Dekain was nothing more than a contemptible insect they could crush underfoot anytime.

He was sick of it. No matter how much wealth the Igteon Trading Company accumulated, they were still forced to bow before nobles—and he resented that.

—Your name is Dekain, you say? You have a pretty face—I quite like it.

Like butterflies drawn to flowers, women always hovered around him—even when he wanted nothing to do with them.

If he rejected the advances of a woman he disliked, retaliation inevitably followed.

—Hah! When did you ever dare ignore me? Only coming to me now because your company’s business isn’t going well?

Whether noblewomen or noble young ladies, they were all the same. If Dekain showed no interest, they’d find his weakness and force him to grovel.

He felt like a noble’s plaything.

He was forced to smile even when he didn’t want to, forced to make insincere jokes, and whenever he accidentally offended a noble’s sensibilities, he endured endless humiliations.

He believed it was inevitable—because he was born a commoner.

But one day, he overheard his adoptive father speaking.

—It seems His Imperial Majesty has no intention of recognizing Dekain as his son.

—Isn’t he the son of a maid? Perhaps it’s not so bad if he remains ignorant and simply leads the Igteon Trading Company as he is.

Royal blood flows in me?

Dekain was shocked. He possessed a status higher than the countless nobles who had mocked and despised him.

It was unjust.

That despite his noble blood, he was forced to bow to nobles.

He was furious.

At the Emperor who refused to acknowledge him simply because he was born from a maid.

From that day, Dekain had only one goal.

If no one would restore his true status to him, he would seize it with his own hands.

He didn’t merely dream of being acknowledged as a member of the imperial family—he dreamed of becoming the next Emperor of the Largent Empire, boldly and unmistakably.

From then on, forcing smiles no longer felt uncomfortable to him. Everything he did was part of his meticulous calculations.

Yet among those repulsive nobles, Tanashia was somehow different.

—War… is profitable, after all.

He expected her to sneer at his honest answer, calling him a lowly merchant. But she showed no such reaction.

—Even noble society operates under capitalism. I oppose war, but I don’t think preparing for such situations is wrong.

Though he was accustomed to approaching nobles with friendliness, few accepted him without hesitation like Tanashia did.

She readily permitted him to call her by her first name. When he asked if she regretted it, she firmly replied no.

Dekain despised the class system—yet when he saw slaves like Ascan failing to “know their place,” anger still boiled within him.

—There’s a saying: don’t even look at trees you can’t climb. Consider this a warning—don’t covet what isn’t yours.

So he had warned him.

Though he loathed how nobles treated him like a contemptible insect, he had unwittingly come to resemble the very thing he hated most.

It was contradictory—but Dekain deliberately ignored that about himself.

But then…

—Maid or not, they’re still people. I’d feel bad treating them like servants.

He never expected Tanashia to say such a thing.

That she—a high-ranking noble herself—would regard a maid, someone she could command with a mere finger, as a human being… that was truly unforeseen.

—What do I look like in your eyes?

—You’re… just Dekain.

Yes. In Tanashia’s eyes, he was simply Dekain.

She would never know how many emotions surged within him at that obvious answer.

Perhaps, even while harboring ambitions to become the next Emperor of the Largent Empire, deep down, he had been waiting for someone who would see him exactly as he was.

Tanashia had always appealed to him particularly—but until now, she had merely been one among countless connections he carefully cultivated for his distant future.

But today, that changed. The impure motives—approaching her because she was the eldest daughter of House Brellof, because she was a genius in magical engineering—vanished.

“I just wanted to tell you—you’ve become simply Tanashia to me too.”

Dekain captured Tanashia’s image within his red eyes.

She was now simply Tanashia.

A single name that moved his heart—without any preconditions whatsoever.