Amidst the hall, Julius encountered a lady in sky blue dress and hazelnut colored hair.

He immediately approached the woman, and asked in a hurry.

“I’m sorry, but where can I find the maid?”

Although stuttering, the woman didn’t fail to point in a certain direction.

Without wasting a second, Julius went to see the maid.

It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for the guests to act ‘unruly.’ At such times, the servants of the house would provide necessary care—one of them being the cure to hangovers.

He needed to hurry.

As he spent his time wandering in that hall, the witch might be suffering in pain.

As Julius rushed towards the only light at the end of the dim hall, the reasons as for why he was doing such a thing, and for what purpose, were left in the dark.

It simply never occurred to him to ponder about them.

—Even though he should have.

[]

After procuring the necessary medicines, Julius strode down the corridor while carrying a tray. Originally, the tray was supposed to consist of only a glass of water, the hangover pill, and a painkiller.

However, it was common knowledge that medicine was bitter, and the witch loathed bitter things.

Thus, he scurried to fetch some candies from the hall. When push came to shove, they shall be his bargaining tool.

...As he looked at the colorful candies of varying size and shape, he could already picture the widespread grin of the witch. After their exchange in the hall, it could be said that her smile was forever ingrained in his memory.

Being perfectly honest, Julius lacked the expertise in making a woman happy. To be precise, it was the experience which he lacked, simply because he never had to concern himself about such a thing before.

However, in the witch’s case, it should be pretty simple.

If it was more candies she wanted, then more candies shall it be.

Halfway to his destination, a loud screeching broke his reverie.

Thinking that some kind of emergency had taken place, Julius focused on the voice.

However, it turned out to be nothing but a group of women chattering at the secluded part of the hall.

Upon closer inspection, Julius discovered that it was none other than the same group of women he had encountered an hour early inside the venue.

That was right.

It was none other than Marquess of Krey, and what appeared to be her two female friends.

Julius, who had no intention to listen any further, was about to resume his steps—

“—That shitty knight templar!! Just because he’s a noble breed, he thinks he’s some kind of hot stuff, now!!”

Well, it seemed that his intention to not listen any further was well-justified.

Regardless of how he tried to hasten his pace, it wasn’t like he could just command his ears to stop picking up noise.

“—He’d stick it inside his own stepmom, and even that boorish slut, but not me?!”

Marquess of Krey’s most recent statement successfully halted him.

As Julius continued to walk forward, the consolations of Marquess Krey’s came into his ears.

“R, Rosie, you’re better off without him, anyway. A guy like him will just leech off you. Otherwise, why would he show up to such a party? Back then, he seldom did so.”

“Yes, it’s as Tessie said, Rose... the man has lost his glory. He no longer has anything. I heard that he pays an increased visit to his stepmother lately. That’s how desperate he is. I mean, he is a fallen noble.”

“R, right. That piece of junk is better off being thrown away, really. We’re better than that, am I right?”

“Indeed! Do you remember Sheldon, the man you met in violin class? I’m sure he’s eagerly awaiting your next visit! Or, Theodor, the sandwich guy, or even Arthur, for that matter!”

“Now, that’s a great idea!”

[]

After leaving the dim hall, and also a semblance of his old life behind, Julius was harshly reminded of the reason why he hated partaking in social events.

While partaking in such an event may lead one to a life changing opportunity and a great success, the opposite also rang true.

One wrong move, and one might find himself tethering towards ruin.

During the days when he was first appointed as the captain, and had some remarkable team members under his wings, he was convinced that he had finally found a place for himself, out of his own sheer will and unrelenting efforts.

He was convinced that he had utterly been freed of the shackles which was his past, and that he could start anew. As Captain Visconti, the leader of the Blood Special Unit.

...Indeed, those were the days.

For the days where he actually believed so to exist... Julius almost couldn’t believe it. As of the present, even the mere thought of it felt absurd.

In all actuality, it was but a mere illusion of freedom on his part.

As he continued to immerse himself in said illusion of grandeur, there’d always be something that would force him to look back.

What actually happened was, some higher-ups like Marquess of Krey deemed it fit for him to bear the title of a captain.

So it turned out, his everything was merely something that was given.

The day when they deemed that he was no longer suitable for that title was the same day when it all came crashing down.

Thus, he lost everything.

He had long accepted the truth now—that as long as the blood of the Visconti coursed through his vein, he shall never be free.

That night’s ball was, ironically, some kind of mirror to those major events.

Back when he still attended the ball as a captain of a special unit, he was hailed as a talented youth, who was full of potential, who also earned his captaincy through his own efforts.

The night when he attended the ball no longer as a captain, his six years’ worth of dedication had been demolished as something he had achieved through climbing some higher-up’s bed.

As easily as that, as if none of it ever mattered.

Normally, it shouldn’t have bothered him. He had long accepted that to some people, persevering through trials and tribulations to reach one’s goal was just unheard-of.

Because why do that when there’s an easier and faster way to do it?

However, tonight was just...

“Why? I’m sure a lot of people are awaiting your return. The moment you appeared before Lady Krey, many stared at you in awe. Their hero has returned, it seems!”

Amidst the dimly-lit hall, the eyes of the girl who projected her own admiration towards him to her entire surroundings were illuminated by sincerity.

By taking her words in, he had slightly been careless. But that was it.

Before he realized it, Julius had quickened his steps—towards the room she resided in.

Towards the room of the person who made everything felt real.

But she wasn’t there.

Upon arriving, only Klavier could be seen. The crimson-haired man was twirling his hair, while the bed was otherwise unoccupied.

“Where is she?” Julius asked in concern.

Klavier, who was as nonchalant as usual, answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

“She said she’s going outside for some fresh air.”

“In such a condition—!?”

“Well, she said she’s going to be back soon.”

As if the crimson-haired man had never said a thing, Julius rushed out of the room.

[]

At the end of the long, impressive, corridor, was a giant door leading to the courtyard.

As Julius made his way through the hall, his sense of foreboding began to stir.

It was probably because the atmosphere of the dimly-lit hall resembled that of his former house.

There was actually another, simpler, reason as to why he was reluctant to partake in a ball.

Because the tragic misfortune that resulted in the death of his family happened right after a ball, too.

Moreover, during that night, he also had to go through a long hallway to discover that he had nothing left.

Chalking up his uneasiness as a result of a past trauma, Julius pushed the pair of large doors open using both hands.

The pair of doors opened up to the vast night sky with countless stars as far as the eyes could see. Beyond the unending skies was the courtyard of Count Vera, which consisted of a stable, pasture, and an orchard.

Because there were a lot of trees, the air was cleaner. As such, the witch’s decision to go to that place for a breath of fresh air was sensible. However, the fact that the temperature was freezing at night rendered such a decision senseless.

The moment Julius stepped into the courtyard, he heard a faint noise.

It wasn’t caused by the rustling leaves. It also wasn’t due to him crushing the grass beneath his feet.

The cause was something else—

—and all he needed to do to locate the source of the noise was to turn around.

There, he found the witch.

She wasn’t alone.

As she kneeled on the ground, she was pinning a man to the wall. Although it was partly obstructed by the witch, the man’s blouse could be seen hanging wide open. The witch’s mouth was firmly latched to his neck.

Julius truly wished that it was what it was—an affair of the hearts, an amorous dalliance, a liaison, a tryst—

—but the thorny, jutting, tendrils, seemingly stemming from all parts of her body, which ensnared the man, killed every single possibility of it being so.

Thus, he finally found the answer for a certain question that would resurface in his mind from time to time—

—Am I that easily won over?

It seemed so.