My heart is pounding wildly in my chest like an alarm bell.

Leaning against the grand stone walls of the mansion that sank into darkness, Ayabe Yuuma repeated shallow, short breaths. The moonlight alone was unaware it had committed a fatal misunderstanding, idly illuminating the image of a hero burning with a sense of duty.

In his hand lay a heavy brass key. It was the key entrusted by Lady Liliana to open the forbidden door.

(Calm down, me. This is helping someone. Yeah, this is helping someone! )

Yuuma repeated those words like a spell in his mind.

(A pitiful noblewoman who weeps into her pillow every night without being noticed by her husband… A tragic heroine enduring her cold husband’s gaze and the pressure of bearing an heir… The only one who can save her is me, the hero of this world! )

The heroine-like image replaying in his mind felt straight out of a cheap drama. Remembering Liliana’s sorrowful expression, he unknowingly inflated her tragic grandeur tenfold.

It’s not that I’m being swept away—it’s kindness!

Weak willpower? No, it’s proof of my high empathy ability!

In a fraction of a second, Yuuma completed his self-delusion and washed away every last trace of reason—otherwise known as fear.

Determined, he inserted the key into the small back door. A timid yet decisive sound, “click,” echoed through the silent night air.

Opening the door, An almost suffocatingly sweet floral scent tickled his nostrils. A figure stood at the end of the corridor where candlelight flickered.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Hero-sama.”

Liliana, wrapped in a silk gown, wore an alluring smile. The curves of her body visible through the thin fabric were far more sensual than her daytime dress, and Yuuma couldn’t help but make a sound with his throat.

“Come this way.”

Following her beckoning hand, Yuuma entered the mansion like a sleepwalker.

Behind him, the heavy door closed firmly. There was no turning back now.

The room they were led to was an impossibly luxurious bedroom housing a massive canopy bed. Realistic paintings adorned the walls, and the floor was covered with soft carpets so plush they sank underfoot. The scent in the air was even more intense than before, sweetly numbing Yuuma’s thoughts.

Completely overwhelmed by the surreal scene, Yuuma was utterly stunned.

“U-um… Where is the Duke?”

His barely squeezed-out voice was pitifully high-pitched.

Liliana chuckled slightly as if amused by Yuuma’s flustered state.

“My husband is immersed in studying old documents in his study. Once he focuses, he won’t leave his room until morning.”

(Good! )

As if reading his mind, she continued her words.

“Besides…”

She stepped closer to Yuuma and whispered into his ear.

“He doesn’t care who I spend the night with… my husband no longer pays any attention.”

The words woven with her breath intensely stirred Yuuma’s meager imagination.

(What a thing…! How could he not even glance at such a beautiful wife!? There’s no doubt their marriage has completely gone cold! )

Again, his 【Liquid Self】 twisted the other’s words into the most convenient interpretation for him.

(Poor thing… Liliana-sama is starving for love. She’s lonely. I… I have to heal that thirst! )

A sense of duty blew away the tiny guilt in an instant.

As Yuuma made his own decision, Liliana suddenly stepped back from him and stood by the window. Moonlight illuminated her profile, creating a divine beauty like a painting.

“Hero-sama. Do you know what is most needed now for my Duchy of Albion?”

“Uh…? Umm, military strength to defeat the demon king or something?”

“That’s important too. But more fundamentally… something that connects to the future.”

Liliana slowly turned around and pierced Yuuma with a serious gaze.

“That is, ‘blood transmission.'”

“Blood… transmission…?”

Yuuma tilted his head. Was it a blood transfusion or something?

“I-I think my blood type is A in this world too… so um… if that’s useful…”

At Yuuma’s absurd answer, Liliana momentarily looked puzzled before letting out a laugh as if she couldn’t hold back.

“Fufu… Hahaha! You’re quite an interesting person, Hero-sama.”

Her unrestrained laughter was surprisingly innocent and girl-like, contrasting with her previous seductive atmosphere. At this gap, Yuuma’s heart leaped again.

(…Maybe she really is different from what I imagined.)

Liliana smiled mischievously as if she saw through Yuuma’s thoughts.

“No, not a blood transfusion. Something far more… far more like the transfer of life itself.”

After silencing her laughter, she returned to a sincere expression and slowly approached Yuuma.

Her slender white fingers gently touched Yuuma’s cheek. At the cool sensation, Yuuma’s body shivered.

“You are a special being summoned from another world. The ‘blood’ flowing through your body must contain unknown power we don’t possess…”

As she spoke in a dazed voice, her fingers traced Yuuma’s neck, collarbone, and finally his chest center. Heat surged throughout Yuuma’s body along this path.

“The Ducas ducal house is the very foundation of this Principality of Albion. To let its bloodline die out in my generation… that would be nothing short of treason against the state. However… with my husband’s blood, it is no longer possible to weave a future.”

The words spoken calmly contained neither sorrow nor despair. Rather, pride as a member of a noble family and earnest responsibility for the country’s future permeated her tone.

“Therefore, you, Hero-sama.”

Liliana’s eyes shimmered with heat. However, this was different from the heat of desire. It was colder, filled with purposeful intent like a hunter who had identified his prey.

“This is not love. And certainly not something as uncertain as affection.'”

She placed both hands on Yuuma’s chest and leaned in closely. At a distance where her breath could touch him, she clearly declared.

“This is my duty to ensure the survival of the Dukas family, and thus protect the peace of Albion.”

Duty.

That single word echoed like thunder in Yuuma’s skull.

Words like infidelity, adultery, secret meetings—those carrying guilt—were instantly blown away.

(Duty…!? So this is duty! )

The story he thought was about helping people had somehow scaled up into a grand heroic tale of saving the nation.

A hero’s mission isn’t just defeating the demon king. Supporting the country’s foundation from within is also a noble duty, right?

(Right, I’m fulfilling my duty as a hero now! )

It wasn’t being swept away—it was completing his mission.

Now, there was not a single doubt in Yuuma’s heart.

“Come, Hero Yuuma Ayabe-sama.”

Liliana’s hand slowly moved to the buttons of Yuuma’s shirt.

“Please grant me your sacred ‘power.'”

Was that voice the temptation of a demon or the gospel of a goddess?

By now, Yuuma had lost all ability to judge. Either was fine to him. He completely stopped resisting and surrendered his body to the sweet, convenient flood of justification created by the unparalleled beauty before him.

――――Moonlight streaming in from the window illuminated scattered clothes on the floor and disheveled silk sheets.

Yuuma lay motionless on the canopy bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

(I did it… I did such a thing… With a married woman… And none other than the wife of the Councilor of this country! )

A wave of intense guilt crashed over him. The face of Akane from Kumamoto and Agnes’s pure yet fanatically devoted eyes appeared one after another in his mind before vanishing.

(I’m the worst… Why couldn’t I refuse…! )

A storm of self-loathing raged.

…But that storm passed in three seconds.

(…Well, it was amazing though.)

The sweet, sinful numbness lingering in his body mocked the tiny guilt. Realizing this irresistible truth, Yuuma concluded with a “well, whatever.”

At that moment, a faint rustling of fabric sounded from beside him.

Looking over, Liliana—who had been in his arms moments ago—was now elegantly wrapped in her gown, standing by the window and coolly gazing at the moon.

Her profile showed no trace of passion’s afterglow or sentimental regret.

Soon, she slowly turned toward Yuuma. Her eyes held the curious gaze of a child who had found something interesting.

Then, like a merchant satisfied with a successful deal, she nodded contentedly and slightly lifted her skirt before gracefully bowing.

“Thank you, Hero-sama.”

Her voice was clear and entirely rational.

“Now, my ‘duty’ has been completed without incident.”

“Uh…?”

Yuuma stared blankly at her face.

Duty.

The word that had sounded like a magical phrase to justify himself moments ago now pierced his heart with the coldness of an ice blade.

“Now, the Dukas family should be safe. I truly appreciate it.”

Liliana smiled brightly. Her smile was the perfect social courtesy.

Yuuma finally began to understand.

The desperate temperature difference between them.

This wasn’t love.

It wasn’t even a mutual attraction.

To her, tonight’s events were merely a rational means to achieve one of the goals for the project of ensuring the Dukas family’s survival.

Even this moment where Yuuma burned alone and was tormented by guilt for three seconds…

In her mind, it had already been processed as a completed case.

The overly dry, business-like reality blew away Yuuma’s mental flower garden in an instant.

(I… why am I doing this…? )

…But at that moment, his 【Liquid Self】 showed surprising persistence at the last minute.

(Wait! This cool demeanor—could it be aristocratic shyness!? That must be it! She’s definitely embarrassed inside, but is acting business-like to hide it! )

From the depths of despair, he alone made a V-shaped recovery, just like a graph rebounding straight up.

Yes… if I think about it that way, everything adds up. Poor Liliana-sama. She must be putting on a brave face. I have to accept all of her bravado!

(Alright, I’ll do my best! )

Unaware that Yuuma had secretly convinced himself and was burning with new determination, Liliana looked at him with interest and slightly tilted her head.

At that moment, from the deepest part of the mansion where the study should be, a deep, heavy growl as if it came from the bottom of the earth broke the silence for an instant.

Though it was quickly drowned out by the night’s wind sound, it was certainly an ominous fluctuation. Naturally, such things would not reach Yuuma’s ears immersed in sweet accomplishment.

And the hero didn’t yet know that this night’s “duty” wasn’t just the beginning of a sweet relationship with the duchess, but merely the entrance to a labyrinth of absurd misunderstandings.