“Luna! You said you’d stay by my side! You said you wouldn’t meet him anymore! Why, why are you betraying me again?!”

Startled by the sudden change in Fersen’s target, Luna instinctively took a step back.

Thanks to that, she avoided being caught by Fersen, but unfortunately, a large window was behind Luna.

Feeling her body being pushed through the unlocked window, Luna quickly tried to grab the curtain, but it was too late to stop her fall.

‘…!?’

What’s happening…?! Am I really going to die like this? After fighting so hard for my life, this is how it ends? It’s unbelievable.

Before she could even process the shock and fear, her view shifted from Fersen and Antes to the sky.

Deborah’s room was on the third floor. So she was falling from the third floor.

She avoided a mysterious death only to die from a fall. If she survived, she’d likely be paralyzed.

Is this some kind of a dream? In that short span, many thoughts crossed her mind and many things flashed before her eyes.

Luna imagined herself lying in bed unable to move without Laura and Emma, and just as she was about to close her eyes, a familiar face blocked her darkening view.

“Luna!”

It was Antes. Without a second thought, he jumped out of the window, catching the falling Luna in his arms.

‘W-Wait! What are you thinking…?!’

There was no time for questions. As soon as Luna was embraced by Antes, there was a loud thud, indicating their impact with the ground.

Still, Luna felt no pain. Antes had cushioned her fall by landing on his back.

After what felt like a long time, seeing no response from Antes, Luna called out to him.

“…Young lord?”

But there was no reply. No way. Frantically, Luna checked for Antes’s pulse.

“Young lord…? Young lord Antes?!”

His heart was beating, but he didn’t respond. Luna quickly got out of Antes’s embrace and checked his body, fearing the worst.

“Are, are you okay…?! Please come back to your senses…!”

She knew she shouldn’t shake him. Falling from the third floor, he must have broken bones.

Is he dead…? Why isn’t he moving? His closed eyes seemed to convey his passing.

Her heart sank, her mind went blank, her trembling hands wandered aimlessly, her lips were dry, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Regardless, she felt the need to call someone for help. As she was about to cry out for assistance, a faint cough sounded, and Antes slowly opened his eyes.

“…Don’t call anyone.”

“Young lord?!”

Luna quickly leaned close to him. He coughed again, not looking in great shape, but Antes insisted not to call for help.

“There’s no need. Don’t call anyone. Anyway…”

He coughed again, interrupting himself, but Luna understood.

‘It’s already too late.’

“No, we can’t give up! I’ll call for help! Even if they’re a wicked family, they won’t just watch someone die!”

Luna vehemently nodded, determined to carry him to a hospital if no one would help.

Antes, who was staring at her with strange eyes, slowly stretched out his hand and held Luna’s hand..

For someone seemingly on the brink of death, his hand was warm. Well, he wasn’t dead yet.

“It’s okay. Just stay with me. Please don’t call anyone.”

His voice was quiet, but his words were clear. Luna, overwhelmed by emotion, nodded through her tears.

“If only I hadn’t recklessly come to this mansion, none of this would have happened…!”

Then, when she started blaming himself, Antes shook his head.

“No, we secured solid evidence. Fersen got agitated when he saw me. That’s why this happened.”

The fact that he was comforting her while on the brink of death tore Luna apart.

In her despair, Luna began to cry. After a brief hesitation, Antes, holding her hand tightly, spoke again.

“I have a favor to ask.”

Looking like he was about to make a last request, Luna wiped her tears and urged him to speak.

“We’ve known each other for quite some time now, and to end like this feels a bit…”

At the end of his words, Antes trailed off, and Luna imagined what he might say next. It seemed like he was saying, ‘I regret that there are things I haven’t done before dying.’

Upon hearing this, Luna tightly grasped his hand, as if she would even listen if he asked to die together.

But perhaps the request was a difficult one because Antes hesitated for a moment.

However, he didn’t stop asking.

While Luna sobbed uncontrollably, Antes wondered for a brief moment whether it was okay to make an absurd request he thought of.

Soon after, deciding he might not get another chance, he slowly caressed Luna’s lips with his hand and said:

“Kissing might make me feel better.”

Luna, who had been crying profusely, probably would have scolded him for such a comment.

He half-jokingly made the statement, but surprisingly, Luna didn’t disappoint him.

“I’ll do that.”

Without a hint of hesitation, she pressed her soft lips against his cheek.

In surprise at the sudden action, Antes opened his eyes wide, unable to react, and Luna kissed his other cheek.

They weren’t young children, and a kiss on the cheek seemed almost comedic, but Antes didn’t laugh. Instead, he stared deep into Luna’s eyes and pointed to his lips.

“Here too.”

Like an obedient student, Luna moved her lips to meet his request, and at the same time, Antes, who had pretended to be dying, wrapped his arms around her waist.

* * *

“…Why, why are you so fine?”

Only now realizing that Antes seemed perfectly fine even after falling from the third floor, Luna pushed against his chest and asked. The careful touch she used to handle a patient was gone.

Despite her pushing, the unmovable Antes looked very healthy.

“I was born sturdy.”

“…But you fell from the third floor! And you were coughing up blood!”

“I fell on my back. The coughing was because of that, and I was holding my breath.”

“So the reason you told me not to call anyone was…!”

“I really was fine. I never said I was dying.”

With that calm retort, Antes lightly kissed Luna.

“…?!”

While Luna’s face flushed bright red, Antes casually stood up and said:

“Thanks to the Lady, I feel reinvigorated. Let’s wrap this up.”

Antes stood up very easily and grabbed Luna’s arm and helped her up. He then pointed to some documents he had with him.

“With these pieces of evidence you went through so much trouble to get, we can safely escape.”

After witnessing a fall from the third floor, crying, and even sharing a kiss, fortunately, no one seemed to have noticed them – except for one person.

Luna, realizing the gravity of the situation, looked up at the open third-floor window.

There she saw Fersen, staring out with a devastated expression.

Though Antes was unharmed, he was still the one responsible for pushing him out of the window. Luna pointed her middle finger at him, saying:

“See you in court, Fersen. This time you’re going to jail for attempted murder.”

That was all she had to say. She didn’t want to face Fersen any longer.

Apparently feeling the same, Antes, without even knowing the meaning, also gave Fersen the middle finger, then scooped up Luna and quickly left the mansion.

“Ah…”

Watching them disappear as if into another world, Fersen, who had been staring in shock, soon passed out and collapsed to the ground.