Irina stood silently by, watching the scene unfold. Her initial shock and bewilderment upon seeing the girl’s face had already subsided. As Eros’s shadow, she could sense his physical state and the profound, tethered connection between him and the girl. She had known from the start that Eros was in no real danger, which was why she hadn't succumbed to panic like Undine.

  It was only after hearing Eros’s explanation regarding the girl’s origins that realization dawned on Irina. No wonder Eros looked the way he did when I first woke up; so it turns out even before that, he had already...

  As for why the girl’s appearance so closely resembled Lady Estelle, Irina had her theories. She had heard that certain eerie entities could shape-shift into the likeness of the person most familiar to their host’s heart. Perhaps this girl was one of those beings. Still, seeing that face on such a creature felt incredibly discordant.

  After hearing Eros’s reassurances, Undine pursed her lips and fell silent, though the pity and tenderness in her eyes only grew more intense. Being stared at by such a gaze made Eros feel a sudden, inexplicable twinge of guilt.

  He let out a dry cough and said somewhat awkwardly, "Could you... could you two head out now?"

  "Is it really okay?" Undine asked one more time.

  "Really!" Eros replied, half-exasperated but knowing his "stinky sister" was only acting out of concern.

  Before Undine could ask anything else, Irina suddenly grabbed her and began pulling her toward the door. Just like that, Undine was dragged out, looking back three times with every step until—BANG—the door slammed shut.

  Now, only Eros and the very "focused" eerie girl remained in the room. Eros let out a long breath, his body finally relaxing.

  At the same time, he queried in his mind: "What exactly is going on here?" Though he had his suspicions, he needed confirmation from Barbara.

  Barbara withdrew her gaze from the outside world, looked down at her own chest for a few silent seconds, and finally answered in a voice devoid of emotion:

  "The aura of sin from the Bronze Ring startled her. After the last incident, she had actually regained a sliver of reason. However, the allure of the ring affects her as well, and her remaining reason was clearly no match for that attraction. She lost herself. Once reason fades, madness takes the lead. Hence... this scene."

  It was exactly as he had suspected. But he had possessed the ring for a while now—why hadn't she reacted sooner?

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  He voiced his doubt, and Barbara replied in that same flat, unshakeable tone: "Your shadow isolated its aura."

  Is it because of my special nature again? Eros looked pensive. He was lucky he’d dropped the ring into his shadow the moment he got it. If the girl had lunged at him like this in public, he’d never be able to show his face again.

  Shaking off these thoughts, Eros looked at the girl and sent a command through their mental link. Suddenly, the girl’s movements stiffened. Seizing this brief opening, Eros...

  Much later, having sated her thirst for vitality, the eerie girl’s form flickered and collapsed back onto Eros’s finger, returning to her state as a ring. Eros leaned back against the headboard with a look of utter serenity, contemplating the profound meaning of the birth of life.

  After a long while, he remembered something and asked: "By the way, if this 'Soul Ring' doesn't have shape-shifting abilities, why can she take that form?"

  "That body of hers simply looks like that naturally," Barbara answered calmly.

  "Huh?"

  Outside the door, Irina looked at Undine, whose face was still etched with worry, and a thoughtful expression crossed her own graceful features.

  From Undine’s reaction, it was clear she hadn't seen the girl’s true face. Otherwise, her expression would have been one of shock, just like Irina’s. Why can I see her face while she can't? Is it because I’ve become Eros’s shadow? That seems the only plausible explanation.

  Should she tell Undine? After some thought, Irina abandoned the idea. Some things were better left unsaid.

  Late that night, after washing up again and moving to a different room to sleep, Eros had just settled into bed when the door opened. Undine walked in and sat on the edge of the bed.

  Eros blinked, then said helplessly, "I’m really fine!"

  Undine leaned her forehead against Eros’s shoulder, her voice muffled and low. "Can even the Lady Spirit not solve that monster?"

  Monster? What monster? It took Eros a moment to realize who Undine was talking about. His lip twitched. He was suddenly very curious about what kind of image the shadow-shrouded girl projected in Undine’s vision to elicit such a reaction.

  Suppressing his amusement, Eros’s eyes darted around before he put on a bitter smile. "The Lady Spirit said that as long as it doesn't threaten my life, there's no need to intervene. After all, the vitality it takes from me is like plucking a single hair from nine oxen—it’s painless and insignificant."

  Barbara: "..."

  Undine bit her lip, her voice tinged with complaint. "How can the Lady Spirit be like that? That’s a monster! How can she let you keep doing... that kind of thing with it? I’m going to take leave and return to Indiles tomorrow. I'll write to the family and see if there’s any solution."

  Eros coughed and quickly interjected, "It’s no use. That’s a Transcendent entity. Currently, there isn't a single Transcendent in our family. Aside from the Lady Spirits, no one else can help."

  "Then what do we do?" Undine looked up.

  "It’s okay. For the sake of the family and the Ancestor, I can endure it. If you really want to help me... then help me 'wash' my eyes."

  "Wash your eyes? How?"

  "When you’ve seen something incredibly horrific, you immediately look at something beautiful. That act is called 'washing your eyes.'"

  "Huh? Where am I supposed to find something 'beautiful' for you?" Undine looked troubled.

  Then, she noticed Eros was staring directly at her. Undine froze. She seemed to realize what he meant. The "beautiful thing" he was referring to was... herself?

  The moment she understood, Undine’s face turned a violent, explosive red.