Deep into the night, a man was jolted awake by a repetitive, rhythmic crunching sound. In a groggy haze, he reached out and nudged his wife lying beside him, mumbling, "Julie, do you hear that sound?"

  There was no reply. A cold realization dawned on him as the sensation beneath his hand felt horribly wrong. This slimy, viscous texture—how could it possibly be human skin?

  The man snapped his eyes open. The entire room was visible to him—literally, the entire room. He realized his wife was gone. In her place sat a gargantuan, grotesque, pale-yellow maggot. The creature was covered in tiny, pulsating fleshy buds that writhed slowly over its twisted form.

  But that wasn't the most terrifying part. Growing out of the top of the maggot was a human head. A head he knew all too well—it was Julie’s. Sensing his awakening, Julie slowly turned her head toward him.

  The husband finally realized where the crunching sound came from. Julie was chewing on an arm. An arm he recognized—it belonged to their child, Kennedy.

  An indescribable horror flooded his mind. The man let out a blood-curdling scream, desperate to scramble away from the monster. But as he tried to move, he noticed his own body felt different. He looked down and saw his current form: a massive, writhing lump of flesh with several arms and over a dozen eyeballs of varying sizes scattered unevenly across his mass.

  He screamed again, but the sound that escaped his throat was anything but human. Julie’s head glanced at the bizarre lump of flesh, then turned back to continue devouring the meat she had so longed for.

  At the academy, morning had broken. Eros stopped Syphreya from preparing breakfast and decided to cook for her himself. Seeing the heir of a Great Duke, a possessor of noble blood, disregard his "dignity" to cook for her moved Syphreya to tears. Her emerald eyes sparkled with moisture.

  Admittedly, the food tasted a bit off, so she ended up stepping in to remake two portions. Regardless, the gesture touched her deeply. Much later, having finished two breakfasts, Eros walked out of her apartment feeling refreshed and tranquil.

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  After walking a distance, he bumped into Baron Larivat. The bruises on the Baron’s face hadn't fully healed—likely "gifts of love" from his stern father. He’s been released from his grounding? Eros noted. And what’s with the flowers in his hand?

  Larivat lowered his head the moment he saw Eros, a flash of pure malice crossing his eyes before disappearing. He bowed respectfully and tried to slip past.

  "Wait!" Eros called out from behind.

  Larivat stiffened. Forcing a smile, he turned back with a submissive posture. "Does Your Highness have a command?"

  "Nice flowers. Give them to me," Eros said casually.

  A surge of rage boiled in Larivat’s chest. His eyes flashed with anger, and the hand holding the flowers bulged with veins.

  "Is there a problem?" Eros raised an eyebrow.

  "Not at all! Not at all!" Larivat gritted his teeth and handed them over.

  Watching Eros walk away with the bouquet, Larivat’s heart bled. He had gone to the Royal Gardens in Indiles at the crack of dawn just to pick these "Stellar Radiance" roses for his fiancée to surprise her after his release. Now... they were hijacked.

  As he watched Eros’s retreating back, his face twisted. Wait... why was Eros here so early? Doesn't he live in the villa district? Maybe... taking a walk after breakfast?

  Eros checked the vibrant flowers and nodded in satisfaction. Returning to his villa, he found his "stinky sister" Undine sitting on the sofa with a cold expression.

  "Where were you last night?" she asked, her voice devoid of emotion.

  "Look at this," Eros didn't answer but held up the large bouquet.

  "Flowers?" Undine froze. She looked closer and gasped. "These are 'Stellar Radiance'? This breed only grows in the Augustine family gardens. Where did you get them?"

  Eros paused for a fraction of a second, then snorted. "I wasn't home last night because I went to pick these for you."

  "I went to that Blue-hair’s [Augustine's] place at dawn to pluck them just to give you the freshest ones, then rushed back via steam train. And here you are, still mad about me not being home. I guess my efforts were all for nothing."

  Hearing this explanation, Undine’s anger evaporated instantly. Thinking of how hard he worked just to surprise her, a wave of guilt washed over her. She walked over and hugged his arm, acting spoiled. "I was wrong. Forgive me, please~"

  Seeing Eros remain unmoved, she dragged out her tone: "Pretty please~ good little brother~"

  "Call me 'Big Brother'."

  "No way!" Undine’s soft demeanor vanished, replaced by her usual stubbornness.

  "Hmph, stinky sister," Eros muttered as he thrust the flowers into her arms and headed for his room. He suddenly remembered he needed to wash off Syphreya’s perfume. Luckily, the scent of the roses had masked it, but he needed to hurry.

  Undine pouted, but looking at the "Stellar Radiance" in her arms, a genuine smile spread across her beautiful face.