Episode 1

Prologue

“Hello, darling.”

The woman entered through the window.

For a moment, red eyes gleamed in the darkness, then the hospital room brightened. With a wave of her hand, flames ignited on the candlesticks.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“…Most people would be. This is the sixth floor.”

Even though this strange visit had continued for a week, Kyle flinched every time. The more he saw her, the more convinced he became that she wasn’t human. Her surreal beauty only amplified the eeriness.

“Weren’t you waiting for me? You even left the window open.”

“Otherwise, you’d break it and come in.”

The memory of her shattering the glass with her small fist flashed before his eyes. Kyle inhaled sharply, tense.

With the moonlight behind her, the woman glanced at the chair beside the bed, then brushed it aside and sat on the bed. Creak. The old bed groaned.

“Oh dear. I should slip some money into the hospital director’s pocket tomorrow and order a top-notch bed to replace this one. …Or maybe it’s not so bad like this. If we roll around on it, the bed will scream, and when the nurse rushes in, she’ll be horrified by what she sees. That sounds fun.”

As if performing a monologue, the woman, who had been angry a moment ago, suddenly burst into laughter. She seemed genuinely amused by her joke, but it was impossible for Kyle to find any humor in it. To hear such a crude expression like “roll around” from a mouth that seemed made for refined speech… Where should he even begin to correct her?

From her elegant appearance, she looked like a lady from a noble family, but her words and actions were no different from a rogue’s. That contrast stirred a strange sense of fear.

She might be a madwoman. The nurses mentioned that this hospital has a psychiatric ward, and occasionally a patient escapes and causes a commotion. They said that the patients become incredibly strong, requiring several orderlies to subdue even a frail-looking woman. Could it be that this woman also escapes from her room every night, scaling the walls to get here? But since she wasn’t wearing a patient’s gown, the chances seemed slim. The more Kyle thought about it, the more he felt like he was being pulled into a labyrinth of confusion.

When he didn’t respond, the woman’s expression quickly turned cold. Her gaze, as if evaluating him, swept over Kyle.

“Now that I imagine it, it doesn’t sound appealing. I don’t like people looking at my body. I might just gouge out those eyes and twist that neck. As for the nurse in charge here… what was her name, something that sounds like a sewer… anyway, I’ll have to tell her to stay away. If she values her life, she’ll understand.”

“Please don’t joke like that. Besides, she doesn’t come often since my treatment is almost over.”

“Are you disappointed?”

The woman often asked these testing questions. Each time, Kyle felt his throat tighten. He couldn’t predict what might happen if he gave the wrong answer. She was so capricious, it was impossible to get a handle on her. Even her kindness felt condescending, as if there was a wall between them.

“It’s a good thing, meaning I’ll be discharged soon.”

Fortunately, his answer seemed to be correct, as the woman’s expression brightened.

“Then I should prepare. We’ll share the bedroom, but you’ll need your own room, so I’ll have it cleaned. Or would you like to come and choose it yourself? It’s your space, after all. My mansion has plenty of empty rooms, each with different decor, so you can pick whichever suits your taste.”

She casually laid out her plans for the future, as if Kyle’s opinion didn’t matter, as if it was natural for things to be this way.

“Please, tell me now. What is our relationship…?”

Frustration, or perhaps fear—maybe both—caused his breath to tighten.

Kyle had woken up with no memory. He didn’t know who he was, how he ended up in the hospital, who this woman was, or why she acted so familiar with him. She had told him his name, but he even doubted if it was his real name.

What kind of relationship did I have with her? What does she want from me?

“What do you think?”

“Was I… your lover?”

The woman’s eyes narrowed as her black pupils split vertically, like those of a noble yet savage beast. As Kyle gazed at her in a daze, a shadow fell over him.

It happened in an instant. The woman pinned Kyle between her legs and straddled him.

“Well, what answer do you want to hear?”

Her cold hand slipped under his hospital gown. The way her hand slid up, caressing his abs, felt like a snake.

“Ugh, wait.”

What kind of strength…

Kyle tried to push her off, but it was useless. It felt like being pinned under a boulder. Her strength was truly beyond human, and Kyle’s struggle was no more than the futile flailing of prey trying to escape a predator. Even as this happened, her hand roamed over his firm chest.

“Let me help you. If we do what we used to, all your memories will come back. Even if the mind forgets, the body remembers.”

“No, not like this… Ugh.”

His words were cut off by shallow breaths. Sensation quickly overwhelmed him. Despite not recognizing her from his memories, Kyle’s body reacted faithfully. It meant that he had already been conditioned to her touch. But when…? His pure mind and a body that seemed well-acquainted with pleasure were at odds.

“See? You’re already reacting.”

The woman gently touched the flushed edge of Kyle’s ear with her fingertip and smiled brightly.

“That’s something you can’t help…”

The woman leaned down and kissed Kyle. A sweet scent, more intense than any natural fragrance, filled his senses, almost intoxicating him. The way her saliva mixed with his, the persistent movement of her tongue, made his body feel languid and heavy with desire. It felt as if a peach was melting in his mouth, its texture and sweetness overwhelming his mind. He couldn’t think about anything else—he just wanted more, just a little more…

Before he knew it, Kyle had completely lost his grip on reality. The will to resist had vanished. All he wanted was to savor her deep, red lips, to taste the flesh within. His mind was consumed by lust. Shame seemed to have disappeared, replaced by indecent fantasies that played on a loop in his head. Or perhaps they weren’t fantasies but memories? It didn’t matter—whatever it took to be closer to her, he was willing to accept it.

As if to toy with his desperation, the woman withdrew her lips and slid them downward.

“Ah…”

She bit into the side of his neck, as if leaving her mark. The pressure of her teeth was just enough to imprint her presence on his skin, turning pain into pleasure that coursed through his veins.

Rippp.

The cool night air brushed against Kyle’s exposed upper body. The remnants of his torn shirt fluttered to the ground like a defeated flag, while the rest of it crumpled in her grip. She looked down at Kyle with the commanding presence of a conqueror, her satisfied smile emphasizing her victory. Her gaze, as it swept over his body, left a trail of heat wherever it lingered.

Having marked her territory, the woman gathered her hair over one shoulder, the moonlight highlighting the tendons in her neck. Her skin was so pale it seemed almost translucent, giving him an irresistible urge to touch it. He knew she was deliberately enticing him, but he couldn’t control his growing desire.

She was a creature made for destruction. It was possible she was even the cause of his amnesia.

‘What has this woman done to me…?’

His thoughts didn’t go any further. The overpowering scene before him obliterated any coherent thought.

The woman shed her robe, revealing her body clad only in a white nightgown that clung to every curve. Her figure was nothing short of ideal, as if she were Venus herself, having slipped down from the heavens to hide in this hospital room.

The sight of her, so close to being fully exposed, made Kyle’s heart race faster. It was as if the lightest touch of a finger would strip away the last barrier, revealing her completely.

“Cute Kyle, you’re so eager.”

Her hand glided over his tense thigh, moving toward a more intimate place. She caressed him where no one else had ever touched before. The subtlety of her touch made Kyle instinctively try to rise.

“Not yet. Be patient.”

Her pale hand restrained him with only a light press of her fingers, but it was enough to hold him in place.

Confirming that her prey couldn’t escape, the woman resumed her teasing. She traced the outline of his length, emphasizing its shape, then slipped her hand beneath his waistband.

Kyle bit down on his lip, his chest expanding as a faint groan escaped.

“Oh, how adorable.”

Her red eyes gleamed with approval.

“I should give you a reward.”

She took Kyle’s hand and placed it against her chest. As his hand molded to the soft, yielding flesh, Kyle instinctively squeezed, the thin fabric between them almost negligible.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?”

The woman, who had been toying with him, smiled. The contradiction between her elegant appearance and her playful behavior somehow suited her perfectly. A strange sense of longing washed over Kyle.

Even in the midst of his arousal, Kyle felt confused.

“Now, ugh, please, stop…”

“Is that really what you want? I doubt it.”

As the woman tugged down his waistband, his arousal sprang free, proudly standing like a spire.

“See? It’s so firm.”

A thick vein pulsed under the light touches of her finger. Kyle swallowed another groan, determined to hold out until the end.

“Don’t force yourself to hold back. I’m at my limit too. We’ve played enough, haven’t we?”

Rising onto her knees, the woman moved to align herself with him. Slowly, they connected. The unfamiliar pressure made Kyle gasp for air.

She, too, was affected.

“Ah…”

The woman frowned, clearly struggling with the intensity.

Without thinking, Kyle reached out and grabbed her thighs. His hands slid under her skirt, tracing the smooth skin until they wrapped around her hips. The motions felt strangely familiar, as if his body remembered something his mind could not. If he ignored the sense of guilt and simply let his body act, perhaps his memories would return. Lifting her up and then bringing her down, he was hit with a wave of pleasure that surged through his entire body.

The lovemaking grew more intense. Their breaths mingled, and their movements synchronized with one another’s rhythm. Like a rider controlling her mount, she moved her hips in a way that kept Kyle firmly in her grasp.

“Ugh, ha, ah… Kyle, mmm.”

In the midst of their ecstasy, disjointed images flashed through Kyle’s mind. He was blending with this woman in a past he didn’t remember.

He called out a name—what was it? He knew it, it was on the tip of his tongue, and he felt that with just a bit more, he could grasp it…

Who are you?

Finally, Kyle reached his peak, releasing all his desire. The woman collapsed on top of him, their bodies entwined. Their eyes met, her slow blinks revealing blood-red irises more vivid than rubies.

“Why? Did something come back to you?”

Kyle’s mouth found the answer from somewhere deep within his subconscious.

“Rosanna.”

The woman blinked, and for a moment, as if the events of the past moments had been an illusion, her eyes were a pale gray-blue.

“Well done, darling.”

In the haze of his fading consciousness, a whisper reached Kyle’s ears.

My beloved doll.