Chapter 6
“…Pardon?”
What is he talking about?
Lucy couldn’t understand how the conversation had taken such a turn.
Without another word, Edward simply continued walking.
Huh?
‘That’s it?’
She had just revealed something incredibly important.
That Saintess Sepina was a fake.
That the temple had falsely presented her as his destined mate.
‘And he’s just… accepting that?’
This should have been a huge revelation for Edward, who had practically been forced into intimate situations with Sepina all this time.
‘Why doesn’t he even look surprised?’
Edward remained unbelievably calm.
Considering the wonderful personality he’d shown a moment ago, Lucy had expected him to burn the temple down for deceiving him.
‘Honestly… I was kind of hoping he would.’
But that hope fizzled out immediately.
Feeling that something wasn’t right, Lucy cautiously spoke.
“Um… Duke?”
“…”
“I think we were in the middle of talking…”
She had barely begun when—
“Don’t you want to leave this place?”
“Huh? Of course I do!”
“You can leave immediately if you become mine.”
Well…
That was technically true.
“I’m being extremely generous right now.”
‘…Somehow that actually feels true, too?’
As confused as she was, after seeing how he’d treated the guard, Edward’s current attitude really did seem unusually merciful.
“And I’m in a good mood.”
“Uh…”
“So… do you still not want to?”
It’s not that I don’t…
Before she could answer, she heard him chuckle softly.
“Then it’s settled.”
As if telling her to take the opportunity while she still could, Edward shrugged and continued walking.
‘Did I…’
…survive?
“Ugh…”
The moment that thought crossed her mind, all the tension left her body, and nausea washed over her.
She had already pushed her exhausted body to its limit.
‘I think I’m going to pass out.’
Even so, there was still one thing she wanted to ask.
“W-Wait… but…”
‘You’re not going to kill me, right?!’
She wanted to hear it clearly.
What if he carried her for a while and then threw her away because she became troublesome?
‘At least promise you’ll spare my life…’
That was what she had been about to say.
“Haa…”
Edward let out an annoyed sigh.
Then…
Click.
Without warning…
He removed his helmet.
His platinum-blond hair shimmered beautifully under the moonlight.
His long eyelashes blinked, catching the pale light.
His features were so perfect that they seemed to insist he was a prince rather than a duke.
A sharp nose.
An elegant jawline.
Between them, his vivid red lips curved into a dangerously beautiful smile.
“Still?”
“…”
“You’re still not coming?”
Look how handsome I am.
His face practically seemed to say that.
Lucy could only stare at him with her mouth hanging open.
‘Yep… he’s definitely the male lead.’
But there was something even more important right now.
“So… you’ll…”
“I’ll take responsibility.”
“You’re mine now.”
The moment she heard those words…
‘I’m alive.’
Her last thread of tension snapped.
Everything went black.
* * *
“Yawn…”
Inside a luxurious black carriage parked in front of the Grand Temple…
“How long has it been?”
Tepe stretched as he checked his pocket watch.
“It should be about time for him to return.”
“He’s been spending less and less time receiving purification lately.”
The man sitting across from him, Gorgo, finally spoke.
“…That’s not a good sign.”
“I know that. But what can we do if His Grace hates it?”
The two men immediately fell into worried silence.
As the duke’s closest aides and personal guards, both of them had become increasingly concerned about his condition.
‘This is bad.’
‘It’s becoming harder and harder for him to control his berserk episodes.’
That was also why the duke had started insisting on wearing armor that completely covered his face.
Whenever dragon scales appeared on his skin as the berserk state began…
People would panic at the sight.
‘Funny how they praise him as the Dragon Incarnation…’
…yet look at him as though he were a monster.
‘The duke himself doesn’t seem to care, so it’s hard for us to get angry on his behalf.’
Edward truly didn’t care if people saw him as a monster.
The real reason he hid his face…
…was because people froze in fear when they saw him, delaying their own escape.
That only got in the way during battles.
Even so…
His subordinates couldn’t help being angry.
‘They’re alive thanks to him, and this is how they repay him.’
Tepe pouted.
Unlike him, Gorgo spoke in a more serious tone.
“If the attacks become more frequent… even we won’t be able to stop His Grace.”
“I know, Gorgo.”
“When that day comes… we’ll have to give our lives if necessary…”
“Let’s not have such depressing conversations.”
Trying to lighten the mood, Tepe spoke casually.
“Well, the chances are one in a thousand… maybe even one in ten thousand… but if the temple is right and Lady Sepina really awakens as his true mate, then all of this…”
Bang!
The carriage door suddenly swung open.
Only one person could approach two elite knights without either of them noticing.
“My Lord, you’ve returned—”
But…
That same duke was carrying an unconscious woman in his arms.
“…My Lord! What is all this?!”
Tepe jumped like a startled cat.
Did our duke finally lose his temper and kill someone?
Before he could panic further, Gorgo calmly spoke.
“Is she a woman who offended you, My Lord?”
Looking more closely…
The woman was still breathing.
“Offended him?”
That sounded much more believable.
Tepe immediately straightened up.
“What happened this time? Did she throw herself at you just to touch your hand? Or maybe your lips?”
Monster or not…
Edward was still Edward.
His natural beauty.
His towering physique.
His title as Duke Tesseron.
His position as the Dragon Incarnation.
There were countless people, regardless of age or gender, who were obsessed with him.
Some even admired the dragon scales that appeared during his berserk episodes.
‘Those people have no shame either!’
The boldest among them even threw themselves at him or tried to flirt while pretending not to.
If the woman in his arms was one of them…
“Did you bring her back to punish her personally?”
Ignoring Tepe’s question, Edward calmly stepped into the carriage.
“It’s my own fault.”
He had been surprised when the woman suddenly fainted.
But he had quickly reached a conclusion.
She had probably been overwhelmed after seeing his face.
After all…
It wasn’t uncommon for people to faint while worshipping his beauty.
“Well, to certain perverts, Your Grace’s existence alone is enough to make you guilty…”
“But seriously… what happened?”
Gorgo asked calmly.
Tepe kept glancing at the unconscious woman.
She looked filthy.
Tiny.
Weak enough to collapse at any moment.
Wait…
The duke had carried back a woman who had approached him…
Without looking disgusted?
And he even kept her alive?
The same man who couldn’t stand even performing purification rituals with Lady Sepina?
Only then did that detail finally sink in.
“It seems she belongs to me.”
“…What?!”
“So I picked her up.”
Tepe’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
His gaze bounced back and forth between the skinny little woman and the duke.
Normally…
When a man said something like that about a woman…
“…Don’t tell me this weak little thing threw herself at you, but you couldn’t stop her because she’d die if you pushed her away… and then somehow things went all the way…”
“How far has your imagination gone?”
“No… right? Your Grace… Surely you didn’t bring her back because you felt responsible…”
While Tepe continued making wild assumptions…
Gorgo quietly observed the unconscious woman before speaking.
“When you say she belongs to you… do you mean she was something meant for you?”
“Yes.”
“Then… is she one of the temple’s experimental subjects?”
“…!”
Tepe immediately sat up straight.
To anyone else, the conversation might have sounded completely unrelated.
But Gorgo had always been the type to skip straight to the conclusion.
And somehow…
He was almost always right.
Since the duke didn’t deny it…
It seemed Gorgo’s guess was correct.
Tepe looked at Gorgo, silently asking for an explanation.
Gorgo answered in his usual calm voice.
“We’ve always known that the temple has been conducting some kind of experiment, haven’t we?”
