Chapter 8
“Do you want to see her?”
He nodded desperately.
Then he dropped to his knees before me.
He couldn’t understand why I had secretly sought him out, but perhaps he thought there was still hope. Either he was quick-witted, or love had driven him to gamble on the possibility.
“I don’t care if it’s only one last time. I just want to see her again. Please… help me.”
I crouched down in front of him so that we were at eye level.
I wanted to see whether the desperation in his eyes was genuine.
Was this merely the reckless passion of youth?
Or was it a love so unwavering that he would truly give up everything for Linier?
“If I help you… can you run away with her?”
“Will you really help us?”
Hope sparkled in his eyes.
It was exactly the reaction I’d expected.
Good.
I can trust this man with Linier.
At least, that’s what I should have been thinking.
Instead, the words that left my mouth were unexpectedly cynical—even to me.
“If you loved her that much, I don’t understand why you’ve spent all this time waiting for someone else to save you.”
“That’s…”
Only then did I realize I was mocking his love.
To me, he looked like an actor passionately declaring his love upon a stage.
The blazing romance that moved an audience to tears would disappear like smoke the moment the curtain fell and the actor stepped backstage.
Love was just that fleeting.
My father, who had beaten my mother at the slightest excuse, had probably whispered words of love to her when they were young.
I didn’t believe those words had been lies.
If they had, then my mother’s tragedy would become nothing more than a pathetic deception.
I simply believed that every love in this world, no matter how sincere it appeared, was itself an elaborate lie.
But Nigel wasn’t responsible for my beliefs.
Seeing his shoulders droop in disappointment, I decided not to criticize him any further.
If Linier needed him, and the two of them truly loved each other, then I had no right to ridicule or doubt their feelings.
For now, our goals simply happened to align.
I was only sharing the same boat with them for a little while.
My role was to reunite them.
Once I had done that, I would have fulfilled my responsibility for taking Linier’s place.
Anything beyond that would simply be meddling.
“The Duke of Blois will come here soon.”
“I’ll tell him to bring you along.”
“Before we leave, climb onto the coachman’s seat of the carriage I’ll be riding in.”
“Linier is waiting for you in Blois.”
“Run away together.”
His face lit up instantly.
“Thank you, Miss! Thank you so much!”
“Once you escape with Linier, go to a distant foreign country.”
“Hide yourselves and live quietly.”
Leaving him with those final words, I walked out of the training grounds.
When I returned to my room, one of the maids was anxiously searching for me.
“Miss Lewayne!”
The servants assigned to Lewayne knew exactly how fierce her temper was, so they rarely panicked like this.
I could already guess why she was looking for me.
“What is it?”
“T-The Duke of Blois is here!”
I knew it.
I had never believed he’d simply let someone who knew the secret of his curse walk away.
Still, he’d come much faster than I’d expected.
He’s impatient.
He must have rushed over the moment dawn broke.
With unhurried steps, I made my way toward the reception room where the Duke was speaking with Count Larcel.
Several servants were peeking through the crack in the door.
The moment they spotted me, they scattered in alarm.
They’d been eavesdropping through the slightly open door.
As I approached, I could hear the conversation inside.
I stopped and listened quietly.
“I thought the Duke had agreed to let Lewayne return.”
Count Larcel’s voice.
“I came because I still have something to discuss with her.”
The Duke’s elegant voice answered.
Peering inside, I saw him seated with his usual arrogant composure.
Count Larcel wasn’t a small man himself, but sitting beside the broad-shouldered, towering Duke made him seem insignificant.
Like a beautiful marble statue, the Duke sat with effortless dignity.
He spoke softly.
“And I deserve an apology.”
Count Larcel sighed.
“I never imagined you’d come all the way here for that…”
“Of course I apologize for the ridiculous incident of switching brides. My daughters played a foolish prank.”
“No.”
“That apology isn’t necessary.”
“…?”
Count Larcel looked at him in confusion.
Then what apology did he want?
The Duke merely smiled.
And looked straight toward where I was hiding.
…!
Startled, I quickly stepped away from the crack in the door.
Did he know I was there?
Did he actually see me?
I heard the rustling of clothes from inside.
Someone had stood up.
Just as I leaned closer to peek again—
“I’d like to see Miss Lewayne in person.”
His voice came from directly above me.
At some point, he’d already crossed the room and was now standing on the other side of the door.
“She’s not feeling well,” Count Larcel lied without hesitation.
“Using the teleportation circle twice in such a short time was apparently too much for her.”
Without another word, the Duke flung the reception room door wide open.
“Perfect.”
“She’s already here.”
“Lewayne!”
Count Larcel’s eyes widened as he saw me.
His expression practically screamed, Why aren’t you in your room?!
I simply shrugged and walked toward the Duke.
“You got here quickly.”
I smiled as if deliberately provoking him.
Count Larcel’s face twisted like crumpled paper.
“That girl…”
Unable to tolerate my complete disregard for his authority, he charged toward me.
“What are you doing—?!”
At that moment—
“Excuse me, Miss Lewayne.”
The Duke wrapped an arm around my waist and effortlessly lifted me into the air.
Count Larcel’s outstretched hand grasped nothing but empty space.
“You looked like you were in danger.”
Still carrying me as though I weighed nothing, he set me down on the sofa where he’d been sitting.
Then he looked down at Count Larcel, who was considerably shorter than he was.
His shadow swallowed the Count.
“You’d better keep your distance, Count.”
“I dislike physical contact with other people.”
…Says the man who just picked me up.
Intimidated by the Duke’s overwhelming presence, Count Larcel unconsciously took several steps backward.
“I only wanted to speak with her.”
“You’re overreacting.”
At his complaint, the muscles beneath the Count’s eyes twitched.
“Make it quick, Duke.”
Only then did the Duke turn toward me.
The expression on his face seemed… strange.
Without warning, he reached out and gently held my chin.
Turning my face from side to side, he examined it carefully.
“What happened to your face?”
“Ah… this…”
I wondered whether I should explain.
Then I noticed his pupils expand slightly.
Why is he angry?
A cat’s pupils widened when it focused on prey…
Or when it felt fear…
Or rage.
Unless he suddenly considered me prey, he certainly wasn’t frightened.
That left only one explanation.
He was angry.
I couldn’t understand why.
Was he angry at me?
Suddenly, he turned sharply toward Count Larcel.
“You laid your hands on her.”
“This is none of your concern.”
Count Larcel’s tone clearly meant, Stay out of my family affairs.
The Duke, however, seemed to have no intention of doing so.
“I had no idea she was treated so poorly by her own family.”
“I can see why she wanted to run away.”
He slowly circled Count Larcel.
Very slowly.
His eyes never left the Count’s face.
Count Larcel swallowed nervously.
Even I felt as though the air itself had become razor-sharp.
The tension was unbearable.
It felt as though something terrible could happen at any moment.
Silence fell over the room.
Then the Duke spoke in a low voice.
“I think it’s time I took my wife home.”
“…What?”
Count Larcel tilted his head, convinced he’d misheard.
The Duke looked down at him with an arrogant smile.
Then he reached into his inner pocket and handed me a sheet of paper.
Watching this, Count Larcel’s eyes went wide.
“A… marriage contract?”
“It just so happened to be in my pocket, Miss Lewayne.”
‘Just so happened’?
The Duke’s signature was already written on it.
Hardly a coincidence.
Understanding his intention immediately, I snatched up the pen lying on the table.
“No!”
Realizing what was happening, Count Larcel lunged toward me.
But the Duke stepped in and blocked his path.
I quickly pulled the cap off the pen with my teeth and signed Lewayne beside the Duke’s name.
The moment I finished—
Something incredible happened.
Both signatures floated up off the page.
They transformed into black rings of light before settling onto the ring fingers of our left hands.
“…Wow.”
The Duke’s elegant signature had become a ring engraved upon my finger.
And my own signature now adorned his.
“W-What have you done…?! Nooooo!”
As Count Larcel’s scream echoed through the room, one thought crossed my mind.
If I’d known the contract had this feature…
I would have signed my name with much prettier handwriting.
