At this moment, she didn’t want anyone to see her. As Charlotte reflexively bent her knees and hid in the bushes, two figures emerged from the darkness.
“Miss Kiara seems to have run out of patience. She even threw her cherished teacup on the floor yesterday. I heard she followed him secretly all the way to the capital, but he refused to meet her.”
“Goodness. That arrogant Miss? She’s pushing it too far.”
“That’s right. Everyone already knows. If she doesn’t accept his proposal, what will become of the Duke’s dignity? What about the favor she requested?”
“Ah, here. Pass it to the servant. If he gets drunk, he can be escorted to Miss’s room.”
Charlotte’s ears perked at the suspicious conversation. She had heard of such things before. Schemes brewing beneath the surface of the social gatherings.
“What’s the name of that man?”
“Richard Daniel Kensington.”
Her heart sank.
No.
As soon as she caught wind of some conspiracy, a strong sense of resistance surged deep within her chest.
The hand that had once embraced her inside her coat.
The hand that had bandaged her injured ankle.
The hand that had lifted her chin to avoid gazes.
She couldn’t imagine Richard embracing someone else with those hands. It felt audacious even to think so, yet denying it was difficult. It was less a rational judgment and more an instinctive discomfort.
“I have to stop this.”
She knew Richard Kensington was not someone who would simply yield. If he were entangled in an unjust plot and forced into marriage, his partner would undoubtedly be unhappy. In the first wave of jealousy, Charlotte, cloaked in what seemed like a plausible excuse, made her decision.
“…Let’s follow for now.”
Once the decision was made, action followed swiftly. Charlotte shadowed the woman who had received the favor from the two conversing people. Fortunately, as they entered the mansion, they didn’t attract much attention amidst the crowd. The woman headed towards the temporary powder room prepared for the ladies, up the spiral staircase in the main hall.
Suddenly, two familiar figures caught her eye in the direction the woman was heading. Kiara Spencer and Felix Barker. Charlotte pressed herself against the wall, fearing she might be discovered.
“She asked for what you told her to bring, Miss.”
This is really about to go wrong.
Charlotte’s hand trembled. It felt like her mind had been bleached white. As she desperately searched for a solution with closed eyes, someone placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell? You look pale.”
“No, I’m… fine…”
Trying hard to maintain her composure as she answered, her gaze met another’s, wide with surprise.
“…Who are you?”
Charlotte, equally startled, widened her eyes in response.
***
Without a doubt, Kiara Spencer was the epitome of perfection in Ethelwood.
She had a father who would grant her any wish, a title as the Duke’s beloved daughter, her stunning beauty, and of course, the string of suitors trailing behind her.
There were people who sneered, calling her and her entourage the queen bee and her drones, but she paid them no mind. After all, fragrant flowers attract not only butterflies but also the occasional pesky insect.
But perfection was always elusive. On a day when her spirit felt a bit weary, Kiara ventured down to the rustic countryside where her cousin lived.
Felix Barker, her childhood friend and beloved cousin, greeted her. With a face somewhat similar yet different, he suddenly asked, “Do you remember Richard?”
“Who?”
“Yeah. The Earl of Kensington’s brother. We used to hang out together back in the day.”
Hmm. Kiara tilted her head, seeming to recall. The name sounded familiar.
After Felix added a few more words to his puzzled response, Kiara finally remembered who he was.
“You said you’d marry him. Though you changed your mind later.”
“Oh! That gentleman?”
Certainly, his appearance had suited her taste. She remembered being smitten at first sight and rushing home to inform her family. But it didn’t last long.
“That man, his personality wasn’t to my liking. He seemed like someone who would spend his life buried in thick books in his study.”
No matter how much Felix insisted, he was just a cousin’s friend. She had only looked at him as such, nothing more, despite his charming face.
“Richard, you say.”
With her nonchalant response, Felix warned her with a chuckle, “You’ll regret saying that.”
Though she brushed it off, the warning hit home. When they met again… she was simply breathless.
“Kiara, meet Richard, the one I mentioned to you before.”
After Felix introduced him first, he added, “Richard, long time no see. This is my cousin Kiara.”
The moment their eyes met, she made up her mind. That man was hers.
“That’s harsh. I know it’s been a while since you’ve seen me, but you don’t remember me? The three of us used to play together a lot when we were younger.”
With a teasing tone, Kiara spoke first. The mundane country life seemed to become a bit more enjoyable. Entertaining the idea of dating a handsome man without leaving any traces was one of her favorite pastimes.
A pastime.
Yes, she initially thought of it as just that. It didn’t take long for her to realize how arrogant her past self had been. She painfully admitted it soon enough. It was her own superficiality that was the issue.
Felix was right. Richard was nothing like the gentleman she once knew. He was utterly different. Horribly, chillingly so. It was almost as if they didn’t share the same bloodline.
“Miss Kiara Spencer.”
The tables had turned from juggling countless suitors. She was already halfway enchanted by his courtesy and gentlemanly demeanor, but that was an absurd delusion. His polite façade was nothing but a mask.
The man, who had been coolly resistant to subtle invitations and temptations, asked bluntly, “How long are you going to bother me?”
It was a rejection and insult as direct as it could get. Yet, his face remained handsome, sending a flush of warmth beneath her ears.
This couldn’t continue. It couldn’t be like this. Her long eyelashes trembled. She had always had to have the best of everything, obtaining whatever she desired, whether it be objects or men.
“Bother you? Have I been bothering you all this time?”
Looking at Kiara, who had barged into his study unannounced, Richard extinguished the cigar he had been holding against a glass ashtray. His movement was so exquisitely graceful that it felt even more offensive. It felt like being treated like an unwanted intruder who had opened the door without permission.
Lowering his eyes and massaging his stiff neck, Richard spoke with a somewhat authoritative tone, “Sit down for now.”
“Are you ordering me?”
“This is my study, and you’ve come without an appointment.”
“…Fine.”
As Kiara reluctantly sat on the couch, Richard rose from the leather-clad chair and turned his mahogany desk slightly to face her.
Just as Kiara was about to speak, Richard interjected, “Wait.”
As soon as he interrupted her, a knock came from beyond the door. Kiara shivered. She had thought she had a good intuition, but this was almost animalistic. As the maid who had entered with trepidation placed the tea and snacks on the table amidst the uneasy atmosphere, she quickly retreated.
An awkward silence lingered for a moment. The silence broke only when Richard took a sip of his tea and set the cup back down.
“Do you mean to say that I’ve been playing with you?”
“I’m not so ignorant of the world’s affairs.”
“Then tell me. How have I been playing with you?”
Though it was a rather ordinary question, it sounded strangely suggestive as it rolled off his lips. Feeling the heated air, Kiara clenched the fabric of her dress with her gloved hands.
“That night, we were alone together.”
It had actually been three days ago. At Felix’s request, Richard had escorted her all day from the nearby city. They had sat side by side in a box seat at the theater, which they had reserved a month ago. He had been consistently gentlemanly and polite, as if escorting a queen.
“After dining at a cozy restaurant together, I felt weak due to anemia.”
When she looked at him as if questioning if he remembered, he nodded slightly.
“You took me to your private townhouse. Suspiciously.”
Richard twisted her words as if that were the reason.
“It was too far to go to Cloverfield, and there was a reputable doctor nearby.”
“But why did you offer wine after the doctor left?”
“You seemed startled, so I offered it to calm you down. I said you didn’t have to drink if you didn’t want to.”
A nonchalant response followed the continued probing. Indeed, he was the epitome of a cold-blooded man who was called the ruthless one in court. Even when his clients were pushed to the brink, he always managed to dramatically turn the situation around and win in the end.
“Oh, don’t you know that nickname? The killer of the courtroom.”
A friend who had warned her had added this remark.
“You might not know, but because of that man, there have been quite a few suicides. He relentlessly pursued them with such cruelty.”
At the time, she had actually rather liked that nickname. Women who rushed in without realizing he was celibate and had a reclusive nature would inevitably fall by the wayside.
She never dreamed she wouldn’t be an exception herself.
“We kissed.”
At the sudden rebuttal, Richard raised an eyebrow.
“I did initiate it, but you didn’t refuse. You can’t deny that.”
It was an impulse born from intoxication. She had stood on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck. The thrill of the moment when their tongues tangled was still vivid. It felt like electricity coursing through her entire body.
Although he didn’t hold her by the nape of her neck or waist, he just stood still like a statue, letting her fall until she collapsed, he made no effort to stop her.
The decisive moment came next.
“I have no memory after that. When I woke up, I was on the bed. I was dressed in pajamas.”
That was the last memory she had, with her head resting on his neck. As she fell backward, screaming briefly as the sharp sensation pierced her flesh, he grabbed her waist firmly.
It was time to present irrefutable evidence. Although it would be embarrassing if anyone saw this, she had to catch the man somehow. Kiara, with her hands clad in gloves, daringly showed the left side of her neck.
“These marks on my neck. You made them.”
🍉🍉🍉
