76.

“Then perhaps you should head up to the tower now.”

“Right.”

I tried to sound casual, but I could feel my palms beginning to sweat. Erika noticed this and thought, Preparing for this was hell, but it’s kind of fun now.

To create a private moment, Erika and the other servants waited at the base of the tower. Even the overly protective Glen wasn’t allowed to ascend, with only a few guards hidden discreetly in the shadows.

Except for Glen, everyone was united in their support of the head’s “proposal event.” The whole thing was more embarrassing than I anticipated, and now, as the moment approached, it was incredibly awkward.

‘What am I even doing? Damn that old hag Ektra.’

I felt a slight wave of nausea as I gripped the tower’s railing and lowered my head.

Below, the people of McFoy were enjoying the last day of the festival against the backdrop of the setting sun, the sky ablaze with hues of red. The sun seemed to sink into the vast lake beyond.

Damn. I wasn’t really seeing any of the festival scenery. I couldn’t deny this nervousness any longer. A laugh escaped me at the thought that after everything I’ve been through, there were still things that could make me nervous.

I tried to distract myself with random thoughts to ease my tension. Like thinking about how Edio was probably out there somewhere on the lake, which was now glowing red from the sunset.

Even though winter had ended, the nights were still chilly, and I thought about how that old scaredy-cat was probably suffering out there. I figured I should go easy on him for a while.

As the round sun finally disappeared behind the lake, the surroundings darkened quickly. And just as I was anticipating, I heard someone approach from behind.

‘He’s here.’

I mentally recited the cheesy proposal line Ektra had taught me, then took a deep breath and confidently turned around.

“…”

“Why that face?”

But the person I was waiting for wasn’t there. Instead, a rough-looking man was smirking at me.

“You look like a noblewoman caught cheating.”

My brow furrowed deeply at Kano’s obnoxious tone. Unconsciously, I looked behind him. I wasn’t sure why, but in that moment, I felt exactly like a noblewoman caught cheating.

“When did you return?”

“I didn’t expect you to stab me in the back like this.”

Kano growled as he slowly approached me, ignoring my question.

“Stab you in the back? What are you talking about?”

“So this isn’t betrayal? You sent me far away only to get married? And to that Diazi?”

“Kano, you’re being ridiculous.”

I stopped him as he drew closer, my expression serious.

“You’re acting like I deliberately sent you away just to secretly get married. What does my marriage have to do with you?”

“That’s too much.”

His face twisted with hurt, like a wounded animal, and I couldn’t help but press my lips together.

“You knew. That’s why you’re being so cruel?”

“…You’re the one who started talking about betrayal.”

His eyes blazed with anger, and it was hard to keep meeting his gaze. With the sunset as a backdrop, his red hair made him even more intimidating, so I ended up turning my head away from him.

“Marrying Norma Diazi doesn’t make sense. It’s unlike your usual decisions. I can’t understand it, no matter how I think about it.”

Marrying Norma Diazi during a time of imperial succession is not a beneficial move for your family. Such a union between two great noble families makes you an easy target for rivals. This isn’t like you at all. So—

Kano took an uncharacteristically deep breath and asked, “Why are you marrying him?”

“He’s a holy knight and a Diazi. He’s a good match for McFoy, a house not exactly favored by the goddess.”

“You know there are more cons than pros to this marriage. Don’t lie. All the nobles will turn against you.”

“That’s funny. Since when have the nobles ever been on my side?”

“Is it just the nobles? What about the Emperor?”

“What about the Emperor? I’m McFoy.”

“Aisa, I didn’t come here to play word games.”

“Head of House.”

Kano bit his lip as I reinforced the wall between us. Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but glance again past him, toward the door leading to the stairs.

“Hah.”

He noticed my gaze shifting behind him and let out a bitter laugh.

“How did you even get up here? Just go back down.”

“How many years do you think I’ve spent looking at you?”

Instead of leaving, Kano stepped closer, and I instinctively took a step back.

“Don’t cross the line. Get a grip.”

“There are plenty of reasons why it shouldn’t be him, but after all these years by your side, why can’t it be me?”

“You know better than anyone why.”

Kano fell silent.

He was a pirate, a prince of a fallen kingdom, but also a bastard.

A great love story? Hardly. Even if we had a fleeting affair or a brief romance, if anything between us became public, Aisa McFoy would be labeled the mistress of a pirate, with all her achievements reduced to selling her body. The McFoy name would be ridiculed in an instant.

There was no reason for me to take his hand and face such consequences.

Kano could never become the consort of the head of McFoy. He couldn’t even be kept as a lover. He must know that too, even as he pathetically clung to the idea.

“Do you really love him? Is that it? Is that why you’re marrying him?”

Breaking the silence, Kano grabbed my shoulders and shook me roughly as he shouted.

A sudden fear gripped me—not of Kano’s angry face, but of the feeling that his words were like a sticky curse wrapping around me from the ground up. I was afraid I would be consumed by his words if I stayed like this.

“…That’s not, that can’t be true.”

I felt cornered and immediately denied it. I shook my head slowly, trying hard not to think deeply about it.

“…I shouldn’t have asked.”

Kano cursed under his breath, then turned his head to the side, letting out a bitter laugh as his face twisted in agony.

“No, it’s not true.”

My denial didn’t seem to convince him, and I felt a surge of stubbornness. I finally denied it with more resolve.

“Oh, Aisa. Really?”

But Kano’s sharp retort was full of mockery, and now my face began to twist in distress.

“Aisa. Have you held his hand? Hugged him?”

“…”

“Did he whisper love to you? Did he kiss you?”

I couldn’t bring myself to deny it, and Kano gritted his teeth as if enduring great pain. His jaw clenched so hard it bulged. Then, with his face twisted in anger, he suddenly lunged at me.

Kano grabbed my chin with one hand and my waist with the other. I instinctively knew what was about to happen.

I quickly turned my head to the side, covering my mouth with both hands to avoid him.

“…”

His rough breath grazed my ear. I couldn’t even breathe, frozen in place after narrowly avoiding his kiss. Kano was the same.

This was the second time I had dodged his kiss.

I could feel his hands trembling as they held my face and waist. He trembled like someone who couldn’t control his strength, then slowly released his grip. His face, which had been so close, began to pull away.

But Kano couldn’t fully suppress his emotions.

“Ah!”

Just as he seemed about to withdraw completely, he impulsively bit my neck gently, as if throwing a tantrum.

Finally, Kano stepped back.

I snapped out of my daze and swung my arm, slapping him hard across the face. The sharp sound of the slap cut through the cool air.

“Hah, damn it…”

But Kano’s head didn’t even flinch. His dark, smoldering eyes remained fixed on me. Only my palm burned, and my breathing was a wreck.

A wave of injustice washed over me. I never trusted him much to begin with, but now I felt a profound sense of betrayal.

“What the hell is this? How many times is this now? You bastard, I’ll kill you!”

The next moment, I was throwing punches and kicks at Kano, hurling curses as I did.

“I am! The head of McFoy!”

Knowing he was in the wrong, Kano simply accepted my blows, which were more like weak swats compared to what I wanted to do.

“The head of McFoy can’t love anyone! The head of McFoy can’t love Norma Diazi!”

I screamed with all my might. But shouting it only made me feel more wretched. A deep sense of despair welled up inside me.

“Look in the mirror and say that, you bastard!”

Finally, Kano snapped, grabbing my wrist as I continued to punch him, shouting back at me. My hands were immobilized instantly, and my fury spiked.

I leaned in and headbutted Kano right in the face. He grunted in pain as my forehead collided with his nose.

“Shut up! Let go! Let go, you bastard! Just see if you ever show your face around me again. Get out of here! Get lost, you piece of trash! Get out!”

My voice cracked as I screamed at him, my throat already raw. Kano, still holding my wrist, looked at me with a conflicted expression as I struggled in his grip. He sighed deeply.

He caused this mess, yet he had the nerve to look exasperated.

“Alright, alright. I made a mistake. It’s all my fault, so just calm down and catch your breath.”

“Shut up! You pervert, get out of here!”

My foot barely missed a vital part of Kano’s anatomy as I kicked out in anger. Finally, he released my wrist, raising his hands in a show of surrender as he stepped back.

With his grip gone, I collapsed to the ground, exhausted. I was so focused on catching my breath that I didn’t notice Kano glancing back.

“Just one. Let me ask just one thing.”

“No, you pervert.”

“If I were an ordinary nobleman from the Empire, could I have been your consort?”

“No, you couldn’t.”

“…”

“Even if you were born as an ordinary nobleman from the Empire, you’d still have ended up as a pirate.”

It was the truth. Regardless of his background, Kano was too wild and free-spirited to live as the consort of the head of McFoy.

Above all, his ambition knew no bounds.

“…That fox standing next to you is worse than me.”

After a brief silence, Kano muttered as if he had read my mind. The fact that he had seen right through me made me pause for a moment, and by then, he was already turning away.

Just then, a long whistle echoed in the air.

My face twisted in disbelief, and at that signal, a golden light shot up from the middle of the lake.

As I looked up at the sky, the fireworks exploded with a bang, scattering into countless pieces.

‘I’m ruined.’

The sight of golden dust filling the sky was breathtakingly beautiful. But I could only sit there on the ground, staring blankly at the sacred display.

Not long after, I heard footsteps approaching from behind. I squeezed my eyes shut at the sound of someone coming closer.

“Aisa.”

At the sound of my name, I reluctantly opened my eyes.

Slowly turning my head, I saw Norma Diazi standing there, looking as stunning as ever. The golden sparks from the fireworks illuminated the night around him, making him look even more like a painting.

Norma didn’t say a word as he took in the sight of me, disheveled and sitting on the cold stone floor. He simply smiled gently and extended his hand to me.