“When did you arrive, Duke?”
The butler’s voice echoed right after Kasion’s.
“And the person with you…?”
“Anything unusual?”
It felt like I was eavesdropping on their conversation.
Should I go down and make my presence known? But I couldn’t move. The drawing in my hand and the words I had just heard from Kasion held me in place.
Fortunately, the butler informed him of my presence.
“Lady Ariel is here. She’s in the library.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Kasion’s voice sharpened. His voice, which had been quite irritable, grew quieter. “You may leave now.”
“Yes, understood.”
The voice of the other person wasn’t entirely unfamiliar, but I couldn’t quite place it through the door. Why was this person following Kasion’s orders?
“Ariel? Where are you?”
At that moment, Kasion entered the library. From my perch on the ladder, I stared down at him, wariness written on my face.
“Ariel, why did you climb the ladder yourself? You should have asked someone to help.” He shook his head when he saw me. “If you’ve found what you were looking for, come down. It’s dangerous up there.” He firmly held the ladder from below.
“I’ll come down, but… move aside,” said me with a blushing face.
“I’ll hold the ladder. You might slip.”
I almost blurted out, ‘Are you crazy?’ but remembered my purpose for being here and restrained myself. “Don’t look up.”
“Why? I need to make sure you come down safely—”
“Are you trying to peek under a lady’s skirt? How indecent!”
Even from afar, I could see Kasion’s face flush with embarrassment as he lowered his head.
“Is that better?”
“Don’t lift your head at all.”
“You never cared about this when we were kids….”
Even from above, I could see his neck turning red, and my heart raced faster as I got closer to him.
Just as I was almost off the ladder, my skirt brushed against Kasion’s hair. I froze, awkwardly balancing. At this rate, his face would end up under my skirt.
“Ka-Kasion, move aside.”
Kasion, still with his head bowed, leaned back awkwardly. He kept one hand on the ladder, and his feet were still planted firmly at the base.
“It’s taking forever for you to come down. I should have just told you to jump,” he grumbled as soon as my feet touched the floor.
“If I jumped, unlike you, my body would break.”
“And with me here, what’s there to worry about?”
That was precisely why I was worried. He would probably catch me like a hero rescuing a princess from a dragon’s head. My face flushed again.
“So, what book were you looking for this time?”
“Well…”
I cautiously handed him the diary. The drawing of the woman who resembled Lireania was tucked inside.
“This is my grandfather’s diary.” Kasion didn’t need to flip through many pages to recognize it.
“Really?”
The woman in the picture wasn’t Lireania after all. The handwriting on the back of the drawing matched the one in the diary.
“Yes, I heard he was quite a romantic. He always carried a portrait of my grandmother with him.”
So, the woman in the drawing was probably the late duchess. Which meant that Kasion’s obsessive tendencies ran in the family.
The words written in the diary mirrored what Kasion had said in the book I read: [I’ll bring you back, even if I have to kill him.]
It was the kind of love where one would kill to possess someone. Whether it was their bloodline or their upbringing, they couldn’t distinguish between love and obsession.
Raised in a household like this, it’s no wonder Kasion had just said something strange. I needed to stay alert. There was still no guarantee that Kasion wouldn’t turn out like the character in the novel. He shared the same blood as his grandfather, after all. I had to be careful.
“By the way, Kasion, what did you mean when you mentioned something about shackles when you entered the library just now?” I decided to ask him directly. There was no point in avoiding the topic.
Sure enough, Kasion looked flustered.
“It’s none of your concern.”
The cold look in his eyes quickly erased the fluttering feeling I had earlier.
“You’re not planning to confine me, are you?” I pressed on, making it clear that I was wary of him. That should deter him from trying anything.
“Of course not.”
“Good.”
I couldn’t trust him, though.
“So, why did you come to see me today?”
This time, I felt embarrassed, even though it wasn’t my fault but Serhen’s.
“It’s about the cross necklace.”
“I gave you a hint a long time ago, and you’ve only just figured it out?”
“I realized it too late.” I folded my hands politely, ready to apologize, but he spoke first.
“There’s no need to apologize.”
“But…”
“Just the fact that you said you’d wear it is enough for me. That’s all I need.”
My heart started racing again. But I remembered the words he had said before entering the study. Shackles. That wasn’t love, no matter how much he claimed to care for me.
I must not forget. Kasion is a schemer. Even if he was being kind to me now, it was probably all part of his plan to claim me for himself.
“Is that what you came here to tell me?”
“No, that’s not it. Can I use the cross necklace for something else?”
“For what reasons and purpose?”
“Um, I ruined the dress I was going to wear to Brother Serhen’s wedding.”
I explained what had happened earlier. Kasion seemed a little agitated.
“Did you get hurt? Let me see.”
Suddenly, he leaned in close, inspecting my face from every angle. His gaze was so serious it made me feel overwhelmed.
“My nosebleed stopped a while ago.”
Out of nowhere, his thumb and forefinger touched the bridge of my nose.
“W-What are you doing?”
“Your nose might have been broken.”
He gently pressed on my nose. I flinched slightly from the ticklish sensation.
“Your bones seem fine. Anywhere else?”
“I’m fine.”
“You might have bruised somewhere. Butler!”
With Kasion’s urgent shout, I found myself being whisked away. It was to the deepest, most secret part of the duchy.
* * *
Diana returned to the palace, a satisfied smile on her face. That annoying woman’s dress was ruined. No matter how skilled her designer and seamstress were, they wouldn’t be able to fix it in time for the wedding.
She had tried to help that poor girl who couldn’t even make friends in high society, and what did she get in return? A woman who not only matched the marquis with someone else but now sought to take the duke for herself. As if she could ignore the princess!
“Serves her right.”
Diana’s harsh words made a nearby maid flinch. It was best to tread carefully on days like this.
“Where is Dertis?”
“The second prince went to see the crown prince.”
Diana didn’t particularly care for her naive brother. Even if the duke had been cold to her, there was no way she’d give up the position of duchess. She could retain her status as imperial through marriage to him. That’s why she had told the crown prince to trouble that woman and asked Dertis to seduce her. But these men never seemed to understand her plans.
She needed to confront them immediately. She would assert the imperial family’s authority and ask the crown prince to arrange the marriage to the duke once and for all.
It didn’t take Diana long to find them.
“Do you want something from me? Why are you suddenly pushing her and me together?”
“I genuinely want to see you with that lady. That’s why I sent that person to the marquis and the young lady. Even now, that person is working hard for you.”
Something about their conversation seemed off, so Diana quietly eavesdropped.
“Crown Prince, provoking the duke continuously could be dangerous.”
“If a dog bites its master, you have to hit it with a stick.”
“But Crown Prince, isn’t it unnecessary to spread such ridiculous rumors?”
Rumors? What rumors in society had Diana not heard of?
“Why not? If that woman becomes isolated, it’ll be easier for you to win over your first love.”
Diana’s eyes widened in surprise. She had no idea her brother liked that woman.
“That’s not what this is.”
“Then just watch. Let the duke get provoked and make a mistake. I’ll create the opportunity, so don’t miss it.”
They were about to ruin everything!
It seemed Diana would have to step in herself. To protect the duke from the crown prince, she needed to separate him from that woman.
“Helping my poor brother achieve his first love might not be a bad idea.”
If shy Dertis wouldn’t act, Diana would do it herself.
* * *
“W-Where are we, Kasion?”
Even though I could walk fine, he had practically dragged me to this unfamiliar room. It was dim, with a large bed… Why was there a room like this?
“Butler, have you brought what I asked for?”
“Yes, here it is.”
The butler followed Kasion in, carrying a steaming kettle, a silver basin, clean towels, and a bottle of ice water.
“Close the door. No one is allowed in.”
“Understood.”
“Wait, hold on!” I called out to the butler in a panic. “I’m really fine!”
“Fine, you say? I thought it was strange that it took you so long to come down the ladder. Didn’t you realize you hurt your ankle?”
“My ankle is fine!”
“Your steps weren’t the same as usual. Plus…”
“Plus what?”
Kasion’s gaze trailed down to my neck before he quickly turned his head away. I followed his eyes and immediately knew what had reignited my suspicions about him.
“Wait, Kasion! What’s that over there?” I pointed at the dangerous object, trembling.
“What do you think? As you can see, it’s a shackle. For your ankle.”
So, it was me he was talking about earlier!
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