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‘No.’

I thought, trying to suppress the strange discomfort rising within me.

‘It’s because I’m someone who lacks warmth toward others… that’s why I feel this way.’

I knew myself well.

At my core, I was suspicious, sensitive, selfish, full of fear, and constantly worrying. Like a baby rabbit, always on high alert, needing to guard against everything around me just to survive.

I used others to survive, yet found it nearly impossible to trust anyone.

‘But Marguerite was a saint-like figure even in the original story,’ I reminded myself.

She was kind enough to embrace even the twisted male leads.

And objectively speaking, I was in Marguerite’s debt. She had warned me beforehand, so I wouldn’t be startled during the escape, and she had calmed Lucian down to prevent a disastrous outcome.

‘It’s wrong of me to doubt someone so kind.’

Yes, that had to be it.

I forced myself to calm down.

But just then—

“Ugh…”

A faint groan slipped from Lucian’s lips.

Marguerite immediately turned to him in concern.

“Lucian, are you awake?!”

His golden eyelashes fluttered, trembling slightly.

And then—

His piercing blue eyes slowly opened.

His hazy gaze flitted between Marguerite and me, before locking into focus.

“Lady!”

Lucian grabbed my wrist with surprising speed for someone who had been lying injured just moments ago.

“Ugh…”

Lucian grimaced as he moved too abruptly, aggravating the wound on his shoulder.

I panicked and hurriedly tried to stop him.

“Don’t move! You’ll make the wound worse.”

“She’s right, Lucian.”

Marguerite quickly jumped into the conversation.

“You went through all that trouble to bring Elze here, but if you stay bedridden, what good will that do?”

“…”

“Do you plan to just lie there, even with Elze right in front of you?”

Marguerite’s tone was casual and friendly, not just with Lucian but with me too.

It felt strange—she addressed me by my first name without hesitation, while I still called her “Miss Marguerite.”

‘If I find this uncomfortable… perhaps I’m just the twisted one.’

In normal relationships, people don’t jump straight to using first names without proper closeness, but I owed her my life.

Feeling uncomfortable over something like this seemed petty.

“I’m just glad everything worked out.”

Marguerite said with a kind smile.

“You’ve been wanting to see Elze for so long.”

“…Marguerite.”

Lucian looked up at her with sincere gratitude in his eyes.

“I’m really thankful to you. You’ve helped me so much.”

“Oh, come on. We’re friends, right?”

Marguerite replied cheerfully, standing up.

“You two haven’t seen each other in a while, so I’ll leave you two alone to catch up.”

“Thanks.”

Lucian smiled warmly at her.

With a friendly pat on Lucian’s shoulder, Marguerite exited the room.

Click.

The door closed behind her.

Again, I felt a sharp sense of discomfort.

‘Are they really just friends?’

Between Lucian and Marguerite, there was only the ease of friendship—none of the tension that usually comes with romantic relationships.

‘Am I clinging too much to the original story?’

‘But how could things have changed this much?’

A cold chill ran down my spine, making me swallow nervously.

At that moment—

“Lady.”

Lucian’s voice called me back to reality.

I looked down to find him smiling at me, a smile as bright as spring.

“I’m so happy to see you again.”

“…”

I stared at him for a long moment, my emotions in turmoil, before slowly bowing my head.

“Why… why are you doing this, Lady?!”

Lucian looked startled, reaching out to stop me as I bowed deeply toward the floor.

My head nearly touched the ground as I struggled to speak.

“I’m sorry.”

Not only had he gotten injured because of me, but now he was in a direct conflict with the Marquis of Offenheir.

And then there was the… boarding school.

Throb.

The very thought of it twisted my heart painfully.

I had always used Lucian.

The innocent boy had turned into one of this world’s twisted and corrupted male leads, and I had played my part in that transformation.

‘How pathetic.’

Only now did I realize what Lucian must have endured, what thoughts had gone through his mind during those long, harrowing years.

Only after becoming trapped myself…

‘I’m only realizing it now.’

Lucian gave a wry smile.

“Every time we meet, it feels like you’re always apologizing, Lady.”

“I’m not so shameless that I don’t recognize my faults.”

“Well, if you feel sorry toward me, I’ll take it as a good thing.”

Lucian gently patted my hand in a comforting gesture.

“That just means you care about me, doesn’t it?”

“…”

I bit my lip, trying to hold back my emotions.

Seeing my troubled expression, Lucian, despite being in pain, tried to comfort me further.

“Don’t make that face, please… I—”

He tightened his grip on my wrist.

“I don’t like seeing you look like that.”

“…”

I didn’t know how to respond.

I remained silent, unsure of what to say.

After a moment, Lucian, attempting to lighten the mood, spoke in a brighter tone.

“Well, in a way, this worked out. The Marquis and I, we exchanged blows, didn’t we?”

“But you were seriously injured.”

“This? It’s nothing… Ugh.”

Lucian winced, trying to move his arm, the bravado faltering.

I immediately stopped him, frowning.

“Please, don’t move. You’ll make it worse.”

Lucian, now gazing at me with warmth, muttered softly.

“Still… there’s something good about the pain.”

“What could possibly be good about being hurt?”

I shot back, my voice sharper than I intended.

Lucian chuckled, undeterred by my tone.

“You’re here with me, aren’t you?”

For a moment, I was speechless.

What was I to him, really?

To me, we had only ever been a caretaker and a special student at the boarding school.

So why did this man treat me like I was precious to him?

“This reminds me of the past.”

Lucian said, rubbing his cheek gently against my hand, like a child seeking comfort from his mother.

“Back then, you took such good care of me.”

Again, my chest tightened with guilt.

Every time Lucian showed this affectionate side, it reminded me of how deeply I had wronged him.

“And there’s another upside to being injured.”

“An upside?”

I asked, confused.

“Yeah. Since I’m hurt, the Marquis won’t be able to make a big deal out of this.”

Lucian’s tone was casual as he added.

“If Dante wants to complain about me invading his safe house, he’ll have to explain why he shot me first.”

“…”

“It’s too severe to brush off as self-defense, don’t you think?”

He was right.

Even though Lucian had been the one to attack, he was still the empire’s only duke.

Dante had shot him with a magical gun, which made the situation much more serious.

If this matter were to escalate publicly, it could lead to open conflict between the two houses.

“In the end, I think I won this time.” L

ucian said, a satisfied smile on his face.

“Won?”

“Of course. You’re with me now, aren’t you?”

Lucian’s voice was soothing, as if trying to reassure me.

“You don’t have to worry anymore. I’ll take care of everything from now on.”

“…Your Grace.”

“I’ll protect you.”

His words were firm, confident.

Lucian spoke gently, “Is there anything you want? If it’s within my power, I’ll make it happen.”

“I…”

I hesitated.

Could I really be honest with him?

‘But… if it’s Lucian…’

I glanced at him, weighing my options.

Unlike Dante, perhaps he would respect my wishes.

After a deep breath, I finally spoke.

“I just want to leave quietly.”

“…”

The atmosphere turned cold in an instant.

The warm smile that had graced Lucian’s face vanished, replaced by the icy gaze of this world’s ruthless male lead.

“That’s not possible.”

His refusal was immediate, without even a moment of hesitation.

“Your Grace?”

“I can grant you anything else. But…”

Lucian’s tone was resolute as he finished his sentence.

“That is the one thing I cannot allow.”

A chill ran down my spine.