87.

The discarded dress lay sprawled on the floor like a shed skin.

In the darkness, my limbs stood out pale and exposed.

“……”

Dante silently gazed at my naked body.

A strange light flickered across his crimson eyes.

Lust?

No, it wasn’t a simple emotion like that.

It was more like…

“I want to keep you locked away where only I can see you forever.”

An intense desire for possession and dominance.

Rather than letting someone else take me away, he would choose to break me himself.

At the same time, his voice echoed with an eerie tenderness.

“So that no one else can lay a hand on you.”

In that moment, I felt chills run down my spine.

It was because those words were lines meant for the female lead in the original story.

Not something he should be saying to a trivial villainess like me.

Dante continued in a low voice.

“But I know I shouldn’t.”

“Marquis…”

“I’ve already taken so much from you…”

A faint smile crossed Dante’s face.

A bitter smile.

At that moment, I recalled the vivid self-reproach on Dante’s face when we entered the townhouse earlier.

‘…Again.’

The suppressed voice that slipped through his clenched teeth.

“……”

Suddenly, I felt very strange.

It was as if Dante…

was regretting how he had treated me in the past.

…Which shouldn’t be possible.

Dante spoke again.

“There is only one thing I want from you.”

His red eyes locked onto mine.

Under his intense gaze, I felt as helpless as a prey animal before a predator.

Caught in a trap, I couldn’t move an inch.

“Don’t betray me.”

“……”

It felt like swallowing a huge chunk of ice.

My heart cooled down sharply.

“That’s a given.”

To hide my faltering expression, I deliberately threw my arms around Dante’s neck.

* * *

I suddenly opened my eyes.

‘Damn, did I fall asleep?’

I remembered being a mess in Dante’s arms and reaching climax several times.

But I had no memory of what happened afterward.

I must have passed out from exhaustion.

“Marquis?”

I called out to Dante in a hoarse voice.

A low response came back.

“Yes.”

Dante was lying on the bed, giving me a pillow with his arm.

It seemed he hadn’t slept a wink.

His eyes, looking down at me, were still sharp and alert.

The sight was unfamiliar.

In the past, after spending the night together, he wouldn’t even stay by my side.

He would have lit a cigarette first thing…

Dante, quietly observing me, suddenly spoke.

“I heard there’s a harvest festival coming up soon.”

A harvest festival out of the blue?

I blinked in surprise.

Dante reached out to tidy the hair that had fallen across my cheek.

His touch on my cheek was unusually gentle.

“Let’s go watch the fireworks together.”

“……”

It felt strangely new.

Dante used to shower me with lavish and precious gifts.

But he was stingy with his time.

Now, he was eager to play the part of a lover without hesitation.

‘Fireworks, huh.’

I suddenly thought of Lucian.

[Next year.]

His eyes, as blue and beautiful as cornflowers, staring intently at me.

[Will you watch the harvest festival fireworks with me?]

And even my bewildered expression reflected in those eyes.

…It all came rushing back.

‘It’s a pointless thought.’

I deliberately pushed Lucian’s lingering image out of my mind.

I forced a brighter smile.

“I’m really looking forward to watching the fireworks with you, Marquis.”

Dante chuckled softly and carefully covered me with the blanket.

He checked meticulously to make sure not even a finger or toe was sticking out.

“Sleep a bit more.”

Smooch.

His hot lips pressed a kiss to my forehead.

“It’s still far from morning.”

I nodded and deliberately closed my eyes tightly.

A low chuckle sounded above my head.

Dante’s strong arms wrapped around me through the blanket.

As sleepiness washed over me, Lucian’s face vanished like a sandcastle swept away by the waves.

…I was grateful for that dream.

* * *

A few days later.

I returned to the boarding school.

Originally, I was supposed to go back the next day.

[Stay a little longer, will you?]

[But… I really should…]

[Why, do you not like being with me?]

Dante’s moist, pleading gaze made it impossible to refuse him.

It had been a while since I had set foot here, so the scenery of the boarding school felt somewhat unfamiliar.

I quickly identified the cause of this unease.

‘Cornflowers.’

The cornflowers, which once swayed in waves of blue-violet, had all withered.

A strange ache settled in my chest.

I stood still, staring blankly at the dense thicket for a long while.

“……”

After a moment, I turned away.

‘It’s okay.’

Taking a short, deep breath, I calmed my mind.

Once I leave this place, everything will be resolved.

This irrational affection for Dante.

The guilt I felt towards Lucian.

The anxiety I felt while negotiating with Benedict.

‘I can forget it all.’

I reassured myself.

 

* * *

 

Since the night I spent at the Offenheir townhouse, I deliberately avoided seeking out Lucian.

With our escape drawing near, it would be problematic if Dante or Liam became suspicious due to frequent contact between Lucian and me.

‘I already hinted at our escape to Lucian when I brought him the cornflowers.’

Being the clever protagonist of this world, he must have already figured out that the escape was imminent.

Moreover, since the cocktail party at the palace, Dante had been unusually edgy.

There was no need to stir up unnecessary trouble now.

Besides,

‘Continuing to talk to Lucian would only lead to deceiving him.’

I would just be piling up empty promises I couldn’t keep.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

‘So… this is better.’

From the start, my relationship with Lucian had been doomed.

A caretaker and a special student.

Like oil and water, we couldn’t mix.

Right now, we were temporarily working together towards a common goal of escape, but keeping this distance was better for both of us.

Then, about two days before the harvest festival, a letter arrived from Brigitte.

After asking about my well-being, talking about how adorable Joseph was, and chatting about trivial everyday things, there was one line at the end that caught my eye.

<Our friendship will never change.>

A faint smile formed on my lips.

‘She honored my request.’

I had asked her to include that sentence at the end of her letter if everything was proceeding smoothly.

So…

‘It’s almost time.’

I steeled myself with that thought.

Even so,

I couldn’t stop my heart from pounding wildly.

 

* * *

 

In early October,

the capital held its annual harvest festival as always.

‘They seem more focused on enjoying the festival than anything else.’

Despite not even farming in the capital.

I grumbled inwardly but outwardly prepared diligently for the festival.

I changed clothes, did my makeup, arranged my hair, and finally…

“……”

I glanced sideways at the jewelry box.

Amid the glittering jewels, the citrine necklace Dante had chosen stood out.

Thinking about it, Dante seemed to favor that necklace the most among the many jewels he had gifted me.

[Beautiful.]

I could almost hear Dante’s gentle voice.

And

[From head to toe, everything.]

[I want you to be adorned with only the things I gift you.]

…Why did that night’s whispers come to mind?

That night, Dante had completely lost his composure.

He had clung to me desperately.

‘What did he talk about with Benedict?’

Since that night,

curiosity got the better of me, and I subtly asked what had happened.

[You don’t need to know.]

Dante had clammed up like a shell.

Worse, every time Benedict was mentioned, Dante’s mood soured rapidly.

In the end, I couldn’t press further.

And the matter quietly faded away.

‘Anyway.’

I looked at the citrine necklace with an indifferent gaze.

Normally, I would have chosen that necklace to please Dante, but

Click.

I closed the jewelry box and stood up.

At the same time, a servant who had been waiting outside bowed to me.

“Lady Elze, Marquis Offenheir is waiting for you on the first floor.”

“The Marquis?”

I was only briefly surprised before frowning slightly.

“Why wasn’t I informed?”

“The Marquis strictly instructed us not to inform you. He didn’t want to disturb you while you were getting ready.”