Chapter 1: 1

It’s a beautiful day, with blue skies, a few clouds, and the sun shining brightly.

 

A man and a woman stood in an off-the-beaten path corner of a sprawling mansion.

 

A man taller than most, with jet-black hair like silk, and eyes blacker than blood.

 

A man with the kind of swagger that would make a passerby’s eyes glaze over, stood stiffly against the wall of the building, looking down at the woman in front of him.

 

In front of the man, who seemed to have a chill in his step, stood a petite woman, fidgeting with her hands.

 

She was quite beautiful, though not as dazzling as the man in front of her. She was a cute woman with hair as dark as a tree and eyes as blue as a sunny sky.

 

She flushed red, squeezed her eyes shut, and summoned all the courage she could muster for the man in front of her.

 

“Herwin, I like you, you should go out with me!”

 

“Decline.”

 

Without a second’s hesitation, the man called Herwin rejected the woman’s confession.

 

Herwin let out a breath of annoyance and swept his hand up through his hair.

 

“Lucia, how many times have you done this, don’t you ever get tired of it?”

 

His tone was friendly, despite his refusal of the confession.

 

Lucia opened her eyes slowly, unable to hide her flushed cheeks.

 

“Hmm… 98th.”

 

“You’re the one who never gives up, even when you know my answer is always the same.”

 

Herwin shook his head as if he was sick of the situation.

 

In what could have been a very embarrassing situation, all Lucia could do was giggle like an idiot.

 

Looking at her, Herwin sighed again and shifted his back against the wall.

 

“You would have given up at this point, but you like me so much, even though I don’t accept your confession?”

 

Lucia was silent for a moment, then her eyes widened.

 

“Yes, I would love for you to accept my confession, but if that’s not possible, this is the least I can do to let you know how I feel. At least I’m not doing it in public, right?”

 

“Ugh, just make a public confession like you did on your 16th birthday. Then I won’t see you for a month.”

 

“You can’t do that!”

 

In response to Herwin’s lighthearted comment, Lucia spoke firmly in a playful tone.

 

“I’m just doing it because I love it, so don’t feel pressured.”

 

For a 21-year-old adult, her words were pure.

 

It seemed so overwhelming that Herwin frowned.

 

“……Lucia Agnes. I like Arista.”

 

“……….”

 

Herwin boldly spoke the name of the woman he had in mind. Even as he spoke, he watched Lucia’s eyes to see if she was bothered.

 

A sadness flashed through Lucia’s blue walls.

 

“……I know that.”

 

“Hah…….”

 

Herwin took a deep breath to clear his throat and glanced at Lucia.

 

“Let’s go. The kids will get the wrong idea if we stay here.”

 

“I don’t want to get you in trouble, let’s go!”

 

Lucia was back to her usual bubbly self and had her usual beaming smile.

 

Relieved to see that, Herwin followed Lucia, who was ahead of him.

 

The woman who confessed and got dumped, and the man who got confessed to and dumped it without a second thought.

 

The bizarre atmosphere dissipated as the two of them left the room.

 

When they were gone, only dark shadows remained in the space.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Uh, here he comes.”

 

“You’re here, I haven’t seen you in a while and was going to look for you.”

 

“What, what, are you two having a little secret society?”

 

At a social gathering of men and women who knew each other, the disappearance of Herwin and Lucia led to a series of jokes.

 

Herwin frowned, nudging Ethan, who was poking him in the side, with an annoying hand.

 

“It’s not like that, so don’t say anything weird.”

 

“No, I wouldn’t, you weren’t with any other girl, you were with ‘Lucia’, ‘Lucia’!”

 

Ethan waggled his eyebrows up and down with a knowing smirk.

 

“How many years has she had a crush on you and isn’t it time you let it go?”

 

Ethan nudged Herwin once more.

 

Then Herwin stared down at Ethan, his red eyes narrowing.

 

Ethan, who was now the legitimate recipient of a murderous glare, made a dumbfounded face and broke out in a cold sweat.

 

Shut the fuck up.

 

The red eyes seemed to say so.

 

Ethan’s tail curled, knowing exactly what he meant even though he hadn’t said it out loud.

 

“Ethan’s not wrong. It’s no secret that Lucia likes you.”

 

This time, Brian, who had been quietly sipping his tea, spoke up.

 

He swept his long hair back, and the maids nearby melted.

 

Brian, who was annoying in a different sense than Ethan, began to scratch his head.

 

“You, shut the hell up.”

 

Herwin warned through gritted teeth, but Brian only shrugged nonchalantly, not backing away as Ethan had.

 

He was impressed with Brian’s ability to slip out of his grasp.

 

Herwin’s fists were shaking, and a thick line of blood stood out on his forehead.

 

“Lucia, there’s nothing they can’t say. Lucia, ignore what they say.”

 

It’s not like Lucia isn’t in the room. When people kept bringing up her name as if she wasn’t there, Christine, who had been silent, spoke up.

 

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“Thanks for your concern, Christine. But I’m fine because I’m fine.”

 

Lucia calmed Christine down and found her seat.

 

“But really, where did you two go?”

 

This time, it was Arista, the woman Herwin had revealed to be on his mind.

 

She was a woman of such beauty that it was understandable that Herwin had fallen in love with her.

 

Her pale blond hair, which fluttered in the breeze, was like gold threads carefully woven by the gods, one by one, and her violet eyes, mysteriously violet, were set behind long lashes.

 

Lucia smiled and clapped her hands.

 

“No, I just ran into him on the way here.”

 

“That’s right, nothing happened, so don’t get your hopes up, Arista.”

 

Herwin added to Lucia’s words.

 

Arista cocked her head, then shrugged.

 

“If you say so, then it must be so.”

 

When they passed without further question, Herwin let out a small gasp.

 

He slipped into the remaining seat between Lucia and Arista.

 

Conversations flowed around the round table.

 

Lucia laughed out loud as they made small talk.

 

Lucia, who had a refreshing laugh that seemed to exude vitamins, glanced sideways.

 

Herwin smiled, enjoying the conversation they were having.

 

He had a cold look on him, but now he had a very warm smile on his face.

 

And then the smile turned to the person sitting next to him.

 

To Arista on the right, not to Lucia sitting on the left.

 

Lucia’s hand trembled for a moment, then she hid it under the tablecloth, and clasped her hands.

 

Arista laughed heartily at Ethan’s lame joke.

 

Arista had a charming way of smiling without losing her aristocratic airs.

 

Even she, a woman, is drawn to her, much less Herwin, who falls for her.

 

Thudthud- Thudthud-Thudthud

 

Lucia felt a small flutter in her chest.

 

The dissonance that she’d always felt was particularly annoying today.

 

Herwin’s head tilted to the side a little, and a small part of her wished she could see herself in his eyes.

 

That can’t be right.

 

Lucia shook her head, sensing that her wishes were fleeting.

 

She didn’t want to ruin the evening with friends she hadn’t seen in a while.

 

She ignored the small pounding in her heart, determined to enjoy the moment as much as possible.

 

Lucia blended in among the laughter.

 

It was such a perfect time that no one would ever know she was thinking about anything else.

 

* * *

 

“Haha…I had fun today.”

 

Because of the late meeting, Lucia didn’t get home until after dark.

 

She’d had a good time, but she couldn’t help but be tired. Lucia rubbed her stiff shoulders and handed her robe to the maids.

 

“Ma’am, are you here?”

 

Just then, an elderly gentleman with neatly swept-back white hair approached. It was Aaron, the rector. Lucia smiled wryly.

 

“Yeah, am I a little late?”

 

“No, you’re just seeing old friends for the first time in a long time.”

 

“Woohoo, thanks for understanding.”

 

“The Count is looking for you.”

 

Aaron cut to the chase. Lucia, who was about to head for her room, turned around, furious.

 

“At this hour?”

 

She wondered if he was trying to punish her for coming home late.

 

“Would you like me to take you straight to where the Count is?”

 

She nodded as Aaron made sure Lucia was comfortable answering.

 

“Yeah, walk me through it.”

 

Aaron guided her to the tea room where the Count and Countess often enjoyed tea.

 

Lucia shook her head, expecting it to be her office, but stepped through the door Aaron held open for her.

 

“……Mother is even here?”

 

In the tea room were Lucia’s father, John, and mother, Julian.

 

They greeted Lucia as she shakily entered.

 

“You’re finally here, did you have a good time with your friends?”

 

“Yeah…well, sure, but what are you both doing here at this hour, and have you been waiting for me all this time?”

 

Lucia sat down beside her, holding Julian’s hand tightly, and John, who had been drinking tea, set his cup down without a sound.

 

Lucia stiffened involuntarily at the sight of the dark walls, the stern look in his eyes, unlike his usual soft ones.

 

“I’ve been waiting for you to come because I wanted to tell you something.”

 

“……What are you trying to say?”

 

Lucia swallowed unnecessarily, unable to make out what she wanted to say under the weight.

 

“You’re 21, after all, and long past the age of marriage.”

 

As soon as she heard the word ‘marriage’, Lucia’s body stiffened.

 

“I’ve been waiting all this time because I know you love Phoenaeus, but now I can’t.”

 

“No way, now…….”

 

“See the line, Lucia.”

 

The blue-walled eyes, identical to John’s, slowly widened.

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