“Ha!”
Edward let out a sharp laugh.
It was funny how his tongue grew longer when the whistle came out.
“Yes. Let me hear it. What on earth is the reason?”
“Lucas was cheating on me.”
“...What?”
“And on the day he was going to marry me.”
A small gasp was heard behind him.
Edward unconsciously turned to Elena.
Elena was biting her lip, her pretty face as pale as a corpse.
“...With none other than my sister.”
Gasp.
Gasps were heard here and there.
And soon, a cold silence fell as if the lobby had poured ice water on her.
The servants looked back at Elena with wide eyes. Some had gloomy expressions as if they had expected this.
Edward looked at her with astonishment, and Ariana looked at her with calm eyes.
And in the center of all those eyes, Elena was speechless as if time had stopped.
“Sister, are you crazy?!”
Elena finally came to her senses and jumped up.
“I committed adultery with the Marquis? With my future brother-in-law? Ha! What, what kind of dirty talk is that? Are you trying to stop my wedding?!”
Elena was furious.
Edward furrowed his brow as he looked at his youngest sister.
‘Lucas slept with Elena?... At his wedding?’
To be honest, it wasn’t something that could have never happened.
Elena, he's seen that foolish thing try to seduce Lucas several times before.
At first, he was shocked, but after seeing Lucas not reject that blatant seduction, Edward changed his mind.
It didn’t matter if it was Ariana or Elena.
If he could buy the favor of Marquis Pedegreen by offering up any of his sisters, wouldn’t that be enough?
Above all, Ariana.
Ariana, who was always docile and obedient, would tremble and bow down whenever her brother raised his voice, but didn’t she change so much?
‘There must have been a reason for that.’
Edward, who had finished thinking, took a brisk step.
In front of Elena, whose once pale face was now red and furious.
Slap!
A stronger sound of a blow echoed through the lobby.
“Oh... Is it Lavigne?”
Elena covered her cheek that had been hit and looked back at Edward with blank eyes.
‘I... got hit?’
Both her father and her brother disciplined Ariana with a cane, but she had never been spanked.
In fact, Ariana had voluntarily thrown herself to prevent the cane from reaching Elena, but such thoughts did not exist in Elena’s head at all.
“Shut up. If your sister has suspicions, even if it wasn’t something that happened, you should at least pretend to reflect on your actions and see if they were wrong!”
Ha, ha.
A breathtaking laugh flowed out between Elena’s lips.
Edward pressed Elena’s cheek once more.
Slap!
Elena turned her head in a different direction this time, and her eyes lit up after a moment.
“Brother, are you crazy?!”
“How dare you raise your voice at your Brother! Why can’t you apologize to your sister right now!”
“Brother!”
“Shut up!”
Edward roared and quickly shook his head.
If Ariana had really witnessed Lucas and Elena having an affair, it would have been a huge problem.
Her husband and sister’s infidelity was more than enough excuse for Ariana to leave the house.
Normally, he would have kicked Ariana out without giving her a single penny and made her pay dearly for daring to talk back to her brother...
‘First, I have to offer Ariana to change the Marquis’ mind.’
Now he understood Ariana’s impulsive behavior.
Ariana was currently out of her mind from the shock of her fiancé and younger sister’s infidelity.
So he had to calm down somehow.
Thinking so, Edward turned to Elena with eyes full of displeasure.
“Elena! Kneel down to your sister right now!”
‘Ariana has loved Elena since she was little, so if I humiliate her like this and make her beg, she’ll probably feel better and forgive her.’
Thinking that way, he said,
“What? Brother, are you really crazy?!”
However, Elena, being stupid, did not understand what he meant and fought back.
Edward distorted his face and ordered.
“Wilhelm! Make Elena kneel!”
“Ahhh!”
It was a commotion reminiscent of a cheap comedy.
The servants looked at the commotion of their masters, who usually acted like nobles, with dumbfounded eyes.
During the commotion, Ariana quietly opened her mouth.
“It was nice to see such a warm-hearted brother and sister.”
Then, she gave a word of encouragement to her family who were looking at her with wide eyes.
“Seeing the two of you getting along, the future of the Lopez family is bright.”
“...What?”
“Then, I will leave now, the loach.”
Boom.
The door to the Lopez family closed.
The two siblings who had been swearing at each other froze for a moment with dumbfounded faces.
“Damn it, Ariana!”
Edward, who came to his senses a beat later, hurriedly kicked open the door and ran out.
The moment he was about to grab the platinum-blond hair in front of him.
“Get out.”
A firm hand gesture pushed Edward away.
The knight in black thrust his scabbard at Edward.
“His Excellency the Duke has ordered that no one harm Ariana’s body.”
“Damn it, get out of the way!”
“If you come any closer, I will consider it against His Excellency the Duke’s will.”
The knight said, placing his hand on the scabbard. Edward flinched. The Duke’s knights were all famous for their inaction.
The anger that rose to the tip of his head could not overcome his instinctive fear.
Edward’s feet did not move any further, even though his head was about to explode.
“Ariana! Come back here immediately!”
All he could do was scream and swear.
“Let’s go, Lady.”
Another knight guided Ariana to a huge carriage.
The carriage, elegant and sleek as if carved from ebony, had the image of a giant snake rising toward the sky engraved on it.
It was the emblem of the Duke of Heigenberg.
“His Excellency the Duke is waiting.”
“Welcome, Ariana.”
A man with a dignified appearance greeted me politely.
“It is an honor to meet you. I am Oren, the butler in charge of managing the master’s private residence.”
“Please take care of me. I am Ariana Lopez.”
“His Excellency the Duke is waiting.”
I followed the butler’s guidance and climbed the stairs.
The floor was shiny, the railing was spotless, and the artwork was neatly decorated. Nothing was out of place.
Even the servants’ gazes toward me were simply polite and courteous. Their attitudes were textbook-like, not to mention their curiosity.
Everything was so perfect that it was impossible to feel human.
The butler guided me to the dark mahogany door. When the butler politely knocked, a voice was heard from inside.
“Come in.”
I swallowed my tension and stepped inside.
The first thing I saw was the tall bookshelves.
The left wall was filled with books of various sizes and shapes.
The large desk in the center of the room looked cluttered with maps and various documents.
On the right side of the room, instead of a wall, there was a terrace. Soft moonlight poured in through the wide window.
Dante was standing in the middle of that night scene, backlit by the moonlight like a light.
“...”
I almost didn’t recognize him.
His black hair, which naturally hung over his forehead, was slightly wet with moisture, and he was wearing only a thin shirt on his upper body.
The light clothing I was seeing for the first time felt unfamiliar, like someone else.
I slowly approached the terrace.
Dante, who had been staring at me as I approached, drank his glass in one gulp and quickly closed the distance between us.
As he approached, a faint scent of shower cologne wafted in the air.
Conscious of that, I recognized Dante’s expression changing a beat later.
“Who did this?”
A large hand grabbed my chin and lifted it diagonally.
I felt a deep gaze fixed on my right cheek.
My cheek stung slightly because Dante’s fingers had dug into it. It was where Edward had struck me.
“...Do you see the mark?”
Now that I think about it, the butler’s eyes that greeted me wavered just once. It was when he saw my right cheek.
“Do I see the mark?”
A low growling voice repeated what I said.
Dante’s hand that was holding my chin tightened a little. I blankly looked up at the man who seemed angry for some reason.
“I...”
He said in a voice filled with displeasure.
“I can’t tolerate my things being hurt. Especially not my woman.”
“...”
My heart suddenly tightened at his low words.
It was only after a few seconds that I understood his anger.
As Dante had said, I was his woman to the public. For me to be getting slapped around was directly related to the Duke’s prestige.
I nodded obediently.
“I’m sorry. This won’t happen again.”
“So, who is it?”
“...Yes?”
“Not in the hands of a woman. Is it your brother?”
I looked up blankly and Dante said irritably.
“Answer me.”
“...Yes. It’s my brother.”
“I see. Edward Lopez.”
The way he rolled that name off the tip of his tongue still looked unpleasant.
I pondered his feelings for a moment before adding,
“I kicked his shin.”
Edward let out a sharp laugh.
It was funny how his tongue grew longer when the whistle came out.
“Yes. Let me hear it. What on earth is the reason?”
“Lucas was cheating on me.”
“...What?”
“And on the day he was going to marry me.”
A small gasp was heard behind him.
Edward unconsciously turned to Elena.
Elena was biting her lip, her pretty face as pale as a corpse.
“...With none other than my sister.”
Gasp.
Gasps were heard here and there.
And soon, a cold silence fell as if the lobby had poured ice water on her.
The servants looked back at Elena with wide eyes. Some had gloomy expressions as if they had expected this.
Edward looked at her with astonishment, and Ariana looked at her with calm eyes.
And in the center of all those eyes, Elena was speechless as if time had stopped.
“Sister, are you crazy?!”
Elena finally came to her senses and jumped up.
“I committed adultery with the Marquis? With my future brother-in-law? Ha! What, what kind of dirty talk is that? Are you trying to stop my wedding?!”
Elena was furious.
Edward furrowed his brow as he looked at his youngest sister.
‘Lucas slept with Elena?... At his wedding?’
To be honest, it wasn’t something that could have never happened.
Elena, he's seen that foolish thing try to seduce Lucas several times before.
At first, he was shocked, but after seeing Lucas not reject that blatant seduction, Edward changed his mind.
It didn’t matter if it was Ariana or Elena.
If he could buy the favor of Marquis Pedegreen by offering up any of his sisters, wouldn’t that be enough?
Above all, Ariana.
Ariana, who was always docile and obedient, would tremble and bow down whenever her brother raised his voice, but didn’t she change so much?
‘There must have been a reason for that.’
Edward, who had finished thinking, took a brisk step.
In front of Elena, whose once pale face was now red and furious.
Slap!
A stronger sound of a blow echoed through the lobby.
“Oh... Is it Lavigne?”
Elena covered her cheek that had been hit and looked back at Edward with blank eyes.
‘I... got hit?’
Both her father and her brother disciplined Ariana with a cane, but she had never been spanked.
In fact, Ariana had voluntarily thrown herself to prevent the cane from reaching Elena, but such thoughts did not exist in Elena’s head at all.
“Shut up. If your sister has suspicions, even if it wasn’t something that happened, you should at least pretend to reflect on your actions and see if they were wrong!”
Ha, ha.
A breathtaking laugh flowed out between Elena’s lips.
Edward pressed Elena’s cheek once more.
Slap!
Elena turned her head in a different direction this time, and her eyes lit up after a moment.
“Brother, are you crazy?!”
“How dare you raise your voice at your Brother! Why can’t you apologize to your sister right now!”
“Brother!”
“Shut up!”
Edward roared and quickly shook his head.
If Ariana had really witnessed Lucas and Elena having an affair, it would have been a huge problem.
Her husband and sister’s infidelity was more than enough excuse for Ariana to leave the house.
Normally, he would have kicked Ariana out without giving her a single penny and made her pay dearly for daring to talk back to her brother...
‘First, I have to offer Ariana to change the Marquis’ mind.’
Now he understood Ariana’s impulsive behavior.
Ariana was currently out of her mind from the shock of her fiancé and younger sister’s infidelity.
So he had to calm down somehow.
Thinking so, Edward turned to Elena with eyes full of displeasure.
“Elena! Kneel down to your sister right now!”
‘Ariana has loved Elena since she was little, so if I humiliate her like this and make her beg, she’ll probably feel better and forgive her.’
Thinking that way, he said,
“What? Brother, are you really crazy?!”
However, Elena, being stupid, did not understand what he meant and fought back.
Edward distorted his face and ordered.
“Wilhelm! Make Elena kneel!”
“Ahhh!”
It was a commotion reminiscent of a cheap comedy.
The servants looked at the commotion of their masters, who usually acted like nobles, with dumbfounded eyes.
During the commotion, Ariana quietly opened her mouth.
“It was nice to see such a warm-hearted brother and sister.”
Then, she gave a word of encouragement to her family who were looking at her with wide eyes.
“Seeing the two of you getting along, the future of the Lopez family is bright.”
“...What?”
“Then, I will leave now, the loach.”
Boom.
The door to the Lopez family closed.
The two siblings who had been swearing at each other froze for a moment with dumbfounded faces.
“Damn it, Ariana!”
Edward, who came to his senses a beat later, hurriedly kicked open the door and ran out.
The moment he was about to grab the platinum-blond hair in front of him.
“Get out.”
A firm hand gesture pushed Edward away.
The knight in black thrust his scabbard at Edward.
“His Excellency the Duke has ordered that no one harm Ariana’s body.”
“Damn it, get out of the way!”
“If you come any closer, I will consider it against His Excellency the Duke’s will.”
The knight said, placing his hand on the scabbard. Edward flinched. The Duke’s knights were all famous for their inaction.
The anger that rose to the tip of his head could not overcome his instinctive fear.
Edward’s feet did not move any further, even though his head was about to explode.
“Ariana! Come back here immediately!”
All he could do was scream and swear.
“Let’s go, Lady.”
Another knight guided Ariana to a huge carriage.
The carriage, elegant and sleek as if carved from ebony, had the image of a giant snake rising toward the sky engraved on it.
It was the emblem of the Duke of Heigenberg.
“His Excellency the Duke is waiting.”
***
“Welcome, Ariana.”
A man with a dignified appearance greeted me politely.
“It is an honor to meet you. I am Oren, the butler in charge of managing the master’s private residence.”
“Please take care of me. I am Ariana Lopez.”
“His Excellency the Duke is waiting.”
I followed the butler’s guidance and climbed the stairs.
The floor was shiny, the railing was spotless, and the artwork was neatly decorated. Nothing was out of place.
Even the servants’ gazes toward me were simply polite and courteous. Their attitudes were textbook-like, not to mention their curiosity.
Everything was so perfect that it was impossible to feel human.
The butler guided me to the dark mahogany door. When the butler politely knocked, a voice was heard from inside.
“Come in.”
I swallowed my tension and stepped inside.
The first thing I saw was the tall bookshelves.
The left wall was filled with books of various sizes and shapes.
The large desk in the center of the room looked cluttered with maps and various documents.
On the right side of the room, instead of a wall, there was a terrace. Soft moonlight poured in through the wide window.
Dante was standing in the middle of that night scene, backlit by the moonlight like a light.
“...”
I almost didn’t recognize him.
His black hair, which naturally hung over his forehead, was slightly wet with moisture, and he was wearing only a thin shirt on his upper body.
The light clothing I was seeing for the first time felt unfamiliar, like someone else.
I slowly approached the terrace.
Dante, who had been staring at me as I approached, drank his glass in one gulp and quickly closed the distance between us.
As he approached, a faint scent of shower cologne wafted in the air.
Conscious of that, I recognized Dante’s expression changing a beat later.
“Who did this?”
A large hand grabbed my chin and lifted it diagonally.
I felt a deep gaze fixed on my right cheek.
My cheek stung slightly because Dante’s fingers had dug into it. It was where Edward had struck me.
“...Do you see the mark?”
Now that I think about it, the butler’s eyes that greeted me wavered just once. It was when he saw my right cheek.
“Do I see the mark?”
A low growling voice repeated what I said.
Dante’s hand that was holding my chin tightened a little. I blankly looked up at the man who seemed angry for some reason.
“I...”
He said in a voice filled with displeasure.
“I can’t tolerate my things being hurt. Especially not my woman.”
“...”
My heart suddenly tightened at his low words.
It was only after a few seconds that I understood his anger.
As Dante had said, I was his woman to the public. For me to be getting slapped around was directly related to the Duke’s prestige.
I nodded obediently.
“I’m sorry. This won’t happen again.”
“So, who is it?”
“...Yes?”
“Not in the hands of a woman. Is it your brother?”
I looked up blankly and Dante said irritably.
“Answer me.”
“...Yes. It’s my brother.”
“I see. Edward Lopez.”
The way he rolled that name off the tip of his tongue still looked unpleasant.
I pondered his feelings for a moment before adding,
“I kicked his shin.”
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