How did this happen?

 

I melted helplessly under the burning gaze of his red eyes.

 

“…. Miss Aria Bertin.”

 

A fascinating low tone tickled my ears.

 

The suffocating heated atmosphere grew even stronger as he approached me.

 

I couldn’t stand the growing heat and turned my head, but his seductive red eyes continued to follow me and did not let me go.

 

“Look at me.”

 

A long, graceful finger lightly stroked my jaw.

 

I swallowed my breath.

 

It was rare for him to come into physical contact from the beginning.

 

“Well, if you do this…”

 

“No? I’m just following the agreement between us.”

 

Lips that were neither thin nor thick drew into a curve.

 

“And how many times do I have to say? Call my name at times like this. I think it’s time for you to fully understand…”

 

I could hear a man’s soft voice, then my vision suddenly shifted. The next thing I knew, my face was buried into a broad, hard chest.

 

Ba-dump.

 

The sound of a heart beating vibrated all the way to my chin.

 

It took me a while before I realized that the sound was mine.

 

“Aria.”

 

I closed my eyes tightly as I felt his hot breath tickling me.

 

It felt like my stomach was tightening as the hope that this situation would end and the hope that it lasted a little longer collided.

 

“Ah!”

 

I let out a moan as I felt a stinging pain in the back of my neck.

 

He had never been this rough.

 

“Y-your Grace…”

 

“Shh.”

 

While I shut my mouth tightly as instructed, a soft touch soothed the area where I had felt pain a while ago.

 

“Ha…”

 

A strange sound came out of my mouth.

 

He grinned and grabbed my cheeks, kissing me.

 

Instinctively, a lump of flesh invaded through my open lips.

 

Ah.

 

I fell into the illusion of being swallowed up like this.

 

His strong tongue penetrated and explored the softest areas, giving me no room to regain reason even for a moment.

 

Losing even the slightest bit of self-control, I pressed my body into his arms, feeling a warmth that was close to heat.

 

…When he finally pulled himself away from me.

 

No matter how many times I experienced it, my vision was blurred red with strange excitement.

 

I managed to catch my breath.

 

This man was good at setting boundaries, so today would definitely end here.

 

And he would leave the room without looking back.

 

Because he and I were not lovers.

 

Our relationship was only to solve the consequences whenever he used black magic.

 

That’s all.

 

So to him, maybe I’m…

 

‘I’m just a commoner who’s somehow indebted to him, I guess.’

 

Hiccups came out when I opened my mouth.

 

“Your Grace, are you okay?”

 

There was silence.

 

My mind automatically became restless.

 

Usually, this was the time he would completely escape the side effects of black magic, regain his composure, offer a brief thank-you, and then leave.

 

But there was only silence.

 

It wasn’t a good sign.

 

“No.”

 

I took a deep breath.

 

Perhaps his condition was worse than I thought.

 

I heard he had been overworked lately… Was it to the extent that even a passionate kiss couldn’t resolve it properly?

 

I took the courage to step closer to him.

 

His body stiffened.

 

“…What are you going to do?”

 

“I’m going to give you a hug.”

 

I answered honestly.

 

“This works best.”

 

I didn’t do it well because I was shy, but the calming effect was better when I approached him first.

 

I mustered up the courage to wrap my arms around his chest and hug him tightly.

 

The sound of his irregularly fast heartbeat was heard.

 

I had regained my composure, so this time it would be his.

 

Every time I gently patted his back through his thin shirt, I felt his firm muscles tense under my touch.

 

Soon after, he regained stability. I quietly stepped away and looked at him.

 

His face, which had been expressionless until a moment ago, was red up to his ears.

 

“Your Grace?”

 

I called him carefully.

 

“Are you okay now?”

 

“Thanks to you.”

 

I received a gentle answer.

 

“That’s a relief.”

 

I smiled and waited for him to leave, but he only stared at me tenderly without saying anything.

 

I licked my lips.

 

We had done this several times already, sharing sympathy with him and alleviating the side effects of black magic — but he had never shown such a reaction before.

 

‘Let’s not worry about it.’

 

I made up my mind.

 

I couldn’t afford to be bothered by his sudden whim.

 

Because I had a child to take care of.

 

“I… gotta go. I promised Elodie that I’ll read her a fairy tale before she goes to bed.”

 

His eyes hardened.

 

“You’re going already?”

 

“Yes.”

 

I answered briefly.

 

“…I wish I could stay a little longer.”

 

He shook his head slightly and approached me.

 

The distance was quite burdensome, there was only a step or two between us to begin with.

 

I unconsciously took a step back, but then he also took a step closer.

 

Our silent chase ended when my back hit the hard wall.

 

Then I heard a thud — he placed his hands on the wall and posed to look down at me.

 

Naturally, I stammered as I was engulfed in his shadow.

 

“N-now what…”

 

“Aria.”

 

A dangerous voice tickled my ears.

 

“I don’t know why it saddens me so much.”

 

“…What— what are you talking about?”

 

My voice trembled on its own.

 

“I really don’t know.”

 

A long, hard finger stroked my cheek.

 

“I thought I’ve already expressed my feelings many times.”

 

“…”

 

I was silent.

 

Only a fool would not know what this man, Theodore Vanice, was talking about.

 

“Are you pretending not to know or are you just dense?”

 

The soft and courteous voice gradually turned into a threatening whisper.

 

“Are you testing my patience?”

 

I swallowed my dry saliva.

 

Now I had no choice but to admit it.

 

I’d been trying to deny it all this time, but Theodore Vanice had fallen in love with me.

 

He was a handsome and wealthy duke, so he was a groom who would welcome any woman with open arms.

 

If I hadn’t known his true self, I might’ve been moved and even shed tears.

 

If it weren’t for the crazy guy who tried to kill me for kidnapping his daughter just a year ago!

 

* * *

 

I didn’t intend to raise a child at first.

 

The world was too busy to take care of my body.

 

It had already been seven years since I became an extra in a novel that I enjoyed reading.

 

After working hard, I settled down and saved money.

 

This meant that all I had to do was enjoy my life.

 

That’s it.

 

Because I was working hard, I stayed up late at a village festival I had never been to.

 

I didn’t go with anyone but just walking around carrying a snack and a glass of alcohol felt like a change of pace after a long time.

 

Maybe it was because I was immersed in the festive mood.

 

On my way home, I didn’t notice the black shadow wandering around.

 

I was staggering and walking down a dark alley.

 

Someone grabbed me with brute force.

 

Naturally, I tried to scream, but someone quickly covered my mouth with a handkerchief.

 

A gloomy voice came from right next to my face.

 

“You’d better be quiet if you don’t want to get hurt.”

 

“Oh— oomph, ha…!”

 

I struggled hard, but it was useless since I was already trapped in a leather bag.

 

Soon darkness came, and I lost consciousness in an instant.

 

How long has it been?

 

As I woke up trembling, something like a wet towel touched my forehead.

 

“M-Miss.”

 

Then, a small, cute voice called me.

 

I blinked.

 

A dark room slowly entered my view.

 

I was positive that this wasn’t my room.

 

The rough blanket and gray-colored walls looked more like a prison than a home.

 

“Miss!”

 

I turned my head in the direction where I heard the voice.

 

A little girl with gloomy gray hair, red eyes, and a scruffy look was looking at me.

 

She might be about 6 years old.

 

It was hard to tell her age because she was skinny, but she looked about that tall.

 

“I’m glad you woke up.”

 

The child’s big eyes welled up with tears.

 

“Wait— you…”

 

My eyes widened.

 

It was because I remembered who the child was.