When Lianna lifted her head, that man—Calix—was standing there.

The golden eyes looking down at her were unbearably cold.

“Can’t you even stand on your own?”

Lianna bit down tightly on her lip.

The thought of how pathetic she must appear in his eyes filled her with humiliation.

“I’m… sorry. I twisted my ankle…”

It sounded like an excuse, but she truly had not done this intentionally to attract the Grand Duke’s attention.

Afraid he might misunderstand, Lianna hurriedly tried to stand.

“Take it.”

Unexpectedly, a large hand was extended before her.

“I’ll escort you to your room.”

Lianna blinked, confused, wondering if she had misheard.

The man who had ignored her throughout the banquet was suddenly being kind to her.

Perhaps, despite his cold demeanor, he was chivalrous after all.

But—

“Thank you sincerely for your kindness. Still… I don’t wish to trouble Your Grace any further.”

She did not want to take his hand, as if she were accepting charity.

After humiliating herself so completely in front of him, her plan to seduce the Grand Duke was beyond repair.

When Lianna stubbornly forced herself to stand on her own two feet, Calix let out a short, amused laugh.

Here was a woman with no social standing, clinging desperately to her pride and trying to preserve her dignity.

It was almost entertaining.

Lianna limped out of the banquet hall.

Her ankle continued to throb painfully, but escaping the countless eyes fixed upon her mattered far more.

However, the moment she turned the corner into the empty corridor, the pain hit her all at once.

It felt as though dozens of sharp needles were stabbing her ankle simultaneously.

Unable to bear it any longer, she collapsed onto the cold stone floor.

The chill of the tiles quickly seeped into her skin.

The sorrow she had been struggling so hard to suppress threatened to overwhelm her at any moment, and Lianna bit down hard on her lip.

“I knew this would happen.”

At that moment, a low voice pierced through her ears.

It was Calix.

Crossing the corridor with long strides, he stopped beside her.

“And this is exactly why I told you not to be stubborn.”

“……”

“Take it. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Calix held out his large hand once more.

Lianna’s eyes widened slightly as she looked up at the unexpected gesture of kindness from the man.

Had he followed her because he was worried about her?

This time, she did not refuse his offer of help.

Carefully, she placed her hand in his.

But in the next instant, he suddenly tightened his grip.

“Ah…!”

Without warning, Calix seized her hand tightly.

A faint cry escaped Lianna from the pain.

“Ugh… Y-Your Grace?”

Although she had been startled by the sudden situation, it was Calix whose eyes widened more dramatically.

His expression twisted sharply.

Staring at her as though he could not comprehend what had just happened, he demanded,

“What did you just do?”

“Y-Your Grace?”

“Answer me. What kind of magic did you use?”

“I-I don’t understand what you… ah, it hurts. Please let go.”

Despite Lianna’s pleas, Calix refused to let go of her hand.

Lianna endured the pain and looked up at him.

Then, running a hand roughly through his hair, he suddenly pushed her against the wall.

Lianna flinched in fear.

“When I touched you… this damned curse definitely weakened.”

Calix spoke while gripping her hand hard enough to nearly crush it.

But Lianna only grew more bewildered.

A curse?

Magic?

“Please let go. I truly don’t understand what you’re talking about, Your Grace.”

If she had truly possessed the ability to use magic, she would never have resorted to trying to seduce this man.

Before she could stop herself, she realized how unfair the accusation was.

Lianna glared up at Calix.

Tears shimmered within her violet eyes.

She could not tell whether they were born of pain or humiliation.

Calix looked down at her with complicated eyes before slowly loosening his grip.

The woman, trembling like a frightened animal cornered by a predator, pulled away from him immediately.

Then, before he could say another word, she turned and fled.

Calix stood there silently, watching her limping figure disappear into the distance.

After a long moment, he slammed his fist against the wall with all his might.

“This is ridiculous.”

She was a woman whose very existence reminded him of that child.

A woman who had recklessly stirred memories he had desperately tried to bury and forget.

And of all people, she was the only person capable of breaking his curse.

***

“My, what’s this? Why are you sitting here looking so miserable?”

After changing out of her soaked clothes, Lianna sat gloomily in front of the fireplace.

As she blankly listened to the crackling flames, someone approached her.

“You’re…”

Lianna turned her gaze away from the dancing red firelight and saw a young woman standing nearby.

It was the same woman who had ‘accidentally’ spilled wine on her at the banquet earlier that day.

After looking her up and down, she spoke to Lianna sympathetically.

“I followed you because I was curious how things turned out, but judging by the look on your face, I already have my answer. You failed to catch the Grand Duke’s attention, didn’t you?”

Lianna didn’t answer.

For Rebecca, that was answer enough.

She shook her head slightly.

“So after everything I did to send you over there, you still couldn’t accomplish anything? I even went that far for your sake, and he still didn’t show the slightest bit of interest? Don’t tell me the Grand Duke can’t even get it up?”

The blunt expression was so crude that Lianna would never have used such words herself, and her face flushed slightly.

But that was not what bothered her most.

“What do you mean, went that far…? Don’t tell me what happened earlier was intentional?”

“Oops. My mistake.”

In response to Lianna’s sharp question, Rebecca laughed and smacked her lips in amusement.

Now that she knew the truth, Lianna let out a quiet sigh.

Unable to watch any longer, Count Chester had instructed Rebecca to orchestrate the entire scene.

As a result, Calix had shown her an unexpected moment of kindness.

He had only tried to help her out of pity.

But in the end…

Lianna remembered how he had suddenly cornered her and demanded answers about magic and curses.

She had never heard of a man who would treat a woman in such a way.

‘In the end… I failed to catch his interest.’

Perhaps that had been the only way to save Joel.

Realizing that she had let such an opportunity slip away so meaninglessly made Lianna’s chest feel unbearably heavy.

Count Chester’s words resurfaced in her mind.

“The Grand Duke is still just a man. Capturing a man’s interest isn’t as difficult as you might think. Ultimately, it all comes down to how you approach him.”

What if, when the Grand Duke had supported her earlier, she had found the courage to tell him that she wanted to stay by his side for a little while longer?

What if she had whispered that he could have her however he wanted?

But what if the Grand Duke hadn’t rejected her?

She might have ended up sharing his bed that night.

Yet Lianna had never given herself to a man before.

An instinctive fear clung to her.

From the outset, her resolve had been half-hearted, and because of that, she could never fully cast aside her fear.

Although her clothes had long since dried beside the warmth of the fireplace, it felt as though an icy wind were sweeping through her chest.

Huddling her knees against her chest, Lianna slowly lowered her head.

‘What’s the point of regretting it now? It’s already over.’

She believed that she could do anything for Joel.

If it meant curing her sick little brother, she thought she would not care what happened to her.

But in the end, it had all been self-deception.

Joel’s condition worsened with every passing day.

Nevertheless, she ultimately valued herself more.

For some reason, Lianna had no memories of her childhood.

She could not remember how their parents had died.

Yet there was one thing she remembered with perfect clarity: the final plea her parents had made to her.

“No matter what happens, protect Joel.”

“Please take care of your brother…”

This memory weighed heavily on her, sinking deep into her heart like a stone.

Unless she got another chance to meet the Grand Duke, she would have to find another way to pay for Joel’s medicine.

To make matters worse, she still had to face Count Chester’s anger for failing the task he had set her.

Lianna let out a quiet sigh.

“Count Chester is going to be very angry with me, isn’t he?”

“Mmm, well. Knowing his personality, he might vent all his frustration on you.”

Rebecca shrugged lightly.

“But I’ll defend you, at least. Honestly, if he saw a beauty like you and didn’t react at all, maybe the Grand Duke’s actually into men.”

“Hehe… there’s no way that’s true.”

“Why not? You shouldn’t judge people just by appearances.”

Rebecca spoke teasingly.

Despite them being practically strangers, she tried to comfort Lianna, who suddenly let out a small laugh.

Just as the heavy atmosphere began to ease, the door suddenly burst open.

“Oh my, Count?”

Count Chester burst into the room with such force that he might as well have kicked the door open.

With a stiff expression on his face, he strode straight towards them.

Lianna instinctively tensed. His order had been clear. Seduce the Grand Duke and share his bed.

But that plan had undeniably failed. It was painfully obvious that his anger would soon be directed at her.

“Oh dear, why are you already here? Has the banquet ended?”

Rebecca smiled brightly as she approached the Count.

Lianna was all too familiar with how the Count treated his servants when he was in a bad mood.

For a moment, she was afraid that his anger might spill over onto Rebecca.

But unexpectedly the Count was smiling.

He patted Rebecca lightly on the shoulder, his grin stretching nearly to his ears.

Lianna blinked slowly, confused.

What was happening?

Had he not been furious with her for failing to complete the task he had set her?

Though nothing about the situation made sense, Lianna cautiously spoke first.

When she asked him what had brought him there, the Count — who had been chatting cheerfully with Rebecca — finally seemed to remember the reason for his visit.

“Oh my, talking with Rebecca made me forget for a moment. I still haven’t told you the news, have I?”

The words that followed were utterly unexpected.

“The Grand Duke is asking for you.”

“…What?”

Lianna’s violet eyes widened.

She must have misheard.

Why would a man who had never shown the slightest interest in her suddenly call for her?

“I think you must be mistaken, Count. His Grace didn’t show any interest in me at all…”

“What are you talking about? This is the first time His Grace has ever requested a woman during his stay at my castle. Ahem… though I suppose I can admit it now — I knew you would succeed.”

The Count rambled excitedly, but Lianna still could not process it.

The situation felt unreal.

Before she could respond, however, the Count stepped closer.

As though entrusting her with an immensely important mission, he spoke solemnly.

“Lianna. Tonight, you will enter the Grand Duke’s bedchamber.”