Chapter 1

【 Prologue 】

In the silent study, the firewood in the fireplace crackled and burned.  

Staring at the flames radiating intense heat, Rivera fell deep into thought. Due to the sudden heavy snowfall, the roads were blocked, and she couldn’t return home.  

As she sipped warm milk and gazed at the fire, boredom overcame her, prompting her to scan the study. Searching for an interesting book among the ones lined up on the shelves, she stumbled upon a book without a title or author, unlike the others.  

Curious about what it was, she opened it, only to find a spectacle of flesh spread out before her eyes. It was an erotic book.  

“Ah!”  

Rivera covered her mouth.  

The owner of this mansion, Adrian Risen Bartman, was famously known as the cold-blooded Duke—a man of icy beauty. There wasn’t a soul in the Empire who didn’t know of him.  

He was often called the “Black Lion” because he always wore black armor and was the one who led the Empire to victory in the war against the Western Kingdom.  

The fact that such a man had hidden this kind of book in his study made Rivera unable to suppress a delighted smile.  

‘My friend reads dirty books!’  

It was a revelation that even he was, after all, a man.  

But the joy of discovering a different side of her friend was short-lived. Rivera couldn’t resist the temptation and secretly flipped through the book Adrian had hidden away.  

“Wow…”  

The depiction of young men and women tumbling around on a bed was akin to watching high-level acrobatics.  

As she skimmed through the book filled with various positions, Rivera wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth. She had to finish reading it before the owner of the room returned.  

‘I can’t resist. I’ll hide in the corner and read…’  

Just as she was about to lock the door and hide in a corner, Rivera froze upon seeing Adrian standing at the door.  

Thud.  

‘When did he get here?’  

Startled, she dropped the book in her hand.  

She wasn’t the only one frozen like a statue. Adrian, upon seeing the book in Rivera’s hand, turned bright red.  

Hurriedly picking up the fallen book, he was stopped when Rivera reached out to grab his wrist.  

“W-Wait a moment.”  

She gripped his wrist tightly.  

“Give me five minutes.”  

“…Let go.”  

She felt as though he might cry if she held on any longer, but the Iron-Blooded Duke shedding tears was surely…  

‘Possible.’  

As Rivera’s grip loosened, Adrian clutched the book to his chest and took a deep breath.  

This was trouble.  

Rivera instinctively covered her ears, only for Adrian to erupt in anger.  

“Why on earth do you touch someone else’s belongings without permission?!”  

Indeed, it was wrong to meddle with things belonging to others without asking. But Rivera had plenty to say in her defense.  

“Isn’t it normal for a grown man to be interested in s*x? Why are you so angry? Do you think I knew it was that kind of book before I opened it?”  

“You should’ve asked before looking.”  

“I told you, I didn’t know! And you never said anything when I looked through other books before.”  

“T-That’s…”  

“Does the book wear out just because I read it? No, right?”  

Adrian tried to retort but shut his mouth tightly. He seemed like he wanted to win the argument, but he had never once triumphed in a quarrel with Rivera.  

She wanted to tell Adrian to hand over the book so she could check the rest of its contents, but when he clammed up like that, it was hard to persuade him.  

‘If only he’d come in a bit later. I was curious about the positions for… you know, the back.’  

It was a shame.  

‘What would it feel like to… you know, from the back? It must be thrilling, right?’  

With a naturally curious personality, Rivera couldn’t help but wonder.  

As her thoughts wandered, she glanced at Adrian.  

‘He’s a man too, after all…’  

Adrian flinched, his shoulders trembling as if he were caught off guard.  

‘…? What’s with him?’  

He seemed troubled, as though he had read her mind.  

‘No way… surely not.’  

Rivera chuckled inwardly.  

‘That’s impossible.’  

This wasn’t some story from a novel.  

【 Wanting to Love 】 

Three years later, the most famous tea shop in the capital was bustling with patrons who had arrived early.  

Rivera walked gracefully, her long hair flowing behind her.  

“I have a reservation.”  

“May I have the name under which the reservation was made?”  

“It should be under Jemarc Aiden.”  

“Let me check.”  

As the staff confirmed the reservation, Rivera noticed familiar faces among the guests in the shop. Many of them were young ladies from noble families who had debuted in society around the same time as her.  

They recognized Rivera, and awkward glances were exchanged.  

‘Goodness. What’s Divine House’s Giselle doing at a place like this?’  

Giselle was the rival of Rivera’s best friend, Julia.  

Last winter, Julia’s boyfriend had been stolen by Giselle. Upon learning this, Julia’s family began to antagonize Giselle’s family, and the two houses became sworn enemies.  

‘But isn’t that strange? I heard Giselle recently got her engagement ring, yet here she is, all dressed up, fluttering her fan.’  

She appeared to be waiting for someone. If it were her fiancé, she’d likely hide her bare hand without the engagement ring, but she openly displayed it, acting as though she had no fiancé.  

While Rivera found this odd, the staff located the reservation and guided her to her seat.  

“It’s confirmed. Your table is on the second floor by the window. Shall I escort you?”  

“Yes, please.”  

Following the staff’s lead, Rivera ascended the stairs. As she climbed the long staircase, she asked out of curiosity.  

“There seem to be more customers than usual today. Is there a special occasion?”  

The staff smiled gently and replied.  

“Oh, yes. The Crown Prince of the Lenin Kingdom is searching for a partner.”  

“And what does that have to do with the tea shop being so busy?”  

“Oh my, haven’t you heard? His Highness the Crown Prince enjoys drinking tea, so he mentioned that he’d prefer his partner to be someone who loves tea as well.”  

“So, you’re saying everyone here is trying to become the Queen of Lenin Kingdom?”  

“Well, not everyone, but for the most part, yes.”  

“My goodness…”  

Rivera couldn’t understand. What was so special about the position of queen that people would go to such lengths to secure it?  

“Your table is at the far end.”  

Looking where the staff pointed, Rivera saw a man seated by the window.  

She recognized him instantly, even from the back.  

After all, he was her boyfriend.  

Handing the staff a tip as thanks, Rivera took a seat across from her boyfriend.  

“You arrived early. Did you wait long?”  

Rivera smiled brightly, but Jemarc shook his head.  

“No, I just got here.”  

Jemarc was popular among women for his warm appearance, tall stature, and kind personality. When he showed interest in her, Rivera felt she had struck gold.  

‘This time, it feels right.’  

Rivera was in high spirits. Though her close friends opposed the relationship, she was confident she could make it work.  

She had been dumped by men a staggering twenty-nine times. After dating so many men, her ability to judge character should have improved.  

It wasn’t just once or twice—over ten men had all broken up with her first, leading to rumors that Rivera was cursed by the goddess of love.  

‘What nonsense. Why would a god hold a grudge against me and curse me?’  

Rivera denied all the rumors.  

In just two days, it would be a week since she started dating Jemarc, and she was looking forward to proving the rumors false.  

After placing her order skillfully, Rivera looked at Jemarc. Just seeing his face made her smile.  

Watching him sip tea, resting his chin on one hand, she felt full despite not having eaten anything.  

“I have something to say.”  

After taking a sip of tea and setting down his cup, Jemarc spoke.  

Seeing his serious expression, Rivera felt a sense of foreboding. And her instincts were always spot on.  

“Let’s break up.”  

“…What?”  

“I didn’t want to say this either.”  

“What’s the reason?”  

His answer was nothing short of shocking.  

“My mom told me not to see you.”  

Rivera sat there stunned, unable to react.  

‘What did I just hear?’  

As silence stretched between them, the surrounding noise became more pronounced. Rivera, flustered, struggled to speak before finally letting out a voice filled with disbelief.  

“So, you’re saying… you’re breaking up with me because your mom said so?”  

“Yes.”  

“You’re joking, right?”  

“I’m serious. My mom said that if I keep seeing you, she’ll cut ties with me. I can’t betray my parents over a woman. So, let’s end this cleanly. It’s better for both of us.”  

Rivera took a deep breath, exhaled, and spoke with sincerity.  

“Better for both of us? Are you delusional?”  

“Delusional?”  

“Yes, delusional.”  

Rivera decided not to hold back now that the relationship was ending.  

“Think about it. You were the one who asked me out first. You begged me, even when I rejected your confession. Before we started dating, you swore you’d treat me well, and now what? You’re telling me your mom said not to see me, so we’re done? Does that make sense to you?”  

“What can I do if it’s true?”  

“No matter how true it is, saying it like that is disrespectful! How old are you that you’d stop seeing someone just because your mom said so? And… ugh.”  

She was so baffled that she couldn’t even finish her sentence.  

“…Even if that’s the reason, couldn’t you come up with a better excuse?”  

“You’re saying I should lie?”  

“I’m saying you should at least show some decency when breaking up.”  

At this, Jemarc, instead of shutting up, said something even more outrageous.  

“Why are you acting like this? I’m the one stuck in the middle. You shouldn’t have been so promiscuous in the first place.”  

“What did you say?”  

“Am I wrong? Is there anyone around us who doesn’t know you’ve dated countless men? Honestly, my mom wasn’t wrong. Women like you, who can’t keep their legs closed, ruin families. I kind of agree with her on that.”  

It seemed that Jemarc’s true colors were showing now that they were breaking up.  

“And I don’t think I can live happily married to you. Knowing how many men you’ve been with, imagine if we had kids. How could I be sure they’d even be mine?”