Chapter 19

From that day onward, Adrian was nothing more than a thief to the Earl of Iaron—a man who had stolen his precious daughter.  

Although the Earl lacked power, he was not foolish nor overly ambitious. His desires were simple: to live happily with his beloved wife and only daughter.  

Other families might be plagued by disputes over succession, but for him, Rivera was his only child, and she was the sole heir to continue the family line.  

‘The problem is that Rivera has absolutely no interest in such complicated matters.’  

Adrian finished his champagne and placed the empty glass on the tray held by a nearby servant. He then stepped forward and extended his hand to the Earl.  

This was his first greeting to his future father-in-law, as a son-in-law.  

“Please don’t worry about Rivera’s happiness. I intend to make her the happiest woman in the world.”  

Adrian tightened his grip on the Earl’s hand, causing the veins on the Earl’s forehead to bulge.  

[This thief… my daughter…]  

Although the Earl couldn’t openly curse him because he was a Duke, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything kind to the man stealing his precious daughter either. He cursed Adrian silently, his mind racing with insults.  

Oddly enough, Adrian didn’t feel offended, no matter how harsh the Earl’s thoughts were.  

[This trash of a man seduced my innocent daughter!]  

Well, well, the Earl shouldn’t be saying such things to me.  

Adrian felt indignant about being insulted while standing next to the world’s most despicable Crown Prince.  

“A Duke is absolutely out of the question!”  

“And why is that, may I ask?”  

“Well, that’s…”  

Adrian spoke politely to his future father-in-law, but the Earl still refused to approve of his relationship with Rivera. Curious about the reason, Adrian asked, but the Earl avoided his gaze and stared at the ground.  

‘Ah, so that’s why.’  

Even if the Earl tried to hide his thoughts, it was futile. For a brief moment, Adrian caught a glimpse of what the Earl was thinking.  

[There’s no way I’d send my precious daughter to some shallow man who goes around seducing women!]  

Having read the Earl’s thoughts, Adrian decided to address the concern directly, scratching the itch, so to speak.  

“If you’re worried that my handsome face might lead me to break women’s hearts, you don’t need to be. The reason I’ve never had any issues with women is that I’ve never been interested in anyone else. As you know, Rivera is exceptionally beautiful.”  

“Well, that’s true… Ahem.”  

Caught off guard by the compliment about his daughter, the Earl coughed awkwardly.  

“Please don’t hate me too much. I would never make Rivera cry.”  

“Well, that’s only natural.”  

“Of course. It’s very natural, but there are plenty of men who can’t even uphold such basics. In today’s turbulent times, what if she meets a terrible man and gets deeply hurt?”  

“Ugh…”  

“There’s no need to think too hard about it. If you entrust her to me, I’ll protect her well.”  

Adrian firmly grasped the Earl’s hand.  

“You can sleep soundly with both legs stretched out.”  

Regardless of the Earl’s opposition, Adrian wasn’t someone who would give up on marrying Rivera.  

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”  

The Earl clutched his chest, his heart pounding as he narrowly avoided being swayed.  

What a pity.  

Adrian clicked his tongue in disappointment and shifted his gaze to Rivera, who stood behind the Earl.  

“Please don’t hate me too much. Everything was Rivera’s wish. She said she wanted to marry me.”  

“…I did?”  

Rivera looked confused, as if she had no idea what he was talking about, and the Earl triumphantly exclaimed, 

“Look at that! She’s reacting as if she’s hearing this for the first time!”  

“Oh dear… Did you forget again? How much do you drink to forget things so easily…?”  

Both father and daughter flinched simultaneously.  

Adrian leaned closer to Rivera, who was standing behind the Earl, and whispered softly in her ear.  

“So… like this, and then like that…”  

Rivera’s eyes sparkled with excitement.  

“Oh my goodness…”  

Although Adrian spoke quietly enough for only Rivera to hear, the Earl’s wife, who was standing nearby, overheard him as well. She blushed and fanned her face to cool down.  

After hearing everything Adrian had to say, Rivera responded confidently.  

“Dad, I want to get married.”  

For the record, the Earl had heard every word Adrian said.  

* * *  

“Riveraaaa!!”  

Rivera waved her arms enthusiastically, bidding farewell to her father.  

The Earl of Iaron was being dragged away by the family knights. After causing a scene about not allowing his daughter to marry Adrian, the Countess had intervened and ordered the knights to escort him out. He was eventually forced into a carriage.  

‘Does he love me that much?’  

Rivera thought her father’s protectiveness was excessive, even considering she was his only child.  

After her parents left, she began talking to Adrian.  

“I said I wanted to get married earlier without thinking, but what are you really planning?”  

Adrian responded with a sly grin.  

– If you marry me, you can have all of me to yourself. Think about it—something big and strong filling you up. Could you ever be satisfied with other men’s small and weak ones? If you want, you can do whatever you want with me. Maybe… I’m even hoping you’ll tie me up in bed.  

The thought of Adrian tied up in bed, completely n*ked, filled Rivera’s mind, and her enthusiasm surged. She had impulsively declared she wanted to marry him, and now it was too late to take it back.  

Her problem was that she had always lived a life of indulgence in her desires. Sweet words like his easily swayed her.  

‘No woman would resist if a man like him said he wanted to be tied up in bed.’  

Even now, Rivera was running her hands over his chest, feeling the firmness of his muscles. She loved the sensation—it was solid yet yielding when pressed.  

‘It’s addictive.’  

Lost in her thoughts, Rivera was snapped back to reality when Adrian pinched her cheeks, squishing them and making her lips pout like a fish.  

“What?”  

His actions demanded her attention, and Rivera raised her head to look at him.  

“I’m going to marry you.”  

“Were you serious?”  

“When I think about spending my life with someone, you’re the only person I can imagine being happy with.”  

“Do you really like me?”  

He furrowed his brows.  

“Why do you think I asked you to date me? And why do you think I went as far as to draft a relationship contract to accommodate you?”  

“Hmm… I haven’t thought that far.”  

She hadn’t had the mental space to consider such things.  

“Anyway, you don’t believe you could marry anyone else, do you?”  

“Well, I guess I could live with someone if I had to.”  

“Even the Crown Prince of Lenin?”  

Why was that trash being brought up now?  

“Think carefully. Could you sleep with that bastard?”  

Adrian held Rivera tightly. His grip was firm but not painful.  

Still, it felt like she wouldn’t be able to escape.  

“Is this a question meant to organize my life?”  

The way he looked at her, as if she’d die if she answered incorrectly, made it impossible to respond easily.  

“I’m not going to hurt you, so answer honestly.”  

What he meant was that he’d hurt anyone who wasn’t her.  

‘In this case, I guess it would be the Crown Prince of Lenin?’  

She seriously considered the question.  

Could I spend my first night with the Crown Prince of Lenin?  

The image of the Crown Prince sleeping with another woman came to mind—the rattling of the carriage and the emotions she felt in that moment. Rivera shook her head.  

“I couldn’t live with someone like him for even a day.”  

“What about other men?”  

“I’m not sure.”  

Maybe she could last a day. But…  

“What about living with me?”  

She had been answering easily, but now the words wouldn’t come out.  

“Answer me. What do you think about spending your life with me?”  

“For life?”  

“Yes.”  

Rivera imagined spending every night with Adrian. Even when he wore pants, the bulge of his impressive size was unmistakable.  

More than anything, the rumors about him being unmatched on the continent seemed true—his strength and endurance were exceptional, and he seemed like someone who would maintain his vigor even as he aged.  

‘His thighs are solid, his body is great… and he’s surprisingly good at holding back.’  

Adrian’s face turned red at Rivera’s unfiltered thoughts.  

“Your face is red.”  

Why was that?  

He was the one who had asked, but now he was the one embarrassed.  

‘Sometimes, it feels like his reactions are a beat too slow.’  

* * *  

The long-awaited romance was progressing smoothly. At the estate, Adrian was handling administrative tasks while eagerly awaiting the days he could meet Rivera.  

‘If I want to go on dates, I’ll have to cut back on sleep.’  

To spend more time with her, he needed to finish his work ahead of schedule. He wanted to hold their engagement ceremony before winter and marry her next year.  

But amidst his already overwhelming workload, a new incident occurred.  

“I apologize for interrupting while you’re busy. There’s urgent news from Royal Charlotte.”  

A man with silver hair, dressed in a black mask, knelt on one knee and bowed his head. The silver-haired man was Ines, the leader of Adrian’s intelligence unit.  

“What’s the matter?”  

The news that followed was shocking.  

“Two women from Royal Charlotte have been killed.”  

“What?”  

Royal Charlotte was a tavern and intelligence network run by Trisha. Adrian had established it to gather private information about nobles, and he paid close attention to even the smallest details concerning it.  

His ability to read minds only allowed him to see what people were currently thinking. It couldn’t reveal past events or predict the future. Royal Charlotte was a crucial tool for compensating for this limitation.  

In exchange for protecting the women, he purchased the information they gathered. If their lives were ever in danger, he relocated them to other regions, provided them with new identities, and ensured their safety. Yet, two women from this place had been killed.  

“Who’s responsible?”  

No noble in the Empire would dare touch them. Most people knew that Royal Charlotte’s owner had powerful backing. And many were aware that the person providing that backing was Adrian.  

“That’s why I’m reporting this urgently. The perpetrator is the Crown Prince of Lenin.”  

“What?”  

Lately, that name seemed to come up far too often.  

“What was the reason for the murders?”  

“On the day you announced your relationship, Your Grace, the Crown Prince took one of the noblewomen who attended the banquet and slept with her. There was some sort of scuffle during this, and it’s suspected that the Crown Prince killed the noblewoman and then murdered the other women he had paid to be there in order to pin the crime on someone else.”

Adrian was dumbfounded.