Her heart became urgent.

She had to ask them to convey her gratitude to the duke before they left.

“Thank you!”

Leaving the confused servant behind, Stella ran while tightly holding the bouquet.

“Stella?”

Count Ambrose, who was seeing off the guests and entering the house, opened his eyes wide in surprise.

“Where are you going, Stella!”

“I’m going to give my thanks!”

“Wait! Just stay inside……”

Leaving behind Father’s words trying to stop her, Stella hastened her steps. She wanted to say thank you quickly.

But unlike her urgent heart, her feet stopped.

Where did they go?

Even though she had left the mansion and come to the middle of the road, she couldn’t see the people she wanted. Her gaze moved urgently.

‘They’re over there.’

In the distance, two people on horseback were having some conversation while slowly going away. If she hurried her steps, she seemed like she could catch up. Stella moved again.

“Ah!”

“Oh my.”

Was it because her vision had narrowed, or was it because her heart was urgent? She bumped into someone. The bouquet Stella was holding fell onto the dirt road.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t look ahead properly. Are you hurt anywhere?”

The gentleman wearing a hat politely apologized while picking up the bouquet Stella had dropped.

“The beautiful flowers have become a mess.”

His words cut off. The man’s eyes widened as he finally saw Stella properly.

“Stella Ambrose?”

Conversely, Stella just blinked. It seemed like he knew her, but it was a face not in her memory.

For a moment, a bell rang in her head as if telling her to run away quickly. It was because of her messy rumors.

“Excuse me, but do you know me?”

Stella took a step back without even receiving the bouquet. She was thinking of running into the mansion if necessary.

“Ha.”

As if reading Stella’s thoughts, cracks appeared on the gentleman’s face.

“You don’t remember me?”

The man who roughly threw away the bouquet grabbed Stella’s shoulder roughly.

“You of all people?”

The anger in the eyes of the red-haired man with freckles was blazing. Stella briefly held her breath.

“I don’t know who you are, but let go of me!”

“You don’t know who I am?”

The man chuckled while repeating Stella’s words.

“Were my gifts not enough?”

The man’s hand began to apply force. Stella swallowed a scream.

“Or was the money I spent on you not enough? That can’t be. Jewelry, dresses! I even brought my mother’s precious pearl brooch and offered it to you! You said you loved me! I even broke off my engagement because of you!”

What?

The more she listened to the man’s words, the more questions rather than pain filled Stella’s head.

She swore to God she didn’t know this person.

But listening to the man’s words, didn’t it seem like she had approached this man pretending to be his lover and extorted money and jewels from him?

“I’m sorry, but I really don’t know about this.”

Stella raised her voice while struggling to remove the man’s hand.

“Aren’t you mistaking me for someone else?”

“……!!”

At Stella’s single word, the man’s eyes flipped.

“How can you do this to me!!”

Her body swayed greatly. At the inexplicable anger pouring on her, Stella’s stomach churned greatly.

“You said you loved me. You whispered that you only loved me.”

“I never did such a—”

“Lies! Just the letters you sent me alone are several! How can you do this to me!”

Someone please help me.

Stella’s eyes moved here and there. But the passersby on the street didn’t help her; instead, they clicked their tongues while looking at her.

In other people’s eyes, it would look like a woman had betrayed a man and was feigning ignorance.

She was the villain, and this was a third-rate play.

“Tell me honestly. There’s another man, right? You cut contact with me because you found another man?”

No.

She wanted to say that. But the moment she removed her hand from her mouth, she felt like she would vomit something else, so Stella could only shake her head with difficulty.

“This body that only knows how to roll around……”

The man’s hand moved upward, interpreting even her desperate head-shaking as he pleased. Was he thinking of slapping her cheek?

She’d rather he hit her once and let her go. She only wanted to escape from here quickly and return home.

Stella squeezed her eyes shut.

Even while waiting for pain, the only thought that came to mind was how to hide her swollen cheek from her family.

‘What?’

But no matter how long she waited, she didn’t feel any pain. Instead, she only heard strange sounds.

“Let go of me!”

The man was shouting at someone.

Who is it? Who is helping me?

“Ah.”

Stella, who opened her eyes, despaired right there. It was Duke Rochester who was roughly grabbing the man’s raised wrist.

“Eek!”

The man struggled as if trying to free his caught arm. But even though the man made a fuss until his face turned red, Kalian’s face remained utterly calm.

“Aha! Are you also bewitched by this woman?”

The man grinned.

“How did she act toward you? Did she act like a pure virgin in letters and then seduce you with her lips under the mask when you met?”

“……”

“Be careful. Unlike her innocent appearance, this woman is very wicked. There are several people who squandered their entire fortunes.”

At the words filled with malice and anger, Kalian’s blue eyes touched Stella.

She wanted to shake her head, but her body was frozen and she couldn’t.

No. I never did such things.

She only moved her lips like that.

“Don’t think you’ll be different from others. I thought so too!”

Kalian smiled while looking at the man’s eyes. It was a gentlemanly, polite smile.

“Useless advice, but I’m grateful.”

“Ahhh!!”

The man’s scream echoed through the street as his wrist was twisted.

“Ugh, my hand……”

The man who finally collapsed sat down while holding his arm and trembling. Anyone could see he looked in pain.

Whether the man was like that or not, Kalian only straightened his wrinkled clothes.

“And it seems like it’s time for you to go back now.”

“……!!”

The man glared at Duke Rochester with eyes reddened by anger earlier and now by pain and humiliation.

But perhaps instinctively recognizing that this was an opponent he couldn’t win against, he retreated with his servant’s support.

“Just wait and see.”

The man holding his arm said to Kalian one last time before getting into the carriage.

“You’ll also be betrayed by that woman.”

“Oh my.”

Kalian, who had finally adjusted his lapel, just tilted his head slightly.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

At the light response, the man’s face twisted viciously. The trembling man left miserably in the carriage at his servant’s urging that he should show his arm to a doctor quickly.

“I came today because I had something to say to you, Miss Ambrose.”

The duke slowly turned around.

His blue gaze swept over the flowers that had fallen to the ground and been trampled miserably, and Stella who was still frozen and staring blankly.

“You’re showing me quite an interesting sight even before marriage, Miss Ambrose.”

Kalian raised one corner of his mouth and swept back his hair.

“I’m surprised that you’re more impressive than I thought.”

“No!”

Stella shouted as if vomiting.

“I don’t know about this. Your Grace. Something must be wrong.”

From injustice, frustration, anguish, and the thought that she didn’t want to be hated, tears welled up in her large green eyes.

“I really don’t know about this.”

Please believe me.

Tears hanging under her long eyelashes dropped. Stella just looked at Kalian without even thinking to wipe the tears flowing down her cheeks.

Just once, please believe me.

“……”

Kalian reached out his hand. Carefully, as if touching a decoration that might break at any moment, he wiped away the tears flowing on her cheek.

Would he believe her?

“With such a beautiful face.”

Her naive belief shattered with a loud noise.

“Just how many men have you bewitched?”

Stella held her breath.

What she could read in the blue eyes looking straight at her was only contempt and mockery.

She couldn’t find any trace of belief.

“Make sure to clean up everything so there’s no noise before the marriage. I thought the wise Miss Ambrose would have already cleaned up.”

Kalian clicked his tongue lightly. She could read his expression of disdain.

“Listening to that man earlier, it seems you received many gifts from here and there. Return what you can return.”

The hand that had been caressing her cheek fell away. Kalian took off the gloves he was wearing.

“I’ll help you up to that point. This is also the duty of a husband with an inadequate wife.”

Thud, the glove fell onto the dirt road. The white glove rolled on the dirty dirt road.

“Then, farewell.”

Kalian, who lightly bowed, left.

Stella had to stand there alone and acknowledge the facts.

The misunderstanding had grown beyond control, she couldn’t correct it, and also.

Duke Rochester would never love her.

⁕⁕⁕

“Are you going straight back?”

Kalian nodded at coachman Hill’s question and got into the carriage. Seeing his master’s mood seemed bad, the coachman tilted his head for a moment before starting to drive the carriage.

‘She’s showing me a good sight from the beginning.’

Kalian frowned.

In exchange for throwing away her body, Stella Ambrose had achieved two things she wanted.

One was moving House Ambrose from the street where poor commoners mainly lived to Bromley where nobles’ mansions were gathered. The other was taking the seat next to him.

So he thought that, befitting the clever Miss Ambrose, she would quickly clean up her surroundings while staying quiet like a future duchess.

‘To think she couldn’t clean up properly.’

Kalian sneered.

He accepted the situation exactly as it was without distortion.

The man who cried out asking how she could betray their love, and the woman who feigned ignorance saying she didn’t know about it.