“Ah, I see.”

A tone that showed complete disinterest. Celian’s body trembled slightly. The man who had walked over with large strides stood before her.

The distance closed in an instant. Celian lowered her eyes. She couldn’t let him know she was nervous.

The man began to get to the point.

“Shall we greet each other properly?”

“……”

“‘How have you been, I’ve been well,’ such words don’t seem to suit us.”

“……”

“What would be appropriate to say? Ah, are you married?”

“…No.”

“I thought not. I haven’t heard that William Winston’s wife is such a beauty.”

William Winston, the man who was once Celian Berienne’s fiancé.

However, he was not Celian’s lover. Celian lowered her eyes.

“We broke off the engagement long ago.”

“I know. I just asked as a formality.”

His speech became informal.

Izer ‘Ren’ had never spoken informally to Celian Berienne. And Izer ‘Chesterfield’ had no need to speak formally to Celian Berienne.

Nobles rarely speak formally to commoners unless there’s a significant age difference. Celian, who had spoken informally to Izer who was only a year older, knew this well.

Izer stared at her blankly before speaking.

“‘A commoner with perfect manners.'”

His tone remained consistently indifferent. Staring into Celian’s sky-blue eyes that had looked up in surprise, Izer finished his self-introduction.

“That’s my name.”

“Who would say such a rude…”

“The person who locked me in this house and gave me a new name.”

Celian remembered Harris Chesterfield. He was the kind uncle who had paid off her father’s debt for his long-time friend. He said he would help his friend’s daughters who had lost their way to settle in a new place, but Celian had refused that offer.

That Duke Chesterfield insulted his adopted son? In her confusion, Celian’s lips trembled.

Izer stared intently at such a Celian.

“You look surprised. Anyway, it’ll take at least a week for that man to return.”

“……”

“Until then, there’s no one in this house who can stop me.”

One step, the man’s footsteps drew closer. Celian instinctively stepped back.

Izer naturally brought his fingers to her cheek and stroked it.

“How does it feel?”

The woman’s voice came out trembling. But she lacked the courage to stop his hand, her voice only feeble.

“Young Duke, why are you doing this…”

This woman is still naive. Izer openly displayed a sneer on his face.

“I thought you had experienced much of the world’s hardships, but it seems you still think the world is beautiful.”

“……”

“A noble lord called a young woman to his bedroom at this late hour. You’re acting as if you don’t know what that means.”

His words had a sting to them. Izer continued.

“Especially if they are ‘lovers’ who haven’t met in a long time–”

“……”

“Wouldn’t they naturally want to relieve their longing?”

The woman’s back, which had been retreating, touched the wall. Her trembling sky-blue eyes met his wavering red eyes.

The words squeezed out in a strained voice were very trivial to Izer.

“…The Madam is upstairs.”

“Ah, my mother. Mother sleeps deeply at night. No matter how much you scream, she will never wake up.”

The hand that had been stroking her cheek caressed her lips. Stroking the quivering lips, the man commanded.

“Open them.”

The man’s fingers easily brushed her teeth. Celian stood still with her arms limp, trying to think of something else.

If ‘something else’ included not just the ‘teasing’ but also the person doing the teasing, then she had succeeded in thinking of something else. Celian’s thoughts couldn’t leave this room. About Izer, who seemed to have become a completely different person from the one she knew, and about herself, who must have influenced him to change like this.

The man, who had been watching Celian standing still as if dead with amusement, withdrew his finger wet with saliva.

“Why are you just standing there? You’re not the type of person to just stand still like this.”

“……”

“Is it because you’ve been through so much hardship that this doesn’t bother you, or are you thinking of properly attaching yourself to Chesterfield since it’s come to this?”

This man continued to use only his left hand. Celian lowered her eyes and answered.

“I am not the person the Young Duke remembers.”

The carpet the man’s shoes stood on was of the highest quality. She knew because she had lived in a house with carpets from the same company.

“The Celian Berienne you knew is dead.”

With a stride, the man stepped forward. The limp dress was mercilessly crumpled against the sharp-edged trousers.

He asked in an indifferent voice.

“Then who are you?”

The form of address changed from affectionate to informal. Either way, it was far from how Izer used to address Celian in the past.

The man asked again. It was informal speech.

“If you say you’re not you, then what are you?”

“I am the ‘tutor’ of the Young Duke’s younger brother.”

“……”

“I am just a tutor.”

Celian defined herself as such. Not a noble young lady, not a woman named Celian Berienne, but a ‘tutor’.

But Izer didn’t seem to agree. His red eyes drew even closer. As though he was about to kiss her at any moment.

Hot breath brushed against her ear. The soft whisper made the fine hairs on her nape stand on end.

“No. Not just anyone can be a tutor for Chesterfield.”

The contents of the job posting swirled in Celian’s mind. Of noble birth, around twenty-five years old, with experience in raising young children.

“All of your past has made you Chesterfield’s tutor.”

Elegant fingers trailed down her long silver hair. Even as the fingertips moved from her neck and shoulders to her abdomen, Celian couldn’t utter a word of protest.

The man’s fingers finally pressed firmly near Celian’s navel. Looking down with amusement at the woman who had stiffened, he straightened his bent waist. As the face that had been just a span away moved back, a held breath burst from Celian’s lips.

Izer said, turning his body gracefully.

“Just in case you didn’t know, I wasn’t the one who posted the tutor job listing.”

“……”

“So if I make you uncomfortable, leave today. Before the Duke returns.”

Later, Celian reflected on that meeting and thought,

She should have fled that very day.

That was the only chance to escape from the man who was thrusting his member into her pleading body and pounding his hips.

* * *

「Know your place, how dare you covet above your station. Lover? Love? Don’t make me laugh.」

“……F*ck.”

The man muttered as he opened his eyes. A dream he hadn’t had in a while woke him up for once.

Izer habitually raised his arm and stretched out his right hand in front of his eyes. The long fingers, following their owner’s will, faithfully bent one by one. Though a bit stiff, there was no major hindrance to movement.

Now it was time to unfold the bent fingers. The fingers unfolded one by one, in exactly the reverse order they were bent. It wasn’t very smooth because it was morning, but they all unfolded nonetheless.

The right arm, having finished its task, covered the man’s eyes. Though the sun hadn’t risen yet, he desired an even deeper darkness.

The insufferable insomnia began after coming to this house. Even if he took sleeping pills, it only helped him fall asleep, and the duration of his sleep, ridiculously short compared to others, made him sensitive.

And it had gotten even worse since Celian appeared.