Ever since the banquet held in Cambria, high society had known no peace. Everyone was busy gossiping about the scandal between Grand Duke Cassion Pathsbender and Irynsis.

Those who had been present at the event boasted about what they saw as though recounting some great heroic tale. When they spoke of what Irynsis looked like behind her veil, eyes lit up all around.

“They’re bothering me when I’m already busy enough.”

The Marquis of Cambria, who had his hands full trying to soothe the sulking princess and grovel before the emperor, whose paranoia had flared up again, dismissed the rumors as nothing more than noise.

“Lock her up in the underground annex.”

And so, Irynsis was confined for nearly a month. The cold, lightless floor wasn’t pleasant, but she was used to it, so it wasn’t all that terrible.

In fact, by the time a month had nearly passed, the one growing restless was Lomia. Throwing tantrums over not wanting to attend any social gatherings without Irynsis, Lomia eventually got her way, and Irynsis was released before the full month was up.

She was then dragged straight to a charity event.

“Lady Cambria! It’s been so long—what a delight to see you again.”

The event was hosted by the lady of a count’s house that managed several merchant groups.

Though it was called a jewelry exhibition, in truth, it was a show-and-sell for the merchant groups to flaunt and profit from their collections.

The reason they tacked on the idea of donating part of the sales to charity was simple: to lure back Lomia, who had suddenly disappeared from society without a word.

After all, there was no way the Saintess would ignore a charitable cause. More precisely, the real target was the foreigner in the white veil who always followed behind the Saintess.

“We were so worried when you didn’t show up for a while.”

“Oh, my sister wasn’t feeling well, so I was nursing her.”

“My goodness, as expected of the Saintess—so kind-hearted.”

Though the words were directed at praising Lomia, the gaze clearly landed on Irynsis.

In truth, ever since Lomia had appeared, all attention had focused in one direction. The person in question remained upright and composed, her face hidden behind a plain white veil, as if unaware of everything around her.

“I do hope there’s a jewel that catches Lady Cambria’s eye.”

“There’s a lovely ruby necklace over that way.”

No sooner had the introductions with the host ended than people began to flock around them. It was a common enough occurrence, but today it was far worse than usual.

People subtly leaned in close, and Irynsis, who was standing nearby, staggered from the pressure.

Rumors were sweeping through high society that the Grand Duke of Pathsbender had fallen for the pretty face behind the veil and intended to take the foreigner as his mistress.

The thought that even the stone-hearted Grand Duke had been utterly smitten only added fuel to their fantasies. People were constantly eyeing the veil, waiting for any chance to ‘accidentally’ lift it.

“Oh, pardon me!”

In the midst of it, a man seized his opportunity and pretended to stumble, shoving Irynsis’s body. As she fell backward, the veil fluttered into the air.

Unable to keep her balance on her injured ankle, Irynsis staggered and eventually gave up, reflexively squeezing her eyes shut.

And in that moment.

“Are you all right?”

With a soft thud, something caught her before she could fall completely. A solid chest supported her collapsing shoulders. Strong fingers carefully grasped her slender arms.

When she turned her head upward, golden eyes met hers.

The noisy surroundings had quieted without notice. People formed a wide circle around Irynsis and Cassion, their eyes gleaming with curiosity as they eagerly took in the scene.

‘So the Grand Duke really has been attending all sorts of social gatherings lately.’

Jewelry exhibitions were typically events for women. Occasionally, men with daughters or wives in attendance would show up, but the Grand Duke was neither. 

If he had come simply to support a charitable cause, there was nothing more to say—but still.

“Thank you for helping my sister, Your Grace.”

Lomia had already made her way through the crowd and offered her thanks, but Cassion merely gave her a brief nod, indifferent.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

In contrast, the voice he directed at Irynsis was filled with a deliberate and unmistakable warmth. Biting her lip at the obvious disparity, Lomia held back her frustration.

“…I’m fine.”

Though the one receiving the kind words answered calmly, Irynsis’s mind was filled with a single thought—‘Is he finally going to take me as his mistress?’ Only Cassion seemed even remotely aware of that inner expectation.

“Would you care for a short walk?”

Raising her upright, he gently adjusted her veil with a touch far more delicate than one would expect from him.

“My sister still isn’t feeling well, so—!”

“We shall.”

Lomia tried to intervene, but Irynsis cut her off without hesitation.

“Sister!”

“I’ll be back soon, Lomia.”

At Irynsis’s single word, Cassion naturally raised his arm to escort her. As the pair linked arms and slowly disappeared into the distance, everyone began chattering all at once.

“Kyaa!”

Cries that were closer to shrieks burst out from the group of young ladies as they saw Cassion drape his outer coat around her shoulders while leading her outside.

*

Rustle, rustle.

Their footsteps crunched through fallen leaves in the quiet back garden, the late autumn air brittle around them.

Without needing to speak much, the two—who already seemed to understand each other—naturally drifted toward a more secluded spot.

“I thought you’d run away, since I hadn’t seen you in a while.”

Cassion was the first to speak. Irynsis let out a soft laugh.

“Do you have a habit of making kissed women run off?”

“Would you forgive me if I apologized?”

“It was a joke—don’t take it seriously. Just think of it as a side effect from my unstable powers.”

Her voice was detached, as if speaking of someone else’s life, and Kassion, about to respond, pressed his lips together and said nothing.

Yeah, that damn so-called side effect.

Wasn’t it because of that he’d spent days restlessly searching for Irynsis, agonizing over everything? Was it really right to call that strange, burning desire a mere side effect—and to pour it all out on her under that excuse?

That question haunted him again and again. But in the end, the only image that surfaced was always her face.

That pale face, resembling the clear, spotless autumn sky—and yet, just as chilling.

The moment he entered the exhibition hall, his cursed eyes had immediately picked her out.
Out of the entire crowd, in a single glance.

His quick strides had brought him rushing forward before he could even realize it, and before he knew it, there she was—leaning against the display.

Only then had the strange thirst inside him begun to ease, replaced swiftly with satisfaction.

“You didn’t seem like you were trying to kill me, so I assume the treatment worked quite well.”

“Yes. I finally understood what divine power really feels like.”

“So then.”

His steps halted along with his words, and he turned around. Beneath the veil flipped back by the wind, her blue sky eyes met his.

“You’ve made up your mind?”

Are you going to take me in as your mistress?—her piercing gaze flung the question at him.

Cassion was silent for a long moment, and Irynsis didn’t press. She understood what kind of decision he had to make.

But what he did next—made absolutely no sense.

“What are you doing?”

He stared at her intensely, then suddenly approached and lifted her up without warning.

Too stunned to even protest, Irynsis found herself being carried over to a bench tucked into the corner of the garden. There, Cassion gently set her down.

Ever since he first saw her days ago, something about her walk had bothered him. At first glance, she seemed to walk normally—but if you looked closely, something was off. She was disguising her unsteady gait by moving her legs quickly.

“Why do you walk like that? Are you hurt?”

He asked the question without giving her a chance to reply. 

A man who knew nothing of the art of patience knelt down before her—and without hesitation, lifted the hem of her skirt.

The worn, tattered shoes were cast aside, and as her ankle—paler than the fabric of her dress—was exposed, Cassion was rendered speechless. Her ankle, barely the size of a handful, was ringed with dark, red-black bruises and twisted ever so slightly.

Before he realized it, he had cupped her small foot in both hands and gently stroked the area around her ankle bone. His touch carried the caution of someone handling fragile glass.

“Let go.”

As the warmth of another settled onto her chilled skin through the thin fabric, Irynsis instinctively flinched and twisted her body, trying to pull her foot away.

“Who did this…?”

He began to ask who had done such a thing—only to swallow the words. From what he had seen of her demeanor until now, it was obvious she had received little kindness from the Cambria family.

Above all, those blue eyes—colder than morning frost—had drawn up a wall so firm that his question caught in his throat and went no further.

“Quit wasting energy on something like this and keep talking.”

Irritated, Irynsis yanked her skirt back down.

How could he be so exactly the same?

He’d met her earlier in this life than the last, so it wouldn’t have been strange for him to be a bit different—but Cassion Pathsbender remained unchanged.

The Grand Duke, rumored to be a cold and calculating leader, was in truth a man full of unnecessary affection.

Once you climbed over the tall wall he’d built, he would shelter you to the end.

‘What a soft-hearted fool.’

Irynsis clicked her tongue.

Because of that softness, she hadn’t been able to stop worrying about this man—even at the very end of her past life.

“Are you going to take me in as your mistress?”

As she asked, Cassion, who had been quietly putting her discarded shoes back on, lifted his gaze to meet hers.

“No.”

His firm refusal drew a sigh from Irynsis. She had expected as much. She knew how much Cassion loathed the very word mistress.

Still, she couldn’t let this life end without being fully cured like in the last.

Just as she began to consider what to do next, Cassion opened his mouth.

“Marry me.”

At the sudden, out-of-nowhere proposal, a rare wave of confusion swept over Irynsis, making her blink in surprise. He wasn’t just a pushover—he was on a whole different level.

‘This crazy fool of a pushover.’