He must have been enchanted when selling the land too.

No matter how much he loved Anaïs, was there any need to go to such extremes? And it wasn’t as if he had no other ways to secure money.

Yet his mind had been so consumed with thoughts of the dress that he couldn’t think of anything else.

If Gustav questioned him about the dress incident, it would only be a matter of time before he discovered the land sale as well.

Leonhardt was experiencing firsthand what it meant for everything to go dark before one’s eyes.

Just then, another friend spoke to him in a rather serious tone.

“Leon, it’ll be quite difficult to fix this mess.”

Though his friend was clearly concerned, Leonhardt felt a surge of anger.

The dress and their entrance to the ball weren’t the only things that needed fixing.

He gritted his teeth and abruptly stood up.

“Hey, Leon!”

“Where are you going?”

He felt suffocated.

There was one more thing he had arranged to ensure he and Gustav would arrive at the ball separately.

‘It’s just a small factory that Father barely cares about anyway.’

Until moments ago, he had considered it a minor prank, but now he realized he had committed a serious crime.

Yet it seemed to have worked. The music at the ballroom continued uninterrupted and people were behaving normally, so everything must have been handled perfectly.

But what if Gustav found out?

Cold sweat broke out on Leonhardt’s forehead. His friend’s words about the difficulty of fixing this mess seemed to haunt him like a ghost.

He rubbed his face roughly and tried to calm his ragged breathing. Still feeling stifled, he began walking aimlessly.

Suddenly, Daphne’s bright smile flashed in his mind. Looking at that smile might ease his anxiety.

‘I’ll probably never see that smile again, will I?’

He knew he couldn’t hope for it after what he’d done today. Yet it shamelessly appeared in his thoughts. He could almost understand why the Emperor summoned her just to make her smile.

With his mind in such disarray, he failed to recognize that it wasn’t just her smile he needed, but Daphne herself.

To fix this entire mess, he absolutely needed Daphne. The usual Leonhardt would have reached this conclusion immediately…

But he still felt like he was wandering in a fog. After walking aimlessly, he found himself in front of the carriage.

⁕⁕⁕

Driven out by the young ladies, Anaïs first escaped the ballroom.

‘Everything was going according to plan… How could it all fall apart like this?’

Her plan to shed her label as a villainess and make a splendid entrance into high society had turned to dust.

All she could think about was Leonhardt. He was the only lifeline who could rescue her from this crisis.

So she headed toward the carriage they had arrived in together.

Forcing strength into her trembling legs, she barely made it to the carriage. Her dress was damp with nervous sweat.

And there stood Leonhardt right in front of it.

“Leon!”

Anaïs called his name with all her might.

The moment she saw his anxious expression, Anaïs felt a surge of emotion.

He must have been searching for her out of concern. Anaïs ran to him with tears she had been holding back.

Until now, she had only thought of him as a means to achieve her goal. A fool who abandoned his flawless fiancée and followed her like a dog—nothing more than an easily manipulated young duke.

But they say the human heart is like a reed. Finding him waiting for her in this difficult situation filled her with unexpected joy.

She had been so careful.

It seemed she had genuinely fallen in love with him.

“Leon, you were worried, weren’t you?”

She threw herself into his arms.

“But I’m fine. I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“Y-yeah…”

He responded somewhat glumly, but Anaïs didn’t pay much attention to it. Just meeting him was enough to put her at ease.

Leonhardt felt the same.

Though he had enormous problems to solve, he wanted to possess her for the moment. Caressing her soft skin would allow him to escape reality, if only briefly.

No, perhaps her wisdom might even suggest an excellent solution.

He buried his nose in the hollow above her collarbone and took a deep breath.

Ugh!

The mixture of strong perfume and sweat made him want to retch. It wasn’t the fresh, sweet peach-like scent Anaïs usually emanated.

Sensing something was wrong, Anaïs lifted her face from his shoulder.

“Leon, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

His face contorted.

This time, a terrible breath odor assaulted him—the kind that rises from the stomach when severely upset.

Leonhardt broke the embrace and pushed her away rather roughly.

Seeing her bewildered expression, he realized they had both had a difficult day. Even the most perfect woman could have such moments when flustered.

But it was true that experiencing these unpleasant odors from his lover for the first time diminished her charm considerably.

Leonhardt sighed slightly before consoling her.

“Things didn’t go as planned today. It must have been very difficult for you?”

Her stiff face finally softened.

‘Yes, this is the Leonhardt I know.’

Anaïs thought to herself as she tried to embrace him again.

But could he have read her expression?

Leonhardt hesitated and even stepped back.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. I think I’m just tired.”

When Anaïs asked with genuine surprise, he smiled awkwardly.

“Is that so? Then let’s go somewhere to rest. Your shoulders always tense up when you’re stressed. I’ll give you a massage.”

“No.”

He flatly rejected her offer.

This was the first time he had ever done this, so Anaïs stared at him with wide, surprised eyes.

But he made no further attempt to comfort her. Instead, he turned and boarded the carriage.

“Like you said, Anaïs, I’m not feeling well at all. I think I’m coming down with a cold. I should leave first in case it’s contagious.”

Then he hastily shut the carriage door.

“Leon? Leon!”

Anaïs called his name loudly, but the carriage departed anyway.

Left without either a carriage or a lover to return home with, Anaïs stared blankly in the direction the carriage had disappeared. She trembled as if chilled.

Just then, a gentleman approached her.

“My, a lady in distress.”

He took off his coat and wrapped it around Anaïs.

“Th-thank you.”

Normally, she wouldn’t have let him come near her. But now she was in no position to be picky.

The gentleman asked with a concerned expression.

“Did your companion leave without you?”

He pointed to where Leonhardt had departed with a somber expression. Anaïs nodded while wiping away her streaming tears.

He assured her not to worry and led her to his carriage.

“I’ll take you home.”

“I’ve shown you an embarrassing side of myself.”

“Not at all. It’s always a pleasure to help a lady in distress.”

The usual Anaïs would have found the word “pleasure” somewhat inappropriate in this situation. But her mind was completely overwhelmed by the day’s extraordinary events.

With his escort, she took her seat, and the carriage started smoothly.

“Your dress was so dazzling that I couldn’t help but recognize you, Princess Anaïs.”

He bowed respectfully and offered her a handkerchief, which put Anaïs completely at ease.

She realized too late that the handkerchief was now smeared with makeup after wiping her tears, but there was nothing to be done about it.

Despite this, the gentleman across from her kept his gaze fixed on her, his eyes sparkling. He seemed quite taken with her.

‘Yes, my charm hasn’t faded yet.’

Anaïs straightened up after quickly fixing her face.

When she flashed her usual seductive smile, the gentleman leaned forward, moving closer to her.

He narrowed his eyes and asked:

“Did you perhaps have a quarrel with the young duke?”

“No, absolutely not. Leon has never even frowned at me, let alone gotten angry.”

Except for just now.

Anaïs smiled even more brightly, suppressing her rising anxiety.

“He was just feeling unwell and left first, worried he might pass it on to me.”

The gentleman smiled back at her, lifting one corner of his mouth.

“Unwell……”

“Yes.”

“Even if he wasn’t feeling well, he should have arranged a way for his partner to return home. It was extremely thoughtless of him, even if you didn’t quarrel.”

“I decline your criticism. It was simply an unavoidable situation.”

“Then, did the young duke only regret his actions after causing trouble?”

Only then did Anaïs sense something was off, and her expression hardened.

“Please watch what you say. I don’t know who you are, but your help today might be for nothing. Leon never forgives anyone who upsets me!”

Despite her protest, the gentleman didn’t remain silent.