While Ellin trembled faintly, the duke’s gaze secretly turned somewhere else.

Directly opposite them, a pair of sparkling eyes watched quietly from the other terrace.

Dominic already knew someone was secretly watching them, but Ellin hadn’t noticed at all.

‘I hope they clearly see what’s happening on this terrace today and gossip about it freely.’

The duke smirked and bent his head deeper toward Ellin’s face.

The eyes in the darkness widened to twice their size upon seeing that scene.

“Then I’ll be waiting, trusting you’ll keep your promise.”

Dominic whispered and gently pressed his lips against the back of her hand.

Ellin froze like stone, just like the statues on the terrace.

She stared in disbelief at him kissing the back of her hand.

The duke’s eyes, glancing up at her, seemed to draw her in.

Her fearful thoughts cleared away, replaced by puzzlement.

‘Why is the duke acting this way toward me?’

The sweet night breeze wrapped around the two once more as it passed by.

* * *

“Where on earth have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

Her stepmother, who had found Ellin, quietly scolded her while hurriedly dragging her somewhere.

Even while being pulled along, Ellin seemed somewhat dazed.

“Viscount Mackenzie has been waiting for you. Don’t you dare be rude again today.”

Ellin finally came to her senses upon hearing her stepmother’s warning. She could see the pot-bellied old viscount waiting for her up ahead.

Her father stood beside him with a pleased expression, conversing and waiting for her arrival.

“Let go of me. I’ll go.”

Ellin firmly shook off her stepmother’s hand, straightened her shoulders, and walked toward them.

Whatever happened afterward, she needed to clarify the situation now.

Otherwise, her father and stepmother would persistently torment her.

‘If they throw me out, Eddie and I will live together somewhere. I won’t starve if I work as a governess somewhere.’

Imagining the worst-case scenario actually made her feel more at ease.

“Beautiful as always, Miss.”

The viscount smiled at her with his characteristically sleazy eyes.

“Perfect timing. He’s been asking about you. Hurry and greet him.”

Baron Nilson looked at his daughter with the most benevolent smile in the world.

To think he pretended to be kind while trying to sell his own child!

Looking at his slick face, Ellin felt something bitter rising from her insides.

“I have no intention of marrying you, Viscount Mackenzie. Not now, not ever.”

Instead of greeting him, she blurted out exactly what she wanted to say.

“You…… Ellin!”

Baron Nilson looked at his daughter with a shocked face.

The viscount initially appeared surprised, then his expression quickly changed to extreme displeasure before he cleared his throat.

“Haha…… hohoho. She’s had a fever since yesterday, so I think we shouldn’t have brought her to the party.”

Rosana, who stood behind them, intervened to smooth over the situation.

“Ellin. Hurry up and apologize to the viscount!”

Ellin didn’t yield to her stepmother’s words. She expressed her thoughts more firmly.

“While there won’t be any more marriage talk in the future, I apologize on behalf of my family if they’ve caused you confusion regarding my marriage.”

She meant they should never bring up this topic again.

“Ha! Well, this is something.”

The embarrassed Viscount’s face turned red and blue, while the baron and Rosana turned pale.

“I’m truly not feeling well. Please forgive me for leaving early.”

Leaving those final words, Ellin headed toward the mansion’s entrance.

The three people left behind stared at her retreating figure with bewildered faces.

“Ellin!”

Charlotte, who had accidentally witnessed the scene from afar, rushed outside but couldn’t find Ellin.

* * *

After leaving the party venue, Ellin walked aimlessly before heading to the hospital.

“Eddie.”

Her brother, who had been lying facing the window, turned his head with difficulty.

His face looked even whiter and paler than the white walls and bedding.

Her heart grew heavy seeing his face, devoid of any color and deeply marked by illness.

“Sis, have you been crying?”

When Eddie asked in a weak voice, Ellin pretended to be fine.

“Huh? No.”

“Why are your clothes like that? Like you’ve been to a party.”

“Yes. I went to a party but got bored and snuck out. How are you feeling?”

While Ellin tidied his disheveled blanket, Eddie sighed deeply.

“I want to go outside. I like the rain.”

Following Eddie’s gaze, she saw rain just starting to streak the glass window.

“Oh? It really is raining.”

Watching the rain with Eddie reminded her of their childhood.

When they would come home soaked in rain and covered in mud, their mother’s scolding would be waiting for them.

She would dry their hair with warm towels and make sweet hot chocolate.

Without either of them saying anything, memories of those times filled both siblings’ minds, wrapping them in an atmosphere of longing and sadness.

Eddie tried to change the mood by asking cheerfully:

“You’re staying in the capital longer this time? When are you going back to Castia?”

Ellin’s lips moved, unsure of what to say.

She couldn’t tell the truth that their father and stepmother were trying to sell her to a drunken old man, fearing it would shock him.

“Yes. I still have some business to take care of. I’ll go back once it’s settled.”

“It’s because of me. Your struggles… and Royce leaving you.”

Ellin shook her head when her brother suddenly blamed himself.

“What are you saying? Great-aunt treats me so well. Castia is really nice too. And Royce didn’t leave me, I rejected him because I didn’t like him.”

Ellin’s words weren’t exaggerated, but Eddie just sighed.

“I know you’re paying all my hospital bills with the money you receive from great-aunt. Father and stepmother let you stay there because you earn more than what my hospital bills cost.”

That was true. Now they had calculated that they could get more money from the viscount.

“Eddie.”

“If you hadn’t gone to Castia, you might have married Royce.”

Eddie believed Royce had abandoned Ellin and married Janice because of him.

In truth, Ellin couldn’t completely deny Eddie’s words.

The situation involved various complicated family circumstances and calculations.

That’s why Ellin didn’t want to blame or hate Royce.

Sometimes she thought it was fortunate she hadn’t married Royce.

Even Ellin herself wasn’t sure about him.

Honestly, she didn’t feel particularly regretful when he married Janice.

“Let’s stop talking about these gloomy things.”

Ellin tried to change the subject, her eyes brightening.

“Great-aunt wants to invite you in autumn. But you need to be healthy enough to travel. Understood?”

Eddie nodded silently with a smile at Ellin’s words.

“Then I’ll be able to meet Tania too.”

“Of course. She’s the same age as you, so you’ll get along well. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Though she held Eddie’s hand and smiled brightly, Ellin’s heart was heavy.

Right now, she was talking about a hopeful future for her brother, but she herself had no idea what would happen to her.

What if her father and stepmother continued to force the marriage on her? How could she escape?

She desperately wanted to run away, but she couldn’t because of her sick younger brother.

She didn’t even want to imagine what would happen to her brother if she left too.

“Just focus on getting better.”

A while later—

Leaving Eddie at the hospital, she found it hard to go.

The thought of returning home to face her stepmother and father made her head throb.

“Be careful not to disgrace our family. Or your brother Eddie will be thrown out of the hospital that very day! If Edward’s health worsens, it will be all your fault!”

She wondered if Rosana would really do such a thing to Eddie, but she couldn’t be optimistic either.

‘I have some money saved up, so I should be able to take care of Eddie until I find a job.’

Going to Castia with Eddie wasn’t a bad plan either.

The weather there was warmer than in the capital, and having Eddie nearby would ease her anxiety.

‘Maybe I just need to try a little harder.’

With her great-aunt’s many noble connections, finding work as a governess or something else wouldn’t be difficult.

Thinking about this made her feel somewhat better.

But soon, a shadow fell over her face.

“Come see me tomorrow afternoon. Let’s figure out together how you should take responsibility.”

She remembered what the duke had said at the party earlier.

While she could anticipate and plan for family issues to some extent, she had no idea what to expect with the duke.

‘Why is he calling me? If he had something to say, he could have said it earlier.’

She never imagined the duke would demand anything from her.

If he wanted to tell her never to reveal what happened that day, she would understand, but…

What could he possibly lack that he would demand responsibility from her?

Ellin wanted to hit herself on the head out of frustration.

‘What possessed me to do such a crazy thing that day?’

The duke had been like a prince from a book, someone she had imagined and secretly loved. It would have been better if he had remained a fairy tale fantasy.

She felt she had ruined even that small happiness of her heart fluttering just by watching him from afar.

‘Sigh. What should I do?’

She dreaded the coming of tomorrow, feeling like it was judgment day.

* * *

Unlike last night’s party, the duke’s mansion had perfectly returned to its usual state.

Butler Jeffrey acted with restraint and composure, but he remained constantly attentive to who the upcoming visitor might be.

“A guest will come looking for me this afternoon. Welcome her properly and guide her to my office.”

The butler wondered about the identity of the visitor the duke had mentioned.

Usually, he would specify exactly who was coming, but this time felt somewhat different.

The master’s expression and tone when mentioning the visitor were different too.

Just then, a servant walked up quickly.

“A woman outside is asking for the duke.”

A woman?

Jeffrey looked toward the entrance with a puzzled expression.

“I understand.”

He walked to the entrance with measured steps, not rushing.

‘If it were Miss Silvia, the master wouldn’t have mentioned it separately.’

Since she visited the duke’s residence so frequently, he was certain the visitor wasn’t her.

Then who……?

Walking along the extended ivory marble floor, he tried to guess based on the servant’s words.

“A woman outside is asking for the duke.”

Most visitors who came here were upper-class people.

The servants usually saw nobles or wealthy merchants.

For a servant to say such a thing meant…….

Upon arrival, he pulled the entrance doors open wide on both sides.

“Hello.”

The owner of the clear voice was a young woman around the age of the count’s daughter.

She appeared similar in age to Miss Silvia whom he often saw, but her aura was completely different.

She was certainly beautiful too, but he could somewhat understand why the servant had spoken that way.

She looked modest in a neat outdoor dress printed with small flower patterns, holding a small handbag with both hands clasped together.

Like a wildflower swaying gently in a field.

He wondered if she might be looking for work as a maid or governess.

Many fallen noble ladies ended up in such situations.

“I’m here to see the duke. Could you please tell him Ellin Nilson is here?”

She spoke first to the butler who had been staring down at her for quite some time.