“How blasphemous.”

Realizing her mistake a moment too late, Hailey quickly added,

“Not you, Your Grace. I meant if someone were attacking me.”

Tayton came to a halt at those words and looked Hailey up and down with a haughty gaze—from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

Hailey, also stopping, looked up at him in confusion.

“Hm. I hope Miss Hailey Salmon’s counterattack proves successful.”

He began to walk again. A beat later, Hailey realized he was mocking her, and she rolled her eyes in the darkness.

He had clearly imagined the small and delicate Hailey fending off a mysterious intruder. And in that image, she likely wasn’t the victor.

Tayton stopped walking again. He turned to look behind him.

Hailey blinked innocently, as if she hadn’t just been glaring at him. She silently hoped the faint glow of the gaslight would hide her true feelings.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“…Where are we going?”

That question clearly caught Tayton off guard. His displeasure hung heavily in the awkward silence.

Because of the gaslight behind him, his face was cast in shadow, but somehow, Hailey thought she could see his expression beneath the mask.

Tayton turned his back. Limping, his figure grew more distant. The shadows made his back seem larger—and lonelier—than usual.

Hailey stared blankly after him, then suddenly dashed forward. As soon as she reached his side, a grumbling complaint flew at her, as though he had been waiting.

“Don’t forget that you’re the fiancée of Duke Gunner. My fiancée must never run recklessly under any circumstances.”

“Yes, yes.”

Hailey let his words go in one ear and out the other as she looked around the garden, now cloaked in darkness. The night garden had its own kind of charm.

Crickets chirped beneath their feet, a distant hoot of an owl echoed, and the scent of flowers drifted in the night breeze. In the darkness, her hearing and sense of smell had become sharper.

“So why can’t you sleep, Miss Hailey Salmon? Are you worried about Kent Hall leaking again?”

“No.”

Despite Tayton’s disagreeable tone, Hailey shook her head casually, unfazed.

“Then perhaps you’re too excited by our engagement to fall asleep.”

“No!”

“Then what?”

Tayton stopped walking and gazed intently at her. His silver eyes, faintly gleaming in the darkness, looked like a solitary moon shining high in the black night sky.

Three moons in the sky tonight.

Hailey, staring absentmindedly into his eyes, glanced up at the night sky and then began to walk again.

“Mm… it’s a long story…”

Tayton followed after her. But Hailey said no more, and Tayton didn’t press her.

The soft sound of their footsteps settled gently upon the still silence of the quiet night.

It was strange. Hailey tilted her head, realizing that the suffocating silence with the duke no longer felt suffocating. In fact, it was rather comfortable now.

Which was exactly what made it strange.

“By the way, Miss Hailey Salmon.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Can nothing be done about that dreadful dancing of yours? As my fiancée, you’ll be attending many banquets in the future. How long do you plan to keep stepping on my feet?”

Ugh.

Hailey came to an abrupt stop. Tayton, having walked a few steps ahead, paused and turned to look back at her—with his usual arrogant, condescending gaze.

“I’ll have Marty arrange for a private tutor. Though honestly, it’s not just dancing you need to learn.”

Of course.

Hailey felt like smacking herself for ever thinking this could be comfortable. There was no way she could be at ease around such a wretched man. She clearly hadn’t been thinking straight from lack of sleep.

“In that case, why don’t you teach me?”

Tayton’s eyes narrowed slightly at her sulky reply.

“Instead of scolding me, Your Grace could just teach me yourself.”

It was pure defiance. Half unhinged, Hailey strode right up to him, forgetting entirely that this man was a duke.

“Will you dance with me, Your Grace?”

Tayton’s eyes narrowed even further. He didn’t take her hand right away. Instead, his gaze sharpened, as if trying to discern her true intentions.

Hailey’s eyes grew more and more indignant. She took a step closer and suddenly grabbed the duke’s hand.

Tayton looked down at the hand she had taken.

“……”

It was a hand others were afraid to even brush against. A cursed hand that even his former fiancée, Irene, had never properly held.

She grabbed Tayton’s hand without the slightest hesitation. Not only that—on the night he came home drunk, she even held onto his waist.

There was no fear or disgust in her eyes.

Was she fearless? Or just naïve?

Tayton instinctively curled his fingers slightly at the unfamiliar warmth that touched his fingertips. Perhaps thinking he was about to pull away, Hailey gripped his hand even tighter.

Still fuming, she stubbornly took a step forward.

“How is it?”

Apparently, that was her idea of a dance. It was impossible to tell if her steps were truly a mess, but it seemed highly likely.

Holding Tayton’s hand, she danced alone and stepped on his foot.

“Eek, I’m sorry.”

In a voice that sounded not at all sorry, Tayton called her name in a grim tone.

“Miss Hailey Salmon.”

“That’s strange. I thought I moved like this here…”

Hailey tilted her head. Tayton finally let out a sigh and slowly raised the hand that was holding hers. His other hand wrapped around her waist.

He pulled Hailey’s body close against his.

“!”

She gasped, sharply inhaling. The sudden closeness made every muscle in her body tense. Through the layers of fabric, she could feel a firm, unmistakably male physique.

It was such a foreign sensation that Hailey couldn’t maintain her composure. Her heart pounded in her ears, her breath quickened, and she unconsciously wet her lips with her tongue.

Tayton clearly felt her body stiffen in his arms. But it wasn’t fear. Nor was it disgust.

His eyes softened with languor, and his feet began to move slowly. Hailey, who had been frozen like a statue, moved lightly under his lead.

Tayton let out a faint chuckle and mocked her.

“Terrible. It’s like dancing with a log.”

“!”

A chill ran down her spine. The low, coarse laugh with form pierced her ear and then floated through her body like it followed her bloodstream.

So, she missed the chance to get angry. Without realizing, Hailey flinched and bowed her head with a sigh. Unlike when she was dancing alone, her movements now were much smoother.

Crickets still chirped at their feet. Above, a pale moon hung in the sky, and the scattered gas lamps shimmered like a grand chandelier, casting a soft glow over their shoulders.

Amidst the strange tension and awkwardness, Hailey slowly lifted her head. Her eyes immediately met Tayton’s, who had been gazing down at her pale nape.

A handspan apart.

Their gazes tangled across that narrow distance. Suddenly, Tayton began lowering his head.

Uh…

Hailey watched with trembling eyes as the black mask neared her lips. Just as their lips were about to touch—

Tayton diverted his lips to her ear. In a low, heavy voice that made her stomach tighten, he whispered,

“I forgot something important. A bill will be sent to Miss Hailey Salmon tomorrow.”

“A bill…?”

His breath tickled the fine hairs on her skin. Hailey flinched and pulled her shoulder in, asking in a bewildered voice,

“For the leather shoes you ruined when you stepped on them.”

His blunt tone carried a faint trace of amusement. It was so soft it might’ve been swept away by the wind, but she thought she heard it. That’s why she only grasped what he meant a beat too late.

Hailey suddenly protested with an indignant expression.

“That’s ridiculous—ah, I’m sorry.”

Once again, she stepped on Tayton’s foot. Tayton’s brows slightly furrowed as he stared into her eyes. Her pale green eyes now shone with a darker teal hue.

“Is it just my imagination, or did that not feel like an accident?”

“Yes, Your Grace. It’s just your imagination.”

Hailey nodded enthusiastically and stepped on his foot again. Hard, with all her strength. Her lips pulled tight.

“Hailey Salmon.”

“I-It was an accident!”

Hailey released Tayton’s hand and cautiously backed away, watching him closely. Tayton limped slightly as he took slow steps toward her.

At last, Hailey turned and ran into the mansion.

“Waaah! Please forgive me, Your Grace!”

Her voice rang out loud enough to rouse the whole house. Tayton clicked his tongue softly and stood still, staring at the shaking front door.

The deep shadows at the corners of his mouth seemed to lift slightly.