“Take her and treat the wound.”

Freddy flinched when he saw the blood staining her dress.

Only then did Rosé finally lift a pale hand, wiping away the blood welling from her wound.

“Let me help you. I mean it.”

Leaving only those words behind, Rosé turned to follow Freddy.

Maxim stood still, watching her retreating figure, lost in thought.

Behind him, a shadow appeared.

“She’s acting. She mustn’t deceive you.”

Turning, he found his uncle—Pieri, the chancellor of Hellevant. Maxim glanced at him briefly before returning to Rosé’s fading silhouette.

“I don’t know… I don’t think she is.”

“You’re not seriously thinking of making that Stern woman your wife, are you?”

“……”

Maxim didn’t answer.

Growing anxious, Pieri took a step closer.

“Have you already forgotten what happened to your mother? Stern women are cursed. She’ll bring tragedy to this castle again!”

Maxim casually wiped his dagger on his sleeve before sliding it smoothly back into its sheath.

“I understand your concern, Uncle, but I’ll make my own decisions. Don’t worry too much.”

He briefly rested a hand on Pieri’s shoulder before turning and walking away.

Pieri watched him go, his face clouded with unease.

Then, he turned to Rosé, his eyes burning with hostility as he watched her from behind.

Pomegranate-red hair, thick and lustrous. A small yet slender, curvaceous frame. Sun-kissed skin, radiant with the warmth of the south.

Just now, Pieri had seen an eerie resemblance—this girl looked far too much like the former queen, Maxim’s mother, the one-time mistress of this castle.

Under normal circumstances, Maxim would have ignored her completely, barely sparing her a glance.

He had always been indifferent, even to the most beautiful women of the North and exotic beauties from foreign lands. He had regarded them all with boredom as if they were lifeless objects.

And yet, his reaction to this woman…

Just that alone was enough to confirm that she was no ordinary threat.

Pieri clenched his teeth.

‘I won’t let another Stern woman take root in this castle.’

***

Since the day they met at the execution grounds, there had been no word from Maxim.

Rosé spent those days lost in thought, writing letters only to tear them apart moments later.

“My lady, let’s run away! Please, let’s just escape while we still can. How can we live in such a terrifying place?”

Since fainting at the execution ground, Natalie had been pleading with Rosé every day.

She had briefly been allowed outside in the courtyard, but now, her movements were again restricted to the building’s interior.

Rosé sat in silence, lost in her thoughts.

‘Did I underestimate Maxim Lankert? Why did I assume he would accept me so easily?’

She suddenly found herself disgusted by her arrogance.

She had foolishly believed this would all go smoothly.

How could she hope to save her family from Kasiax when she couldn’t handle this correctly?

Her self-doubt filled her with despair.

Just as these exhausting thoughts weighed heavily on her—

Maxim Lankert appeared before her once more.

“M-My lady! That man… he’s coming!”

They saw him riding toward them through the window, his horse galloping at full speed.

Unusually, he had come alone—without attendants, without knights.

Upon reaching the annex entrance, Maxim dismounted in one fluid motion, glancing up.

“……!”

Rosé looked down in shock, meeting his gaze.

He smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth before striding inside without hesitation.

Maxim climbed the stairs to where Rosé stayed, casually crossing his arms and taking in his surroundings with a slow, assessing gaze.

It was his castle, yet it was only natural that Maxim had never set foot in a place like this before.

He ran a finger over a piece of furniture, then casually blew the dust from his hand. His demeanor now was starkly different from just days ago when he had pressed a blade to her neck.

Watching his nonchalant actions, Rosé couldn’t understand why he had suddenly come looking for her.

“Let’s do it.”

‘What? Did he just say something?’

Feeling as if she had misheard, Rosé turned to look at Maxim, who was walking toward the window.

“Let’s do it. The marriage.”

Turning his back to the window, he faced her directly, his gaze unwavering. Sunlight scattered behind him.

Should she just leave Hellevant, as Natalie had suggested?

Honestly, over the past few days, her resolve had been wavering.

And yet, here he was—suddenly appearing before her.

He proposed marriage as if suggesting they take a casual stroll together. His simplicity left her utterly confused.

“Ah…”

Seeing her flustered expression, Maxim let out a smirking chuckle like a mischievous child.

“It solves a lot of problems. Seems like a decent idea.”

“Are you serious?”

Rosé couldn’t help but wonder if he was just toying with her.

“Why? Weren’t you the one pestering me about marriage? Have you changed your mind already?”

“I— I never…!”

As she hurriedly stepped forward in protest, Maxim abruptly grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him.

“Ah!”

He positioned her near the window, trapping her in his arms.

In the bright sunlight, her violet eyes shimmered like watercolor paint diffusing in water. Holding her gaze, he spoke coldly.

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m only using you because I need you.”

Rosé bit her lower lip and slowly nodded.

‘Using me because he needs me?’

That was ideal.

If they were merely using each other, they could end this cleanly once their goals were achieved.

“I’ll help you until Kasiax is destroyed. I may not be able to wield a sword on the battlefield, but I’ll find something I can do. There must be a role for me here that can aid you.”

Maxim let out a short, incredulous laugh at her determined declaration.

“You—why do you hate Kasiax so much? Don’t tell me that bastard did something to you.”

Resting both arms on the windowsill, he leaned in closer to her.

“A noblewoman like you wouldn’t harbor such hatred without a reason. Go on, tell me. If I like your story, I might just let you have the pleasure of cutting his throat yourself.”

His tone was mocking, but his eyes were serious.

Rosé was completely trapped within his arms, ensnared in his gaze.

He looked at her intently, as if reading her very thoughts, that she had to turn her head away to escape his stare.

“That’s none of your business.”

Maxim reached out and firmly turned her face back toward him.

“Reckless woman. What if I turn out to be worse than him? How do you plan to handle that?”

Their eyes remained locked for a long moment.

Then, with a slight furrow of her delicate brows, Rosé finally broke the tense silence.

“You’re hurting me. Let go.”

Only then did Maxim remember the wound he had given her days ago. Startled, he immediately released his grip.

Rosé gave a breathless chuckle, looking up at him as if to prove a point.

“If it had been Kasiax, he would have pressed harder until the wound burst open.”

Maxim sighed and stepped back, raising his hands as if surrendering.

“Is your wound healing?”

“It’s nothing. If you were testing me, I could have endured far worse.”

He glanced at the fading red mark on her neck, then back at her eyes.

‘What had happened to this woman?’

‘Why was she willing to go this far?’

His gaze grew complicated.

Cutting a defenseless woman’s throat—he now realized what a foolish act that had been.

He regretted it, but words of apology wouldn’t come quickly.

He had never once apologized to anyone in his life.

“I’ll send someone to move you. You can’t keep staying here.”

Maxim looked around, clearly unimpressed. The place had been empty for too long, and the air was stale and oppressive.

“Just to be clear, we—”

Rosé emphasized her words, making him turn back toward her.

“We are not a real married couple. So when we achieve our goals, this relationship ends. We won’t ask anything from each other.”

Maxim neither agreed nor denied it. Instead, he simply curved his lips into an enigmatic smile before leaving the room.

Thunk!

“Oh, heavens!”

As Maxim opened the door, Natalie, who had been eavesdropping, lost her balance and tumbled backward.

The wooden stick she held rolled across the floor, stopping at Maxim’s feet.

Natalie looked up at him with frightened eyes.

She had pressed her ear against the door, ready to rush in with a club if anything happened inside, but she hadn’t expected him to come out so suddenly.

“Were you planning to beat me to death with this?”

Maxim asked, sounding unimpressed. Natalie trembled and scooted backward on her bottom.

“Well, your loyalty is admirable.”

Maxim smirked before turning away and striding down the stairs.