Silas gently took hold of Kyla’s hand, which was resting neatly on her gown’s skirt.

She turned to look at him.

Her sapphire-blue eyes seemed to ask, “What are you doing?”

The rosy flush coloring her cheeks was beautiful.

She stared at him for a long moment, her gaze seeming full of quiet reproach, before turning her attention back to the stage.

He couldn’t tell whether her reaction was resignation, acceptance or something else, or whether she was giving him permission.

But as long as she didn’t pull away, he had no intention of stopping.

Silas gently lifted the edge of her glove at the wrist with his thumb.

Then he softly stroked the delicate skin where her pulse fluttered beneath the surface.

Her slender hand trembled slightly.

Yet she didn’t turn to look at him.

Gradually, however, the tips of her ears and the curve of her neck began to turn red.

The skin inside her wrist was soft and delicate, like silk.

Fine blue veins stood out faintly beneath her pale complexion.

Resisting the overwhelming urge to press his lips to that spot, he slowly slipped his thumb deeper beneath her glove.

Then, in no hurry, he caressed the palm of her hand.

Every curve and hollow…

Every line etched into her palm…

He could picture them vividly in his mind.

Hidden beneath the railing of the private box and out of sight of the audience below, merely feeling the soft warmth of her wrist and palm was enough to stir the desires he had buried deep inside.

‘What a foolish illusion it had been…’

To think he could wait months for her answer.

As he watched her lips pressed tightly together, the unquenchable thirst within him burned ever more fiercely.

***

By the time the opera had finished and Kyla and Silas returned to the Lester estate, it was well after midnight.

During the journey back, Kyla had asked Silas to be more careful in future.

After stepping down from the carriage, Silas honored her request.

Without sparing her a single glance, he walked straight into the mansion.

Kyla watched him from behind as he handed his silk hat and coat to Hugh Winkler, then headed upstairs to his bedroom.

Only then did she return to her own room.

She sat down in front of the dressing table in her bedroom, opened her bag and took out the ring.

She had tried to return it several times during the carriage ride home, but he had stubbornly refused to take it back.

Clearly, he was not going to accept the ring until he heard her answer to his proposal.

Letting out a long sigh, she stared at the ring in silence.

The sapphire was beautiful, its blue hue shifting subtly with every change of light and angle.

It was as though Silas had chosen it to match the color of her eyes.

Judging by the size of the sapphire alone, it had to be worth a fortune.

Yet rather than feeling happy, Kyla felt only fear and confusion.

She still couldn’t believe that Silas had called off his engagement to Penelope.

And proposed to her instead.

She had sensed for some time that he desired her as a woman.

But his heartfelt confession—My thoughts have been consumed by you.—was something she had never imagined.

‘What kind of feeling was it…’

Was he clinging to someone, saying that it didn’t matter whether they loved him back, as long as they let him stay by their side?

He had never once said ‘I love you’.

Maybe it wasn’t love after all.

And yet…

There was no doubt that he sincerely wanted her.

That feeling alone was enough to fill her with excitement.

Knowing that these feelings weren’t hers alone made her heart swell.

Kyla wrapped the sapphire ring in a white silk handkerchief.

She opened the vanity drawer, placed the ring beside her necklace and ribbons, and quietly closed the drawer again.

Her fingers drifted to her left wrist, where Silas had touched her during the performance. She gently rubbed the spot where he had touched her.

It had been nothing more than her wrist.

Yet the instant his hand had touched it, a tingling warmth had spread through her entire body.

While he held her wrist, her face burned and her mouth went dry.

Nevertheless, she remained perfectly still, pretending nothing was happening, and kept her eyes fixed on the stage.

She struggled desperately to focus on the opera.

She was afraid that if he realized how fast her heart was beating or how uneven her breathing had become, he might take it further.

Fortunately…

Neither at the opera house nor during the carriage ride home did he do anything beyond that.

Kyla slipped out of her gown and pulled a robe over her chemise.

When she undid the pins holding her hair in place, her long, abundant chestnut locks fell over her shoulders.

She picked up her hairbrush and walked over to the window.

Gazing at the glittering stars in the night sky, she slowly brushed her hair.

She had always believed that marriage was not for her.

When she thought she was destined to marry Benedict Norton, despair had consumed her.

Marriage…

To Silas Lester.

She tried to picture herself as his wife.

But her mind remained blank.

The excitement and trembling he stirred within her could only mean that she longed for him too.

The mere touch of his fingers against hers was enough to clear her mind.

Whenever she thought about the kiss they had shared, she felt a rush of heat spread through her body.

Becoming his wife would surely bring her a joy and exhilaration unlike anything she had ever experienced.

But…

‘Would that alone be enough?’

‘Was that what marriage truly was?’

Probably not.

Marriage was about much more than romantic affection and a man and woman’s desire for each other.

Through marriage, wealth and status could be gained or preserved.

Families were joined together.

This cycle continued generation after generation, ensuring the ever-greater entrenchment of Brighton’s upper class.

Marrying her would undoubtedly leave a stain on both Silas and the House of Lester.

She couldn’t help worrying about what Mrs. Lester would think of her, either.

To marry Silas meant becoming a duchess.

She was the adopted daughter of a gentry family — not even a noble by birth — and a former piano teacher at that.

Whenever she wondered whether Ashton’s high society would truly accept someone like her, she could only sigh.

She was also worried that Riona might struggle to make her debut in society or find a suitable marriage partner because of her.

She had never cared about high society before.

But perhaps she would have to start caring now.

And yet, the funny thing was…

Despite all her worries and reasons to sigh, the moment she thought of Silas, her lips would curl up on their own and her heart would race.

Kyla smiled to herself as she remembered him saying that it was all right if she loved the piano he had bought her more than she loved him.

She had wondered…

As it turned out, the Steinberg grand piano had really been bought just for her.

That alone made her happy.

Earlier that afternoon, standing in this very room, she had felt sure that something wonderful was about to happen.

Something wonderful was going to happen today.

‘Had his proposal been that wonderful thing?’

Lying in bed, Kyla tossed and turned for a long time, caught somewhere between excitement and uncertainty.

***

In early January, The Ashton Guardian, one of Ashton’s leading weekly newspapers, published a brief notice in its society column announcing the end of the engagement between Duke Silas Lester and Lady Penelope Rothermere.

Unlike the announcement of their engagement, which had once dominated the front page, the notice of their broken engagement was tucked away in an inconspicuous corner and easy to miss unless you looked carefully.

Nevertheless, news of the Duke of Lester’s broken engagement sent ripples through Ashton’s high society.

According to the article, the engagement had ended due to health issues affecting the duke.

Not a single person believed it.

After the recent scandal linking Duke Lester and Kyla Feilding, society was convinced that the real reason had nothing to do with his health.

It had to be because of another woman.

“What a disgrace for the Feilding family.”

Melissa cut a small piece of her lamb steak and placed it into her mouth.

Jayden silently looked across at his mother.

Despite her complaining tone, her expression was unexpectedly bright.

“We don’t know the full story yet. It’s too early to say whether it’s a disgrace or something worth celebrating.”

His father, who had been quietly cutting his steak, stiffened, his expression turning grim.

“Even if Kyla ends up marrying the Duke, a scandal is still a scandal, isn’t it? Besides, if the Duke were to change his mind and decide not to marry her after all, the consequences would be disastrous.”

Watching his mother, who was always especially cold and sharp whenever Kyla was mentioned, Jayden struggled to suppress the anger rising within him.

“Jayden, you must know something. Do you think the Duke is really going to marry Kyla?”

Melissa asked.

“I’m not sure, Mother. But if they do decide to marry, Silas will come to speak with Father.”

Jayden turned his gaze toward his father.

“I suppose he will. But… are you all right with it?”

“Yes, Father. Please don’t worry about me.”

Jayden smiled at his father, who was looking at him with obvious concern.

He put a large piece of lamb steak in his mouth, but it tasted of nothing.

It felt like he was chewing on rubber.

There was no doubt that Silas loved Kyla.

It seemed that she had feelings for him as well.

But did she truly love him?

Did she want to marry him?

These things remained uncertain.

If they wanted to silence the malicious rumors about her, marrying Silas was probably the only solution.

But what if the two of them really did get married?

‘Would I be able to congratulate them with all my heart?’

Jayden felt the pressure around his heart tightening.

“I imagine you’re the one person who can understand how Jayden feels better than anyone else. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Melissa’s voice was gentle, yet for an instant Andrew’s expression froze.

“You would do well to choose your words more carefully.”

After fixing Melissa with a cold stare, Andrew dabbed his mouth with his napkin.

“I’ve lost my appetite. I’ll excuse myself.”

Jayden watched his father stand up and leave the dining room.

As he did so, he found himself recalling something that Silas had told him a long time ago.

It was a rumor that had once circulated through high society.

Apparently, his father and Kyla’s birth mother had been in love before either of them got married.

For some reason…

Jayden couldn’t shake the feeling that the old rumor was connected to what his mother had just said.

“Mother… what did you mean by what you said just now?”

“What are you referring to?”

She lifted her wineglass to her lips as though she had no idea what he was talking about.

“I meant when you said Father would understand how I feel better than anyone.”

“Oh, that? I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Melissa smiled.

Her remark hadn’t been meaningless, though.

His father was clearly offended, leaving the dinner table before the meal was finished.

When Silas had told him that story before, Jayden had dismissed it as idle gossip.

But perhaps…

He had been wrong.

If the rumor was true, then everything finally made sense.

It explained why his mother had always been distant towards Kyla and why she had opposed their relationship so fiercely.

For his mother, raising the daughter of the woman her husband had once loved must have been unbearable.

Even so…

Jayden couldn’t forgive her for driving Kyla out of the Lester estate and even trying to force her into a marriage with Benedict.

Nor could he forgive his father for standing by and allowing it to happen.

“Jayden, you hardly seem to be eating.”

Melissa looked at him with concern.

“I don’t have much of an appetite either.”

Picking up his wineglass, Jayden drained it in several large gulps.

“Still, you should eat a little more.”

“No, Mother. I think if I eat another bite, it’ll only make me sick. I’m sorry, but I’ll excuse myself.”

After dabbing his mouth with his napkin, he rose from his seat.

“Jayden!”

His mother’s startled voice rang out behind him, but he didn’t spare her so much as a glance as he strode out of the dining room, leaving Melissa sitting alone.

Melissa was left sitting there alone.

A heavy, bewildering silence fell over the room.