When Aiden lifted his large hand from her abdomen, blood seeped through the sodden fabric of her clothes. His once-white apron was already stained a deep crimson.

He bent over to examine the wound.

“Mm…”

A faint groan escaped her lips. She flung an arm weakly into the air.

“No… I don’t…”

Aiden pressed his lips to her dirty cheek and whispered desperately,

“Sveta. It’s all right now.”

“N-no… If he’s here… I won’t… be treated.”

Her words were slurred and broken, yet she forced them out.

“Don’t want to….”

The pain must have been unbearable. And yet Sveta stubbornly shook her head in refusal.

Rejecting him with her whole body, she twisted her waist, summoning whatever strength she had left.

At that moment, blood gushed out.

Aiden covered his mouth with one hand. His broad shoulders trembled violently.

“…Go away. I don’t want to see you….”

Aiden stood frozen to the spot, as if he had been struck by lightning.

Even then, Sveta did not stop moving. She writhed weakly before kicking her legs out in a frantic protest.

“This won’t do. Leave for now.”

Ivan spoke in the firmest tone he could muster.

Aiden, who was half out of his senses, looked up at him blankly.

“There’s no time for this. I don’t know what happened between you two, but what matters right now is the treatment. So leave, Aiden.”

“……”

“The longer this goes on, the more she’ll suffer.”

Trying his best to look intimidating, Ivan planted both hands on his hips and squared his shoulders.

“The priority is to calm her down. So step outside.”

“……”

Ivan suddenly shouted.

“Get out. Now!”

In an instant, the muscles along Aiden’s sharp jaw tightened. Clenching his large fist, he rose to his feet.

“…I’ll wait outside.”

His voice hoarse, he strode across the laboratory and left.

Despite being drenched from head to toe, he walked away with effortless elegance.

The absurdity of it all made Ivan sigh.

He turned to the servants waiting near the entrance.

“You two, step out as well.”

Finally, when only the two of them were left, Ivan rolled up his sleeves and moved closer to Sveta.

Her large, tear-filled eyes drifted towards the doorway.

Adopting the gentlest expression he could muster, Ivan tried to reassure her.

“It’s just the two of us now. You’re safe.”

“No… no…”

Even though Aiden had left, Sveta trembled and stared at the door through which he had gone.

Ivan hurried over, locked the door and dragged a nearby chair over to wedge it firmly in place.

Then he took a small dagger out from under his desk — a blade he kept for self-defense.

“If Aiden tries to come in, I’ll threaten him with this if I must. So please, don’t worry.”

Tears gathered at the corners of her gentle eyes and slid diagonally down her temples.

“…The baby?”

“I’ll need to examine you first.”

“Don’t tell him. To the duke… keep it secret. Please.”

She bit down on her pale, bluish lips between words, as though the pain were unbearable.

“But how can I? He’s the child’s father.”

“Please…”

Ivan hesitated, troubled. But she would not yield.

“Then I won’t… accept treatment.”

“If you refuse treatment, you could die.”

Tears streamed steadily from her eyes as she shook her head.

If her pregnancy could not remain a secret, she would rather die.

“If you die, Aiden will kill me as well. Do you want me to die?”

“N-no…”

“Think of our friendship. If not for yourself, then for me—accept treatment.”

“Then…”

Her voice flickered, fragile as a candle losing its flame in darkness.

“Then, Mr. Bartley… for my sake as well… please keep it secret.”

Cough.

A small cough escaped her lips. Blood welled from the wound, from which the blade was still protruding.

She did not waver.

She was stubborn — no, terrifyingly strong-willed.

Ivan knew he would have to yield.

With a sigh, he relented.

“I will. All right. I promise. Now let me treat you.”

“Swear… to me…”

“I swear. On the name of Count Bartley himself!”

At last, she nodded faintly to indicate her consent.

He quickly pressed a piece of gauze onto the wound to staunch the bleeding.

Still not fully convinced, she continued to watch him, breathing heavily.

“I may swear too easily, but I have never once sworn without meaning it. So trust me.”

“Ah… it hurts. It hurts so much…”

“I will tell Aiden in a year. That much, at least, you can allow me.”

Sveta lifted one trembling hand.

It felt almost like the ceremonial handshake that seals a contract.

Ivan quickly clasped her small hand.

“Yes. But… swear one more time.”

He repeated the oath without hesitation.

A fragile smile bloomed on her pale face. It was heartbreakingly beautiful, but it was also far too beautiful for the urgency of the moment.

Ivan understood that the soft smile she had forced through her pain was an expression of gratitude.

Something hot rose in his throat.

Like a knight kneeling before a noble lady, he whispered solemnly.

“When you wake safely, I can swear as many times as you wish.”

“……”

As though finally at ease, she closed her eyes.

Before beginning the full treatment, Ivan lifted the small brown vial that he had prepared in advance.

Supporting her head slightly, he poured the liquid between her lips.

“It’s a sedative. It will be difficult to endure this while fully conscious. Swallow.”

“Mr. Bartley…”

It was strong medicine. The effect came quickly; her long lashes fluttered slowly.

In even more slurred speech, she murmured,

“Why are you… so kind… to me?”

“I am Aiden’s friend. And I wish to help him.”

“How does… being kind to me… help the duke…?”

“Well, because Aiden…”

Her upper body rose faintly with each ragged breath.

Looking down at her, Ivan finished the unspoken words in his heart.

Because he loves you.

***

Several days later.

In the stiff, suffocating air of the duke’s office, Alyona’s soft voice rang lightly.

“The investigator sent by Duke Baiton of Prisada is currently staying at the marquis’s estate.”

“…Is that so.”

“They say he intends to uncover the truth behind the human trafficking incident that once occurred near the border.”

“……”

Seeing that he was not interested in what she was saying, Alyona smoothly changed the subject.

“It’s been a month since Madame Noma fell ill. She’s still unconscious, but I thought she might be feeling lonely. I came to visit and I brought a letter from my father too.”

His indifferent gaze settled on the letter she was holding.

Taking the silent cue, Alyona offered it to him.

“Please take it, Your Grace. It must be important?”

“……”

As his gloved hand withdrew, Alyona quickly reached out to him. Her fingers barely brushed the exposed skin on his wrist above the leather glove.

Aiden’s gaze turned icy in an instant.

That green stare, filled with intense disgust, was—

‘Exhilarating.’

The way he recoiled stirred a strange thrill within her. Out of habit, Alyona lightly bit her lower lip.

Ignoring her heated gaze as though it were nothing, Aiden brought the letter’s seal close to a candle to soften it.

The dry rustle of paper spread through the still room.

While he read, Alyona’s eyes drifted to the single scratch marring his otherwise smooth cheek.

It had undoubtedly been left by a woman.

‘Was it that lowly mistress?’

Curiosity bloomed quietly.

“That wound… It looks as though it’s been there for some time. Have you not treated it?”

“…I did not feel the need.”

“It may leave a scar.”

Though her voice held a hint of concern, Alyona’s deep grey eyes were busy tracing the man in front of her handsome features.

“It is not something Miss Matwood needs to concern herself with.”

He set the boundary with flawless courtesy.

She could not understand why he had left that unsightly scab untreated.

And yet, even that small wound seemed to add to his allure. It looked like a medal worn by a great hero returning from war or a deliberate mark carved into a statue by an artist overcome with despair.

‘Ah… how can a man be this beautiful, even marred.’

As Alyona drifted deeper into her thoughts, a polite knock sounded.

“Your meal is prepared, Master.”

The duke gave a slow nod toward the butler standing at the door.

She did not miss the faint spark of life that entered his otherwise indifferent eyes.

“May I join you for luncheon? I skipped breakfast to come all this way—solely to deliver your letter, Your Grace.”

“…Let us go to the dining room.”

“Thank you.”

She smiled sweetly as she followed him out of the office, despite him walking several steps ahead.

A deep, musky scent lingered in his wake.

Breathing in the rich, masculine fragrance drifting through the cool autumn air, she slowed her pace slightly and allowed the distance between them to grow.

Her gaze settled on his broad back, the powerful line of his thighs moving with steady force, and the firm curve of his hips.

It was hardly an area a well-bred lady should look at.

But Alyona didn’t care what anyone thought.

Her shameless heart pounded wildly in her chest.

By the time she had steadied her breathing, the duke had already reached the end of the corridor. Turning to the butler who followed behind him, he said.

“See that Miss Matwood is well attended.”

“Yes, Master.”

As he turned in the direction opposite the dining room, Alyona called out.

“Aren’t we dining together?”

“Is there any need for that?”

She stared blankly as three maids carrying silver trays followed the duke out of sight.

By the time she realized he was clearly rejecting her advances, the duke had disappeared from view.