Chapter 1.2

As she stood there with an uneasy gaze and a straight posture, a nobleman approached her.

“Baron Dunmoa has every reason to be proud. You are beautiful. Would you care to dance with me?”

Erika took the hand of the man who asked her to dance, and began to move slowly with him. As his blatant gaze lingered on her ample chest, she couldn’t help but feel ashamed.

The reason Baron Dunmoa had Erika wear such a revealing dress was to divert the attention of noble families who wanted to maintain their dignity, while at the same time attracting the advances of second-rate young noblemen, just like now.

Because Baron Dunmoa did not want Erika, the illegitimate child, to marry into a better family or to a better young nobleman than Eva, the daughter of his legitimate wife.

So, he deliberately dressed her in something a courtesan might wear, intending to marry Erika off to the man who would pay the most among the vulgar nobles trying to buy a wife with money.

When the dance with the man Baron Dunmoa wanted ended, as expected, another young nobleman approached, sending a lewd gaze at her attire.

“Would you care to dance with me?”

“Ah, yes.”

Feeling Baron Dunmoa’s sharp gaze, Erika had to dance with the second man as well. Her mind was filled only with thoughts of wanting to meet Charlotte, so she avoided the gaze of the man in front of her and looked for her out of the corner of her eye.

“Are you looking for someone?”

“What? Oh, no. I’m just nervous.”

As she couldn’t concentrate on the dance, the man’s expression hardened, but Erika didn’t care. She was only pretending to dance as the Baron ordered; there was no need to please the young nobleman’s heart.

She danced with a few more men after that, but even then, Charlotte was nowhere to be seen.

Perhaps displeased with Erika’s lack of attention to her partners, the number of men asking her to dance gradually decreased. When no one asked her to dance anymore, she finally had her first moment of freedom.

To catch her breath and look for Charlotte, Erika slipped out to the terrace, avoiding Baron Dunmoa’s gaze.

Huh? Is she not here either?

She looked around the wide terrace, but Charlotte was nowhere to be seen. Not even the familiar sound of her voice could be heard, so it seemed Charlotte hadn’t attended the banquet today.

Why didn’t she come?

As her anticipation turned to disappointment, her chest felt tight.

“I really thought I’d be able to see her today….”

Just as she let out a deep sigh with a tired face—

“Lady Dunmoa, what are you doing here alone?”

A man with untidy red hair, giving off a fierce impression, approached her. He was one of the men she had danced with earlier. If she remembered correctly, he had introduced himself as Young Master Morton….

Seeing his lewd eyes fixed on her chest as he smiled, it was clear he had approached her with impure intentions.

Ugh. The smell of alcohol.

Every time he came closer, the smell of alcohol grew stronger, and Erika’s brow furrowed.

“I just came out for some fresh air and was just about to go back in.”

Not wanting to continue the conversation, Erika hurriedly tried to return to the banquet hall, but she couldn’t because he grabbed her wrist.

“Le-let go of me. My father will be looking for me.”

Thinking that using Baron Dunmoa as an excuse would make him let go immediately, Erika refused.

“Baron Dunmoa would actually be pleased if I told him I was with you.”

“That can’t be.”

“Oh, but it is. Hmph. Why do you think he dressed you in such a revealing dress? It was to make you seduce men.”

Young Master Morton burst out laughing, and Erika’s face instantly turned red.

His words weren’t wrong, so she couldn’t think of anything to refute. Then he continued to spew insulting words.

“I heard you’re looking for a man who’ll pay a lot of money. Who knows, if you please me, I might take you as my wife. You must know how hard it is for an illegitimate child like you to marry a man from a good family like mine, right?”

Her face flushed with shame. Erika bit her lower lip hard and endured it for now.

“Let go of my hand. Or I’ll scream.”

“The banquet is in full swing right now, so even if you scream, no one will come. Besides, even if the guards come, all I have to say is that we’re having a romantic moment, and that’ll be the end of it.”

Looking around, just as he said, everyone had gone back into the banquet hall, so now it was just the two of them on the terrace. He didn’t seem likely to let go easily.

“If you satisfy me enough, maybe I’ll become your husband. So why do you keep refusing me?”

It was clear from his constant nonsense that he wasn’t worth dealing with. Trying to please a man like that would only lead to the terrible result of becoming his wife.

There was no need to be polite, and since there was no one around, perhaps it was for the best.

Erika summoned all her strength and pushed the man’s chest as hard as she could. Young Master Morton, who hadn’t expected her to push him, was flustered and let go of her hand.

His scrawny, muscle-less body staggered and ended up falling on his backside.

Who was he to talk about being someone’s husband when he was pushed over by a woman?

Seeing how pathetically weak the man was, Erika laughed out loud, and Young Master Morton’s face turned red with humiliation.

“Y-you!”

He rushed at her, trying to throw a punch.

Gulp. Erika swallowed dryly. No matter how rudely he had acted, wasn’t it too much to try to hit her?

With no choice, Erika clenched her fists, ready to face his feeble punch, when suddenly, a man’s cold, sunken voice was heard.

“So pathetic, I can’t even watch.”

Just hearing his voice made the surrounding air feel icy cold.

“Wh-who are you!”

Perhaps feeling the same, Young Master Morton’s eyes shook with unease, but he forced himself to act tough and shouted loudly. It seemed he felt he shouldn’t lose his nerve.

He deliberately clenched his fist tightly for show, but the ends of his fingers trembled.

Soon, a huge shadow suddenly loomed out of the darkness, and then a man appeared. His movements were so light and fast that he revealed himself in an instant.

She had thought there was no one around just a moment ago, so a chill ran down her spine.

“No matter what, hitting a lady isn’t right, is it?”

The moment she turned her head toward the low, heavy voice, Erika felt as if her breath had stopped.

With thick silver hair and emerald eyes so captivating it felt as if one would be drawn in just by meeting them, the large man radiated an overwhelming presence as he looked at them with a mocking smile.

The mask, which covered half his face and was embroidered with gold thread on black fabric, could not hide his handsome features. However, even the mask couldn’t conceal his pale face, which, combined with his sharply raised eyes, made him look even more intimidating.

Who could it be?  

“Ah, Grand Duke Hartwig.”  

When Erika, who couldn’t tell who it was, heard Young Master Morton’s words, she immediately realized the man’s identity.  

Was he Grand Duke Hartwig, who was rumored to have a rare hereditary disease?  

At that moment, Erika recalled hearing that none of the heads of the Hartwig Grand Duchy had ever lived long.  

There were many rumors about why he covered his face with a mask. Some said it was because he had a large scar on his face due to the disease, while others claimed it was to hide his remarkably handsome appearance.  

That’s why it was very rare for Grand Duke Hartwig, who disliked getting involved with others, to step forward like this to help her.  

“No money, but wants a woman… I can’t bear to watch such a pathetic man.”  

His dry voice was laced with mockery and disdain.  

“A pa-pathetic man? Isn’t that going a bit too far?”  

Unable to get angry, Young Master Morton protested to the Grand Duke, his face flushed red.  

“It is true that you’re lacking, but should I not say you’re lacking? Or do you want me to use harsher words?”  

“I-I’ll let it go this time, but if you say anything rude again, I won’t stand for it.”  

Young Master Morton, showing his displeasure, was so overwhelmed by the Grand Duke’s presence that he couldn’t even look at his face and left the scene.  

“Thank you.”  

As Young Master Morton’s figure disappeared, Erika hurriedly lifted her skirt and offered her thanks.  

“I only intervened because his annoying words irritated me, not because I intended to help you, so there’s no need to thank me.”  

What she heard was Grand Duke Hartwig’s low, subdued voice, tinged with annoyance.  

“Even if you didn’t mean to help, I still received your help, so I must thank you.”  

Though his answer was extremely cold, Erika didn’t feel disappointed at all. Whatever the reason, thanks to him, she was able to avoid a fistfight with Young Master Morton, so she was grateful.