The Duke had taken her to the townhouse and provided her with teachers. He gave her good things, including a luxurious bedroom. And he kissed her and mixed bodies with her at all times. Annelie willingly gave her body to the Duke whenever he wanted.

“Ah.”

The moment she realized it, many things made sense. The Duke had truly made her his mistress. He simply never explicitly told her, “You are my mistress.” Only Nelie had expectations and misunderstood a relationship that others could clearly see.

She had been doing such shameful things without feeling any embarrassment. While arbitrarily expecting they might have a special relationship.

Her heart felt thinly sliced.

‘Without even knowing.’

Numerous newspaper articles about the Duke that she had deliberately forgotten rushed to mind. Images of the Duke surrounded by women, the Duke spreading rumors of affairs in many places flashed through her mind. Her eyes grew increasingly hot.

‘Really, without even knowing.’

She thought she meant something to him.

She had mistakenly assumed there was a reason he treated her well. Because of those occasional gentle eyes, because he didn’t push her away when she leaned on his shoulder despite his harsh words.

Nelie forcibly took deep breaths, trying to stop her breathing from halting. Suddenly her neck felt too heavy. The necklace the Duke had put on her was right there, making a clinking sound.

Her trembling hands went up to the necklace and unfastened it as if tearing it off. She wanted to throw it carelessly into the bushes, but realizing how expensive it was—too expensive for her—she couldn’t. Unable to throw it away or put it back on, Nelie’s hand holding the necklace trembled violently.

‘First, I need to go back.’

She needed to return home, not here. Her body froze immediately after. She had unconsciously thought of going back to the townhouse the Duke had prepared. She considered that place her home. This realization made Nelie feel even worse.

‘Pull yourself together, Annelie.’

She wanted to sit down and cry, but nothing would be solved that way. It had been the same when her father collapsed, when the printing house was taken by others, when she came to the city and endured all sorts of hardships.

“Haah.”

She exhaled a deep sigh and moved quietly from behind the pillar to go somewhere, when Jerome’s eyes, pale and unable to say anything while anxiously wandering, caught Nelie moving carefully—

“…Nelie!”

The moment Jerome’s voice rang loudly, Nelie began walking quickly. She felt the air buzzing. She didn’t want to show this appearance. She hated herself for not being able to jump in and get angry right away. Her heart grew increasingly miserable.

“Hahaha!”

“The future of Tevant’s art world looks bright!”

After walking aimlessly, she found herself back in the hall where people were sharing joy. She couldn’t tell how much time had passed while walking.

She felt a bit confused since she wanted to go somewhere without people, but ultimately Nelie, unfamiliar with this place, could only find the exit by passing through this hall. She tried to suppress her increasingly reddening eyes while walking with her gaze fixed on the floor.

‘My head hurts so much.’

The inside of her temples throbbed. She could barely open her eyes properly. Nelie struggled to push through the crowd toward the exit. That’s when it happened.

“To our esteemed guests, the Duke will now offer his greetings!”

“Waaah!”

“Your Grace!”

The moment the person acting as emcee announced this, the hall heated up with excitement. Nelie’s heart pounded heavily. The Duke was ascending to the highest platform placed at the front, opposite to the exit Nelie was trying to reach.

“……”

Nelie looked up at the Duke with cloudy eyes. The Duke seemed somewhat angry, though it wasn’t clear what had happened, but soon his calmly composed expression radiated light like a perfect sculpture more than ever.

Had it been another time, Nelie too would have gazed at him in admiration along with those around her. And she might have felt happiness at being able to share his time by his side. Her heart would have swelled with each shining moment of the Duke.

But now…

The black, hot lumps circling in her stomach once again caused pain as they churned her insides. Seeing the Duke shining in a place she couldn’t reach, she had nothing to say. Thinking they were mismatched from the beginning, her strength drained away.

‘Right.’

The Duke was that kind of man. A man who always shone in the highest position.

So he didn’t need to tell her, “You are my mistress.” She was just one of the ordinary women he stumbled upon, and he was a man who could do as he pleased. The Duke had simply become interested in a woman who drew erotic illustrations, and she was just in a relationship where she provided her body to him and received compensation.

Even so, I…

Should she ask him one last time? Return to the townhouse, wait for the Duke, and ask him to explain what was going on?

The moment she thought that, Nelie clenched her fist, feeling miserable for thinking such thoughts. She just wanted to gather her emotions for now.

‘Move, Annelie.’

Her inner voice urged her, but her legs felt heavy. When her body wouldn’t move as she wished, she felt like crying again. Nelie tried hard to hold back that feeling. She didn’t want to collapse crying here.

Collapsing here would feel like losing to everything. She didn’t want to show such a sight to the misfortunes that constantly came to torment her, nor to the people who spoke ill of her.

Just as she finally managed to put strength in her legs, a servant approached from behind the platform and whispered in the emcee’s ear. The moment the Duke looked down at the emcee as if wondering why he wasn’t proceeding, the emcee smiled brightly and hastily added,

“And Her Highness the Princess of Lambert has also agreed to support our Tevant fund!”

The emcee’s declaration filled the hall with thunderous applause. Amidst the cheering people, the Princess of Lambert with her brilliant golden hair, elegantly smiled and ascended the platform. Right beside the Duke. People’s admiration spread throughout the hall.

“They make such a well-matched pair, don’t they?”

As if she had heard someone whisper those words, the Princess of Lambert linked her arm with Duke Tevant’s. People held their breath. So did Nelie. It was such a powerful shock that even her desire to cry quickly dried up.

The two standing side by side were a well-matched man and woman with shining golden hair as if they were a pair sent from heaven. As if God had made them for each other from birth.

People didn’t notice that Duke Tevant had a very indifferent face despite being next to such a beauty, not even showing a smile. Someone whispered near Nelie,

“I heard there’s talk of marriage between them.”

Nelie’s shoulders flinched. The nobles, unaware of this, were busy talking among themselves.

“What about the rumors of a mistress?”

“Well, that’s uncertain. Besides, even if he really has a mistress……”

“Could he possibly bring that up to the Princess of Lambert?”

“That’s not all. Actually, the rumor about that mistress……”

The surrounding noise became distant. Various words circled around Nelie. The ringing in her ears gradually subsided.

All the emotions raging in her chest slowly settled. All that remained was sadness rolling around like grains of sand.

Nelie looked alternately at the Duke and the Princess of Lambert with a blank face. Eventually, the Duke slowly turned his gaze and met Nelie’s eyes.

“……”

Something indescribable flashed in the Duke’s eyes before his brows quickly narrowed. His gaze slowly swept around Nelie’s neck. She could immediately tell he was looking for the necklace he had given her.

Thud.

The moment she realized this, Nelie dropped the necklace she had been holding. Even the awareness that it was too expensive for her to lose had disappeared. She wanted to take off the dress he had bought her too, but that wasn’t possible in a place like this.

‘Let’s go back.’

That thought alone filled Nelie’s head.

“Miss Heich? Where on earth have you been……”

Just then, Professor Mayhew approached Nelie to congratulate her, having found her belatedly. Nelie looked back at Mayhew with a pale face and quickly moved away.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Wait! Miss Heich?”

Annelie’s sunken face looked somehow ominous. Professor Mayhew tried to catch her with a surprised voice, but Annelie was soon pushed away by the crowd gathering to praise the Duke and Princess, disappearing in that direction.

The Duke’s eyes persistently traced Annelie’s retreating figure, but meanwhile, people continued to cheer.

“A toast to Duke Tevant for arranging this event!”

“A toast to Her Highness the Princess of Lambert!”

Leaving behind the splendid and festive atmosphere, Nelie returned to the townhouse. She didn’t want to go there, but she truly had nowhere else to go.

The townhouse, standing firmly under the night sky, exuded a cold atmosphere unlike other times. Although she had stayed there for weeks, everything suddenly felt unfamiliar. Nelie wandered around the mansion, not knowing what to do, and upon seeing the bedroom where she had stayed, she made an expression like she might cry.

The bed that had always been warm and cozy no longer felt like hers. Especially when she recalled what had happened on that bed when the Duke occasionally spent the night there.

“Ah, Your Grace……!”

“…Spread wider, Miss Heich.”

“Hngh!”

“You said you’d make it bigger, but you’re squeezing to prevent it from growing.”

The blood drained from her fingertips each time she recalled the lewd conversations they had shared there.

Nelie’s hands twitched several times before removing the dress she was wearing. The dress, which had been difficult to put on alone and required the Duke’s help, came off surprisingly easily when taking it off.

After looking at the dress left behind like a shed skin, Nelie put on the old dress she usually wore. Then she put on a coat thicker than the season required.

“Let’s go.”

She didn’t want to stay here any longer. She didn’t want to sit down with misery and sorrow anymore.

Creak.

Nelie instinctively shuddered at the sound of the door opening. And she stepped outside with her constantly trembling legs. The cold night air wrapped around her body.

She didn’t look back.