Chapter 23

“She’s definitely avoiding me.”

“…Did that young lady commit some offense against you, Your Grace? If so, I’ll prepare a formal complaint letter.”

Aaron’s expression turned serious.

“Please, do nothing.”

‘Then don’t look so distracted.’ 

Dagon grumbled inwardly.

Just then, a strategist’s smile slowly spread across Aaron’s lips. He had just succeeded in devising a plan to catch the brown rabbit that had gone down the rabbit hole.

In Aaron’s mind, Neria was…

‘…an eccentric recluse.’

To succeed in the hunt, one had to know the prey well. Aaron leaned back in his chair, already feeling like a victorious hunter. Dagon blinked at his superior, who had gone from somber to cheerful in an instant.

“I’ll write a salon invitation and send it tomorrow.”

“Pardon?”

Dagon’s eyebrows twitched in confusion. His lord disliked crowded places. To even host such a gathering? But he didn’t ask why.

“If you tell me the contents, I can draft it for you.”

“No, no.”

Despite his earlier gloom, Aaron cheerfully refused his aide’s offer. He seemed rather excited.

“I’ll do it myself. Prepare the most expensive stationery, and make sure it doesn’t bear the Denicar ducal seal.”

Dagon sighed inwardly at his superior, who was clearly lost in thought.

‘Neria Warwick, was it?’

‘Should I report this to Her Majesty, Queen Dowager Elaine? That Duke Aaron seemed to have a special interest in a woman?’

Normally, Dagon would have to confess all of Aaron’s affairs with women to Queen Dowager Elaine, but seeing Aaron unusually happy, he shook his head.

“All right, Dagon. You may go now.”

Aaron planned to use this invitation as bait. Could she escape his trap? The answer… was no.

‘We’ll meet again soon, dearest Neria.’

The secretive schemer’s icy blue eyes sparkled.

Dagon paused before leaving, then spoke to Aaron, who was dipping his pen in ink.

“I trust you don’t intend to harm Lady Warwick, Your Grace.”

“…What? Why would I harm her?”

‘Should I mention that your eyes look like you’re about to roast someone whole?’

Dagon shrugged again. Even as his aide quietly left, Aaron was swimming in confusion with a serious expression.

‘What do I want to do with Neria?’

No matter how he thought about it, his only desire was to kiss those tempting lips. And then to whisk her away to the North, where he’d make her happy for life.

Suddenly, Aaron shivered.

‘Wait a minute.’

‘Is this… love?’

***

After two weeks of travel, Neria returned home completely exhausted.

Earl Warwick raged about her leaving without his permission. When the Countess began yelling back, Neria quietly slipped upstairs.

“Whew…”

She soaked away her fatigue in a warm bath, changed clothes, and came out. Her luggage had already been brought up by a servant, and Marie was opening her bags to unpack.

“I’m back, Marie.”

“Welcome home, My Lady. How was the baby in Orin? If she takes after Lady Isabella, she must be adorable.”

“Yes. She had bright blonde hair, just like my sister. To me, she looked like a roasted sweet potato, but she was cute nonetheless.”

Neria complained about having to listen to Isabella’s marital woes, but she didn’t mind much since her sister gave her plenty of expensive dresses.

“Orin was warmer than the capital. If my sister hadn’t lent me some light dresses, I would’ve suffered… Anyway, nothing happened while I was gone, right?”

“No, nothing. Oh, by the way, you received an invitation today.”

“Hm? What’s this?”

Sitting at her vanity and drying her wet hair, Neria picked up an invitation from a round silver tray in front of her.

It was a seal she’d never seen before. Maybe a new salon had opened? Neria broke the seal and pulled out the letter.

It wasn’t an ordinary salon—the invitation, decorated with flower petals and silver foil, was extremely fancy and had a subtle floral scent.

“A book talk invitation? What’s this?”

If it had been a “noble book talk for young ladies of refined intellect,” Neria would have pretended not to see it.

But as she skimmed the contents, her eyes widened. The introduction was dull, but the rest was impossible to ignore.

「<Why Were There Strange Sounds At The Mill At Midnight?> Mystery suspense book talk. Lady Neria of the Warwick family is invited. Please bring a mask for secret identity protection… (abridged)」

“…Oh my.”

The genre “mystery suspense” was a trap. Real eccentrics never write it openly.

Marie asked,

“Will you attend?”

“Of course!”

Neria rubbed her hands together with a sly laugh. The stressful, shame-inducing Aaron Denicar problem was completely forgotten.

She didn’t even notice the jaws of the approaching beast.

***

“Is this the right place?”

Getting out of the carriage, Neria lifted the brim of her hat and examined the building.

She had arrived at a quiet mansion in the suburbs. There were many such mansions on the outskirts of the capital, often used as meeting places or rented out as villas.

‘This is a much nicer venue than I expected.’

Neria checked the invitation again to confirm the location.

At the entrance stood a man in a neat servant’s uniform. When Neria explained her purpose, the servant called someone with a blank expression.

Soon, a butler with a fussy demeanor appeared from the mansion. After confirming the invitation, he nodded and led Neria inside.

The gathering was on the mansion’s second floor, in the largest drawing room.

There were many different chairs, and one wall had a temporary bed for resting.

But there were no screens between the chairs to hide the attendees’ identities.

“I’m alone…”

Neria sipped non-alcoholic sparkling wine, poured by the butler, and looked around the empty drawing room. There were many interesting objects, so she wandered here and there, peeking at things.

She heard someone entering. Neria quickly pulled out her fan to hide her face.

Maybe this person could become a good friend, so she tried not to look too wary…

“You’re early.”

But the voice was one she never expected to hear here, and Neria trembled lightly. She turned slightly, and her violet eyes widened.

A man who looked as if he’d stepped out of a painting stood there, arms crossed and smiling as if drawn by an artist. A chill ran down her spine like cold water poured over her head.

“D-Duke…?”

Neria’s voice came out strangled. Unlike her shock, Aaron smiled brightly and replied,

“Yes, Neria.”

Neria looked around the elaborately decorated room, then back at Aaron. Even though she’d fallen right into his trap, she couldn’t immediately grasp the situation. Finding her adorable, Aaron smiled and confirmed for her,

“That’s right. This is all a trap I set.”

“What, what is this…!”

She was speechless, not just because she had no idea what happened at the midnight mill.

“We have a lot to talk about. But it seems you have been avoiding me, Lady Neria.”

Aaron murmured ominously,

“Little rabbit Neria, be grateful you weren’t born a brown rabbit. If you had, you wouldn’t have survived the winter—you’d have been eaten.”

“M-me…?”

Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Neria’s words came out oddly. Her voice cracked, and her cheeks flushed, but Aaron’s expression remained calm. That made her even more uneasy.

“…”

Gulp.

Neria swallowed and looked at him with trembling eyes.

Jet-black hair, blue eyes that shone, perfectly sculpted features. When he smiled, a dimple appeared on one cheek, giving him a gentle and cheerful look, but his true nature was nothing like that.

Neria knew there was a venomous tongue hidden behind those handsome lips.

Duke Aaron Denicar subtly moved, blocking the exit with his body and staring at Neria.

“Lady Neria Warwick. Haven’t we spent quite a lot of intimate time together?”

Even though much was left unsaid, she could guess exactly what he meant. And this wasn’t a question seeking her answer.

It was a question asked with certainty in his own deduction.

‘I’m doomed.’

Since her disastrous formal meeting with Duke Aaron Denicar, Neria had seen him in her dreams. She’d tied him up, shamed him, bit, tasted, and enjoyed him to vent her anger.

But she’d only recently learned that those dreams were real, and connected with Aaron.

Neria tried to remain calm. For now, Aaron only had suspicions, not proof. At times like this, she had to act brazenly.

She decided to play the pitiful, shy young lady!

“I-I-I don’t know what you’re talking about, Duke. You’re scaring me.”

“I-I-I think you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

He replied nonchalantly, in his usual teasing tone.

Just then, Aaron moved. He didn’t even take many steps, but the distance between them shrank quickly.

She thought she’d kept a safe distance, but suddenly, he was close enough to make her shoulders flinch. She caught a whiff of lemon, roses, and pepper—sweet and gentle, the same scent she’d smelled so often in her dreams. Aaron’s scent.

“…”

His sharp blue eyes met her trembling violet ones. They locked gazes for a long moment. With his stunningly handsome face, Aaron made a request.

“Lady Neria, would you try squeezing my chest?”

“…What?!”

Neria was shocked.

‘Why is he suddenly making such a request?!’

Without waiting for her understanding, Aaron grabbed Neria’s hand and pressed it against his chest. He’d already taken off his jacket, leaving only a muslin shirt.

Confused, Neria instinctively cupped his firm chest, then immediately regretted it.

‘Ah! This is a trap!’

She had to act as if it was her first time touching a man’s chest!

Regardless, the suspicion vanished from his bright blue eyes, and certainty began to spread.

‘This… the way she squeezes, the pressure, the size!’

The hand that toyed with him in his dreams was this very hand!  

At last, he’d found her—the witch with the seductive body.

Aaron looked down at Neria and murmured ominously.

“…So it was really you after all.”

His icy blue eyes burned beneath his fine brows.