2.

The Ripolla Hotel wasn’t a place just anyone could enter. It was a luxury hotel where only the upper class could stay.

As the gold-plated elevator doors opened, Karen took a deep breath and stepped inside. After pressing the floor button, she leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths repeatedly to calm her anxious heart.

Karen, who wasn’t part of the upper class, had come to this hotel due to a deep entanglement of affairs among the upper class.

“To grow the business, we need an investor with immense power.”

In fact, the situation of the Swan Ballet Company, which Baron Theron had acquired and to which Karen belonged, wasn’t good. This was because there hadn’t been as much success as he had recklessly attempted to expand the art business.

Coincidentally, there was a wealthy man pursuing Karen. Baron Theron forcibly arranged a meeting between Karen, who had been refusing sponsorship, and this man.

‘It seems he promised to sponsor the ballet company if he could connect me with him.’

In the end, Karen proposed a deal to the Baron.

“Instead, please invite Duke Cloen to the performance. I’ll try to make the Duke trust our ballet company and invest in you, Baron.”

Baron Theron also knew that Duke Cloen had no interest in the arts. Nevertheless, if there was even a slight chance of getting an investment from the Duke…

Aside from the funds, just the Duke’s name alone could bring great results.

The Swan Ballet Company had the best skills compared to any ballet company in all of Gloretta. However, in the end, Duke Cloen didn’t change his mind even after the performance everyone had put their best into.

The result was not favorable for Karen.

“Do you know how much time I spent just to hand over the performance invitation to the Duke? Contrary to your confidence, the Duke’s heart didn’t move at all even after seeing the performance.”

“Couldn’t you invite the Duke one more time? The other members don’t know at all that the ballet company’s situation is bad.”

“I don’t want to spend more time on such a low possibility. Karen Chaner, you don’t want the Swan Ballet Company to disappear either, right?”

“Baron, surely you don’t mean…”

“It’s for your sake and all of ours. Meet that businessman, Joseph Mallon, and try to persuade him well.”

As the price for failing to move Arcturus Cloen’s heart, Karen was now voluntarily selling herself.

‘This is truly dreadful.’

She was just a dancer who danced. Karen loved music and loved dancing that allowed her to entrust her body to beautiful music. That was all.

The gaze of upper-class men who couldn’t accept the dancers’ performances as wholesome art, but seemed to want to possess them greedily.

The owner of the ballet company who willingly sends dancers to them forcibly for his own benefit.

And herself, who could only be helplessly swayed by them.

As always, her life had never been entirely her own. While she was used to this fact, there were times when she suddenly felt like crying.

This was one of those moments.

Ding.

Just as Karen’s heart was about to weaken, the elevator doors opened with a light notification sound.

She moved her feet reluctantly, as if pushed from behind by someone.

Finally, Karen stood in front of the room door where the man waiting for her would be. After taking a couple of deep breaths, she raised her hand to knock on the door.

Then, a voice from inside told her to come in.

‘It’s okay, Karen Chaner.’

Nothing will happen.

Karen opened the door.

After passing through the short corridor inside the room, a man wearing only a shower robe greeted her. He looked damp, as if he had just finished showering.

“Welcome, Miss Karen.”

Karen scratched the back of her hand, gripping her own fingers tightly with tension. What the man was expecting was all too clear.

“Mr. Joseph Mallon.”

“I told you to call me Joseph. How disappointing.”

“T-today, the reason I came here is…”

“Come and sit down. Wine? Or whiskey?”

“Well…”

“Haha, seeing the usually cold Karen stutter like this makes me feel strange.”

She had already rejected this man’s sponsorship offers and date requests several times.

Yet, the man always waited for her outside the practice room until late at night, courting her, and insisted on taking her home even when she said it was fine.

Once, when she expressed her discomfort, he didn’t show himself openly but had followed her from the practice room to her home.

Joseph Mallon, known for his trading business, was an idiot who couldn’t understand the word ‘no’.

Karen didn’t want to waste energy on that man. She had too much to do besides ballet practice to be stressed by someone like him.

In her daily life, that man was just a nuisance, but perhaps today he might be of some small help.

“Mr. Mallon, please listen to me.”

“First, sit down. I won’t eat you right away.”

Joseph Mallon approached Karen. His hand gently gripped her shoulder. Karen’s trembling eyes met Joseph Mallon’s lecherous gaze. This seemed to be a signal for Joseph Mallon to lower his head.

He tried to kiss her, pretending it was natural.

“I didn’t come here with that intention, Mr. Mallon!”

Karen raised her voice courageously.

Baron Theron’s pressure and the Swan Ballet Company’s financial situation, and…

For various reasons, she had to come to this hotel.

But that didn’t mean she intended to spend the night with Joseph Mallon.

“Then why did you come this far?”

He asked in a much colder voice, unlike earlier when he had a smile on his face.

“Mr. Mallon, you said you liked me, right?”

A man’s powerlessness and a woman’s powerlessness are different. If Joseph Mallon were to force himself here, things would escalate. Karen didn’t want to cause a commotion if she could help it.

“Then can’t you just help me without expecting something in return?”

“Just… help you?”

“Yes.”

However, a stalker who had been harassing her for nearly a year, given the opportunity to be alone with her in a hotel, was unlikely to retreat peacefully.

“Why should I?”

Joseph Mallon gripped Karen’s shoulder so tightly it was rude.

“It hurts, Mr. Mallon…!”

“You have to give me what I want for me to grant your request. Isn’t that right?”

Joseph Mallon, who had been acting like a man with harmless pure love while stalking, finally revealed his sinister gaze.

“Please don’t do this…! Let me go!”

“You think I’d miss this opportunity? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this moment!”

His hand, unpleasant even with the slightest touch, kneaded Karen’s shoulder and then forcibly embraced her body as she tried to back away.

Karen truly didn’t want unnecessary commotion.

However, there were situations where causing a commotion was necessary.

For Karen, today was such a day.

“Aaaaah!”

Eventually, someone’s scream echoed.

***

Jude Cullen was, above all, a family-oriented person. In other words, it meant he was someone who didn’t respect the personal time of his grown grandchildren.

“Booking separate rooms? Not a chance. You think this old man doesn’t know you’re planning to work all night alone again? We’ve gathered after a long time, so let’s stay together all night today.”

Due to his grandfather’s insistence, Arcturus had to rent a large suite.

Although there were several separate rooms inside the suite where they could sleep separately…

“What are you doing here?”

As expected, he knew this situation would arise. Arcturus asked, leaning against his door, almost gritting his teeth.

“What do you mean? I was waiting for you.”

“Leaving your fiancé behind.”

“He’s in the shower right now.”

Grandfather had fallen asleep drunk on whiskey, and his half-brother Caetro was in the shower…

This must have seemed like a golden opportunity for Sierra. Arcturus clicked his tongue.

“This is troublesome, Miss Miller.”

“What have I done?”

“It’s also troublesome that you’re speaking so casually.”

Arcturus loosened his tie with a rough hand. Sierra openly stole glances at this sight.

“You’re really too much, Arctur.”

Sierra, who called Arcturus by his nickname without permission, was a woman beautiful and charming by anyone’s standards.

With flaming red hair, voluptuous curves, and a lively, lovely eye smile.

With such an appearance, it’s no wonder she’s called the Golden Rose of the Gloretta Empire.

Sierra had attracted much attention from people starting with her life story.

She was a war orphan who became the adopted daughter of a count and is now the fiancée of Caetro Cloen.

Moreover, long ago, she was one of the imperial citizens captured as a prisoner of war by the enemy country. And Arcturus had liberated them.

At one time, many articles in various gossip columns linked Arcturus and Sierra because of this connection. Of course, it was Sierra who spoke about this relationship in public settings.

In fact, Arcturus didn’t remember Sierra from that time at all.

“You know I like you.”

“……”

“Not Caetro, but you.”