Chapter 32. Use Me

“Are you crazy?”

Helen jumped up and glared at him. She feared it, but it seemed he had indeed called them all.

What would happen if her lovers, all dressed up, showed up and saw each other? How would people react when they saw them wearing the same cufflinks?

They would surely look at her with disdain, thinking that she couldn’t change her bad habits.

To ruin her debutante, which was crucial for the family’s future, was he out of his mind?

“Do you even know what kind of damage this will cause to the family?”

If Father finds out…!

Aster chuckled at Helen’s panic and said,

“So what if the Duke finds out? I think he’ll blame you and Paris for poor management rather than me. You know how much he hates it when we can’t control our private lives.”

Helen clammed up at Aster’s rebuttal. The Duke of Blanche was not lenient with his children.

Especially when it came to blaming others for their mistakes. Aster openly mocked her with a smirk.

“You should’ve cleaned up like Father always does. Then you wouldn’t have been caught by me.”

It was a veiled jab at her for being caught with a tracker last time.

“…Huh, huh!”

When Helen was left speechless, Aster approached her and warned in a low voice,

“Seems like you forgot, but tricks like that don’t work on me. I’m also a Blanche. I learned directly from Mother and Father.”

His red eyes darkened, as if warning her not to underestimate him as the little boy he once was.

Helen felt her whole body stiffen. As he said, he had learned the Blanche way through countless experiences in his childhood. He knew very well how to deal with the Duke of Blanche.

“You…!”

“This debutante is as important to Camilla as it is to you. So stop using underhanded tactics and compete fairly. Unless you want to face the Blanche way.”

“Y-you…!”

“As you can see, I’m just as much a Blanche as you, and my methods of payback are pretty nasty.”

Helen’s lower lip trembled at his words. She never expected Aster to interfere with her debutante. After all, he was also a Blanche.

“Are you serious about Camilla?”

“If I weren’t serious, I wouldn’t have started.”

Aster finished speaking and smiled as he extended his hand to Helen. He acted quite friendly, like a family member, while subtly mocking her.

“I’ll escort you to the waiting room. On behalf of your brother who left his partner alone.”

“I don’t need it!”

Helen snapped, furious at his belated family act. She snatched her reticule and hurriedly left, probably to contact her lovers and tell them not to come.

Aster watched her retreating figure with a smirk. In his hand was Helen’s communication stone, which he had secretly taken when he offered to escort her.

Without it, she wouldn’t be able to contact her lovers immediately. Helen Blanche surely didn’t memorize all her lovers’ communication stone numbers.

Aster lightly crushed the communication stone and threw it out the window.

“She won’t be able to make it to the second part now.”

She would be too busy dealing with her arriving lovers to show up in the hall.

Having successfully thwarted the villain, Aster leisurely headed back to Camilla. As expected, Helen and Paris didn’t show a single strand of hair in the second part.

* * *

“How did you manage it?”

I looked at Aster with amazement after successfully completing the debutante.

Not only Helen, who had stolen the spotlight in the first part with underhanded tactics, but also Paris didn’t appear in the second part. Thanks to that, I could smoothly reclaim the flow and be selected as this year’s flower.

The debutante was now at its final after-party, where the ladies could relax and enjoy themselves after the judging.

Aster and I had escaped to the terrace for a moment after receiving many congratulations.

“Aren’t you going to tell me?”

“I just returned what I received.”

“So, how exactly?”

How did you manage to take them both out in one go?

At my persistent questioning, Aster smiled and leaned in closer.

“First, I informed Paris’s stalker of his entire list of lovers.”

“You mean Alice Olive?”

Alice Olive’s obsessive behavior was already infamous. Paris had broken up with her because of her obsession, but the problems never ceased.

I had heard that Paris had even had his hair cut because of her. He stayed inside until his hair grew back.

“No wonder Paris disappeared so quickly. Then, how about Helen?”

“With her partner gone, I recommended a new partner for her.”

“…What? A new partner…?”

Aster smiled at my tentative question.

“I didn’t know who she liked, so I called everyone.”

“You’re scarier than I thought, Aster.”

I glanced at Aster, feeling a chill. Despite being family, he attacked them without hesitation.

I never imagined he would go that far. But then again, Aster was the heir to the Blanche family.

He was reckless, as if he lived without a tomorrow, to the point of damaging the family he might inherit someday.

“No one can handle the Blanches better than I can.”

“It seems that way.”

“Therefore, you may handle it as you wish.”

Aster whispered softly while holding my hand. The serious atmosphere made my eyes widen.

I was trying to interpret exactly what he meant by ‘handle it as you wish’ when he provided the answer himself.

“It’s my response to the proposal you made earlier.”

“Oh.”

“Let’s do it, that marriage.”

Aster answered plainly and suddenly knelt before me, taking my hand. Soon, his hot lips pressed against the back of my hand and then lifted away.

Though his lips only brushed for a moment, the spot felt as if it had been burned. His breath was as hot as the feelings he was expressing. Looking up at me persistently, he said,

“Use me, Camilla. If you wish, I am willing to turn my back on my family.”

With those words, he brought my hand to his forehead, like a knight pledging loyalty to his lady. As if he would do anything I commanded with utmost loyalty.

I looked at Aster, feeling an indescribable emotion. His demeanor had significantly changed over the past few days. He seemed more intense than before, and I found myself involuntarily parting my lips.

“Even if I intend to destroy your family?”

Would you still be blindly loyal to me?

Despite the arrogance in my question, Aster smiled as if there was no need to reconsider.

“Willingly.”

With those words, he interlaced his fingers with mine, holding my hand as if he would never let go.

“I will be your sword. But—”

He rose to his feet. Then, he leaned in close, as if to kiss me. I did not avoid his gaze and looked straight into his eyes.

Our lips were so close that they could touch with the slightest movement. In that intimate proximity, he continued speaking.

“You must fulfill your duties as a wife.”

I knew exactly what he meant. His eyes alone conveyed that he desired me intensely. In that sense, our interests aligned perfectly.

“Alright.”

Our voices mingled softly through our parted lips.

As he said, I didn’t fully understand the Blanche way. But having an ally who was once an enemy was the most powerful weapon.

I decided to use Aster Blanche as my sword to defeat my enemies. Moreover, I would gain a perfect marriage with my ideal partner, making him the best match for me.

Besides, Aster had already shown his intentions by dealing with Paris and Helen today. Even if it was disadvantageous to the Blanches, he would move for my sake.

There was no reason to refuse a partner who demonstrated his loyalty through actions.

“Let’s get married, the two of us.”

As soon as I gave my consent, Aster kissed me. I closed my eyes and accepted him fully.

Though our lips had already been touching during our conversation, they pressed even deeper into each other. His hot flesh brushed against my teeth, and his breath, deep enough to numb the root of my tongue, swirled chaotically inside my mouth.

Even if we kissed passionately like lovers, I would not give him my heart. But this was a marriage where I had agreed to give everything.

Like signing a contract, Aster and I shared a deep kiss. It was an alliance that would never break as long as we desired each other.