Icarus was a man of his word.

The butler shook his head as if he had accepted his fate.

At that moment—

“Put the sword down.”

“……!”

At the sound of a firm yet delicate voice, everyone turned their heads.

From between the garden walls, the woman Icarus had been searching for so desperately was walking toward them.

“Don’t harm my father.”

“…….”

“I’ll go with you willingly.”

The scene Ertel had witnessed beyond the entrance was horrifying.

Icarus, who had already taken the life of her adopted mother, was now threatening her last remaining blood relative.

She couldn’t allow that to happen.

“Ertel……!”

Icarus’s face lit up with joy and delight upon seeing her.

After all the searching, she hadn’t appeared, and yet now, she had shown herself so easily.

As Ertel stepped within their reach, Amar lowered his sword.

At the same time, Ertel dropped the weapons she had concealed on her body to the ground.

It was a clear sign of surrender.

“Release Lord Adin and take me instead.”

“…….”

“Wasn’t I your goal all along?”

She was right.

But Icarus stood frozen, as if under some kind of spell.

Her appearance, as if she had given up everything, was both alluring and mesmerizing.

Overwhelmed by her invisible majesty, Icarus’s pupils rippled like waves.

‘What is this wretched feeling?’

Since the wedding, his bride had changed.

Her eyes no longer held fear. The docile, angelic demeanor she once had was gone, replaced by the presence of a warrior.

‘It’s as if she’s a completely different person.’

He remembered the immense guilt he felt for letting his guard down when she ran away from him.

Their relationship had now crossed a river that could never be undone.

“Duke?”

Amar’s worried voice snapped the dazed Duke of Juan back to reality.

“Fine. Now that you’ve returned, I’ll leave Adin alone.”

Icarus withdrew his men and gestured toward Ertel, signaling her to mount the horse. Without a word, she obeyed.

“Let’s go.”

As they left the garden, Ertel looked back at Adin with sorrowful eyes.

“Ah, my daughter…”

Adin was the most shaken of all.

When his daughter had come to see him a second time, he had been devastated by his inability to take her back.

He had been crushed by his own powerlessness.

‘No…’

And now, once again, nothing had changed.

>><<

The horse carrying Ertel followed Icarus, who rode at the front.

Of course, Amar was keeping a close watch from behind, ensuring she couldn’t escape.

He wore a dissatisfied expression. The Duke hadn’t ordered her to be tied up.

Even though she had discarded her weapons, she was still a woman who could act unpredictably at any moment.

“Duke, are we really returning to the mansion like this? At the very least, she should be bound with ropes.”

Icarus firmly refused.

“There’s no need. She came back of her own accord.”

“She’s the same woman who pointed a blade at you in front of everyone. This is unsafe. What if she pretends to be captured and attacks you again?”

Their conversation was clearly audible to Ertel. Her eyes, which had been cast downward, twitched slightly.

“This won’t do. I can’t follow your orders on this, Duke. It’s for your safety.”

Amar took it upon himself to tie Ertel’s body with ropes and handed the reins to another soldier.

Only then did he seem to feel at ease about the journey back.

“…….”

Icarus watched the scene indifferently before averting his gaze.

Composing his expression, he focused on the path ahead.

>><<

When they arrived at the mansion, Ertel was taken to the stables.

It was a temporary holding space.

“Keep it a secret from the servants that Ertel is here.”

“Understood. We’ll restrict access to the stables.”

While Icarus attended to other matters outside, Ertel blinked her eyes.

She couldn’t quite grasp what had just happened. Life never seemed to go as planned.

‘What’s going to happen to me now?’

In truth, she hadn’t intended to surrender so easily.

But she had no choice when it came to saving her father.

Exhausted, Ertel’s eyelids grew heavy. She knew it wasn’t the time to sleep, but she couldn’t stop her eyes from closing.

‘Creak.’

“Seriously…”

The man who opened the stable door after hours of silence was Icarus.

Having finished his business, he returned to find Ertel fast asleep, defenseless.

‘How can she sleep in this situation?’

This was the woman who had tried to stab him and then fled when her plan failed.

The journey back had been rough, as evidenced by the dirt smudged on her cheek.

And yet, her beauty remained undiminished.

‘She’s truly unpredictable.’

Did she even understand her current predicament?

For some reason, he felt a twinge of unease in his heart.

“Hey.”

‘Tap, tap.’

He gently nudged her slender shoulder.

“Mm…”

Ertel frowned and slowly opened her eyes. The moment she regained her senses, her heart sank.

Icarus was standing before her, looking down at her with an unreadable expression.

Straightening her posture immediately, Ertel’s composure piqued Icarus’s interest.

Her wrists were still tied with ropes.

Icarus glanced at them, briefly contemplating whether to untie her.

“If it weren’t for Adin, you wouldn’t have surrendered so easily, would you?”

“…You’re right.”

“Then are you admitting it now? That Adin is your only weakness?”

Ertel turned her gaze away instead of answering. Admitting it would have hurt her pride too much.

“That means it’ll be harder for you to act out in the future. I can use Marquis Agnes as leverage to control you however I want.”

“That’s possible.”

Her calm demeanor, despite the situation, made Icarus feel a pang of frustration.

Her eyes shifted to his hand. Though the bandages were gone, the scar from where her blade had pierced him remained.

Even now, she couldn’t understand her own recklessness.

“Did you really think you could kill me at the wedding?”

“…….”

“Me, a man who has survived countless battlefields?”

Icarus’s eyes flickered with both anger and amusement as he recalled that day.

Ertel, no longer intimidated by him, met his gaze and replied calmly.

“There will be more opportunities.”

‘Heh.’

A dry laugh escaped Icarus’s lips.

Her words, implying she would keep trying to kill him, caused his expression to shift in an inexplicable way. His heart pounded unpleasantly.

Her small, cherry-like lips only seemed to utter things he didn’t want to hear.

Avoiding his intense gaze, Ertel gripped the hem of her clothes tightly.

Then, his fingers reached toward her body.

“What are you—!”

His fingers pressed firmly against the upper left side of her chest.

The warmth of his touch against her skin was startling.

Icarus had pinpointed the exact location of the gemstone within her heart.

When she flinched at the sensation, he asked, “Are you aware of this?”

“The Kaiya Stone?”

“……!”

So, she did know.

Overwhelmed by a surge of betrayal, Icarus’s expression faltered momentarily.

“Ertel. You should be thankful you’re only 21 years old.”

“…….”

“If you were 23, I would’ve cut your heart out right here and now.”

So, he’s finally showing his true colors.

Ertel bit her lip, feeling her hair stand on end.

‘This is better.’

It was far preferable to his sweet, deceitful words. She wanted him to treat her as a means to an end, revealing his true ambitions.

That way, she wouldn’t develop any lingering feelings for him.

So she wouldn’t harbor any faint, foolish hopes.

“Think about what I should do with you from now on. You’ll stay here tonight.”

With that, he slammed the door and left.

Finally able to breathe, Ertel let out a deep sigh.

But soon, angry footsteps approached the stable once more.

“…Do you still have something to say?”

It was Icarus again.

“Yes.”

With a strangely sorrowful expression, Icarus closed his eyes briefly before fixing his gaze on her.

He seemed hesitant, running his tongue along his cheek as if deliberating.

Finally, he spoke.

“On the day of the wedding, before the procession, didn’t you tell me something?”

“……?”

“You said you were happy.”

Was it her imagination, or did his eyes look sad despite his blank expression?

“Why did you say that? It was bound to be exposed anyway.”

“…….”

“Was saying you were happy… a complete lie?”

His fixation on something so trivial baffled her.

Why was he dwelling on words that meant nothing to him? She couldn’t understand.

Though momentarily flustered, Ertel hardened her expression and answered calmly.

She didn’t want to fall for his skilled performance anymore.

“A marriage to a man who intends to kill me could never make me happy.”

“…….”

“I said it to make you let your guard down.”

Even though he had expected this answer—

“…I see.”

‘Bang!’

Icarus slammed the door loudly as he stormed out, clearly enraged.

Ertel sat there, stunned.

‘What was that…?’

Surely, he already knew there was an unbridgeable wall between them.

Ertel no longer wanted to be drawn into his emotions.

Outside, Amar trailed after Icarus.

“What do you plan to do next?”

“…….”

“Why not drug her and keep her as a slave for two years?”

Icarus came to an abrupt halt.

He turned to Amar, his eyes still burning with anger.

“Watch your mouth. Don’t lay a finger on Ertel.”

“What?”

Amar froze in shock, unable to comprehend.

Icarus, his gaze sharp as ever, replied coldly.

“All decisions are mine to make.”