Maria said nothing. She didn’t kneel, only quietly bowed her head before the duke.

At that moment, Daphne felt a twinge of regret.

She remembered telling Maria before that one shouldn’t kneel carelessly.

Wasn’t now exactly the time to kneel before Astaire?

No. Astaire wasn’t the type to forgive someone, no matter how much they begged until their palms wore thin.

Especially since Maria had tried to deceive Astaire.

Daphne squeezed her eyes shut.

So I’ve failed again this time too.

Again, someone will get hurt because of me.

Daphne felt like there was a huge hole in her heart. A sense of helplessness slowly soaked through her.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me, Maria?”

“…Nothing, Your Grace.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Astaire leaned back deeply against the backrest. Perhaps tired from the early morning, he even blinked languidly.

He looked like a beautiful statue blessed by the gods, but to Daphne right now, he seemed more like a demon who might pass down some cruel judgment.

Demons possess captivating appearances that bewitch people.

Looking at Astaire, she recalled hearing that somewhere.

Maria squeezed her eyes shut. She looked like she would quietly accept whatever sentence Astaire handed down.

But seeing her tightly clenched fists trembling, Maria was simply resigned.

That once caught by Astaire, nothing that happened to her would be strange.

And Astaire was a cruel man.

“Take her away.”

Astaire gave a short command. Then several of the duke’s subordinates, who had been hiding somewhere in the darkness, appeared instantly.

They all grabbed Maria’s limbs. They dragged her away without hesitation, like escorting a criminal who had committed a grave crime.

And Daphne’s limbs were seized as well.

“Your Grace!”

The grip of the hands binding her was so powerful she couldn’t shake them off. Daphne shouted loudly at Astaire, straining her neck until the veins stood out.

But the cruel man gave no response.

He simply stared at his captured wife.

Soon, Astaire’s handsome lips curved into a gentle arc like a crescent moon.

As though this situation was deeply satisfying.

Watching him, Daphne felt goosebumps rise from head to toe, every cell standing on end.

This, this demonic man.

This terrible man.

Words she couldn’t spit out swirled endlessly in her mouth. The barbed words couldn’t come out and only scratched the inside of Daphne’s mouth.

Perhaps from biting her lips so hard, now even the metallic taste of blood lingered on her tongue.

Astaire slowly rose from his seat and approached Daphne.

He lifted her chin, forcing her to look up at him.

Daphne felt like spitting in that handsome face right now.

Just how far will you go?

She didn’t even want to know anymore. She was afraid. It felt like she had witnessed the abyss of that man.

“Wh-what are you going to do to Maria?”

“Well.”

Astaire smiled bitterly and murmured.

“Doesn’t that depend on what you do, Daphne?”

* * *

Maria was locked away somewhere in the estate that even Daphne didn’t know about.

For such a tremendous incident having occurred, Duke Seyfried’s estate was utterly silent.

No one dared open their mouth carelessly to the enraged Astaire. Everyone remained quietly silent, not even daring to gossip behind his back.

Daphne felt that quietness strangling her neck like a rope.

Astaire didn’t do anything to Daphne herself, the actual person involved in the incident.

He simply got down from the carriage and quite naturally escorted Daphne to her bedroom upstairs in the estate.

But Daphne knew.

That his hand gripping hers was tightly clenched. That if she tried to shake it off, only her own hand would break.

So Daphne resigned herself and quietly left her hand in his.

Click.

As soon as she entered the bedroom, she heard a familiar sound. It had been so long since she’d heard this sound.

Long ago, when the countess locked her in the storage room, claiming she had caused trouble at the Count’s estate.

Back then, that was the sound of the lock fastening.

“Haha… hahaha.”

Daphne let out an empty laugh in her silent room. The wind blowing through the wide-open window wildly tousled her disheveled brown hair.

Her pale face.

Her swollen, bleeding lips.

To anyone, Daphne looked like someone who had lost their mind right now.

She laughed like that in the darkness for a long while.

Click.

Until someone unlocked the door and entered Daphne’s bedroom.

Daphne quietly glared at Astaire who had entered the room.

Suffocating silence hung between them.

“Haha, haha, haha…”

Daphne finally lowered her head and burst into laughter.

The laughter soon became crying. When she covered her burning eyes with her hands, both hands quickly became wet.

“Hahaha…”

Soon she cried while laughing like a madwoman.

To this extent, anyone watching her would think she was insane and stay away.

But Astaire didn’t.

Instead, one step, two steps.

He approached Daphne closer.

Astaire forcibly lifted the collapsed Daphne to her feet.

“Let go, let go of me!”

Daphne screamed like it was her last struggle. Regardless, the grip on her slender arm was merciless.

In the end, Daphne had no choice but to force her weak legs to stand.

No, right after being lifted up.

Daphne snapped to attention at the soft touch of the bed against her back. Astaire had pushed her onto the bed.

“Look at me.”

Fine, I’ll look at you like you want.

Daphne glared at Astaire so intensely she could have stabbed him with her gaze. The man sneered as though even that was laughable.

Daphne moved her bleeding lips and asked.

“What happened to that maid?”

“Well.”

“Like that time… did you have the head housekeeper whip her calves?”

“No. Using the same method would be boring.”

Astaire smiled, narrowing his eyes. That smile felt more vicious than any demon leading humans to hell.

It gave her chills. The feeling of goosebumps rising, like scraping nails against a steel plate. His pleasant low voice was no different from a terrible monster’s whisper.

“You’re insane.”

“You know me well, Daphne.”

Astaire answered while stroking her cheek. His hand was so cold it made her hair stand on end, and Daphne flinched and trembled.

Soon the man brought his face close.

Then the unidentifiable smell coming from Astaire grew even stronger.

Daphne recognized the smell well too. The metallic smell of blood.

For a moment, it felt like the blood flowing through her veins turned ice cold.

Maria, Maria. What happened to that girl?

“I didn’t kill her.”

Those words sounded like Astaire could kill Maria anytime he decided to.

“What… what happened to her?”

Even so, even though Maria had helped her escape, killing her made no sense. Astaire was trying to commit that senseless murder.

“Is this… worth staining your hands with blood?”

“You need to speak correctly, Daphne.”

Astaire touched her lips with an impossibly gentle voice.

When the metallic smell of blood wafted into her mouth, Daphne felt nauseous.

“You make me willingly stain my hands with blood.”

How was that her fault?

“If you hadn’t run away, everything would have been peaceful.”

Astaire sighed and blamed Daphne.

She was at a loss for words.

Why did he keep saying she was the cause?

“You should have just stayed quietly in my estate. No one would have gotten hurt. But why…”

Am I the strange one?

Daphne was genuinely confused. It felt like the world she knew had been flipped half a turn.

“If only you stay in my arms, everyone’s happy.”

“…But I’m unhappy.”

“So to make yourself happy, you make others unhappy?”

“That’s not it…!”

Tears streamed from her eyes. Astaire gently wiped Daphne’s tears with his fingertips.

“Ugh.”

When those fingers brushed against her lips, Daphne bit down on the man’s finger without a moment’s hesitation.

Astaire grimaced, but only briefly.

Astaire had returned to being the chillingly cold man Daphne knew so well.

“Is Maria that precious to you?”

“…”

Not exactly. But Maria had willingly risked danger and loss to help her.

Of course, she was indebted to the Second Prince and was following the Second Prince’s orders.

Daphne couldn’t stand to watch people around her who had nothing to do with anything suffer because of her anymore.

“If you’re human, you naturally feel guilt, Your Grace. What crime did Maria commit?”

“The crime of helping you.”

“…”

“The crime of daring to help the duchess escape and make a fool of the duke. Isn’t that crime enough?”

In fact, imperial law stated that if a commoner mocked, ridiculed, or insulted a Blue Blood noble for any reason, they would be sentenced to flogging.

Of course, it was a law that had been defunct for decades. But if it was Duke Seyfried, he might revive even this dead law in parliament.

“Don’t worry, Maria is safe.”

“Will she remain safe?”

“I told you before.”

Astaire spoke again in an ice-cold voice.

The low voice felt like it was crushing her skull. Daphne frowned with a headache.

“It depends on what you do.”

“…”

“I’m the one who’s curious, Daphne.”

Slowly, Astaire pushed Daphne back. To get away from him, Daphne kept backing up, forced to retreat again and again.

No matter how wide the bed was, there was still a limit to how far she could retreat.

The moment Daphne felt the cool touch of the wall against her back, she gave up.

The strength left her clenched fists.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Well, you think about that.”

Astaire brought his face close as though to kiss her. His hot, breathy voice tickled her lips.

Daphne suppressed the urge to close her eyes and looked straight at Astaire.

In the process, she could read the desire rippling in his eyes. Desire directed at her.

And herself, looking at this man with contemptuous eyes.

Daphne thought she knew what he wanted right now.

“Either way, Maria won’t be able to leave this estate intact. That won’t change.”

Daphne’s eyes widened instantly.

She couldn’t let that happen.