At that moment, the open door of Aselidia’s carriage slammed shut and swung open again as Luke jumped out.

“Who did you say?”

Luke’s eyes gleamed, soaked with something close to madness. Before his aide could even speak, he strode forward, pushed past the man’s shoulder, and stood before Karin.

Only after seeing Karin, who was startled and hesitating, did the madness in his eyes clear.

“…”

“…”

The two couldn’t say anything to each other for a moment. They had been apart for a month, so there was much to say, but it wasn’t well organized.

Should she mention the pregnancy first? Would he be surprised? What if he told her to handle it herself, whether she had the baby or not? Or what if he said he’d take the child according to their contract but cut ties with her?

Karin worried frantically like this.

Why did she suddenly appear? Did she come alone? Dangerously? He needed to tell her about the booklet, but why did she look so thin?

Luke seethed with such thoughts.

“Um.”

“I…”

Both opened their mouths at the same time, then closed them again at their overlapping voices.

“You speak first.”

“Right.”

There was no time to argue over who would yield to whom here. Both knew this meeting was extremely dangerous.

“How did you come? How did you know I was here?”

“Actually, I was on my way to the Aselidia ducal estate. But I saw your carriage and wondered if it was you, so I followed and told my coachman to ram into it…”

“How dangerous! Don’t ever do that again.”

“I’m sorry. But it was really urgent, so I had no choice.”

Karin hurriedly looked around, then looked up at Luke with a desperate expression.

Now that he thought about it, for a duke’s daughter’s outing, it wasn’t Hurion’s ducal carriage but a rental carriage. There wasn’t a single attending maid.

“I ran away.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m pregnant.”

Luke froze for a moment. But since there wasn’t even time for that, he quickly pulled out what Karin had omitted from her words.

“Hurion tried to k*ll the child. Am I right?”

“Yes. So I pretended to agree and ran away. I have nowhere to go now.”

Karin spoke weakly.

If Karin gave up the child, she could stop this dangerous meeting right now and go to the villa. After secretly having the child and getting rid of it, what would unfold before Karin was a luxurious life as the next Duke of Hurion.

Just by cutting the child and Luke out of her life, Karin could live without wanting for anything. But Karin was here now, alone without bringing anyone, looking at Luke with eyes that seemed about to cry.

Help me.

Luke felt like he had heard those words from Karin.

He almost shouted for Karin to come with him right now. That he would become everything to her, so she should become everything to him too. That they should have the child together and live together.

But could that become a happy life for Karin?

If she chose him like this, Karin would be disowned by her family. Only the truly unavoidable inheritance rights would remain, and she would lose her position as the next duke.

What Karin could receive in exchange for losing everything was a lifetime of living in an enemy family.

He could see without looking how much Aselidia would look down on Karin after she lost everything. No matter how much he tried and protected her, Karin’s married life wouldn’t be happy.

He wanted to hold onto this woman.

But if he held onto her, this woman would become unhappy.

“Go back.”

Karin’s eyes shook violently.

Luke spoke while looking a bit higher, avoiding Karin’s eyes.

“A hothouse flower like you couldn’t survive abandoning Hurion. Go back and follow their wishes.”

“…”

Karin’s lips trembled.

When she thought about it, Luke had no reason to take responsibility for her life. He was the head of an enemy family, hadn’t originally liked her, and, and…

They had spent countless nights together.

Still, she thought she knew Luke a little, and that she existed somewhat in his heart.

It all seemed to have been a delusion. Incredibly arrogant.

“…I’m fine with going back like this. But what about the child?”

Karin asked while trembling. She tried to stay as calm as possible, but her body and voice were all trembling beyond control.

Luke still answered without looking at Karin’s eyes.

“It’s not a child you wanted to have anyway.”

“…”

“This child disappearing would be better for your life.”

Karin slowly lowered her head. Then she even bent her waist. Luke thought Karin was trying to bow to him sarcastically, but that wasn’t it.

Karin picked up a small stone from the ground. Then she threw it with all her strength toward Luke’s head.

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

“You bastard. It’s still your child, how can you talk like that?”

Karin was crying before she knew it. She roughly wiped her tears with her sleeve. Luke held his forehead where the stone hit and looked at Karin, then forgot everything he was going to say at Karin’s tears.

“Just wait and see. Watch how I live with this child.”

“Karin.”

“If you appear before me again, then you’ll—”

That’s when it happened.

A carriage stopped urgently behind Karin. Then Hurion’s people poured out.

“My lady!”

“Duke of Aselidia, step away from our lady!”

The knights who got out of the carriage shouted menacingly, surrounded Karin, and pulled her back.

Then Luke’s escort knights, who had been watching the situation, also rushed over and drew their swords.

“The lady came looking first, what kind of rudeness is this?”

“Rudeness? It’s proper treatment for Aselidia trying to *ssault a married woman.”

“Typical of Hurion to babble without evidence after killing people.”

The atmosphere on both sides heated up menacingly.

Luke stood anxiously, and Karin stood bewildered among such knights. However, neither was foolish enough not to realize they had the power to resolve this situation.

“Stop it and let’s go. Everyone put away your swords.”

“Stop it. Nothing happened.”

The knights still exchanged insults with menacing energy several times, but they couldn’t disobey their master’s orders and attack each other.

“Consider yourselves lucky. Aselidia cowards.”

“I hope Hurion’s idiots know there won’t be a next time.”

Even while saying this, each side put away their swords and increased the distance while attending to their masters. A gap like an unbridgeable ditch opened between Karin and Luke.

Karin didn’t look at Luke growing distant, but Luke stared intently at Karin moving away.

He had no regrets about his choice.

But not being able to see Karin anymore was truly disappointing and frustrating. So for the last time, he wanted to see her a little more and keep her in his eyes.

Because Luke was looking only at Karin like that, he realized it.

One knight was gradually approaching Karin, taking advantage of the confusion. It wasn’t movement from being unavoidably pushed by people, but steps with clear intent.

And something was in that person’s hand. Something long and ominous – a dagger.

“Karin. Karin!”

Look up, look to the side! Even the time to shout that seemed precious, so Luke pushed through the knights and ran to Karin. The knights panicked and grabbed Luke to stop him.

“Your Grace, why are you doing this?”

“Let go of this! Let go! Karin! Karin!”

Luke struggled like a madman, shaking off the hands holding him and running to Karin. Then Hurion’s knights blocked Luke.

“What? Did you suddenly eat something wrong?”

“That person, stop him! Stop him!”

In that commotion, even Karin looked up, bewildered, and it was the moment when the knights blocking Luke turned around.

Karin saw a dagger flashing before her.

“Ah!”

Karin dodged to the side while screaming. The blade grazed Karin’s arm, bursting blood as it slipped.

“Karin!”

Luke called Karin until his throat was hoarse. Karin stood before the assailant, unable to properly escape or hide while surrounded by people.

The knights who heard Karin’s scream finally turned around in panic, discovered the assailant holding up a dagger, and hurried to catch him. But in that confusion, with many people still not grasping the situation, catching one person wasn’t easy.

Karin’s screams were heard several more times. The knights desperately approached the assailant, and knights on the outskirts also realized something was wrong and headed toward the crowd where Karin and the assailant were.

And Luke desperately approached Karin.

Finally, the knights’ hands grabbed the assailant.

“Catch him! Hold him down!”

“Gag him! There, bring rope!”

While such commotion unfolded nearby, Karin was trembling while bleeding from several cuts on her body from the blade.

Luke was holding such a Karin tightly. Luke retreated while holding Karin, reassuring her.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s all over now.”

“I, I, why did someone try to…”

“Karin.”

Then the knights who had finished restraining the culprit approached Luke and Karin. They reached out to take Karin, but Luke roughly pushed them away.

The knight seemed flustered.

“What are you doing?”

“To the idiots who didn’t know an assassin had infiltrated the group, who left the assassin alone when he approached right under their noses.”

Luke gritted his teeth.

“I can’t entrust Karin to you.”

“Entrust or whatever, Your Grace is now unrelated to our lady—”

“The marriage nullification lawsuit is still in progress. I’m still this woman’s husband! Are you saying it’s wrong for a husband to protect his wife?”

Luke stubbornly refused to step back even one step while holding Karin. Aselidia’s knights came behind Luke and surrounded them.

And most importantly, Karin was trembling while tightly gripping Luke’s clothes. The knight spoke to such a Karin in difficulty.

“My lady, please—”

“Tell the Duke and Duchess of Hurion that I’m protecting their daughter as her husband. At least until the assassin’s mastermind is confirmed, I can’t send Karin to you.”

Luke cut off the knight’s words like that and took Karin to the carriage. Hurion’s knights watching this were anxious, but Aselidia’s momentum was also fierce.

If they tried to forcibly take Karin like this, a battle would surely break out. Moreover, Luke’s words weren’t without merit. There was a traitor among them now, and if Karin were assassinated by another possible assassin on the way—

“This is maddening.”

“What will you do?”

A knight approached and asked. The knight who received the question clicked his tongue and turned around.

“First, I’ll go report. This is going to be a mess.”