Chapter 4.2

Adrian found himself clenching his fists unconsciously.

Why are they so close? Is he a pervert…?

To others, it might have seemed like an ordinary waltz, but to Adrian, the distance felt too close.

And from that moment, his thoughts began to deviate from the normal range. It was similar to when he first heard that Theodora had a suitor. Whoever that man was, since he approached Theodora, Adrian planned to use all his power to dig into his life.

Even a minor mistake or a thoughtless word could serve as a perfect excuse to remove him from the list of suitors. Thinking this far, Adrian saw the two finishing the waltz and preparing to dance a second one together under the man’s lead, and he lost his mind.

‘It’s against etiquette to dance consecutively with the same partner, so I’ll let you go for a while, Miss Eloise.’

He impulsively changed partners just when Theodora’s hand was about to be placed back in the man’s arm after a brief separation. He didn’t care what Eloise, handed over to another man without notice, would think of him.

Driven by a strange sense of mission to separate Theodora and the man, he put her hand in his grip and finally regained his sanity.

Adrian justified his pathological behavior as concern for Theodora. He convinced himself that he was abnormally angry because a man who didn’t match her at all was lurking around her. He firmly believed he had an obligation and responsibility to do so.

He was Theodora’s closest friend and the only one genuinely concerned about her future. The size and density of that sentiment were so immense and intricate that it influenced Adrian’s entire life.

He insisted on the South over all the regions his brother suggested solely because of Theodora. The only land he desired, having never coveted anything in his life, was now under his name, and thus Melhem, where Theodora belonged, was also part of his domain.

‘If I can pick out a flawless man to stand by your side, Theo, I won’t want anything more.’

Those words were nothing but the truth. Without her, his life might have been more of a mess than it was now. He wanted to stay close to Theodora and revolve around her for life.

Without her, he wouldn’t have obtained a domain here; instead, he might have run away to a far place to avoid such bindings.

In fact, Adrian still found it awkward that he became the master of a domain. No, to be precise, most things given to him in life had always been troublesome or uncomfortable.

His father didn’t welcome him, born at the cost of his mother’s life, and his only brother was so perfect that he had no interest in him. Naturally, it was the nurse and maids who raised Adrian, and growing up, he struggled not to suffocate from excessive sympathy, pity, and unwanted admiration directed at him.

Once, he was curious. Do all the people in the world live with such uncomfortable and cumbersome feelings? When they treated him as both the Duke’s second son to be revered and a pitiful creature for losing his mother at birth, what reaction should he return?

After meeting Theodora for the first time at eight, Adrian could indirectly experience what it felt like to be “at home,” and it was only natural that he fell helplessly for her and everything that made her up.

In the South, there were no suffocating gazes or cold indifference. The only things that existed in that fairy-tale world were the blazing sun, pure innocence, and Theodora.

Those few brilliant days a year gave him the courage and will to live a barren life and taught him how to understand life. He consoled himself, thinking that everyone lives with this level of discord in life and endures long times for brief happiness.

‘Stop whining. You’re too weak compared to your brother.’

His father’s stern scolding, often heard in childhood, might have been an accurate assessment of him. Indeed, he was innately weak. So weak that the world scared him. He didn’t even know how to hide that fear and floundered. It was only thanks to Theodora that he could finally live as a proper person.

So, after reaching a certain age, Adrian had only one goal. Not losing her from his life.

All the clowning around the social circle for a month was part of that effort. However, if there was one thing he didn’t expect, it was…

‘It feels so f*cking dirty.’

It was an unforeseen side effect when he declared he would personally choose a husband for her. Come to think of it, he had never seen Theodora with any man other than himself. Perhaps that’s why the sight of her talking to a stranger never felt familiar, no matter how much time passed.

Above all, Theodora, who was always kind to everyone, seemed to want to build some bond with her suitors rather than just maintaining formal relationships. Of course, Adrian couldn’t just stand by and watch.

The mention of each name that didn’t sit well with him added to his worries. How could she have such poor judgment in men? Every man Theodora chose had more than enough disqualifications.

And a few days ago, she finally caught the worst piece of trash from that mud. Robert Huxley, though not yet known in society, was a person of interest secretly monitored by the Information Bureau.

Adrian, who witnessed him making advances toward Theodora from a distance, was furious. He barely managed to detach himself from an elderly gentleman he was conversing with and approached the terrace. However, the ballroom at midnight was still bustling with heat, and by the time he arrived at the terrace, having been repeatedly caught and released by various nobles, the water had already been spilled.

‘Is there something else I need to know? Like, this isn’t the first season you’ve been chasing away my suitors.’

Theodora asked with a stiffened face, as if she had heard something from Viscount Langham. Adrian was terribly afraid that what he most feared might become a reality due to her quiet anger.

If this incident put even a crack in their solid relationship…

He couldn’t just let that fool Viscount Langham be.

* * *

The place where Theodora summoned him through a code was unexpected. After riding for a long time past the large orchard next to the mansion, Adrian arrived at an abandoned vineyard and habitually surveyed the surroundings.

Fortunately, the land, which seemed unused for a very long time, was filled only with dried-up vines and fallen supports, with no sign of human presence.

Having left the mansion first to avoid suspicion, Adrian waited anxiously for his appointment. After all, his hidden faults had been exposed. Since he had been driving away suitors without Theodora’s consent, he knew he had to apologize, and he intended to ask for forgiveness when she arrived.

But how was Theodora planning to come all this way alone? Probably by carriage, he guessed, as the sound of hooves began to echo from not far away.

Soon, a small figure riding a chestnut horse appeared, heading towards him. To conceal her identity, Theodora had pulled the hood of her cloak deeply over her head. The sight of black riding breeches and leather boots peeking out from beneath the long cloak was somewhat unfamiliar.

Perhaps it was because of her unfamiliar appearance. Adrian felt strangely tongue-tied.

“Have you been waiting long?”

Theodora, having spotted him, lightly jumped off her horse and tied the reins to a broken fence, which Adrian silently observed as if scrutinizing.

“No, I just arrived a little while ago. The place is quite… unexpected.”

Feigning nonchalance, he replied, and she spoke, lifting her hood with a sheepish look.

“This is where I sneak away when I need time alone. I set the time for after sunset because I thought the conversation might be long.”

Since I said I’d go to bed early, no one will look for me.

He didn’t quite catch Theodora’s last words due to his surprise.

He had seen her ride before, and riding was a basic skill for noblewomen, so it wasn’t anything new. But coming alone to such a deserted place was an entirely different matter. Especially since it wasn’t her first time.

Adrian couldn’t decide which was more shocking: the fact that Theodora had been doing such dangerous things or that he hadn’t known about it until now.

“You’ve sneaked out here before?”

“Of course, my father would be furious if he knew, but sometimes it’s just too suffocating.”

She answered, as if making excuses, to his silent gaze.

“Shall we go inside and talk?”

Feeling awkward under Adrian’s unfamiliar gaze, Theodora passed him, saying so.

“Go inside? Where?”

Instead of answering, Theodora lifted a long vine hanging to the ground, revealing a small door.