Prologue

“Who are you staring at like that, Theo?”

At the sudden sound of a low voice, Theodora Hazel hurriedly lifted her gaze, which had been fixed on the first-floor banquet hall.

What instantly captured her wandering attention, which had been restless since early evening, was none other than the jet-black hair. The moment she recognized the owner of that sleek, night-like black hair, her entire body tensed, and her heart began to race uncontrollably.

“Is it someone you fancy?”

What caught her eye next was his robust physique. As if to prove the lineage of the Bachelet Ducal family, renowned for producing exceptional knights for generations, his tall stature and broad shoulders were refreshing to behold, enough to make anyone feel as though their breath had been taken away.

Theodora finally tore her gaze away from his solid, oak-like frame and fixed her wandering eyes on his face.

“I’d like to know who managed to pique your interest.”

What ultimately captivated her, refusing to let her go, was his face—a combination of warmth and familiarity that rested on his lips, along with a stunningly neat appearance and strikingly clear green eyes.

That unwavering gaze, which always unsettled Theodora, had found her again today, as it always did. She had prided herself on her ability to remain unnoticed, yet her longtime friend was always the victor in their little game of hide-and-seek.

“Be careful.”

The moment she stepped forward to approach him, her body, which had been in one position for too long, wavered slightly. Adrian, who had approached her in an instant, grabbed her hand and placed it around his arm, as if the marble railing that reached his chest was untrustworthy.

“That’s dangerous.”

He said this as if making an excuse and smiled faintly. His lips, curving into a gentle arc, were full and red. Theodora couldn’t tell whether her quickened breath was due to the suddenly shortened distance between them or that annoyingly perfect smile.

The heat radiating from his firm muscles and strong body, felt even through the fabric of his clothes, quickly turned her cheeks a rosy pink.

“You’re acting suspicious. Come on, tell me, Theo. Don’t hide it.”

She could almost hear the unspoken words: ‘Let me be the judge of that.’

Judging by the repeated questions he had been asking, it seemed Adrian thought she had been staring intently at someone. He even seemed to believe she had been so startled by that “someone” that she had stumbled.

She wanted to ask him back: ‘If your ideal is standing right in front of you, would you even glance at anyone else?’

“Nicholas Tillman. The second son of the Earl of Tillman.”

However, Theodora’s cowardly lips concealed her true feelings and uttered a random name. It was a hastily made-up answer; she had no actual interest in Nicholas.

Oh, of course, his noticeably receding hairline at the young age of twenty-five had caught her attention, but only in a different sense. She swore it wasn’t out of genuine interest. However, Adrian seemed to take her words seriously, frowning slightly with a serious expression.

“…That bald man?”

Theodora nearly burst out laughing at his merciless choice of words, which contrasted sharply with his beautiful lips. She bit her lips tightly to suppress her laughter.

“He’s not bald. His forehead is just a bit wide, that’s all.”

Although it was only a matter of time.

Even as she thought mischievously, she instinctively defended Nicholas. Poor Nicholas Tillman. He had done nothing wrong. If there was a fault, it lay with his hairline, which had begun retreating earlier than others.

“Are you serious? I didn’t know you had such a taste.”

Adrian muttered with an even deeper frown in response to her defense of Nicholas.

How can someone look so beautiful even while making that expression?

Whether his reaction was serious or not, she found herself lost in thought. 

Was his flawless appearance a sanctuary where even the shadow of ugliness couldn’t set foot?

The furrowed brows and the tightly pressed lips that seemed to express discontent had no effect on his outstanding looks. Instead, his stern expression erased the remnants of boyhood from his face, leaving only intense masculinity.

While Adrian was momentarily lost in thought, Theodora, who had been practically drooling over his face, suddenly snapped back to reality. Harboring impure feelings for her childhood friend had long been her secret shame and a source of guilt.

“Sorry to say this, Theodora, but bald or not, he’s not worth considering as a husband. He has a fatal flaw.”

By the time he spoke again with a rather firm expression, the name “Tillman” had already faded from Theodora’s mind.

“Ah… really? What kind of flaw?”

She feigned curiosity to hide the fact that she had been lost in her own thoughts.

“First of all, both his family and he himself are buried in debt. There are even rumors that he excessively purchases luxury goods every season, far beyond his annual income. Misers are bad enough, but spendthrifts are even worse. Who would want to ruin their life with such a person?”

He concluded firmly, as if that explained everything. She had no choice but to nod in agreement.

“Well, if you say so.”

Theodora absentmindedly nodded, letting Adrian’s reasons go in one ear and out the other. After all, she had no intention of pursuing Nicholas Tillman. Her heart had long been stolen by the man standing before her.

“Why Tillman, of all people? Can’t you pick someone more suitable, Theo?”

However, when Adrian jokingly said this, even Theodora, who was blinded by love, couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed.

It had been a month since the two of them started this silly “husband hunt” operation. Adrian Bachelet—no, now officially the Marquis of Devon after inheriting his estate—seemed determined to reject every name she mentioned as if he had made it his mission to veto them.

Wasn’t it time to give up on this nonsense?

Based on her experiences over the past few days, Theodora began to seriously doubt whether any man in this social circle could meet Adrian’s standards. She also wondered if there were any eligible bachelors left in the region after excluding the men he had deemed unsuitable.

No, no.

Theodora changed her mind. She was the one in urgent need of marriage, and Adrian had only rolled up his sleeves to help her out of goodwill.

Perhaps he couldn’t be objective when it came to his childhood friend. He seemed to believe that no man was good enough for her, but even that was a testament to his kind-hearted desire to find her the best possible match.

“Well, then, how about Harriet Spencer?”

This time, she mentioned a name more seriously. The eldest son of Viscount Spencer and a successful businessman, he had a rather likable appearance and, thankfully, a full head of hair.

“Are you kidding? He’s way too old.”

But Adrian seemed to have a different opinion. His face immediately soured at the mention of Harriet, who had just entered his forties. This time, Harriet’s age was the problem.

“In noble marriages, age doesn’t matter. Besides, a seventeen-year age gap isn’t even that big.”

“I don’t want to see you unhappy, Theo, nursing an old husband. And I absolutely don’t want to see you crying at a funeral.”

Forty wasn’t that old, was it?

However, faced with Adrian’s unyielding expression, Theodora quickly gave up on Spencer and mentioned a few more names she had in mind.

“Henry Fenner.”

“Just a swindler with deep pockets.”  

“Richard Morgan.”  

“A fool who can’t even take care of himself, let alone a family.”  

“William Thomason.”  

“……Bucktooth.”  

When he rejected the last man for such a ridiculous reason, Theodora finally experienced something akin to an internal explosion.  

“Adrian Devon. Second son of the Bachelet Ducal House, and currently the head of the Marquis of Devon.”  

She added a kind explanation as she threw out his name, an impulsive act at best. It was a light joke, suggesting that if no man in the world suited her based on his standard, why not take her for himself instead? Of course, she couldn’t deny the faint cowardly sincerity hidden beneath her words.  

However, Theodora soon realized again. To her, Adrian was someone she had staked her entire life on, and he could never be a subject of mere jokes.  

Moreover, Theodora witnessed with her own eyes. On the face of her 15-year-long friend, frozen stiff, passed the most complex emotions she had never seen before.  

No, Theodora remembered that she had already seen such an expression on Adrian’s face.  

In the spring of her 18th year, at the moment when she had finally mustered the courage to confess her tender affection, which she had harbored for 10 long years. Just like back then, his green eyes, always so clear and bright, turned into an abyss so deep and dark that it defied description.  

When she met those eyes, Theodora felt as if she had been transported back to the past. Back to that very moment when she wanted to confess her feelings but took a step back upon seeing Adrian’s unsettling expression.  

5 years ago, she had ultimately failed to convey her unrequited love. Perhaps she never would in the future either. His demeanor had already shown the answer to her confession.  

Even now, it was the same. Theodora’s mention of his name as her prospective husband was an obvious joke to anyone. But the fleeting emotion that crossed Adrian’s eyes……  

Instinctively, she averted her gaze from his mossy, sunken dark green eyes. Her heart pounded violently, as if she had made a grave mistake. Though she didn’t realize it, perhaps her overwhelming embarrassment was a form of instinctive caution.  

In truth, what had surfaced in Adrian’s eyes was unmistakable desire. A desire so delicate, like the fine silt at the bottom of a pond, that it had long been buried deep and rendered unreachable. However, Adrian did not openly reveal this hidden desire, and thus Theodora remained oblivious.  

“He’s…”  

If voices had colors, Adrian’s would surely be a deep, rich green. Like the cool shade of a dense forest bathed in sunlight, his tone was as pleasant as it was firm as he declared:  

“He doesn’t suit you, Theodora.”  

It was an outright rejection.