Damon paused, staring at Marcus. Reflexively, he thought back to the first time he met Nate O’Hara.

Nate O’Hara. A woman who had absolutely nothing to do with someone like him. A woman who never spared him a second glance.

Damon couldn’t forget his first impression of her.

Even among the lavishly dressed young ladies, Nate stood out. She wore a remarkably plain dress with ordinary hair and makeup, yet she carried a dignity that made her impossible to approach easily.

He didn’t particularly like people with that kind of noble air, like Nate. Even so, he found himself hovering nearby, wanting to exchange a greeting with her. But Nate never once looked his way. That was probably what made him more restless.

Back at the estate, Damon couldn’t sleep properly for thinking about Nate. Even when he was tangled up with other young ladies doing lewd things, her face refused to leave his mind.

Then, when he finally received an invitation to the party hosted at the O’Hara County, he felt a quiet excitement stir inside him. And yet that day, she turned away from him before he could get out even two sentences. Truly, not even two sentences.

How could she do that? He waited so long for that day.

The shock of it was still vivid. Being dismissed by a woman like that was a first for him, and Damon couldn’t shake the low mood for days. Marcus watched it all from beside him, which was why he knew the history so well.

“Ha, that’s ridiculous. Me, liking Miss O’Hara? The woman who looked right through me like that?”

Damon muttered like he refused to accept Marcus’s words. Even so, in the middle of all that, he spotted one invitation among the pile that Nate was likely to attend.

It was an invitation from Lilia Lovitz, the person Nate seemed to be spending a lot of time with lately. It said a party would be held at the Marquis estate in celebration of her birthday.

Scanning the invitation, Damon reflexively thought of Roderick Lovitz, who was on the balcony with Nate that night.

“That dimwit will be there too. Being Lilia Lovitz’s younger brother and all.”

His tone was crooked, and his face was full of spite. He didn’t seem to notice it himself. Marcus, watching him from the side, felt a vague headache coming on and let out a small sigh.

* * *

Nate visited the Lovitz Marquisate at Lilia’s invitation. She was already feeling guilty about leaving Hotel Ombra without a word to her.

“You don’t need to worry about it, Nate. As I’ve said before, Hotel Ombra is a free place. You don’t have to answer to anyone there. That includes me.”

But contrary to her worries, Lilia didn’t mind at all that Nate left without saying anything. Instead, she was curious about something else.

“By the way, Young lord Damon took you off to that secluded corner. Did something enjoyable happen there?”

Nate was flustered by Lilia’s question.

Something enjoyable…… Did people really call what she went through enjoyable?

In an instant, a memory she was actively trying not to think about flashed through her mind. Being pressed together with Damon on that narrow sofa. The hot warmth and humid air bearing down on her. The kiss with him that she never could have imagined.

At the time, Nate was essentially bare-chested, her soft skin entirely exposed to him. When his thick, wet tongue grazed her skin and reached her n*pple, it truly felt like electricity running through her whole body.

Just thinking about it again made her flush with embarrassment. Lilia smiled softly watching her.

“So something enjoyable did happen? That’s unexpected. I didn’t think Young lord Damon would show interest in a young lady that way.”

“…Young lord Preston has a considerate nature. He was looking out for me because I came to Ombra without knowing anything about it.”

“I didn’t realize Young lord Damon was so considerate. He doesn’t spare a glance at young ladies even more innocent than you when they show up there.”

“Oh……”

“So, did your feelings for Young lord Damon come back? His technique with women must be impressive enough for that.”

Nate shook her head quickly.

“N-no. My resolve to let go of my feelings for Young lord Preston hasn’t changed. I told him so clearly just yesterday.”

Lilia’s eyes widened slightly, seemingly not expecting that answer.

Not long after, Roderick came over to the two of them.

“Nate, are you having a good time?”

Nate smiled and greeted him.

“Yes, Roderick. There are so many people here to celebrate Lilia today.”

Lilia was already receiving greetings from other nobles nearby. Naturally so, since she was the guest of honor.

Roderick nodded and held out a glass of champagne to Nate.

“Lilia has such a wide circle that she invited a lot of people. Which means I have to go around making tedious small talk too.”

The last part came out a little quieter. Nate smiled and offered him some comfort.

“That does sound like a lot. You already look tired, Roderick.”

“I am. And it’s only just started. So, would you take me outside for a bit later, Nate? I’d like to rest somewhere away from everyone.”

Roderick already heard from Lilia about what happened on the balcony that night. That Nate wasn’t feeling well, and Damon happened to notice and helped her. So he kept showing interest in Nate without any reservations about it.

Nate nodded toward Roderick.

“I will, Roderick.”

She innocently assumed he said it because he genuinely wanted to rest. So she agreed to his proposal, which carried darker intentions, without giving it much thought.

Just then, the Lovitz Marquisate grew a little louder. Nate turned her head and saw Damon walking into the hall, receiving greetings from other nobles.

He exchanged light nods with the nobles and then turned his head left and right to look around. His beautiful pale blue eyes landed on Lilia, the guest of honor, and then moved in turn to Nate and Roderick nearby.

He walked over toward Lilia.

“Miss Lovitz, thank you for the invitation. The party is quite magnificent.”

Lilia smiled and welcomed Damon warmly.

“Young lord Damon, I’m so glad you came. Please enjoy yourself.”

Damon nodded. Then he let his gaze drift naturally toward where Nate was.

Nate, staring blankly at Damon without realizing it, flinched when their eyes met. She quickly looked away from him and turned to Roderick. Roderick gave Damon a brief nod as well, then held out his hand to Nate.

“I’ll show you around the hall, Nate.”

“Oh…… Yes.”

She took Roderick’s hand without quite meaning to and started walking.

Damon watched Nate and Roderick move away from him with a displeased expression. He turned over in his mind how to coax Nate away and get her somewhere alone. To do that, he first needed to separate her from Roderick.

“Young lord Damon, you look wonderful today as well.”

Young ladies who had no idea what was going through his mind seized the opportunity and approached him. Damon looked at them like they were a nuisance. They rambled on about anything they could think of to keep the conversation going.

“Miss O’Hara seems to be with Young lord Lovitz again today. She said she was going to forget Young lord Damon, and it seems she meant it.”

Damon’s brow furrowed at one young lady’s words. She didn’t notice and continued with a smile.