He thought it was just a matter of time and put in more effort, but the distance between him and Lucienne didn’t close even as time passed.

When the incident with Kirhin happened, part of him thought it was an opportunity. That he could make her depend on him.

But Lucienne mocked him by growing even more distant. The invisible iron wall blocking him seemed to have grown thicker than before. And in the midst of all this, Beitram Balshwin had intervened.

Since their fathers had been close, Chester had visited Balshwin Castle a few times as a child, but all he felt then was a chilling gloominess. Though he could easily converse with even the most stubborn and eccentric old men, the people of the Balshwin family were difficult to get along with.

His father often brought him to meetings with the previous count, saying it would be helpful, but Chester didn’t like them. Their eyes were clearly different from ordinary people’s. The always empty and somehow hungry gaze made him uncomfortable.

One day, as he was growing tired of Lucienne’s unexpected lack of response even after Kirhin’s incident, Chester encountered Beitram on his way to the Bickman mansion. Though he had heard that Beitram visited, this was the first time they had actually met.

He could have just passed by, but Beitram deliberately stopped his carriage. Chester greeted him with polite courtesy.

‘I see you’re coming from visiting Lucy.’

‘……Lucy?’

A rancid smell of blood emanated from Beitram, who stood tall before him, lightly dusting off his gloves. Though he knew it was just his imagination, Chester always sensed the smell of blood when facing him. Perhaps because he had heard about the kinds of things he handled and how he handled them through his father.

Honestly, Chester found his attitude very irritating. Despite the fact that almost everyone knew he had feelings for Lucienne, Beitram casually frequented the Bickman mansion.

He was particularly concerned about Beitram’s intentions, especially knowing that the countess’s health was poor. Though he couldn’t say it out loud.

Chester, who had a good physique, had never felt intimidated by another man before, but Beitram was different. No one could avoid feeling diminished in his presence. There had also been long-standing rumors that the Balshwin bloodline was mixed with beast blood.

‘Why not stop this futile effort? No matter how long you wait, I don’t think that Lucy’s heart will ever turn to you.’

At Beitram’s sudden words, Chester’s eyes widened reflexively as he tensed.

‘Pardon?’

‘You’d be better suited with someone more dull-witted and thoughtless. For instance, ah, Bianca Resti.’

Though he stretched out his words as if the thought had just occurred to him, it wasn’t a particularly convincing performance. Chester’s expression hardened with displeasure.

‘I don’t understand what you’re saying.’

‘I mean you should make a wise choice as you’re passing your marriageable age. How long will you keep pouring water into a broken pot? After a year, you’ve only managed to steal glances at her face once or twice a month during outings. When do you plan to see between the lady’s legs?’

Chester’s face reddened at the insulting words. His voice came out somewhat rough.

‘That’s going too far, Count.’

‘Oh? Surely you wouldn’t claim you’ve never imagined it. Any man with functioning loins would have. The intimate flesh of a woman, soaked sweet with honey, waiting for a man’s touch.’

Chester couldn’t believe Beitram was calmly uttering such lewd words, which belonged in candlelit darkness, in the bright afternoon. Though he knew he wasn’t in a position to confront him, anger was slowly rising within him.

Beitram, who had been staring at Chester’s tightly drawn jaw with narrowed eyes, suddenly twisted the corner of his mouth in a smile.

‘Ah, could it be that’s why you’ve been delaying marriage? Is that why you’ve been clinging to Bickman despite having no chance?’

‘What do you mean by……’

As Chester frowned at Beitram, he suddenly gasped. Beitram had reached out without hesitation and grabbed his lower body.

Despite frantically grabbing Beitram’s arm to escape his grip, the excruciating pain from the tightening force left Chester unable to move. Beitram’s disgusting voice brushed past his ear.

‘Were you a half-crippled man who couldn’t fulfill his role? Well, with this, you couldn’t thr*st into Bickman even if she spread her legs for you. It’s shriveled to less than a handful.’

After releasing his hand with a sneer, Beitram clicked his tongue and threw his gloves to the ground. Though Chester felt like he might collapse, he somehow managed to stand by forcing strength into his knees.

‘Your words are filthier than sewage, Count Balshwin! Apologize immediately for insulting the lady!’

Beitram’s lips curved to one side. With a contemptuous expression, he laughed and raised his eyebrows.

‘Insult? What insult did I make? I only stated facts. I thought you were just a child who didn’t know how to handle women, but it turns out you’re in a pitiful state, carrying around a useless piece of flesh that just dangles. Why don’t you leave Lady Bickman alone and stop bothering her? With that thing, you’d die without even being able to rub against ‘Lucy’s’ foot. She’s probably longing for a real man. One who will make her writhe and m*an as he thr*sts his hips.’

‘You bastard!’

Unable to contain his surging anger, Chester finally swung his fist. He couldn’t bear the shame of having himself and Lucienne insulted with such obscene words.

Though Beitram, skilled in fighting, could have easily avoided the punch, Chester’s fist landed squarely on his left jaw. And at that moment, he saw Beitram smiling languidly.

He felt all the blood draining from his body. Beitram’s eyes, which seemed inhuman, were gleaming eerily.

Chester finally realized why Beitram had uttered those vulgar words. With a chill running down his spine, he stepped back, and Beitram, slowly caressing his jaw, spoke.

‘When someone without even a proper title strikes the face of a count like me, I assume you’re prepared for the consequences, Chester Storms?’

The laughter underlying his cold voice silenced Chester. He needed to offer some explanation, but Beitram didn’t give him the chance. Chester was beaten severely by him, almost to the point of death, within sight of the Bickman mansion.

Though Beitram didn’t touch his face, it was hard to find a spot on Chester’s body that wasn’t bruised. His joints were trampled, and something was wrong with his ribs, making it difficult to breathe. In the midst of this unprecedented, overwhelming pain, he had to swear never to visit Lucienne again.

Carried home in a carriage, Chester couldn’t get out of bed for over a month. By the time his broken bones had healed and he had barely regained his strength, his parents had already sent a marriage proposal to the Resti family. Patting the shoulders of his dazed son, his father advised:

‘Bianca is a good girl. She can’t be compared to that ominous Bickman. Remember that and pull yourself together. We’ll hold the engagement ceremony next year.’

‘Father, you know who did this to me. Why aren’t you saying anything?’

‘You fool!’

His father struck his cheek without hesitation, though Chester was barely standing. Having never been hit by his father before, Chester was too shocked to speak, more from the mental impact than the pain.

‘Be grateful for the mercy of being sent back alive. Even if you had returned with your limbs torn off, we would have had nothing to say.’

That’s how his engagement to Bianca proceeded. Though it received many people’s blessings, Chester wasn’t happy at all. Especially when he received the blue bird statue sent by Lucienne, it felt like a corner of his heart was crumbling.

He didn’t harbor hope of doing anything with her again. Lucienne still seemed more interested in the merchant group than in marriage or men.

Though Beitram continued to visit her afterward, Chester didn’t believe the rumors at all. Because he knew Lucienne’s personality well.

But that day would come eventually. He couldn’t tell what Beitram’s feelings toward her were, but he was obsessed with Lucienne enough to chase Chester away like that. It would only be a matter of time before he extended his terrible claws and made Lucienne his own when the necessary moment came.

But now.

Arriving at the party venue, Chester slowly got out of the carriage. Bianca had wanted to accompany him, but he chose to move separately, using the excuse of having business to attend to.

Lucienne would probably come here. With ‘him’ from the rumors.

Duke Lars Karaman Diconmeyer, who had made the seemingly perpetually single Lucienne propose first.

The two of them appeared here and there as if they wanted their relationship to be widely known. They caused a commotion at a tea party and even walked the streets in broad daylight where many eyes could see them. They looked so intimate and affectionate that they gave wings to loose-lipped people.

With mixed feelings, Chester moved forward. He certainly didn’t want Lucienne to marry Beitram. But he couldn’t accept her marrying another man either.

If that was going to happen, if she had thoughts of marrying someone, then rather……”

As he climbed the stairs, biting his lip, he heard people whispering. Turning his head, he saw a man getting out of a black carriage.

He was tall and slender, and his well-fitted jacket showed off his broad shoulders and slim waist. The black satin vest layered over a shirt with the collar turned up gave off an elegant sheen. The intricate patterns woven with threads of various colors looked incomparably luxurious.

After pulling out a gold chain connected to his pocket to check his watch, the man raised his head. It was Duke Diconmeyer.

The surroundings noticeably began to stir. Lucienne was nowhere to be seen. Chester looked at him with jealous eyes. His appearance was flawless even to a man’s eye. In his cool yet strong impression, he somehow resembled Lucienne.

“Excuse me.”

As their eyes met while he was climbing the stairs, politely dispersing the gathering crowd, Chester awkwardly cleared his throat and approached.