Chapter 10

Lyzbel reached out and gently caressed Phil’s cheek. As she opened her pendant, the space around her began to shift. The bright surroundings darkened, and she cautiously opened her eyes. When she did, she found herself back in the secret passage she had entered with Eugene. 

Carefully retracing her steps, she climbed back up and soon saw a door. Opening it, she emerged into the guest room.  

Inside the guest room, her friends were still fast asleep. However, Eugene was nowhere to be seen. As she searched for her, she heard the sound of the bathroom door opening. Lyzbel turned and came face-to-face with Eugene as she stepped out.  

“Eugene. I’m back.”  

“Lyzbel! I was so worried.”  

“Thanks to you, I made it back safely.”  

“…Lyzbel, you’re really back?”  

Hearing Eugene’s voice, the other friends began to wake up one by one, rubbing their eyes. Upon noticing the marks on her neck, they seemed to realize what she had been up to, and their faces flushed.  

While changing her clothes, Lyzbel briefly explained what had happened. She only mentioned that she had succeeded, omitting the embarrassing details. Hearing this, her friends were overjoyed as if it were their own success.  

“But what if you go back to the Baron’s house today and the Baron and Baroness cause a scene?”  

“If they hit me, I’ll just take it. It wouldn’t be the first time.”  

“…That’s not normal, Lyzbel.”  

“I know, but if I can endure it physically, it’s fine.”  

With the help of her friends, she changed into a simple set of pajamas. Just as she was debating whether to eat breakfast, sleepiness began to overtake her. After all, she hadn’t slept and had spent the night in other ways. Her friends gently laid her down on the bed.  

“Get some rest until lunch. You look exhausted.”  

“…Mm.”  

After murmuring her thanks, she buried herself in the soft blankets. She wondered if what had happened earlier in the morning had been a dream. How much easier would it have been if there had been no dealings with the Viscount?  

She dreaded the chaos that would ensue once she returned home after lunch. Just imagining it gave her a headache.  

Looking out the window, she noticed the sun was already high in the sky. From this estate, she could see a view of the capital, though the sea was not visible. For a moment, she gazed outside. If not for the lingering soreness in her body, she might have dismissed the events of the previous night as a dream.  

She touched the marks on her neck. It felt as though the gaze filled with various emotions still lingered on her. If she summoned him, could they have escaped together? The overwhelming sensations she had experienced left her with many thoughts.  

* * *  

That afternoon, Lyzbel reluctantly returned home, even though she didn’t want to.  

When she arrived at the Baron’s estate, the Baron and Baroness were waiting for her in the drawing room. She already had a sense of how she would be scolded. They would likely berate her for notifying them about her overnight absence at the last minute.  

As she entered the room, her parents rose from their seats.  

Contrary to her expectations, however, they didn’t look angry. Instead, their faces were filled with a disgusting happiness, as if they had struck some sort of jackpot.  

“I’m back. …Were you waiting for me in the drawing room?”  

“Yes, dear. We have such wonderful news to share with you that we couldn’t wait.”  

The hypocritical term of endearment, “dear,” made her skin crawl. Still, Lyzbel forced a smile, raising the corners of her lips.  

The Baron and Baroness spoke carefully to her, their expressions brimming with excitement.  

“Viscount Wilstrong has expressed his desire to make you his wife.”  

They had gone straight to the worst-case scenario.  

If she hadn’t gone to that event and spent the night as she had, Lyzbel would have been dragged into this situation without a choice. Her parents were beaming with joy—not because of her happiness, but because they were dreaming of the money they would receive and spend.  

Even the servants wore congratulatory expressions, likely because they knew the Baron and Baroness would be the ones funding them. After all, these people had always been zealous in monitoring her, so what could she expect?  

“What about my opinion?”  

“Your opinion matters, of course. But as your father, it pains me deeply to see you wasting your youth without any thought of marriage.”  

“Father, I’m only twenty-three.”  

“Age catches up quickly. Do you want to become an old maid and disgrace your parents’ reputation?”  

Nowadays, many people lived unmarried lives. But it was clear that such reasonable arguments wouldn’t reach these two.  

In hindsight, she regretted not rushing into a contract marriage, even if it meant meeting someone strange.  

Lyzbel barely managed to suppress the surge of childish anger threatening to burst out.  

The Baroness, who had been quietly observing, approached with a pitiful expression and gently stroked her cheek.  

“It’s all for your sake, dear. They say Viscount Wilstrong’s estate is gilded with gold. If you marry him, all that wealth will be waiting for you.”  

The Viscount had numerous wives. Could any of that wealth truly become mine? He even had countless grown children. I would be lucky to survive without being killed.  

Sarcastic remarks rose to her throat, but she swallowed them.  

Just then, the Baron cleared his throat and spoke.  

“Actually, the Viscount has come all this way to see you.”  

“…What?”  

“How about holding the wedding at his estate? You’ve always wanted to travel, haven’t you?”  

Her vision blurred. 

How far had they gone without my consent?  

As she bit her lip hard, the door opened.  

An older man with a seemingly kind demeanor entered. His face appeared slightly younger than his age, likely due to money spent on maintaining his appearance, but Lyzbel already knew his true age from her friends.  

After exchanging pleasantries with her parents, Viscount Wilstrong approached her.  

“Lady, how do you do?”  

Without her permission, he grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. The sensation made her recoil, and she immediately pulled her hand away.  

The Baroness shot her a cold glare.  

The Viscount, whose hand had been rejected, began to scan her from head to toe with an unpleasant gaze, as if appraising an object.  

The lewdness in his eyes made her nauseous.  

The idea of a man older than the Baron lusting after someone her age was revolting.  

No matter how much money he had spent on his appearance, his eyes revealed his vile nature.  

“Ever since I received the proposal from the Baron of Ivelia, I’ve been unable to sleep from excitement.”  

“…”  

“Marriage often proceeds without the couple knowing much about each other.”  

“…I’m just surprised to hear about this proposal so suddenly.”  

“Perhaps it’s a testament to how passionately I feel about you.”  

If the marriage proceeded this quickly, she might not even have time to seek help from her friends.  

Lyzbel looked at her parents and the Viscount, who were all in high spirits except for her.  

The lustful gaze he directed at her made her shudder in disgust.  

Lyzbel forced a smile as she spoke to the Viscount.  

“Viscount.”  

“Yes?”  

“I’m grateful for your desire to make me your wife.”  

Her response was so unexpected that the Baron and Baroness exchanged surprised glances.  

They had expected resistance, but instead, she responded in such a gentle tone.  

However, her next words left everyone in the drawing room utterly shocked.  

“But I already have a lover.”  

“…What?”  

The atmosphere in the room instantly froze.  

Her parents knew very well that she had no opportunity to secretly meet a lover.  

Perhaps she had gone mad because she didn’t want to marry.  

The Viscount, however, seemed to dismiss her statement as a playful tantrum and smirked.  

But Lyzbel, having anticipated his reaction, smiled and pulled down the neckline of her dress.  

“I even spent the night with him yesterday.”