“Rihana.”

“If you find me so repulsive that you want to banish me to the frontier, then let’s just call off the engagement. That would be better for both of us…”

“No!”

Casian shouted desperately. Rihana’s moistly wet eyes stared directly at Casian. 

Though her feelings for Casian had lightened compared to before, making her feel less hurt, it was still quite unbearable for a man she had once loved and was even engaged to be trying to push her away like this.

“It’s not that I find you repulsive or anything like that. I understand why you’d misunderstand. Anyone would in this situation—I would too. But that’s not it. I have absolutely no intention of calling off our engagement. Everything I mentioned earlier—this is part of all that too. You’ll understand why I’m doing this later.”

She stared at her fiancé, who was spouting incomprehensible words while saying he absolutely wouldn’t call off the engagement even if it killed him.

Rihana admitted she was weak when it came to appearances. This had already been established when she fell for Casian at first sight. So she had fallen in love looking only at that beautiful exterior and made the rash move of getting engaged without properly knowing him. 

No, actually she did know him properly—she had wanted him even knowing his lower body was light like a feather.

In any case, Rihana no longer wanted to be with this man who was telling her she’d understand everything later while banishing her to the frontier.

“Please leave.”

“Rihana.”

“Anyway, if His Majesty the Emperor’s permit has already been issued, the situation won’t change even if I go see His Majesty.”

“…”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to understand, but even when I do understand, I don’t think I’ll forgive you easily.”

“Rihana.”

“Please leave.”

Rihana’s face was full of coldness as she spoke firmly. Casian clenched his molars tightly. His jaw bulged with tension. He wanted to confess right now that he was trying to evacuate Rihana to a safe place because of the rebels who were planning to eliminate the Emperor and install a new one.

But she was an Ariella. The young head of a prestigious family that had served as the Emperor’s direct guard knights for generations. So if he revealed the whole truth, Rihana would surely risk her life to save that rotten Emperor’s life.

That couldn’t happen. His fiancée was far more precious to him than the corrupt Emperor. As long as her life was safe, he could endure her hatred toward him now. Yes, as long as she was unharmed.

But criticism still hurt. Especially now when his feelings of guilt and love had grown to their limit. Casian could no longer bear her criticism and stood up.

“I’ll send Lewandes soldiers with you. The departure is next month, so prepare slowly.”

Rihana’s eyes widened at his words about attaching soldiers from the Marquis household to her, but Casian quickly left the reception room, seeming unwilling to hear her refusal.

After passing through the entrance and coming outside, he suddenly thought of Raiden, whom he hadn’t seen today, and unconsciously turned his head.

On the third floor of the mansion, in the center where anyone could tell it was the Ariella family head’s bedroom, he spotted a blonde man with his arms crossed, looking down below. 

The man, who appeared both arrogant and aloof, was looking down at him with the air of someone for whom ruling from above was perfectly natural. His gaze, containing both sharpness and boredom, was not the look one could imagine from a mere slave.

Casian felt a sudden urge to drag down that insolent slave who dared look down at him and give him a beating, but remembering Rihana’s words that he was her asset and her person, he decided to endure it for today. 

After glaring at Raiden, who was staring down at him, he turned sharply and climbed into his carriage. Once married, he thought, he’d have to find a way to either sell off that unpleasant blonde b*stard or hand him over to his mother.

* * *

“I’ll probably have to go to the frontier within this month.”

Rihana raised both hands and pressed her palms firmly against her eyes as she spoke to Raiden. Raiden, who had seemed strangely in a bad mood since Casian’s visit, looked at her at these words.

“That d*mn b*stard really wants to get me out of his sight.”

Raiden had sensed that the day of full-scale rebellion was approaching. The work of finding the brother who would be installed as the new Emperor after bringing down the current one was progressing rapidly, and the Duchess and other rebels plotting rebellion in his country were also moving busily.

He had endlessly pondered what to do about Rihana before his country’s army stormed the imperial palace together with the rebels’ forces, and coincidentally, her fiancé was planning to send her to the frontier, and that plan had been easily accomplished.

As long as Rihana wasn’t guarding the Emperor, her life would surely be safe. Of course, the frontier region itself was dangerous, which was concerning, but that could be resolved by secretly sending someone to protect her after returning to his country. 

The problem was that she would be going to the frontier sooner than expected. He had anticipated at least two or three months remaining, but hearing she would leave within this month made him restless.

However, an even more unsettling situation unfolded. Rihana was thinking of taking Raiden with her to the frontier.

“Nothing dangerous will happen to you. Even if something dangerous does occur, I’ll risk my life to protect you, so don’t worry.”

And she was saying she’d risk her life to protect him. Raiden bit his lower lip hard at the overwhelming surge of emotion and equally intense sadness.

“I should be the one protecting you, not the other way around.”

“Because I’m stronger. It’s only natural for someone like me to protect what’s mine.”

She spoke so prettily with those pretty lips. His heart constricted at the thought of not being able to see such a beautiful woman anymore. Raiden deliberately let his mouth corners droop as he spoke to Rihana, who was adorable to death.

“You’re doing this on purpose to get my c*ck hard right now, aren’t you?”

At his playful tone, Rihana’s gaze dropped downward. Raiden’s lower body was bulging prominently.

“It’s already hard…? No, what on earth did you do…”

The feeling was completely different from when Casian had been aroused. Her previously calm heartbeat began racing like jumping on a seesaw.

“Didn’t you know?”

“Know what?”

“It gets hard without doing anything, when I’m in front of you.”

Raiden looked at Rihana and smiled like a mischievous boy.