Chapter 4.1

And Caron too now clearly recognized the woman before him. Aness, the youngest daughter of the utterly ruined Baron Klein family. He’d chased after her, suspicious only after the fact, but by then she had already become Joseph’s wife.  

After that, he gave up pursuing Joseph. If the two of them had conspired to do something to him, it would have been an unforgivable act deserving retribution, but as for the woman with the sweet apple scent who had taken his innocence, he simply didn’t want to think about it anymore.  

He didn’t want to waste even a speck of emotion on a woman who had already become another man’s wife. There was no way to recover the innocence he’d lost anyway. He paid the price by giving up on becoming the head of the family, and he also abandoned any illusions about women.  

He comforted himself by deciding that women were nothing more than tools for bearing heirs, and closed his heart. That was why this marriage was even possible. He felt nothing for Lady Hariel.  

Even so, the reason he was pushing ahead with marriage sooner than planned was that he wanted to forget her quickly. Every year, when apple season came, he suffered terribly. The sweet, ripening scent of apples was unbearable, always reminding him of that night’s ecstasy.  

“Why are you in my house?”  

Under the gentle moonlight, Caron’s frame looked even more intimidatingly large. That imposing presence made Aness even more afraid. Of course, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t considered this might happen. Living in this house, it was inevitable that they would meet someday.  

The man she’d spent her first night with. Ian’s father. There were so many things she was hiding from him that she absolutely had to avoid him. And yet, Aness found herself secretly wishing to see him, even for just a moment.  

Strangely, whenever Ian fussed or things got difficult, this man would come to mind. If he hadn’t been involved in her family’s downfall, maybe she would have gathered the courage to confess at least once.  

That the woman from that night was her. That the person he’d kissed and touched countless times that night was her, that she had even given birth to his son, and that she’d named the child Ian all on her own—she wanted to confess everything. Even now, at this very moment.  

“I’ll ask again. Why are you in my house?”  

Caron asked once more, his tone blunt. Aness couldn’t bring herself to look up, and spoke in a mumble.  

“Ah, I… I’m working here. As a maid.”  

“……!”  

Caron seemed shocked by the words ‘working as a maid’ and was left speechless for a while. After a long pause, he finally spoke.  

“Don’t tell me—you were abandoned by Joseph?”  

“……”  

Now it was Aness who was at a loss for words. What should she say? She racked her brains in that moment. Her livelihood was at stake, so she had to answer carefully.  

She was no longer just an unmarried girl. Her son Ian’s survival depended on her, and she alone had to solve the problem of her ruined family’s survival as well.  

“Yes. I was… abandoned.”  

In the end, that’s what she said. To earn his sympathy. Clever as she was, she gave the answer that would draw out his compassion, and her prediction was correct.  

“Ha, the b*stard. I knew it.”  

Caron immediately agreed, relieved to hear that Joseph was indeed trash. He felt oddly pleased that the man he should have killed turned out to be garbage. And for some reason, it made him strangely happy that this woman had been abandoned.  

Moonlight filtered through the thick apple branches, casting a gentle glow on their faces. The apples Aness had worked so hard to pick were already scattered on the ground, and her cheeks, flustered by the situation, turned as red as apples.  

Caron stared at her for a moment, then, almost unconsciously, raised his hand and gently stroked her face.  

“That night… was it you?”  

His hand was already brushing through her tousled brown hair. It was a very gentle touch. The same rough, brutal hand that had slain countless enemy soldiers now caressed her hair as delicately as if handling a precious jewel.  

At his whispered question, Aness’s cheeks flushed even deeper. She too couldn’t help recalling that night. She couldn’t help but be embarrassed—it had been her first night as well, and it had been overwhelmingly blissful.  

“I… can’t say…”  

No. If she admitted the truth with her own lips, she would be confessing to the crime of that night. She couldn’t forget, even now, that Duke Perschtman was a frightening man.  

“Hmph, even if you don’t say it, there are ways to find out.”  

Knight Commander Caron grabbed her delicate nape with one hand and pulled her forcefully toward him. Caught off guard, Aness was yanked like a straw and was completely flustered.  

He kissed her without warning. She tried to keep her lips tightly shut, but she couldn’t resist his strength.  

Before she knew it, his saliva was invading her mouth. The bitter taste of black tea spread deep as he hungrily sucked at her tongue and mouth, which still held the sweetness of apple juice. Frightened by his ravenous, almost feral intensity, Aness pressed against his solid chest in protest, but it was futile.  

Only after kissing her as much as he wanted did Caron finally pull away, wiping his mouth with his sleeve, looking satisfied.  

“It was you. Yes, I’m certain.”  

He tried to hold back a smile, but failed. An irresistible grin spread across his lips.  

Meanwhile, Aness, her face burning from the sudden kiss, was left in utter confusion. She’d tried to hide it, but now everything was exposed.  

But could she still hide Ian? Suddenly, she was seized by fear. This man, who was about to marry someone else, might take Ian away from her.  

She could never marry this man now, but she couldn’t let him take her child, either.  

“Yes, that’s right. That night, I was tricked by that wretched Joseph, so I had no choice. But there’s one thing I’m certain of…”  

Aness clenched her teeth and confronted him. There was nothing left to lose. She couldn’t marry this man anyway, so at least she would protect Ian.  

“I slept with you, but the one I love is Joseph. Even though I was abandoned, I still love Joseph. That’s why I even had his child. What do you think? Will you still try to toy with a woman who loves another man?”  

“!!!”  

Her desperate words stunned Caron, and he staggered back. Unlike the triumphant look he’d had just a moment ago while kissing her, now his face was filled with indescribable misery and rage.  

Regardless, Aness pressed on quickly.  

“Even though my husband abandoned me, I don’t hate him. I’ll wait for his return and live my life with my son. I may be working here out of necessity, but I won’t throw away my pride. Yes, if you want, I’ll leave.”  

With those words, Aness strode forward quickly. Her heart was pounding wildly. All she could think was that she had to escape.  

‘My baby Ian. There were times I resented you and wanted to hurt you the moment you were born. But now, I’ve come to love you so much. If it’s revealed that you’re his blood, he’ll take you from me immediately. I can’t let that happen. I have to run away before he finds out about the child.’  

That was the only thought in her mind.  

She finished thinking and tried to make her escape, but the Duke darted forward like the wind and grabbed her arm. He held on so tightly she almost fell into his arms.  

“W-what are you doing?”  

Frightened, Aness quickly steadied herself and tried to pull away from him as much as possible. Her heart was racing madly.  

“That won’t do. You seduced me and stole my innocence. You have to pay the price, Aness Klein.”  

The Duke looked at her with a chillingly cold gaze, speaking calmly. He even called her name out loud.